Watts News
 Published for the members of North Itasca Electric Cooperative
VOL. 15 NO. 5  -  May 2012

North Itasca Electric Cooperative
2011 Member Satisfaction Survey Results

  1. I am aware of the following programs offered by North Itasca Electric: (Write 1 if yes, 2 if no.)
    • ___ Electricity (98%)
    • ___ Appliances (95%)
    • ___ Operation round-up (80%)
    • ___ Wild Blue (Internet) (55%)
    • ___ Free "for sale/wanted" ads (78%)
    • ___ Load management (68%)
    • ___ Other: (please describe) (33%)

  2. Overall, how satisfied are you with the services you receive from North Itasca Electric?
    • O Very Satisfied (55%)
    • O Mostly Satisfied (39%)
    • O Neutral/Not sure (4%)
    • O Mostly Dissatisfied (1.7%)
    • O Very Dissatisfied (1%)

  3. Please evaluate the statements below to help North Itasca Electric better understand your electric service needs. For each statement, rate North Itasca Electric's current PERFORMANCE in meeting your needs. (Use a one to five scale with one being EXCELLENT and five being POOR.)
    RELIABILITYExcellent.............. Poor
    Restores power promptly after an outage.1(52) 2(32) 3(12) 4(2%) 5(2%)
    Provides reliable, High-quality electric service with few interruptions.1(52) 2(32) 3(11) 4(4%) 5(.6%)
    Seldom have power outage of ten minutes or more.1(35) 2(31) 3(18) 4(8%) 5(4%)
    CUSTOMER SERVICE
    Has convenient business hours.1(55) 2(39) 3(4%) 4(1.7) 5(1%)
    Is easy to reach to report a power outage.1(66) 2(23) 3(8%) 4(1.6) 5(1.6)
    Has courteous member service after regular business hours.1(67) 2(24) 3(6%) 4(1.6) 5(.7%)
    Has reliable, professional employees.1(70) 2(23) 3(5%) 4(.6%) 5(0%)
    Provides accurate and understandable electric bills.1(65) 2(26) 3(6%) 4(1.9) 5(.6%)
    Provides an informative newsletter.1(68) 2(24) 3(6%) 4(1.2) 5(0%)
    Provides information to help reduce your energy bill.1(55) 2(27) 3(13) 4(3%) 5(.6%)
    Provides value-added products and services beyond just electricity.1(47) 2(32) 3(17) 4(2.6) 5(.6%)
    Provides prompt response and service.1(57) 2(31) 3(8%) 4(2%) 5(.9%)
    COMMUNITY INVOLVEMENT
    Takes an active role in the communities it serves.1(63) 2(26) 3(8%) 4(2%) 5(.3%)
    Is concerned about its impact on the environment.1(57) 2(32) 3(8%) 4(2%) 5(0%)
    MANAGEMENT
    Is a well-managed organization.1(55) 2(30) 3(11) 4(2%) 5(1%)
    Management is responsive to members' concerns.1(52) 2(32) 3(11) 4(2%) 5(1.8%)
    Board of Directors represents the customers' best interests.1(48) 2(32) 3(14) 4(3%) 5(1.3)
    RATES
    Controls costs to keep rates fair and reasonable.1(33) 2(37) 3(20) 4(6%) 5(2%)
    Is cost competitive with other electric utilities.1(33) 2(33) 3(20) 4(8%) 5(4%)
    Is cost competitive with other energy sources.1(39) 2(37) 3(20) 4(6%) 5(2%)
    Seldom increases its electric rate.1(31) 2(35) 3(24) 4(6%) 5(3%)


  4. Are there other services you would like North Itasca Electric to offer?
    (10%) Yes (89%) No

  5. Overall, what kind of value do you feel you get for your money from North Itasca Electric?
    (31%) Excellent (35%) Good (24%) Fair (7%) Poor (3%) Very Poor

  6. How likely would you be to recommend your electric cooperative to others?
    (58%) Very Likely (22%) Somewhat (12%) Neutral (4%) Somewhat (2%) Very Unlikely

  7. How would you prefer to pay your electric bill?
    (52%) Mail (6%) Internet (24%) Auto-pay (4%) Drop-box (8%) Credit Card (1%) Debit Card (4%) Other method

  8. The following describes my readership of North Itasca Electric's (Watts News). Please check only ONE response. (57%) Read it all. (37%) Read parts. (4%) Skim it. (.3%) Do not read it. (.7%) Do not receive it.

  9. Please indicate whether you think the following changes to North Itasca Electric's newsletter, the Watts News, would result in 1 = great improvement, 2 = some improvement, or 3 = no improvement.
    POTENTIAL CHANGES TO NEWSLETTERGreat
    Improvement    		Some
    Improvement    		No
    Improvement
    Decrease the length of the newsletter.1(39%)2(10%)3(50%)
    Have fewer but longer stories that really get to the heart of the subject.1(9%)2(35%)3(55%)
    Have more yet shorter stories that cover a broad variety of topics.1(16%)2(43%)3(40%)
    Have more stories that focus primarily on North Itasca's business.1(13%)2(41%)3(45%)
    Have more stories that focus primarily on North Itasca's members.1(19%)2(41%)3(39%)
    Include a "Letters to the Editor" column to address issues and
      receive responses from North Itasca Electric's management.    		1(41%2(38%)3(20%)
    Other: ______________________________________________1(39%)2(19%)3(41%)


  10. Overall, how satisfied are you with the communications you receive from North Itasca Electric?
    (43%) Very Satisfied (45%) Satisfied (9%) Neutral/Not Sure (1.4%) Dissatisfied (.3%) Very dissatisfied

  11. I prefer North Itasca Electric use the following ways to communicate cooperative news, issues & events to me: (2%) Radio (5%) Internet (5%) Annual meeting (.8%) Television (2.4%) Word of mouth (11%) Message on bill (18%) Message w/bill (8%) Local newspaper (46%) Watts News

  12. Which two local news publications do you mostly and regularly read?

  13. Based on a five-point scale with "1" being strongly agree and "5" being strongly disagree, please circle the number that best corresponds to your response to the following statements:
    STATEMENTS1 2 3 4 5
    I actively shop for better deals on household services (such as long distance
    telephone, internet service provider, security system, appliances, etc.)    		30%21%28%9%12%
    It means a lot to me that my electricity comes from environmentally sound sources.48%27%21%2%2.8%
    All electric power is of the same quality as long as there are no outages.6%35%37%16%5%
    It is important to me that my electric provider is a member-owned cooperative.56%23%14%4%3%
    It is important to me that my electric provider has an office close to me.55%23%17%5%2%


    14. Please check the best response for each of the following questions. This information will remain confidential
    and will only be used to group members' responses as part of a statistical summary.
  14. Do you currently have access to the Internet?
    (60%) Yes (39%) No --(26%) Dial up (74%) DSL/Satellite

  15. Is this house your primary residence or a summer (seasonal) residence?
    (65%) Primary (35%) Seasonal

  16. How many years have you owned or lived in any residence(s) served by this cooperative?
    (0%) Under one year (1.2%) 1-5 yrs (1.5%) 6 - 10 yrs (3.4%) 11 - 19 yrs (93%) 20+ years

  17. Including yourself, how many people live in your household?
    (17%) One (68%) Two (7%) Three (2%) Four (.9%) Five (4%) Six or more

  18. Which one of the following ranges includes your age?
    (0%) Under 30 (0%) 30 to 39 (1.5%) 40 to 49 (14%) 50 to 59 (32%) 60 to 69 (52%) 70 and over

  19. Please write any comments you wish to share with North Itasca Electric below:
    Comments stated in survey will be in future issues: "Survey comments - responses".


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