Why Outage Maps Matter and What's Next for Utilities

According to the 2017 J.D. Power Electric Utility Customer Satisfaction Study, more than 65% of residential utility customers surveyed are receiving critical information during a power outage. This critical information includes the cause of the outage, the number of customers impacted, and time estimates on when power will be restored. Customers who receive this information report a higher overall rate of satisfaction versus those who do not. While utility companies’ communications and technical capability continue to grow, so do customer demands. Determining the best delivery method and information to include in outage communications delivered to customers is necessary to lower utility costs and increase customer satisfaction.