By Jeremy Wise
Marketing Manager
Coosa Valley Electric Cooperative employees and board members have endeavored to serve their region with reliable power and friendly service for 85 years.
It appears they have succeeded, according to the feedback of 478 members in a recent survey.
“Good, reliable business — caring and honest to its members. Good rates,” 1 member said.
“CVEC is the best utility company I have ever dealt with,” added another.
The survey, conducted in the spring of this year, revealed that members believe CVEC's commitment to several member services and electrical services aspects have improved since 2020 — the last time the cooperative offered the poll.
82% of respondents noted they would select CVEC as their power provider if given a choice, an 8% gain from 2020. CVEC received a 4% gain in overall satisfaction, leading to an American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI®) score of 86.
The score, which is 3 points higher than 2020's result, would land CVEC within the top 25% of co-ops if it were among the publicly measured cooperatives in the syndicated 2024 ACSI Energy Utility Study.*
“These scores are the results of years of hard work, planning, and dedication from our employees and cooperative leadership,” said Jon Cullimore, CVEC general manager. “The score improvements we registered in most categories show that we remain committed to serving our membership better each day.”
Electric Service
wiring on a project during the summer.
CVEC's best score in the survey came when 93% of survey respondents said CVEC “provides reliable electric service.” Additionally, 91% said CVEC restores service after an outage quickly, an increase of 3% over 2020's results.
“When there is a weather-related outage, it’s very easy to report, and Coosa always responds in a timely manner,” said 1 member.
“If power goes out, it is usually on an hour or so later,” another member noted. “Always has been a great company.”
Member Services
Equaling the best score in the survey was the rating for the friendliness and courteousness of CVEC's employees. CVEC's average rating on a scale of 1 to 10 — with 10 representing the best score — was 9.4.
Respondents also said CVEC's employees were “knowledgeable and competent” with 92% of them giving top scores.
“Everyone is always so friendly and helpful,” 1 respondent said. “I see some of the employees at the store, and they still speak. They represent the company well.”
Members also believe the cooperative communicates well and makes it easy to conduct business.
“Coosa Valley Co-op is the easiest to work with, easiest to contact, friendliest, and has excellent power delivery,” according to 1 respondent.
Cooperative Culture
Coosa Valley Electric also scored well on subjects that show its commitment to cooperative principles. For instance, 90% of survey takers said CVEC is “committed to local communities,” 88% say it is a “trustworthy” company and 86% say it’s a well-managed organization.
“In 25 years, I’ve never had to make a single negative statement about Coosa Valley Electric,” 1 member replied.
“My family has had Coosa Valley Electric for the past 71 years, and we never remember any problems,” another added. “We’re very satisfied with their service and have watched the company grow to meet the needs of the community.”
1 of the ways the cooperative has fulfilled its commitment to the community is by providing fiber-to-the-home internet services through Coosa Valley Technologies. CVEC also purchased a company that later became Coosa Valley Propane to provide affordable propane services throughout the region.
Members raved about CVP's and CVT's development.
“Our niece and her family are moving here, and Coosa Valley Electric, Technologies, and Propane were the first companies we recommended,” 1 member said.
Cullimore said reading these testimonies makes all the employee's efforts worthwhile.
“Hearing and seeing our legacy through the member's eyes is confirmation that cooperatives strengthen rural communities, and in turn, our nation,” he said. “We’re honored to serve the area we do, and we appreciate the feedback all our members provided. This will only help us serve them better for years to come.”