Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative

In a recent member satisfaction survey, Suwannee Valley Electric Cooperative (SVEC) was pleased to find that an outstanding percentage of our membership is satisfied with the service they receive from SVEC. 

SVEC scored 85 out of 100 possible points for overall satisfaction, showing that the vast majority of members feel their expectations for an electric utility are being met and that, given a choice, they would opt for SVEC again over other providers.

“To score so highly on member satisfaction is great news for all of us at SVEC,” says Michael McWaters, executive VP and CEO. “An 85 percent satisfaction rating is above average in any industry. We believe that being a cooperative, and being owned by those we serve, makes SVEC different. We have a set of principles that guides our decisions, and we have a great Board of Trustees that is elected by our membership. When you add these things together, it makes for a company that is member-driven, not profit-driven, and I think these numbers show that.”

The scores for SVEC employees were a particular highlight. According to the survey, members are especially pleased with our staff, whose satisfaction ratings for being professional, knowledgeable and courteous exceeded 90 percent. 

But while this year’s ratings are encouraging, SVEC always strives to get better. We continue to improve how we communicate with our members through monthly publications and our website redesign, which will begin making it easier for members to find information and manage their account online in 2016.

Promoting new ways to make the billing process easier is also a priority. The SmartHub program has already been a huge success, allowing members to make payments and manage their account from a mobile device. Plus, SVEC’s prepaid program provides flexibility for those who don’t want the uncertainty of a monthly bill.

And we continue to improve our electric service by planning ahead to prevent outages. Safety and reliability of service are our highest priorities, and technology like the SCADA system helps us quickly identify problems in our network when they occur so that we can get the lights back on quickly. Additionally, our vegetation management program which includes right-of-way tree-trimming and herbicide application also improves reliability. 

These survey results provide fantastic guidance, both in what SVEC is doing well and what areas we need to improve. As we begin drawing up plans for the new year, we look forward to moving from strength to strength and continuing to provide the safest and most reliable electric service to the Suwannee Valley.