Commentary

Large businesses are sophisticated energy consumers and they expect a correspondingly high level of service from their energy providers. Utility account representatives know that providing reliable energy and an accurate bill -- the basics -- are essential, but that great service requires more. Beyond the basics, what should utilities and account representatives prioritize to have the biggest positive impact on customer satisfaction?

Creating strategic account plans is considered an account management best practice for businesses in any industry. Yet results from the 2009 E Source Account Management Assessment-a recently conducted online survey of utility account management departments regarding the structure, communications, systems, processes, and strategic approaches used in managing business customers of all sizes-showed that only slightly more than half (59 percent) of utilities are creating individual strategic account plans for their key accounts.

The official worldwide history of electrically powered public transportation began in the year 1890 when electric trams and electric streetcar replaced horse drawn trams and streetcars. Electrically powered subway trains subsequently replaced steam hauled subway trains in London, UK. The construction and introduction of New York City's electrically powered subway trains soon followed.

Transmission facilities in the United States that distribute electrical power have traditionally been built by vertically integrated utility companies to transmit power from their own generating facilities to their customers. Since the utility companies built and owned both the generation facilities and transmission facilities, interconnecting their transmission facilities to their generation facilities was simply a matter of necessity to deliver power to their customers.