BELLEVILLE – For the second year in a row, Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water Company (NYSE: AWK), has received the J.D. Power award for ranking highest in customer satisfaction among large water utilities in the Midwest according to the J.D. Power 2021 U.S. Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction StudySM.
Illinois American Water also ranked #1 in the Midwest in the 2016 study, which was the first year for the J.D. Power Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction Study. The study measures satisfaction among residential customers of 90 water utilities that deliver water to at least 400,000 customers and is reported in four geographic regions and two size categories: Midwest Large, Midwest Midsize, Northeast Large, Northeast Midsize, South Large, South Midsize, West Large and West Midsize. Overall satisfaction is measured by examining 32 attributes in six factors (listed in order of importance): quality and reliability; price; conservation; billing and payment; communications; and customer service.
In addition to ranking #1 in the Midwest Large region, Illinois American Water also achieved the highest score in the Midwest Large region for three of the six factors measured within the 2021 study – price, conservation, and communications.
“Our employees truly are our best asset, and this recognition is a testament to their commitment to our customers,” said Illinois American Water President Justin Ladner. “Everything we do centers around delivering exceptional service at a good value. We thank our customers for their feedback and for helping to recognize our team.”
According to a J.D. Power news release on the study, a key finding of the study was the need for water utilities to communicate about annual water quality reports. The release stated, “Water utilities are required to test the tap water and publish an annual Consumer Confidence Report to reassure their customers that the water is safe to drink. Only 41% of customers recall seeing or receiving such a report but, among customers who do recall seeing or receiving a report, satisfaction scores increase 83 points, on average.”
Illinois American Water encourages customers to view their annual water quality reports which were recently published online at www.illinoisamwater.com. The report, which is issued for each service area, highlights the company’s commitment to providing drinking water that meets or is better than standards required by the Environmental Protection Agency.
Ladner said, “Delivering safe drinking water to our customers is very personal for our entire team. Parents are serving our product to their children and counting on us to provide a safe, reliable product. We’re proud of our track record and thank our customers for the confidence they place in us.”
Customers can access their water quality reports at https://amwater.com/ilaw/water-quality/water-quality-reports. Illinois American Water is communicating about the reports via bill message, bill image, customer email, website updates, social media outreach and more.
For more information about the J.D. Power 2021 Water Utility Residential Customer Satisfaction StudySM, visit https://www.jdpower.com/business/press-releases/2021-us-water-utility-residential-customer-satisfaction-study.
About Illinois American Water – Illinois American Water, a subsidiary of American Water (NYSE: AWK), is the largest investor-owned water utility in the state, providing high-quality and reliable water and/or wastewater services to approximately 1.3 million people. American Water also operates a customer service center in Alton and a quality control and research laboratory in Belleville.
With a history dating back to 1886, American Water is the largest and most geographically diverse U.S. publicly traded water and wastewater utility company. The company employs more than 7,000 dedicated professionals who provide regulated and market-based drinking water, wastewater and other related services to 15 million people in 46 states. American Water provides safe, clean, affordable and reliable water services to our customers to help make sure we keep their lives flowing. For more information, visit amwater.com and follow American Water on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn.
