Ameren Illinois recognized for social media, customer service

 

COLLINSVILLE – Ameren Illinois was recently recognized in two categories of service.

The company received “Best Social Presence” and earned an Honorable Mention in the “Best Customer Communication & Service via Social Media” category of the Midwest Energy Association’s Member Social Media Awards. The awards panel singled out Ameren Illinois for its effective use of social media to update customers about power restoration status and showcase its commitment to community development and charitable giving.

Ameren Illinois is also the highest-ranked energy company in the Midwest for providing superior service to business customers, according to a study by a leading market research firm. In a survey of 59 utilities, Market Strategies International recognized Ameren Illinois as a 2016 Business Customer Champion for developing engaging customer relationships. The study ranked Ameren Illinois sixth among 59 nationwide utilities.

“Utilities deserve a lot of credit for building strong relationships with businesses that drive local economies,” said Chris Oberle, senior vice president at Market Strategies International. “This year’s Customer Champions are strengthening engagement with unmanaged account customers by offering them choices on rates, demand-side management programs, energy management tools, distributed energy and other offerings.”

The Utility Trusted Brand & Customer Engagement: Commercial study measures Engaged Customer Relationships by looking at critical components such as brand trust, product experience, and operational satisfaction. Ameren Illinois was noted for its strong performance across several key customer service components, including relationship-building by its key account executives.

Commenting on the customer service honor, Richard J. Mark, president of Ameren Illinois, said, “Businesses are the backbone of our local economies, particularly in smaller towns throughout central and southern Illinois. We put great emphasis on providing industry-leading services to our business customers. I’m particularly proud of our key account teams for being personally invested in helping our business customers to succeed.”

Commenting on the social media honor, Mark said, “Ameren Illinois is committed to being a leader in customer satisfaction. Beyond providing safe, reliable energy, it means providing our customers with timely and meaningful information. Social media is a vital communications channel to engage and educate our customers and stakeholders.”

With more than 40,000 Facebook followers and 18,000 subscribers on Twitter, Ameren Illinois utilizes social media to engage in authentic conversations with customers to address their needs, including storm response inquiries, billing questions, important safety information, and energy efficiency education.

Connect with Ameren Illinois by searching Ameren Illinois on Facebook, @AmerenIllinois on Twitter, or visiting AmerenIllinois.com.