In 2015 we spent a lot of time talking to you. We mailed thousands of letters and you responded. We called hundreds of you and you spoke to us. We asked you to sit at computers and answer questions, play games and interact with one another. And we invited you to sit in a room of strangers and talk, and you agreed. We were asking you if we are meeting your needs, communicating effectively and ultimately if you had a choice, if you’d choose Jackson EMC to be your electric company.

Overwhelmingly, you said, “yes,” which tells us we are doing a good job. You also helped us identify areas most important to our members, and areas where we need to improve.

Being in the electric business, prompt power restoration after an outage was a concern among our members.

Outages might come with the territory, but we’re constantly upgrading our distribution system to improve service for our members. This year we’ll add 48 3-phase reclosers to the 135 already on our system. Technology that minimizes the impact of an outage, these automated switches can change a 2,000-member outage into a 200-member outage within a few seconds. Then, we can dispatch a line crew to repair the lines for those members still without power. Technology like these reclosers and the smart meters on your homes make our electrical system more reliable.

The vision we have for Jackson EMC is to be the “best, forward-thinking, innovative, energy-supplier providing a friendly and fulfilling work environment.” Therefore, as part of the survey this year, we asked about how you view Jackson EMC’s character as a company. We want to know where we are in your eyes in terms of our values, mission and vision.

I am proud that 75 percent of you say being “focused on its members” is part of Jackson EMCs character as a company. This is a value we hold in high regard. However, we need to work on improving the visibility of the innovative work we are doing since only about 40 percent of you think of your cooperative as being innovative and forward-thinking.

You said Jackson EMC is a “trustworthy” company “concerned about its members’ needs” with “knowledgeable employees.” You also recognized our cooperative as one concerned with “being a good citizen in the community.” In all of these areas, you gave us scores in the 90s. Community service is another value we’ve identified as important to the cooperative.

We completed a comprehensive communications audit in 2015. Most of you said you get information about Jackson EMC right here in JEMCO News. Based on your feedback, we are making this valuable tool fit the way you live by offering an e-newsletter in the coming months.

You also told us what kinds of information you want: tips on how to save money on your electric bill, stories about the organizations the foundation grants fund and those delicious member recipes. That’s what we’re going to give you.

You invested a lot of your time in helping your cooperative become better. Thank you for your participation and honest feedback. It is our mission at Jackson EMC to exceed our members’ expectations with reliable, courteous and personalized service.

You rated Jackson EMC on:

Being a trustworthy company: 93%

A company concerned about its members' needs: 92%

Understanding what customers need: 92%

Having knowledgeable employees: 92%

Being a well-managed company: 93%

Being a good citizen in the community: 94%

Look for a report on the research results in next month’s JEMCO News.