January 2023 CEO Column

Customer Satisfaction Survey
Thank you to all our members who completed the recent customer satisfaction survey. What I appreciate most about the survey is that it gives our members another opportunity to provide feedback, ask questions, and express concerns. Your feedback and comments give us an opportunity each year to see how we are doing when it comes to providing you with the service that you deserve. Many of you expressed appreciation and support for our employees and service, and I am proud of the work our employees do for our cooperative and its members. Your support means a lot to us, and without it, we would not be able to continue to push forward in ways that move the cooperative in a positive direction. Also, the questions and comments of our members included in the survey responses continue to help keep us aware of what you need, want, and deserve as a member of LREC.

Transforming the LREC Member Experience in 2023!
We are excited for the new year and are looking forward to transforming your experience as a member of LREC! We are putting the following two new pillars into our strategic planning process—Pillar 1) Transform the member experience, and Pillar 2) Engage, empower, and equip our employees to transform the LREC member experience. As part of this plan, employees will continue asking ourselves two questions: “What can we do to transform the member experience?” and “What is needed in order to transform the member experience?”. These questions may mean different things to different people, but the purpose of them is to empower our employees to think of ways to best serve you as members, and to exceed your expectations in a way that transforms your experience as a member. We do not want you to simply be satisfied, but rather, we want you to feel energized and know your co-op is giving its best efforts and providing you with the best experience possible.

As an example of putting the two pillars into action, some of the comments our members included in the recent customer satisfaction survey said that there are concerns with the outage map system we currently have in place. In response, and to transform your member experience, we are actively looking for ways to improve our outage map system to make it more user friendly and informative. In addition to the map system improvements, we are continuing to look for new ways to keep you informed during outages so you can plan and prepare yourself or your business during such situations.

We also continue to up our game when it comes to preventing outages. I am excited about thinking ahead this year and seeing the results generated by the new technology the board approved last year, AiDash.  AiDash technology allows us to use satellite imagery to monitor clearances between power lines and trees which will create a comprehensive tree trimming and removal plan that will continue to improve our reliability. Stay tuned later this year to read about how AiDash technology will improve reliability, and most importantly, improve the quality of the lives of our members.

In the spirit of our second pillar of engaging and empowering employees, all employees will be involved in the strategic planning process to make sure they are equipped with the tools necessary to accomplish the ultimate goal of transforming the member experience. We think it is essential to include all employees in the strategic planning process every three to five years so they are engaged, empowered, and equipped to serve our membership. With our continued prioritization on listening to what our members want, we will work hard to exceed your expectations…and hopefully, transform your member experience!

Best wishes to all of you in this new year, and I hope you agree that we have a lot to be thankful for!