National Survey on The Cooperative Difference began today

On an annual basis, Horry Electric Cooperative joins together with sister cooperatives across the country to participate in the National Survey on The Cooperative Difference. “The feedback from our members who may be contacted to participate in the survey is critical to helping us improve service to all of our members,” says Penelope Hinson, manager of public relations, marketing and energy management for the cooperative.  Past survey results have been used by staff and the board of trustees for short-term and long-term strategic planning purposes. “We take the feedback to heart,” says Hinson. “It’s not just research that lands on a shelf to collect dust.”

The survey, which is conducted by phone, lasts no more than 12-14 minutes.  The telephone interviewers identify themselves as calling on behalf of Horry Electric Cooperative. “We’re once again working with Bellomy Research of Winston-Salem, N.C. on the survey,” says Hinson. “The company uses the words “Opinion Counts” as their Caller ID code”.  All survey calls from our data collection center originate from area code 336. Overall, more than 20,000 rural electric cooperative members are called nationwide during the survey.

“If you are one of the recipients of a survey call, please know that it provides us with valuable information about your beliefs and values related to our cooperative,” says James P. “Pat” Howle, executive vice president and CEO of Horry Electric. “That feedback is critical to our mission as you local electric cooperative.”

TSE Services, in coordination with Horry Electric Cooperative and Touchstone Energy, initiated the survey more than a decade ago to better understand how different generations and segments of electric cooperative members view their electric provider and how cooperatives can better communicate the value of cooperative membership.

This year, about 50 rural electric cooperatives from across the country are participating in the study. Survey results will assist Horry Electric  with:

• Identifying overall satisfaction and value propositions by member segment
• Measuring impact of member and community engagement activities
• Determining the strength of the relationship between members and the co-op
• Examining uses of new technology (smart phones, tablet computers)
• Evaluating member communications preferences

The National Survey on the Cooperative Difference phone interviews for members of Horry Electric began today and will continue over the next several days. The calls are made primarily during weeknights from 5:30 p.m. until 8:30 p.m. Weekend calling will be limited to Saturday.  No Sunday phone calls are permitted for this study.