ATLANTA—Southern Company [NYSE: SO] scored highest in customer satisfaction for electric service to large business customers according to the seventh annual TQS Research national benchmark survey of the 70 largest utilities in the United States. This represents the third year in a row Southern Company has received this honor.

Southern Company’s five operating subsidiaries all scored within the top six of the 70 companies surveyed. Of the utilities surveyed, Alabama Power and Georgia Power tied for first, followed in order by Savannah Electric, Gulf Power and Mississippi Power.

Factors used in the survey included reliability, price, energy efficiency, performance of the account representative, and how complaints and inquiries were handled.

“We are very pleased with these results. Over the past five years we have emphasized the need to differentiate our company from other energy suppliers - through a focus on customer service, price and responsiveness - our efforts are being recognized by our customers,” said Paul Bowers, chief marketing officer of Southern Company.

The number one ranking by TQS comes behind a string of honors Southern Company has earned this year for its customer service:

• American Customer Satisfaction Index (ACSI) ranked Southern Company highest in customer satisfaction for a utility and third highest among all companies.
• Southern Company’s national accounts program was voted by customers as one of the best in the country for service and responsiveness to customers, according to the Edison Electric Institute’s National Accounts Customer Advisory Group.
• Ranked highest in customer satisfaction for electric service to midsize business customers in the southern United States by a major national survey group.

Southern Company (NYSE: SO) is an international energy company that operates more than 48,000 megawatts of electric generating capacity worldwide. It is the largest producer of electricity in the United States and one of the world’s largest independent power producers. Southern Company subsidiaries and their affiliates serve 12 million retail customers worldwide and millions more through the wholesale market. Based in Atlanta, Southern Company is the parent firm of Alabama Power, Georgia Power, Gulf Power, Mississippi Power and Savannah Electric.

Through its Southern Energy Inc. subsidiary, Southern Company has operations in 12 countries on five continents and has a growing presence in North America with assets in the Northeast, the Midwest, California and Texas. Southern Company also provides energy-related marketing, trading and technical services in the United States and Europe and offers Southern LINC wireless telecommunications.