Perceived quality

The Stakeholder and Perceived Quality Unit of the Parent Company coordinates the process of measuring customer and citizen satisfaction for the services provided in the electricity, water⁶⁹ and public lighting sectors. In 2023, quality surveys were also carried out with reference to the district heating service. The Unit works in concert with the operating companies that manage the services and support top management in analysing the data collected.

The customer satisfaction surveys (“quality perceived”) are carried out with support from a market research company, selected through tender procedures. Most of the surveys are distributed evenly throughout the year so as to generate frequent results that allow the Group companies to intervene promptly, where necessary, on the provision of the services and communication. Additionally, the new continuous survey method for customers who contact Acea (call back)⁷⁰ makes it possible to minimise the impact of any seasonal peaks on the results.

Reports on the results of surveys for the total sample surveyed are produced at the end of the half, therefore in this report annual figures are presented as the average of the 2023 half-yearly surveys.
As in past years, surveys on the perceived quality of the service are mainly carried out using CATI methodology⁷¹and, to a lesser extent, CAWI methodology (online surveys), above all in relation to the perception of the general aspects of the services and digital chanels.

For the first time, the data reported integrates the information coming from the two collection methods (CATI and CAWI⁷²); for this reason, to ensure comparability between the two years, the results for 2022 were modified using the same criteria, illustrating the following main indicators:

• the overall judgement on the general quality of the service (scale of 1 to 10), where 1 means very bad and 10 means very good, which expresses an instinctive evaluation by customers;
• overall opinions on individual aspects of the service (scale of 1-10);
• the percentages of satisfaction with the items, or quality factors, selected within each aspect of the service, according to the importance attached to them by the respondents.

In 2023, a total of 39,747 people were interviewed about the quality of the services provided by Acea Energia, Areti – both for the distribution and public lighting service – Acea Ato 2 (Rome and Fiumicino and province), Acea Ato 5, Gori, Gesesa and AdF. The overall opinions expressed on each service, as an average of the two six-monthly surveys, fall within 6.2 and 7.6 (see the charts below and the tables at the end of this paragraph).

The overall opinions expressed on the electricity service and the main aspects into which it is divided indicate, for Acea Energia sales, positive evaluations and above average satisfaction (rating >7/10), both for the service in general (7.1/10 for standard market customers and 7.7/10 for free market customers) for “billing” for both segments, on the toll-free sales number for greater protection and the reserved area on the website (online branch) for the free market; the other aspects all fall within the range of complete satisfaction (ratings >8/10). For distribution, managed by Areti, the overall rating was 7.4/10, with service aspects receiving ratings ranging from 6.9/10 for scheduled interruptions to 8.1/10 for fault reporting and technical intervention. Residents of Rome were interviewed about the Public Lighting service for all areas. The overall opinions on the service and its aspects are confirmed to be of average satisfaction (rating of 6-7/10), with 'fault reporting' receiving the highest ratings (8.2/10), an improvement with respect to 2022.

As regards the water service (sale and distribution of water), the satisfaction of customers of Acea Ato 2 (Rome and Fiumicino and province) and Acea Ato 5 (Frosinone and province), in the Lazio area, customers of Gori and Gesesa, operating in Campania, and customers of AdF, operating in Tuscany, was measured. The overall opinion on the service provided by Acea Ato 2 in Roma and Fiumicino was 7.6/10; all aspects of the service monitored were in the range of complete satisfaction, close to or greater than 8/10.

For Acea Ato 5, which operates in the city and province of Frosinone, the overall rating of the service is 6.2/10; the opinions on “billing” and “technical aspects” are on the average level of satisfaction, “branch” receives a rating over 7/10, while all other aspects receive overall ratings of complete satisfaction, over 8/10. For Gori, which manages the service in the Sarnese Vesuviano District, the overall rating is 6.6/10. “Technical intervention” and “fault reporting” fall in the complete satisfaction range (respectively 8.4/10 and 8.6/10) while all other aspects showed rating in excess of 7/10. With regard to AdF, which operates in Tuscany, in the provinces of Grosseto and Siena, the overall opinion on the service was 7.5/10; the overall rating of the service aspects were equal to or significantly in excess of 8/10 (complete satisfaction), with the sole exception of “billing” which reached 7.8/10. For Gesesa, lastly, which operates in Benevento and its province, the overall opinion of the service was 6.6/10; an overall rating of around 7/10 was received for both “technical aspects of the service” and “billing”.

The charts below show, for each service, the 2023 overall opinion (scale of 1-10), as the average of the two half-yearly surveys, and Tables 22 and 23 also show the percentages of satisfied customers insofar as the most important quality factors for the electricity sales and distribution services, the public lighting service and the water service, and the comparison with the previous year, with indication of the most significant deviations.

Chart no. 21 – Overall opinion and on electricity service aspects – sale and distribution of energy - 2023 (scale of 1-10)

Note: the overall opinions and on the individual aspects of the service – shown in the chart are the average of the two semi-annual surveys.

Chart no. 22 – Overall opinion and on aspects of the public lighting service in Rome and Formello - 2023 (scale of 1-10)

Note: the overall opinions and on the individual aspects of the service – shown in the chart are the average of the two semi-annual surveys.

Chart no. 23 – Overall opinion and on aspects of the water service – sale and distribution of water in Rome and Fiumicino - 2023 (scale of 1-10)

Note: the overall opinions and on the individual aspects of the service – shown in the chart are the average of the two semi-annual surveys.

Chart no. 24 – Overall opinion and on aspects of the water service – sale and distribution of water in Frosinone and its province - 2023 (scale of 1-10)

Note: the overall opinions and on the individual aspects of the service – shown in the chart are the average of the two semi-annual surveys.

Chart no. 25 – Overall opinion and on aspects of the water service – sale and distribution of water in Sarnese Vesuviano - 2023 (scale of 1-10)

Note: the overall opinions and on the individual aspects of the service – shown in the chart are the average of the two semi-annual surveys.

Chart no. 26 – Overall opinion and on aspects of the water service – sale and distribution of water in Territorial Conference No. 6 “Ombrone” - 2023 (scale of 1-10)

Note: the overall opinions and on the individual aspects of the service – shown in the chart are the average of the two semi-annual surveys.

Chart no. 27 – Overall opinion and on aspects of the water service – sale and distribution of water in Benevento and its province - 2023 (scale of 1-10)

Note: the overall opinions and on the individual aspects of the service – shown in the chart are the average of the two semi-annual surveys.

Table no. 22 – Results of customer satisfactions surveys: sales and distribution of energy, public lighting service (2022-2023)

(*) The figure refers to the correctness of the amounts of the electricity supply on the bill.

Note: the 2022 results were modified, adding the data obtained through CAWI to improve comparison with 2023; the table includes only quality factors indicated as most important by the sample of interviewees in 2023; this may lead to consequent changes in the 2022 column. The right-hand column also shows the most significant deviations, of about 5 percentage points, for the individual items surveyed.

Table no. 23 – Results of customer satisfactions surveys: water service (2022-2023)

(*) For Gesesa, a smaller company, the service aspects investigated and represented herein are “technical aspects” and “billing”.

Note: the 2022 results were modified, adding the data obtained through CAWI to improve comparison with 2023; the table includes only quality factors indicated as most important by the sample of interviewees in 2023; this may lead to consequent changes in the 2022 column. The right-hand column also shows the most significant deviations, of about 5 percentage points, for the individual items surveyed.

69 As regards water services, the main results of the customer satisfaction surveys carried out by Acea SpA and reported here concern the customers of the companies Acea Ato 2 (Rome and Fiumicino and province) and Acea Ato 5 (Frosinone and province) operating in the Lazio area, Gesesa and Gori, both operating in Campania, and AdF, operating in Tuscany.
70 Interviews on "contact channels" are aimed at selected customers, using the "call back" method, from among those who have used the services (toll-free numbers for commercial information or fault reporting, website, branch, technical intervention, chat channels and digital service points) immediately before the first entry and consented to be contacted again.
71 Computer Assisted Telephone Interviewing of a stratified sample based on variables and representative of the universe of reference, following a structured questionnaire. Depending on the sample, the statistical error varies between +/- 2.5% and a maximum of +/- 4.2% and the level of significance is 95%
72 Online interviews (CAWI) generally obtain more critical evaluations with respect to those collected via telephone; possible reasons include the absence of the common tendency towards social acceptability which (positively) influences interviews managed by an operator