In my nearly 10-year career at E Source, I’ve focused primarily on residential energy-efficiency programs and related marketing approaches for residential customers. So I hesitated when I was asked to be the lead researcher on the 2011 E Source Account Management Assessment (AMA). However, I’m glad I took on the challenge because it was a great experience. I learned so many interesting details during the almost year-long AMA research project about the ways utilities structure their account management teams, as well as strategic approaches utilities use to provide effective account management to their business customers. I wanted to share some of what I’ve learned with everyone.

Some of the most interesting facts the research revealed include:

• At 92 percent of utilities, type of business or industry is the key criterion for assigning specific customers to specific account representatives
• The average number of customers assigned per account rep is 23
• Most account reps have 10 to 15 years of experience
• When making hiring decisions about business account reps, utilities put more importance on a candidate’s ...