Stronger Customer Service, Outreach and Offerings Push Some Texas Retail Electric Providers Ahead

Escalent recognizes five retail electric providers (REPs) as the 2025 Most Trusted Brands among Texas REPs while customers’ service priorities shift to include clear billing, engagement and programs

LIVONIA, Mich., Oct. 02, 2025 (GLOBE NEWSWIRE) -- Texas REPs are making measurable progress in building Brand Trust, but new data show that a handful of companies are standing out for how they connect with and support customers. These and other findings are from the Cogent Syndicated Texas REP Trusted Brand™ study from Escalent, a top data analytics and advisory firm with extensive energy, utility and brand experience.

The study finds overall Texas REP Brand Trust has gained a statistically significant 23 points from 2024, to 724 this year (on a 1000-point scale), and is now at its highest level since 2022. However, despite that improvement, REPs have slipped to the bottom of Brand Trust ratings for service providers, posting Brand Trust levels just below those of cable TV and home security companies. In Texas’ competitive retail market, providers are in a constant battle to retain customers once contracts expire, and 2025 results indicate that price-shopping is not the only reason prompting customers to shop.

“With so many choices available, loyalty often depends on more than price—it’s shaped by service quality, meaningful offerings and ongoing customer engagement,” said Suzanne Haggerty, director of syndicated research with the Energy industry team at Escalent.

Nearly two-thirds of customers say they plan to shop for a new Texas REP within a year. That makes it critical for providers to show not just competitive pricing, but also strong service and meaningful engagement if they want to hold on to customers. Leading providers distinguish themselves with ease-of-doing-business scores that run about 6% above the norm.

“That kind of performance reflects clear billing, responsive service and a focus on making everyday interactions easier for customers,” Haggerty added.

Rates still matter—“offers the lowest rate” continues to rank as the most important brand trait—but influence is shifting. Customers are reporting lower average bills than in 2024, and as costs ease, attention is shifting toward community engagement, program offerings and company values.

“While lower bills remain the top reason customers consider switching providers, other factors are gaining ground,” Haggerty explained. “Bad service experiences, a lack of alignment with company values, and limited product offerings are increasingly motivating customers to shop for a new REP.”

Top performers are leaning into this shift. For example, customers of the 2025 Most Trusted Brands among Texas REPs remembered hearing about non-rate-related offerings at a higher rate (16%) than customers of other Texas REPs (12%). This outreach is important, as an uptick in customer use of offerings correlates with higher Brand Trust scores. In addition, a larger percentage of customers at higher-performing REPs report use of a variety of offerings, including in-home and online energy audits, appliance recycling incentives, high bill alerts and home electric vehicle charging incentives.

These results underscore a simple truth: staying visible and communicating value beyond the bill pay real dividends in customer trust.

The Competitive Bottom Line for Texas REPs

The 2025 study findings make it clear that higher-scoring Texas REPs are doing three important things better than their peers:

• Simplifying the customer experience through easy-to-understand billing and responsive service.
• Expanding the conversation beyond low rates to include community support, values and offerings.
• Encouraging engagement with voluntary programs that build both savings and loyalty.
  

Escalent is pleased to name these five companies as our 2025 Most Trusted Brands among Texas REPs:

About the Texas REP Trusted Brand™ study
Cogent Syndicated measures Customer Engagement and Brand Trust among customers of Texas retail electric providers by surveying 2,998 customers across providers based upon data-driven models. The study measures key performance indicators (KPIs) to provide management perspectives on how to improve REP brand positioning, sales and promotion, customer trust, effective messaging, product sales, customer experiences, service quality, customer acquisition and loyalty. Escalent’s Brand Trust Index comprises nine factors: community support, customer focus, communications effectiveness, environmental dedication, local reputation, reliable quality, competitive rates, enhanced offerings, and billing and customer service. The study collects a demographically representative sample across all Texas service territories open for retail electric competition. Escalent will supply the exact wording of any survey question upon request.

Click here for more information about the study.

About Escalent
Escalent is an award-winning data analytics and advisory firm specializing in industries facing disruption and business transformation. As catalysts of progress for more than 40 years, we accelerate growth by creating a seamless flow between primary, secondary, syndicated, and internal business data, providing consulting and advisory services from insights through implementation. We are 1,600 team members strong, following the acquisition of C Space and Hall & Partners in April 2023. Escalent is headquartered in Livonia, Michigan, with locations across the US and in Australia, Canada, China, India, Ireland, the Philippines, Singapore, South Africa, UAE and the UK. Visit escalent.co to see how we are helping shape the brands that are reshaping the world.

Photos accompanying this announcement are available at:
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Suzanne Haggerty

Director, Syndicated Research

2025 Most Trusted Brands among Texas REPs

Escalent recognizes five retail electric providers (REPs) as 2025 Most Trusted Brands among Texas REPs

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