POWERGRAMS

7 2014 CVB RATES ALABAMA POWER'S OVERALL CUSTOMER SERVICE TOPS The results are in, and Alabama Power ranks No. 1 overall in Southern Company's 2014 Customer Value Benchmark (CVB) survey. The company also finished first in the General Business category. In results announced earlier in August, Alabama Power finished first in Large Business and second in Residential. "The fact that our company is recognized as a leader in customer service is a direct result of the hard work our employees do every day," said Alabama Power Chairman, President and CEO Mark Crosswhite. "It's important that customers remain at the center of all we do, and that all employees – not just those in the Customer Service Organization – are focused on our customers. "This achievement recognizes that our employees have met those expectations. I am honored to be a member of the Alabama Power team," Crosswhite said. Bob Weaver, vice president of Customer Services, noted that the survey results show the company is well on its way to ensuring loyal customers for a lifetime. "We have always listened to our customers. We will continue emphasizing knowing our customers," he said. "We will talk to them, focus on their concerns, answer their questions and work hard to find innovative solutions to continue this trend of very satisfied and loyal customers." All of the operating companies and Southern Company finished in the upper quartile for the 13th straight year of the CVB. The annual review ranks Southern Company, its four operating companies and 16 peer companies based on customer interviews and survey data. The overall score and ranking is based on a straight average of the scores for each company on the Residential, General Business and Large Business customer segments. Alabama Power, Gulf Power and Georgia Power are the only utilities that finished in the top quartile for all three customer classes in 2014. Four peer utilities – PPL, NextEra Energy (FPL), Oklahoma Gas & Electric and Oglethorpe Power – rank in the top quartile for two customer classes. Southern Company and its operating companies also rank in the top quartile for the General Business category. Alabama Power is the only operating company to finish in the top quartile for all nine General Business drivers for the past two years. The drivers, and their weights for 2014, are: Cost/ Energy Efficiency (26 percent), Reliability (15 percent), Bill Statement (15 percent), Image (12 percent), Bill Options (11 percent), Outage Communication (9 percent), Customer Service (5 percent), Telephone Contact (4 percent) and Web (3 percent). By Bob Blalock Survey says: We're No. 1 CUSTOMER SERVICE Alabama Power employees earned top customer rating in General Business and Large Business sectors.

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