English (United States)
CEO Blog

A pop of orange and blue, and a promise to you

A pop of orange and blue, and a promise to you
August 19, 2021

Colors are so entwined with our psychological and physical health there’s literally a science to it. If you’re “yellow,” you’re scared. Maybe you’re a romantic who sees the world through “rose-colored glasses.” It’s why you paint your office green for improved motivation and focus, or why you’re pulled toward vibrant reds if you’re impulsive or passionate (hello, Husker fans)!

NPPD’s fleet vehicle bumpers are bright orange for good reason. Color psychology dictates orange signifies energy, demands attention and evokes enthusiasm. What feelings do you get when you see those bumpers roll into your town, on the road, or at an NPPD facility?

It’s said orange brings with it a high degree of positivity – rejuvenating us in the most difficult moments. This is what we all want to feel after facing the aftermath of a violent storm, for example, that’s caused outages in our neck of the woods. Here at NPPD, our line crews exhibit those same traits, putting their all into power restoration and working in harsh conditions or overnight because they are there for you whenever you need them.

Hands down, the most “liked” posts on NPPD’s social media pages are those in which we restore power to our customer communities or help with mutual aid when the going gets tough. Last July’s Mother Nature-inspired outages in Plattsmouth and Omaha are the perfect examples. Nebraskans rally together in times of crisis like no other. And, NPPD teammates are right in the middle of it all with you.

Our customers know this and appreciate it about us. In fact, in an annual survey we issued this year, more than 91% of all respondents (including wholesale and retail customers, retirees, the media and NPPD’s own teammates) ranked NPPD as either good or excellent in areas of reputation, trust and satisfaction. And, remarkably, when compared against Midwest regional data, NPPD ranked considerably higher than other utilities in these vital categories. Finally, service delivery – that is, delivering customers the products and services they need and want most – was a top driver of satisfaction, and thankfully, continues to be very highly rated among customers for the past four years.

This is fantastic news which reveals we are moving in the right direction in our commitment to provide you with affordable, reliable, sustainable and resilient electricity. It’s something we will celebrate as a team, because it took the hard work and dedication of our entire workforce, every day, to get here.

Yet, we know when hardships arise – particularly with many who struggled financially due to the pandemic – we must do better. So, we build upon services that offer more flexibility in billing payment plans, and offer quicker response to customers when they need us most. Our NPPD On the Go! app is one such tool that has provided vast improvements to our diverse customers.  

Of course, you can’t think of NPPD without also thinking of blue, a hue that favors authenticity, sincerity confidence, loyalty and calmness.

These are immensely important attributes that each one of us at NPPD actively strives to demonstrate, both internally within our teams, but also outwardly in our customer communities. And with good reason. Our survey respondents ranked ethics and leadership to be the second and third most important drivers of satisfaction, trust and reputation behind service delivery.

The fact we are not an island and that we need to make rational, thoughtful decisions, is demonstrated time after time, whether through mutual aid partnerships or during unprecedented events like February’s polar vortex. This is precisely why we value feedback from you, our leaders, Board members and others in the industry, as to the direction public power and NPPD organizationally must go.

At the end of the day, we are a public entity of the state. As such, we pursue goals and projects that are in the best interest of our customers, based on their feedback, and providing them with the highest transparency into our thought and actions.

Above all, whether it comes to pursuing lower carbon energy technology, improving upon a culture of inclusion and diversity or putting more good into the world through community events and partnerships, we are here, working with you and for you.

Survey results are the catalyst that allows us to make positive, lasting change. By understanding our reputation in the state, we can track performance and take measurable steps toward improvement. Trust is something to be continuously earned. We take that responsibility seriously.

Our teammates are engaged, motivated and believe in the work we do. Survey results showed even amid a global pandemic, they did not waver from our mission to serve you. And, they do not hesitate to raise the bar, focusing not just on good results, but excellence in all areas of performance and customer satisfaction.

Our teammates tend to have a long tenure here at NPPD, and the saying goes that they “bleed NPPD blue.” Our commitment to customers is at the core of who we are and what we do, now and always. If you ask me, that’s the power of color psychology at its finest.

Tom Kent signature