14 Sustainable  Business Strategy Customers Listening  to our  customers The AGL Customer Charter outlines  what customers can expect from  AGL, and provides a standard  against which we measure our  service. AGL’s performance against  the Customer Charter is reported  quarterly on our website. Customer Experience Customers in Hardship AGL is committed to continuing to improve levels of customer service. AGL measures customer satisfaction each quarter to gauge whether  we are servicing customers to the standard we have committed  to in our Customer Charter, and whether initiatives to improve  customer service have been successful. During FY2011, AGL’s customer satisfaction score averaged 6.65,  with a score of 6.67 in the fourth quarter of FY2011. The results  reflect responses to the question of how satisfied customers are with  the service provided by their energy supplier on a scale of 0 to 10  (where 0 is not satisfied, 5 is neutral and 10 is extremely satisfied). This is the first year that this measurement of customer satisfaction  has been used and benchmarked against major competitors. In  FY2012, AGL has set a target to have a better customer satisfaction  score than its major competitors. Energy prices are increasing, predominantly due to upgrades of  distribution network infrastructure. While price increases affect all  of AGL’s customers, low-income consumers are likely to be affected  disproportionately. For some customers the affordability  of energy will be impaired materially. AGL supports a ‘shared responsibility model’, whereby energy  retailers, governments, communities and the wider energy industry  collectively share responsibility for assisting customers who are  experiencing financial hardship. AGL’s national hardship program, Staying Connected, is designed  to support residential customers who are experiencing temporary  or long-term financial hardship that make paying their energy  bills difficult. At the end of the financial year, 8,652 customers were on the  Staying Connected program, a decrease of 16.3% compared to  the preceding year. The average level of energy debt among those  Staying Connected participants was $1,658, up 20% from $1,382  in FY2010. Many customers with low levels of debt have successfully completed  the program this year. This results in an increase in the average debt  level of those remaining on the program. By bringing customers onto  the program earlier (while their debt levels are relatively low), the  average level of energy debt per customer will decline. AGL will continue to focus on the early identification of customers  experiencing or likely to experience financial difficulties and help  participants successfully return to a sustainable energy consumption  and debt position. Vision Target FY2011 Performance FY2011 Target FY2012 Customer experience Top ranking energy company  for customer satisfaction. Establish new customer  satisfaction score and target. Customer satisfaction score  established, monitored  quarterly and reported  internally during 2011. Target  established and embedded  within Operational Scorecard. Customer satisfaction score: > major  competitors Customers in hardship Recognised industry leader in  customer hardship policy. Establish target for average  level of energy debt of  customers on Staying  Connected program. Target established. Average energy debt of Staying  Connected customers: 5% decrease