Is Customer Service
the North Star of Your Utility?
By David Saxby
What comes to mind when you hear the words
“the North Star”? Bright and shining . . . steadfast . . . a guiding light .
. . the brightest star?
Would your customers say that the service your utility delivers is like the
North Star . . . steadfast and a shining example of a stellar
customer-service experience? Is your utility the guiding light and model of
what creates a quality experience and customer satisfaction?
Customers call your utility every day for a variety of reasons, most likely
because they need someone to help them solve a problem, answer a question or
take their order for service. All your employees, from customer service
representatives to linemen, leave a lasting impression on the customers they
interact with. Do your customers tell their friends and relatives what a
friendly and service-orientated company you are? Do they tell others that
all your employees treat each and every customer with a high degree of
caring and appreciation for their business?
Utilities are looking to sell other services above and beyond power
generation to increase revenues from their customers. The customer’s
decision to choose your utility over the competitor who offers the same
products or services will be based on how they have been treated in the past
by your employees.
It’s the small things done consistently that matter. Things like greeting
every customer, whether on the phone or in person, in a friendly and helpful
manner. Things like listening to the customer’s needs, providing solutions
to their problems and showing appreciation to the customer for their
business.
Following are six other areas you should explore as you strive to make your
utility a North Star of customer service.
Set the standard – Train every employee on how each customer should
be treated. Role play with employees to make sure they have first-hand
experience that helps them understand what the standard means. Does each
employee clearly understand why that standard is important? One of the
Hilton Hotel’s standards states that calls will be on hold for 30 seconds or
less. After 30 seconds, the caller will be given the option to hold or
receive a return call.
Knowledge and skills are not a one-time investment – Employees need
the skills and knowledge that are required to consistently deliver the
quality customer service your customers deserve. Pedernales Electric Co-Op
in Texas provides two hours of customer-service training per month for their
employees. This company was rated one of the top utilities in the country
for customer satisfaction by a national research firm that surveyed power
company customers across the United States. Pedernales believes their
emphasis on customer-service training was a critical factor in receiving
that rating.
Customer feedback – Implement a system to measure the
customer-service experience from the customer’s point of view.
Unfortunately, it only takes one poor experience to convince your customer
they should take their business elsewhere. Ask your customers what is
working well and what needs improvement and then share this feedback with
your employees. Decide what needs to be changed or improved and create an
action plan to provide the solution. Hire a mystery shopping company to
measure the quality of the customer service your customers receive when they
call or visit your company.
Become a coach – John Wooden was one of the greatest collegiate
basketball coaches in history. Wooden kept diaries on each of his players.
He kept track of the small improvements he felt they could make and then, at
the end of practice, he would share these thoughts with each player. His
unique insight and his unprecedented achievements – a .806 winning
percentage, 19 conference championships, 10 national championships, seven
straight national tiles and four unbeaten seasons – have stood the test of
time. What a North Star!
Enlist your managers to be coaches to their employees. And you need to be
your managers’ North Star. Guide your managers by providing the training
that will give them the skills they need to work with frontline employees.
Include training on ways to improve negative behavior and conflict
resolution.
Recognition – Recognition is a powerful tool! The sad truth is that
many companies do nothing beyond base pay to recognize their employees for
performance above and beyond. Implement a recognition program to reward
employees for exceeding your standards. Reward them for handling difficult
customer situations.
For a winning combination, recognition should be both private and public – a
hand-written thank-you note, a letter to the employee’s family or a plaque
or trophy with their name engraved are all simple ways to recognize stellar
performance. And don’t forget that timing is everything. To have impact, the
recognition needs to occur as soon as possible after the demonstrated
behavior.
Make it fun – Employees deal with customers who are in a variety of
emotional states ranging from one end of the spectrum to the other. Every
day, they are faced with solving customer problems. Teach them how to handle
emotional issues and how to create solutions to a customer’s problem.
You have an opportunity to demonstrate to your staff how much you value them
by also teaching them how to reduce their stress level at work. Provide an
area where they can unwind. Create fun breaks where they can forget about
that last frustrating experience.
Your employees are the key to long-term customer loyalty and repeat and
referral business. Your investment to improve your employees’ skills and
attitude will have a direct, positive impact on your bottom line. Are you
dedicated to providing North Star service?
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David Saxby is president of Measure-X, a Phoenix,
Ariz.-based measurement, training and recognition company that specializes in
customer service and sales skill training for utility companies. He can be
reached at 888-644-5499 or via e-mail at
david@measure-x.com. Visit the Measure-X Web site at
www.measure-x.com.
