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How Did You
Do in 2004?
By David Saxby
As public power utilities close out another year of
serving customers, they should ask themselves an important question:
“How did we do?”
Did you consistently provide excellent service to every
customer that called or walked into your office? Did you educate customers on
ways to lower their utility bills? Did you tell your customers about other
products and services you offer that could make their lives better? Did you
evaluate your processes for turning services on and off, billing and
delinquent accounts with an eye to efficiency?
Is your Web site a model for smooth browsing and easy
sign-up for new or additional service? Did you improve communication and
service to your internal customers (every person that works for the utility)?
Do they feel like they are part of the team?
And finally, what systems do you have in place to measure
your improvements?
As you take a look back on your customer service
endeavors for 2004 and create a new strategy for the coming year, consider the
following ideas.
Invest in employee development. In the current
business climate, training is one of the first items cut from most company
budgets. How can you exceed customer expectations and sell the products and
services you offer if your employees lack necessary skills? Invest time and
money to give your employees the skills they need to communicate and listen.
Teach them how to sell the value of your utility and its products. Customers
turn to your employees for solutions. They want someone to help them make the
decision that will benefit them.
Welcome customer complaints. Customers complain
when they’re dissatisfied with some part of your service. Train your staff to
welcome these complaints. Provide them with the tools and skills to resolve
customer problems. Empower your employees to handle complaints on the spot.
Identify those areas that generate the most complaints. Brainstorm possible
solutions to the service process that could reduce angry customer calls and
improve service.
Aim for consistent service. Consistency is a vital
part of creating an excellent experience for every customer that interacts
with your utility. If I called first thing Monday and then again at 4 p.m. on
Friday, I should receive the same warm and helpful attitude from any employee
who answers. I have a lot of experience cold calling utilities and I know that
this just doesn’t happen. Be the exception! Your customers will appreciate it.
Evaluate Your Technology. How effective is your
technology? Can new customers who just moved into your service area go to your
Web site and do the following:
-- Order service online,
-- Find out what other services the
utility offers its customers,
-- Talk with customer service via the
Internet while they are on the Web site to get their questions answered.
Take an even closer look at your Web
site. Does it offer a tips page with ideas on how to decrease energy usage?
Does it have a place to complain to management about a poor experience? Along
the same lines, does it offer a place for customers to share their suggestions
on how to improve the customer experience? Evaluate how user friendly your Web
site is for customers.
Embrace failure. Every
new product that hits the market today experiences a number of failures before
it succeeds. If your utility wants to be innovative in satisfying the needs of
a growing and changing population, you must try creative strategies and
embrace the inherent risk. Albert Einstein once said, “We cannot solve our
current problems at the same level of thinking with which we created them.”
Most people are afraid to try something different because they fear failure.
Ask your employees what they would like to do differently to improve customer
service.
Is it fun to work at your utility? Employees deal
with customers who are in a variety of emotional states that range 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 and they will be much happier.
You have an opportunity to show 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’
attitude will have a direct, positive impact on your bottom line. What did you
learn this year and how will you use that knowledge to make your utility a
more prosperous, innovative company that is fun to work for?
Recognition is an investment, not an expense.
Employee recognition is a powerful tool! Sadly, 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 situations with customers.
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.
I know this is a lot to think about and a lot to do. But
ask yourself one last question. Aren’t your customers worth it?
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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 skills training for utilities. 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.
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