Ellis Communications, Inc.

NEWS STORY

Morale Is Crucial to Delivering Quality Customer
Service; When It Falters, Employees Need to Help One Another
Ten Suggestions for Boosting Team Morale At Utilities

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE              CONTACT: Tom Ellis
Apr. 11, 2003                                Ellis Communications, Inc.
                                                      Phone: (417) 881-5635

      Upbeat, enthusiastic and motivated utility employees provide the level of service customers expect and deserve, but strong morale doesn’t always come automatically to all staff members. Sometimes employees need to support one another.

       “As team members, utility employees are all affected by the attitudes, behaviors and performances of other co-workers,” says David Saxby, president of Phoenix-based Measure-X, a company that specializes in helping utilities improve their customer service and sales. “There may be times when the morale of a teammate may not be up to par. Other employees should try to bolster that sagging spirit to keep job performance and customer satisfaction at peak levels.”

      Saxby offers the following 10 tips on how you, the individual employee, can boost team morale.

1. Do whatever you can to keep team morale up at all times.
2. Without getting into an argument, reflexively counter other people’s negative comments.
3. Encourage other people by modeling appropriate behavior.
4. Assure disenchanted team members of your willingness to help them whenever they need it.
5. Intervene quickly when you see morale sagging, before it becomes a downward spiral.
6. Raise morale-related issues during meetings.
7. When co-workers suggest that a project is too difficult, point out examples of similar projects that had successful outcomes.
8. Point out that if management didn’t think your team could handle a challenging job, they wouldn’t have assigned it in the first place.
9. Compliment your team members on work well done.
10. When co-workers fail at a project, encourage them to make another attempt and stay motivated.

      “If you follow these 10 recommendations, you can help keep the mood positive and productive,” Saxby says. “That kind of working environment fosters stellar customer service and very happy customers.”

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For more information on Measure-X, call 888-644-5499 or visit its Web site at www.measure-x.com.

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