FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE CONTACT: Tom Ellis
May 18, 2006 Ellis Communications, Inc.
Phone: (417) 881-5635
Email: tom@elliscomm.com
PHOENIX, Ariz. – Utilities that want to improve their customer service
can reach that goal by using a visualization technique recommended by
Measure-X that involves an archery target and successfully hitting not
just the bull’s-eye but also the rings around it.
According to Measure-X, the bull’s-eye is successful customer
service and the rings represent skills, performance and
accountability. Utilities should focus on all four areas of the
target, not just the bull’s-eye, the company says.
“I remember taking archery in my high school physical education
class,” says David Saxby, president of Phoenix-based Measure-X, a
company that specializes in helping utilities improve their customer
service and sales. “I thought it would be easy to hit that little red
circle but I quickly realized I needed to learn the basics first. For
utilities, the rings of the target are the basics and they must master
them before they can succeed with customers, the bull’s-eye.”
Ring No. 1 – Skills
“Let’s say the outer ring represents skills,” Saxby notes. “What
training do your employees need to become knowledgeable about the
products and services you offer? What skills need to be sharpened in
order to identify your customers’ needs, recommend solutions that meet
their needs and move customers to a buying decision?”
Saxby says utilities should ask themselves the following questions.
Do you keep up your training? Do you practice new techniques? Do you
help those who are struggling within your organization? Do you give
helpful suggestions when some employees miss the target at times?
“It’s difficult to move closer to the bull’s-eye of success if you
don’t have the training to develop the correct skills,” Saxby says.
Ring No. 2 – Performance
Utilities should give serious thought to how employees perform the
skills they have learned, Saxby says. The company also should review
the ways it makes customers aware of what it does, he adds.
“Do your Web site, advertising and even your location reflect your
professionalism and your knowledge about the company’s services and
products?” Saxby asks. “Don’t forget that your customers are your
audience and they critique your performance even if they don’t tell
you they’re watching.”
Ring No. 3 – Accountability
“Focus on feedback,” Saxby recommends. “In archery class, I had to be
reminded about my stance, straightening my head and adjusting my arm
as it pulled back the arrow. All of this was done before I ever let
that arrow fly.”
Saxby lists additional questions utilities should ask. Who gives
you feedback? What do you do with that feedback? Are you willing to
learn and change based on feedback? Who holds employees accountable
for their skills and performance?
“If no one is watching, does it really matter how that customer is
handled or that service is completed? Saxby asks. “You bet it does!
Because customers are the ones watching, they probably can tell you
each and every mistake you make. Some customers can even tell you
about mistakes you are not aware of.”
The Bull’s-Eye – Success
“Now that you have mastered the first three rings, you can focus on
the center, the bull’s-eye.” Saxby says. “It represents customer
service success. But don’t expect to hit it every time. It takes
skill, practice, performance and accountability to even come close.
Each time you come close to or actually hit the bull’s-eye, there
should be a learning curve.”
More questions from Saxby: What did you do right when you hit the
bull’s-eye? What did you do that was different from the last time?
What should you focus on the next time? What are you doing to
celebrate your success?
“Many times, we set our goal as the center of the target,” Saxby
says. “We think that is where success and money lie. We feel that if
our ‘arrows’ hit any part of the concentric circles but not the
bull’s-eye, we have failed to some degree. Wrong! All of those circles
are part of the target area.”
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Measure-X is a measurement, training and recognition company that specializes
in customer service and sales skills. For more information on Measure-X, call
888-644-5499 or visit its Web site at
www.measure-x.com.
