|
A Comparative Study in Customer Service
This month, I experienced the misfortune of having two laptop computers break down on me within a single week. One laptop was less than eight months old; the other had failed five times in less than two years. As you can imagine, I was extremely...
A Well-Oiled Strategy Machine
Yes, that’s what public relations really is when it tracks important external audience perceptions and follow on behaviors. And again when it does something about those perceptions and behaviors by reaching, persuading and moving to actions you...
Exceptional Customer Service Starts With Your Executive Team
According to a new survey carried out by Alliance & where ID_NUM=9270; Leicester, one in five small business owners view tax as their greatest concern. The Chancellor has announced in his last budget that companies with profits below 10,000...
How Hurricane Katrina is showing poor Customer Service
Hurricane Katrina has brought destruction hitherto unseen in the USA. Potentially worse than the hours of the hurricane's assault on land, has been the widely criticised response by authorities to the human need in the hours and days of the...
Provide Great Customer Service and Gain Instant Customer Loyalty
Providing customer service is a normal facet of conducting business either online or offline however far too many business owners are neglecting their customers after purchase.
Provide Great Customer Service and Gain Instant Customer Loyalty By...
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
Incentives and Customer Satisfaction
Improving Customer Satisfaction Through Incentive Compensation
Halifax Electric Membership Corporation, in Enfield North Carolina, wanted to make sure they were meeting the needs of its 12,000 customers, who also happen to be its owners. They designed an incentive plan in 1999, with the help of HURECO, INC., of Vienna, VA, to focus employees on improving customer satisfaction. During the ensuing years, satisfaction ratings have moved up from 8.58 to 9.08 in 2004, a record that others are unlikely to match.
What do the employees think of the program?
“The major contributor for Halifax EMC is a group of employees who are already connected to the members they serve. When the survey process began and the results and member comments were shared by management, employees took initiative to adjust and implement changes…even sharing suggestions on how to improve between each other and throughout the organization. I don’t believe there are many organizations whose employees have a better feel of their customer’s pulse than here at Halifax EMC.” Brady Martin
“The incentive plan has employees taking pride in their work and assisting our fellow employees with their duties to be more efficient as a company. We try to keep outages as short as possible. We go out and beyond to give our new and old members the best service possible.” Roger Chappell
“The incentive plan has made us conscious of communication with members and talking with members about what we are doing on their property and just being nice in general.” Danny Pendergrass
“The key has been the incentive compensation program. As Member Services Representative at Halifax EMC for 42 years, my public relations with members has been extensive, and I think the survey gives the members a feeling of ownership and of having an active voice in their
cooperative. Also, since employees know that the survey is being conducted, each one is aware that any member can be called at any time. With an ongoing survey, there is an overwhelming feeling of togetherness between employees and members as we are a team working together for improved welfare for all concerned.” Kathryne K. Hamill The incentive compensation program has been the primary tool used to focus employee efforts on member satisfaction. It took time for some employees to warm up to this approach. Some are still uncomfortable with it. However the incentive program has gained overwhelming support over the last few years as employees were able to realize gains when member satisfaction increased.
We don’t know how high the member satisfaction number will go. Of course a rating of 10 is the highest, but every notch up is increasingly more difficult because there is less room to go to the top. Is Halifax at the highest level it can reach? Whatever the future, Halifax has already experienced a triumph in customer satisfaction improvement that is seen as a model for other employers.
Customer satisfaction is only one part of the incentive plan designed for Halifax by HURECO, INC. The plan also targeted revenue growth, efficiency, and product sales. The overall return for Halifax for the last 4 years has been an average of 344% per year. For every dollar the organization spent on the plan- including the design, operation and employee pay-outs – it received $ 3.44 in additional revenue and cost savings. You can review the full article and gain more information on designing incentive compensation plans at www.performanceresult.com.
Article by Al Weide of HURECO, INC. Helping You Select, Develop and Reward Talent. aweide@hureco.com
About the Author
Human Resources consultant with HURECO, Inc.
|
|
|
|
|
Customer Service Group: Resources for improved customer service ... |
Newsletters, books, and free online resources for improved customer service, call center and help desk operations including tools for enhancing rep training ... |
www.customerservicegroup.com |
  |
Customer Service Training Customer Service Skills Training Service |
Service Quality Institute is the leader in Customer Service Training with customer service training skills products and consulting with over 34 years ... |
www.customer-service.com |
  |
ICS: Institute of Customer Service |
The Institute of Customer Service is the professional body for customer service whose primary purpose is to lead customer service performance and ... |
www.instituteofcustomerservice.com |
  |
International Customer Service Association |
Promotes the development and awareness of the customer service profession through networking, education and research. Activities, publications ... |
www.icsa.com |
  |
Customer Service Jobs on CareerBuilder.com |
Looking for customer service jobs? Start your job search at CareerBuilder, the leader in job search sites, and access hundreds of thousands of jobs today. |
customer-service.careerbuilder.com |
  |
The New York Times Home Delivery - Subscribe |
Sign up now to save 50% on your first 12 weeks of Home Delivery. Learn more. As part of Home Delivery, you'll also get free access to TimesSelect premium ... |
homedelivery.nytimes.com |
  |
Customer service - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia |
The modern concept of customer service has its roots in the craftsman economy ... Delivering customer service begins with understanding what customers want. ... |
en.wikipedia.org |
  |
Customer service representatives |
When working in call centers, customer service representatives are likely to be under ... Customer service representatives working outside of a call center ... |
www.bls.gov |
  |
Customer Service Training |
Customer Service Training, Seminars, Coaching, and free articles to improve repeat business, happiness, and professional image. |
www.proedgeskills.com |
  |
Customer Service |
(It may help the reader to notice the role of customer service in the overall ... Additional Resources in the Category of Customer Service and Satisfaction ... |
www.managementhelp.org |
  |
azcentral.com faq - azcentral.com Help - Arizona Republic Customer ... |
azcentral.com faq - Welcome to the azcentral.com help center where you can find answers to azcentral.com and Arizona Republic customer service questions. |
www.azcentral.com |
  |
CafePress.com : Help Desk : Customer Service |
Email Us Send us an email and we will respond to you within 24 hours. Call Us Toll Free 1-877-809-1659 Customer Service Hours ... |
www.cafepress.com |
  |
Customer Service Week - The Celebration Source |
Provides how-to information, gifts and decorations for successful Customer Service Week celebrations. |
www.csweek.com |
  |
Nashville - Tennessean.com - Middle Tennessee Customer Services |
Customer service, advertising or news-related questions or problems (615) 259-8000. ... (615) 242-7253. Email Customer Service customer @tennessean.com. ... |
www.tennessean.com |
  |
Customer Service Institute of Australia - dedicated to Australian ... |
CSIA is a professional, membership-based body dedicated to improving the standards of customer service both at an individual level and at a corporate level ... |
www.csia.com.au |
  |
The Globe and Mail: Home Delivery Customer Care: Home |
The most authoritiative news in Canada featuring articles from The Globe and Mail, breaking news coverage, national news, international news, sports, ... |
https: |
  |
Customer Service from FLORIDA TODAY |
We're here to bring the finest customer service to your doorstep. ... Customer Service Hours Monday - Friday: 6:30 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET Saturday: ... |
www.floridatoday.com |
  |
magazine customer service |
https://secure.customersvc.com/ servlet/Show?WESPAGE=mo/home.html&MSRSMAG=MO - Similar pages |
|
  |
Customer Service – 8 Rules For Good Customer Service |
Good customer service is the lifeblood of any business. You can bring in as many new customers as you want, but unless you can get some of those customers ... |
sbinfocanada.about.com |
  |
Help | IndyStar.com |
Customer Service • Terms of Service • Send feedback about IndyStar.com • Subscribe Now • Jobs with us. Use of this site signifies your agreement to the ... |
www.indystar.com |
  |