the customer service department! associations/who … · 6/17/2016 2 thank you questions? steve...
TRANSCRIPT
6/17/2016
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Whose Responsibility isCustomer Service?
Whose Responsibility is CustomerService?
The Customer Service Department!
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6/17/2016
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Thank You
Questions?
Steve VanderMeer
(970) 221-4494
Agenda
• The Public Power Advantage
• Changes in our industry
• The Customer Service Response
The Public Power Advantage
• Local
• Been here yesterday, will be here tomorrow
• We live here too: we’re your neighbors andfriends
• Our governing body meets next door
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Yet we have work to do
• Times are Changing
– Uncertain power supply future – coal/DG
– Regulations and Laws – state and federal
– Workforce – aging, new skills required
– Technologies
– Customer demographics/expectations
• And at a faster rate than seen before
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How do we keep that advantage?
Focus on what’s important:
• Financial stability and competitiveness
• Strong Reliability
• Exemplary Customer Service
What is Exemplary Customer Service?
The timely and effective provision of
people, processes and information that
allows the utility customer to make optimal
use of their electric service.
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What Do Our Customers Want?
Perhaps Nothing?
• They don’t think about electricity
• They want the power on – all the time
• They want an accurate bill – every time
• The vast majority of your customers maynever interact directly with the utility
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What else do they want?
• Responsiveness
• Choice?
• Clarity
• Access 24/7, through multiple channels
• Transparency
• Empathy and Respect
• Empowerment – internal, external?
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How do you make this happen?
• Customer Service staff alone can’t do it
• Front line staff alone can’t do it
It takes the whole organization, operatingas a system, to make this happen.
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Starting at the Top
The Role of the Governing Board
• Represent the “Owners” of the utility
• The voice of the customer/community
• Articulate organizational priorities
• Customer service as a strategic priority
• Speaking with one voice
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Management
• Make sure good front line staff are hired.
– Yes, but so much more…
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Management
Support a effective employee culture:
• Recruitment
• Hiring
• Training
• Reward
• Empowerment
• Focus…
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Management
Foster a strategic conversation:
• What are our organizational priorities?
• What is most important to our customers?
• What are we doing well?
• What should we be doing better?
• How will changes outside our utility make ourjobs easier? Harder?
• Make it easier for your employees to understandhow their job fits in delivering exemplary service
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Internal Services
• Who is your customer?
• How does your job make other employees’work more effective?
• Are they getting what they need from you?
• How do you balance the requirements of theemployee against the fiduciary or legalrequirements of the organization?
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Don’t Have a Customer?
• You better find one and serve them!
• Otherwise, why are you here?
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This is the face of your utility
But it can’t delivery strong customerservice without everyone else
Safety
InformationTechnologyGeneral
Manager
GoverningBoard
HumanResources
Purchasing
Maintenance
Who is Responsible forCustomer Service?
Yep, we all are
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