Seattle - Many companies advertise great service, but how many have been recognized for this by a non-partial third party such as J.D. Power and Associates? To receive recognition, companies must score higher than 730 out of a possible 1000 points. PEMCO received 911 points, a score that was noted as unusually high by J.D. Power and Associates."We come to work every day committed to giving our customers the absolute highest level of service and value," says Jon Osterberg, spokesperson for PEMCO, a provider of auto, home, boat, life, and umbrella insurance to Washington state residents. "This certification demonstrates that. Service is the bedrock of PEMCO's culture, and it's extremely gratifying to see our customers recognize that."
J.D. Power and Associates' evaluation was conducted in two phases. The first phase looked at PEMCO's recruiting, training, employee incentives, management roles and responsibilities, and quality assurance capabilities.
The second phase of the study surveyed 400 random callers that contacted PEMCO's call center from December 1, 2005 to December 13, 2005.
Results revealed in the report showed there is an awareness of and sensitivity to the situations their clients are dealing with and an embedded philosophy of going beyond to please the customer.
The report also said PEMCO's operations demonstrate a remarkably strong commitment to the satisfaction of their customers, resulting in uniquely high levels of satisfaction among them.
Almost 90% of callers gave PEMCO's customer service representatives the highest ratings in all areas of evaluation that included:
- Courtesy of the customer service representative (CSR)
- Knowledge of PEMCO's services and practices by the CSR
- Concern for resolving the customer's questions and/or problem
- Usefulness of the information provided by the CSR
- Convenience of customer service operating hours
- Ease of getting through to a CSR
- Timely resolution of the customer's problem, question, or request.
"We'll use this rating as a benchmark to help us strive for higher service marks in the future," says Osterberg. "We're proud of this certification, but we'll do even better."
In 2004, J.D. Power and Associates' Call Center Certification program was launched to help call centers increase efficiency and effectiveness by establishing best practices for handling service calls.
Source: PEMCO Insurance
