One change that came out of the surveys was major improvements to the company’s customer service operations. Employees had made it clear that they wanted to see more money invested into the company, specifically Tampa Electric, to better serve customers — especially since better serving customers is one of the new core values.
Tampa Electric installed software to track calls and used this data to determine call patterns and volumes. As a result, it upgraded its automated voice response system to eliminate busy signals, added a line for customers to get an estimated time for restoration of power and installed an outbound dialer system that calls customers whose power should have been restored and encourages them to call back if this is not the case.
As a result, for 2006, 90 percent of calls are answered in 30 seconds or less, compared to 2005, when 80 percent of calls were answered in 60 seconds or less.
Also, less than 0.5 percent of callers receive a busy signal when they call, compared to 18 percent or more in 2005. The company also says that 98 percent of callers have their issues resolved with one call.
Never one to dictate policy from afar, Hudson also makes himself personally accessible to employees. Almost weekly, he takes eight to 10 employees from all levels of the company out to lunch. It’s their opportunity to ask questions and share concerns in a confidential setting.
“We just have an hour to two-hour lunch and talk about anything in the world they want to talk about that’s going on in the company,” he says. “Any recurring themes that come up in that, we look at it and we address those and are responsive to it. So hopefully that will be taking care of things on a continual basis, in addition to really our intense focus once a year when we get the results of our employee survey.”
While the company has made great strides in a short period of time — it posted net income of $275 million in fiscal 2005, compared to a net loss of $552 million in 2004 — Hudson knows it will take constant attention and refinement to keep TECO on the path of success. And as its leader, he will continue to implement processes that will enforce the core values and new identity and lead the company to operational excellence.
“You don’t get there and then sit down and say, ‘Well I’ve got there, now I can rest,’” says Hudson. “It’s something you have to work at every day.”
HOW TO REACH: TECO Energy Inc., www.tecoenergy.com