|
January 30, 2006
J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Cinergy Recognized for Call Center Customer Satisfaction Excellence for a Second Consecutive Year
WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire/ -- Cinergy has been recognized again for call center operation customer satisfaction excellence under the J.D. Power and Associates Certified Call Center Program(SM). This distinction acknowledges a strong commitment by Cinergy's call center operation to provide an outstanding customer service experience. Cinergy is an energy provider serving customers in Indiana, Kentucky and Ohio.
(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050527/LAF028LOGO-a )
Cinergy's call center operations handle more than 5 million telephone, e-mail and fax interactions annually from its call centers in Plainfield, Ind., and Cincinnati, Ohio. For the initial certification in 2005, the call center operation successfully passed a detailed audit of its recruiting, training, employee incentives, management roles and responsibilities, and quality assurance capabilities. In addition, J.D. Power and Associates conducted a random survey of Cinergy customers who recently contacted its call centers. For re-certification, the customer research phase of the certification process is conducted. A call center must perform within the top 20 percent of customer service, based on J.D. Power and Associates' cross-industry customer satisfaction research in order to achieve certification status.
"Cinergy's call center operations far surpassed the rigorous standards of the certification process, receiving particularly very high ratings from customers for its customer service representatives," said Steve Kirkeby, senior director of the telecommunications practice at J.D. Power and Associates. "Customer interactions with a call center can have a profound and lasting impact on overall customer satisfaction and loyalty. This re-certification demonstrates Cinergy's strong commitment to providing customers with a consistent, positive experience with its call centers."
The evaluation criteria used during the survey include: courtesy of the customer service representative (CSR); knowledge of the CSR; the CSR's concern for the customer questions and/or problem; usefulness of the information provided; convenience of customer service operating hours; ease of getting through to a CSR; and the timely resolution of the customer's problem, question or request. Certification is valid for one year.
"I am very proud of the hard work and high level of commitment to our customers by our call center employees to be recognized as a provider of excellent service," said Todd Arnold, vice president of Customer Care at Cinergy. "Excellent customer service doesn't just happen. It takes committed employees who are dedicated to making a difference -- one customer at a time."
The Call Center Certification Program was launched by J.D. Power and Associates in 2004 to evaluate overall customer satisfaction and help call centers in various industries increase their efficiency and effectiveness by establishing best practices for handling service calls.
There are more than 75,000 call centers in North America and an estimated 125,000 worldwide that help customers with product and service questions across a multitude of industries, ranging from credit cards, financial services, investment services, utilities, service warranty and insurance to telecommunications, healthcare and office products.
J.D. Power and Associates is currently evaluating call centers across a variety of industries to determine if they are eligible for certification.
About J.D. Power and Associates
Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is an ISO 9001-registered global marketing J.D. Power and Associates information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, consulting, training and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.
About The McGraw-Hill Companies
Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 290 offices in 38 countries. Sales in 2004 were $5.3 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.
Media Relations Contacts:
John Tews Peter Dadlani
Director, Media Relations Supervisor, Media Relations
J.D. Power and Associates J.D. Power and Associates
Troy, Mich. Westlake Village, Calif.
(248) 312-4119 (805) 418-8103
john.tews@jdpa.com peter.dadlani@jdpa.com
Angeline Protogere Kathy Meinke
Manager, Media Relations Coordinator, Media Relations
Cinergy Corp. Cinergy Corp.
Plainfield, IN Cincinnati, OH
(317)838-1338 (513)287-2121
No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates. http://www.jdpower.com/
Photo: NewsCom: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050527/LAF028LOGO-aPRN Photo Desk, photodesk@prnewswire.com
J.D. Power and Associates
CONTACT: John Tews, Director, Media Relations, +1-248-312-4119,john.tews@jdpa.com, or Peter Dadlani, Supervisor, Media Relations,+1-805-418-8103, peter.dadlani@jdpa.com, both of J.D. Power and Associates; orAngeline Protogere, Manager, Media Relations, +1-317-838-1338, or Kathy MeinkeCoordinator, Media Relations, +1-513-287-2121, both of Cinergy Corp.
Web site: http://www.jdpa.com/http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/
|
|
TMCnet LOGIN
Webinars
