Tweets _ Sweets.ppt

							     Tweets & Sweets
 Transforming
Employees into
   Effective
Communicators
           First things first
• Believe it or not, you’re in PR
            What is PR?
PR is the business of inducing the public to
    have understanding for and goodwill
     toward a person, firm or institution.
          The Realization
• Did you know that YOU are involved in
  public relations on a daily basis?
• Any and all co-op employees are viewed
  by the member as part of the PR
  department.
  – Linemen
  – Customer Service Representatives
  – Maintenance Workers
  – Not just the PR Manager or CEO
     The co-op’s reputation
• Your employees are ambassadors of your
  business, representing it to the community
  and the member. That can be good or bad
• Tell employees that the co-op’s reputation
  rides on their reputation
           First Impressions
• A first impression
  maybe the only
  impression
Good impressions are sweet!
• The average person will tell approximately
  10 people about a positive experience
• Satisfaction with the last transaction is a
  major driver of customer loyalty
            Bad impressions
• The average person will tell approximately 100
  people about a negative experience
• Remember satisfaction with the last transaction
  is a major driver of customer loyalty
• What turns members off:
  –   The waiting game
  –   The zombie
  –   The antagonist
  –   The bare minimum
  –   The know-nothing
  –   The liar
Ways to sweeten impressions
• Treat others the way you want to be
  treated
• Know the co-op business
• Use one another as resources
• Share knowledge
  A step in the right direction
• Think about what you do and how you do
  it
• The member you help today could be your
  boss, neighbor or in-law tomorrow
         Remember the 5 Ws
• Who?
  – You, the employee ~ the co-op’s most important asset
• What?
  – Public relations
• When?
  – All the time
• Where?
  – Everywhere
• Why?
  – Builds the co-op’s reputation
       How to transform your
            employees
• Gathering information
• Distributing information
Gathering Information
         Let them eat cake!
• Sweeten up those you need information
  from
  – Cupcakes to system operators
  – Biscuits or brownies to linemen
  – Thank you gifts to helpful employees
    Distributing information
• A well informed employee is:
  – A more effective communicator
  – A better ambassador
  – A happier employee
             How we do it
• Open, honest communication
  – Three Phase ~ Employee newsletter
  – Broadcast “everyone” e-mail
  – Broadcast phone message
  – Safety meeting or other all employee meeting
  – Intranet
  – e-TV
  – Special campaign materials
        The Big Three @ Flint
• Intranet
  –   Table Talk
  –   Member Notices
  –   Outage Viewer
  –   Rules & Regs and Bylaws
  –   ERP
  –   MSR Helpdesk
  –   Rates
  –   Employee Directory
  –   Forms
Intranet
  The Big Three (continued)
• e-TV
• Special campaign materials
  – 3 Must Says
    • Wallet card
  – Q& A
  – Whitepaper
  – Press release
            3 Must Says
• Boil your message down to the 3
  absolutely must says
            A well informed
            member-owner…
• Is a happier member-owner
• The message is the same across ALL channels
  –   GEORGIA Magazine
  –   Bill stuffer
  –   Bill message
  –   On hold messages
  –   Ads
  –   Web site
  –   Press releases
  –   Facebook
  –   YouTube
  –   Twitter
Web site
Facebook
You Tube
Twitter
      What comes around…
• Reward your employees for their
  ambassadorial service
  – Timely
  – Visible
• Change will never take place if it’s not
  supported or rewarded
           Quick Rewards
• Handwritten thank-you note
• Small gift of appreciation
• Seek out their opinions, ideas and talents
• Acknowledge them publicly in newsletters
  or articles
• Give feedback
                   Sweet!
• The benefits of having employees being
  effective communicators
  – Will set things right on message boards
  – Will alert you if there is trouble brewing
  – Could fill in if the PR department is
    unavailable
  – Leads to happier employees and happier
    member-owners
Macon.com
13wmaz.com
Craigslist
               Questions?
•   Marian Douglas, APR, CCC
•   Manager of Public Relations
•   Flint Energies
•   478.218.5600
•   mdouglas@flintemc.com