Using Employee Surveys to Improve Employee & Customer Satisfaction Hugh E. Grunden, President & CEO, Easton Utilities

Using Employee Surveys ● June 26, Overview Easton Utilities Why use a survey How to conduct the survey Impact of using survey

Using Employee Surveys ● June 26, Easton Utilities Maryland’s first municipal utility (1914) Seven business units 10,000+ customers Primarily residential Inflow of new customers

Using Employee Surveys ● June 26, Mission To enhance the quality of life in our community by providing reliable, competitively-priced utility and communications services through skilled, safety- oriented and customer-focused employees.

Using Employee Surveys ● June 26, Our Employees 128 active employees 2 Customer Service teams Diverse backgrounds Members of the community Low turnover

Using Employee Surveys ● June 26, Why we use employee surveys Valuable employee input Buy-in on change Improve morale Forecast weaknesses & threats Improve effectiveness Uniform satisfaction metric The Only Way To Have Satisfied Customers is to Have Satisfied Employees

Using Employee Surveys ● June 26, Key Management Considerations Is management “on board?” What are the objectives? How will you share results? How will you use the information to improve? The Employee Survey is a Tool, Not a Report Card

Using Employee Surveys ● June 26, Key Participant Considerations Opinions clearly heard Appreciation for participation Management commitment to improvement Conducting an employee survey creates employee expectations

Using Employee Surveys ● June 26, Challenges Easton Utilities Faced Confidentiality Participation Honesty & Accountability Having a thick skin It Takes Courage to Ask Questions that Might Prompt Unpleasant Answers

Using Employee Surveys ● June 26, Survey Process Confidential, mail-in by third-party 45-day process Customize questions Notify employees survey is coming Issue 2 mailings 10 days apart Compile & analyze results Review results and take actions Other tools available (focus groups) The Key to Every Employee Survey is Communicating Results to Participants

Using Employee Surveys ● June 26, Issues Identified by Surveys Management-staff communications Cross-departmental communications Supervisors disenfranchised Personnel problem Written Comments Create a Large Pool of Ideas to Improve and Streamline your Business

Using Employee Surveys ● June 26, Actions Taken as a Result of Survey Time in the Field Program Quarterly Sweeps Supervisors Lunch EU Today (Intranet) Improved computer access for field staff Equipment upgrades

Using Employee Surveys ● June 26, Impact on Employee Satisfaction Communications PI improved dramatically first year (+29 points for supervisors) Empowered & engaged employees Sustained Satisfaction PI over 90% every year Engaged employees work with passion, feel a profound connection to their company, drive innovation and move the organization forward

Using Employee Surveys ● June 26, Impact on Customer Satisfaction Our Competitive Advantage is customer satisfaction Interaction with employees drives customer satisfaction Customers rated their satisfaction with: CSRs94 PI Field Crews98 PI Employees rated themselves92 PI Understanding the issues that stimulate or discourage employees, will help develop a high-quality customer satisfaction culture

Using Employee Surveys ● June 26, Conclusion Success Should Not Be Judged On Numerical Results, but Whether the Findings are a Catalyst for Improvement Employee Satisfaction is a work in progress Acting on employee input is key not just measuring results Satisfied employees satisfy customers

Using Employee Surveys ● June 26, Questions? Hugh E. Grunden President & CEO Easton Utilities 201 N. Washington St. Easton, Maryland (410) Dale R. Inkley President SDS Research 420 East South Temple, Suite 390 Salt Lake City, Utah (800)