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HomeMy WebLinkAboutAgenda Report - February 6, 2008 K-02AGENDA ITEM FV41 is% CITY OF LODI COUNCIL COMMUNICATION TM AGENDA TITLE: Review Action Plan for Enhancing Utility Billing and Collection Services in the Financial Services Division MEETING DATE: February6,2008 PREPARED B Y Deputy City Manager RECOMMENDED ACTION: Receive and review action plan for strategies to enhance customer service and resolve customer concerns about utility billing and collection services. BACKGROUND INFORMATION: In light of comments that have been made by the public regarding the need to improve the level of customer service in the Financial Services area, a draft action plan is being provided to City Council for review and for possible additional study at a future City Council meeting. The objective in this discussion is to apprise the public and the City Council of short and long term actions that are being taken to improvethe level of customer service in the Financial Services area. The issues to be resolved Although there is a longer list of issues to be resolved than is being presented at this time, the short list will be addressed with the objective of dealing with the most glaring issues first and to address the longer term issues, that will require a longer term effort, over the course of the next three to six months. The immediate issues and the most common complaints that have been heard by staff from customers are as follows: • Long lines in Finance- Customers are not receiving immediate attention when they physically enter the Finance building. Long lines form and are not dissipated rapidly. The cause has been attributed to having too few customer service representatives at the front counter to address the surge of customers that takes place at various times of each day and during the course of the month. • Too long of wait on telephone- Customers are not able to reach a customer service representative over the telephone. This issue relates to the amount of time a customer waits in the "telephone cue" before reaching (if they are able to reach) a customer service representative. This problem has been attributed to having too few people available to answer the telephone calls received by the Finance Division. • Looking for non traditional ways to make payments -Customers are interested in having more ways to pay their bills besides the traditional "in person" method or via U.S. mail. It has been voiced that customers would like to see "on line" payment options and other less traditional methods to make payments for the services they receive from the City of Lodi. • Billing errors -An increased number of customers are finding mistakes on their utility bills. The mistakes vary in degree and type, but the most common relates to misreads of their electric meter. APPROVED: / ing, City Manager • Rude customer service -Some customers feel that they are not being treated courteously by customer service representatives. We are told that some customers believe they are treated in a brusque manner and that they are not being handled in a friendly manner on the telephone or while at the customer services counters. Action Plan to resolve the issues All of the issues that are enumerated above relate to the same basic issue i.e, the need to make immediate changes to improve the level of customer service satisfaction. The longer term goal should be to provide excellent customer service. Providing excellent customer service will be the long term goal for the Financial Services Division, but for now, the action plan is to make significant headway at addressing the five items listed above. Staffing Changes -The immediate staffing changes that are being made are designed to deal with each of the five issues listed with the emphasis on the first and second issues. The immediate objective is to have more staff available for "in person" and telephone contact time. The following are the staffing changes that are being made to deal with the first two issues as listed above: Re -assignment of Administrative Clerk position from Budget Division to the Financial Services Division. This is a permanent re -assignment and the staff person involved had previously been in the City Clerk's Office. She has voluntarily moved from that office to the Finance Division in order to meet the immediate need to have a person in the lobby area to greet customers as they enter the customer service area and to staff an "express window" for those customers who have uncomplicated transactions. This person is now supervised by staff in the Financial Services Division, which allows for flexibility in her assignment to various tasks as needed in the lobby area of Finance. Temporary re -assignment of one staff from the purchasing area of the Budget Division to the Financial Services Division. The Budget Division Manager and the Financial Services Manager are coordinating a complete analysis of their divisions to find ways to use all of their staff in the most efficient and effective manner. The objective is to make any intra -department staffing changes that will promote better customer service while remaining as efficient as possible. This change is considered to be temporary and meets both of these objectives. The immediate effect will be to improve the telephone contact time and counter time available to customers. The staff involved in this re -assignment has been previously trained in customer service practices and procedureswith the City of Lodi and can make adjustmentsto her duties in purchasing in order to temporarily meet the customer service goals. Re -assignment of one staff person from the Information Systems Division to the Financial Services Division. The procedures and practices associated with the computer systems employed by the customer service staff to record and verify collections of cash payments, mailed in payments, credit card payments and other forms of payment are very human intensive and need to be reviewed to find more efficient means of accomplishing the objective of making sure that all payments are accurately recorded and that the customer's monies are safeguarded. The objective of having this staff re -assignment is to review all customer service systems to ensure that they are as efficient as possible and to find ways to free up customer service staff time to provide them with more hours for contact with customers at the front counter and over the telephone. This person will also be tasked with focusing on providing systems solutions for non- traditional means for customers to make payments to the City of Lodi. It may require that additional staff from the Information Systems Division also be assigned to the Finance Division in order to provide assistance to this primary person in order to accomplish resolution of the billing errors and finding options for customer payments to be made to the City of Lodi. Hiring of part-time staff to fill some of the gaps left from attrition in the financial services division. Other Changes- Other immediate changes that have been made or are in the process of being made to provide immediate resolutions to all five of the issues listed above are listed below in order of the simplest changes down to the more complex changes. In all cases these actions have already been taken or will be taken in the next three months to provide immediate solutions to each of the five issues as listed above. These other actions are as follows: Rearrange positioning of staff and audio/visual equipment to provide all customer service staff with a view and immediate access to customers entering the Finance Offices. This will involve the re -deployment of some staff and the utilization of cameras and viewing monitors to afford each staff member a view of the customer service area. Primarily, this will allow staff to respond more quickly to the first of the issues (long lines in Finance) listed above. Any required discussions with bargaining units related to the re -location of staff or equipment will take place before any actions are taken on this item. Name badges will be worn by all customer service employees. This is a standard practice in private retail establishments and is viewed as a customer friendly approach to providing customer service. It also allows customers to adequately identify employees when they need to explain in more detail any issues that they may be having in resolving service issues. This is one way to help resolve the last issue listed above (Rude Customer Service). Bring in outside experts in customer service operations, procedures and training. A key industry that approaches customer service operations very similarly to the Finance Division is the banking industry. We have made arrangements with Farmers and Merchants Bank (F&M) to collaborate with City staff to review the operations of the Finance Division. F&M will be working with city staff in the next month to review key elements of our cash handling procedures and ways in which we might be more efficient and more effective in providing customer service. F&M will provide an internal report to city staff that will be used to help staff as we implement other actions to improve all elements of customer service. In addition to this review by F&M, we will look at training opportunities for staff to either go to other locations or have in-service times to provide training in customer service Form a task force comprising staff from the Field Services Division of the Electric Utility and the Finance Division to be tasked with providing solutions to more accurate readings of meters and identifying obviously under -read or over -read meter readings before customers are billed erroneously. The task force will also collaborate on other issues of joint concern related to start up and shutting off of electric services. Explore providing incentives for payments to be made in other modes or at other locations besides monthly "over the counter" payments at the Finance Division. Options that might be considered would be discounting bills that are paid in advance via mail or via automatic bank drafting. Private utilities offer discounts for services that are paid in advance and we could offer customers a sliding discount scale based on the number of months that were paid in advance. Another option would be to offer a discount for customers who pay with a bank check or money order and use the drop box located inside the Finance office. Self serve envelopes are currently being provided for this type of payment mode. An enhancement to this service would be to add a self serve receipt similar to how the California State Parks System offers self serve receipts to those who pay for use of parks at self serve pay stations. A tear off stub would be provided that would be the customer's receipt and they would receive a handling discount on their subsequent bill to act as an incentive to make their payments in this fashion the next month. The amount of the discount would be related to the cost savings associated with staffing and handling costs that would be saved by using this mode of payment. A task force has also been formed with staff from the Electric Utility department and from the Finance Division to explore pay station locations in Lodi that would afford customers other places to make their payments besides at the Finance office. Two locations have been informally discussed and will be explored further to determine if they are feasible and whether the costs associated with having these satellite payment stations justifies their use. Customer satisfaction forms- One of the tasks for the new receptionist position will be to hand out and collect customer satisfaction cards. Questions related to how customers feel about the services they have received from the Finance Division and suggestions for improvements will be included on the cards. These cards will go directly to the Financial Services Manager who will then complete a summary report of responses to the customer satisfaction cards that will go to the Deputy City Manager. Strategic Plan for better Customer Service- The actions already listed are ones that can be taken in the next three months and do not require any separate City Council action at this time or at a later time either. However, there are longerterm issues that will need to be addressed. Following are other more strategic issues that will be addressed in upcoming months: The billing and collection computer software is outdated and should be replaced. The cost for replacement will be discussed in the upcoming budget in light of the opportunities that the new software would have to allow for more efficient billing and collection business practices. There is much information available on strategies for how governments can provide better customer service. One of the main elements that is conveyed in this information is the need to establish goals and objectives for customer service and periodically reviewing performance against these objectiveslgoals. In collaboration with the line and supervisory staff of the Finance Division, management staff in the Finance, Information Systems, Budget and Human Resources Division will be evaluating ways in which to provide better customer service throughout the Department, but with a focus in the Finance Customer service area. The results of this analysis will be incorporated in a strategic plan that will include customer service targets and performance measures. We are looking to make significant progress in the next month toward providing better customer service and will update the City Council as implementation of this action plan takes place. FISCAL IMPACT: No immediate impact FUNDING AVAILABLE: Not applicable 6jefries R. Krueger, Deputy City Manag r Attachments Financial Services Customer Satisfaction Presentation February 6, 2008 Customer Service Action Plan Immediate issues Long Lines • 26% of payments made over the counter 7,500 payment contacts • Peaks and valleys in customer traffic Long wait on telephone a More than 65,000 telephone calls annually Non-traditional payment options Patterns are hard to break Billing errors Route changes, Energy cost adjustments, cumbersome system courteous customer service Anecdotal evidence Citizen survey Customer Service Action Plan Immediate Actions Staffing Administrative Clerk/Receptionist Temporary Customer Service boost Information Systems staff Part time staff needed due to attrition and staff that is on disability leave Customer Service Action Plan Other Immediate Changes Repositioning staff to better serve • Audio visual equipment • Name badges • outside experts • Task force to tackle billing issues • Alternatives to traditional payment modes Advance payments Drop box and lock box payments with self service stubs On-line payments Quick payments Pay stations Customer Service Action Plan Strategic Plan • Replace outdated billing and collection software ■ After tackling immediate issues work towards a plan for excellent customer service • Develop standards _and measure performance against standards Customer Service Action Plan Analyze staffing needs for efficiencies and effectiveness amongst all Internal Service Department Divisions focusing Fin. & BdgtM • Financial Services Accounting Customer Service Budget r Purchasing . Investment , Budget preparation and analysis RE: AGENDA ITEM K-02 Mayor Mounce and Council members, thank you for allowing me the opportunity to address the "Action Plan for Enhancing Utility Billing and Collection Services" with you this evening. My name is Gregory Ramirez, 241 Mission Street, Lodi, CA. I am the Vice-president of the Lodi Chapter of the American Federation of State County & Municipal Employees Local 146 and represent the 184 members of the General Services and Maintenance & Operators units. My purpose tonight is to provide you with some additional information and insight from the employee perspective in regard to Item K-02. For your reference and review I will provide copies of this information for each of you to the City Clerk before I step down. Based on the Communication, the main issues to be addressed by the Action Plan are the long waits associated with coming or calling the Revenue and Collections Divisions in Finance, alleged rude customer service and meter misreads prompting customer complaints. REGARDING "RUDE CUSTOMER SERVICE" Allow me to address the rude customer service allegation first as our members take this seriously as it is a direct reflection of our commitment to quality service to the Citizens of Lodi. The various references to same are just not correct. Without reservation I can tell you that every employee at the front counter that interacts with the public is not rude. Their mission is to keep the customer happy, it is in their best interest and they know that. Now I won't say that there aren't complaints, but in our experience the complaints center around the cost of utilities in Lodi or difficulties in meeting the City of Lodi's requirements for obtaining service and or restoring power after being sealed. Our members are the messengers for management and the Council — we don't make the rules, our task is to see to it that they are adhered to and carried out. Of the complaints received by the City in regard to rank -and -file employees, my guess would be that 99% of the time a citizen is dissatisfied with the message, and not the messenger. The message may not have been to the customers liking, but the delivery was never RUDE. I have included testimonials to the high quality service that the Finance Department provides to its citizens in my packet. Let me assure you and the public that our members are committed to providing the Citizens of Lodi (which includes us!)with the highest level of quality, courteous service! Page 1 aP 6 REGARDING THE LONG WAITS The Communication rightly points out that there is a staffing shortage. Based on our figures, from 2000 to 2008 there has been an overall staffing level decrease in Billing & Collections of 15%, with a 34% decrease in actual cashiers; while, the population of Lodi has increased 20%, the staffing levels have not increased to keep up with the flow of work that has been generated. The upshot is that staff is doing more with less. We place the long -lines at the Finance Counter and the long waits on the telephone lines squarely where it belongs, Finance management decisions over the last four years. Decisions that have reduced the number of cashiers available to assist the public and not providing staff with the best software tools and equipment needed to sere the public. Decisions that have required staff to reallocate time to train a revolving door of full and part-time employees over the past two years (approximately 15 full-time employees have left the Billing & Collections Division since 2006). While we understand the need to be "mean and lean" running an operation in this manner means that work is prioritized and when those priorities switch throughout the day, there will be a lag — it is very much like the little Dutch Boy trying to plug the leaks in the dyke. Having worked in Finance myself for several years, believe me when I say that no employee wants to be able to help a custom erlcitizen more than the employee who is working the window in Finance. There isn't a teller alive that wants to look out at a long line of people staring back at them! Currently 58% of the Billing & Collections staff have worked in the Finance Billing & Revenue Division for 1 year or less. This lack of depth and the need for experienced staff to continually train new employees eats up staffs time to get the real work of the department accomplished. The constant revolving door of staff has impacted the workload negatively due to the constant training componentfor new full-time and part-time staff due to turn -over. The continual hiring of part-time staff and their attrition rate severely impacts the resources of the permanent staff due to the constant training demands and later the need to devote time to fixina errors and mistakes made by part-time staff that is no longer employed. Turn -over in the division should be a major component that is addressed in running the division efficiently. Page 2 cf 6 FINANCE DIVISION INFORMATION& STAFFING LEVELS 58% of the staff have worked in the Revenue & Collections Divisionfor 1 year or less. 41 % of the staff have worked in the Revenue & Collections Division for 7 months or less From 2000 to 2007 there has been an approximate population increase of 20% with a staffing level decrease of 15% (a 34% decrease in actual cashiers). 1999 ACTUAL STAFFING LEVEL Account Clerk 10 Senior Account Clerk 2 Finance Technician 1 TOTAL 13 F/T equivalents (not included in total) 3 2008 ACTUAL STAFFING LEVEL Customer Service Representatives 7 Senior Customer Service Representatives 2 Administrative Clerk 1 Utility Billing & Collection Supervisor 1 TOTAL 11 FIT equivalents (not included in total) 1 Population -56,999 Population -68.500 With the retirementcf the Revenue Manager, many of those duties were delegated down to staff, increasing their workload & responsibilities. Since 2006, 13-15 employees have been let-go/promoted/transferred/resigned/retired from the Finance Division. Of the resigning employees, some within days/weeks/months of starting their new positions. Attached are testimonials from customers about the quality service they have received from the Finance Division staff. Page 3 cE 6 REGARDING THE RE -ASSIGNMENT OF PURCHASING STAFF We question transferring an employee whose experience for the last 15 years has been in the Purchasing Division (a division that is already down 40% in staffing level) to Finance to "promote better customer service while remaining as efficient as possible." We wonder how efficient it is to temporarily assign an employee that will need to be trained in division policies and procedures for a temporary assignment of two months. It will take another employee in the division away from their work in order to assist, making the division even more short staffed while the "new - temporary employee" is being brought up to speed. When the temporary assignment is over, the whole training cycle will repeat with the new person. PURCHASING DIVISION INFORMATION & STAFFING LEVELS 2000 ACTUAL STAFFING LEVEL Storekeeper 2 Purchasing Technician 1 Buyer 1 Purchasing Officer 1 TOTAL 5 2007 ACTUAL STAFFING LEVEL Storekeeper Purchasing Technician Buyer Purchasing Officer TOTAL 2000 Purchased Orders Issued: 350 (an average of 87.50 per 4 "buying" employees) 2007 Purchased Orders Issued: 239 (an average of 119.50 per 2 "buying" employees) 2000 Office Supplies Routed Through Department: $62.915.12 2007 Office Supplies Routed Through Department: $139.469.72 An increase of $76,554.60 with 2 fewer employees Currently the Purchasing Division is short-staffed by40%. On days that the Purchasing Technician is working in Finance, that short staffing figure rises to 60%. When the Purchasing Technician is working in Finance, the Buyer will be working out of class to assist in the warehouse operations and handle the day-to-day operations of the division. Many of the duties and responsibilities of the Purchasing Officer have filtered down to the remaining staff. Page 4 cf 6 REGARDING THE FIELD SERVICE DIVISION METER MIS -READS The Field Services Division of Electric Utility reads approximately 31,360 meters each month. Of those meters, approximately 20-50 actual mis-reads on average occur per month. This is an error rate of less than 1 °/q_That is a pretty remarkable statistic. The staffing level of the Field Services Division has remained the same for the past ten years as the number of utility customers has continued to grow. FIELD SERVICES DIVISION INFORMATION & STAFFING LEVELS Over the past 10 years, EUD's Customer Field Service staffing level has remained static while Lodi's population has increased by 13,000. 1998 ACTUAL STAFFING LEVEL Field Services Supervisor 1 Field Services Representative 2 Meter Reader 4 TOTAL 7 FIT equivalents (not included in total) 1 2000 ACTUAL STAFFING LEVEL Field Services Supervisor 1 Field Services Representative 2 Meter Reader 4 TOTAL 7 FIT equivalents (not included in total) 2 2008 ACTUAL STAFFING LEVEL Field Services Supervisor 1 Field Services Representative 3 Meter Reader 3 TOTAL 7 FIT equivalents (not included in total) 2 Population -55,974 Population -56,999 Population -68.500 Meter Readers collect reads from 31,360meters1month. On average 20-50 are "bad" reads. AN ACCURATE READ STATISTIC OF 99% PER MONTH! Possible reasons for those mis-reads per month as provided by Field Services: • The new (received last fall) Itron handheld keypad is half the size of the old devices. • Staff is reading more meters from a distance over fences (which can increase the chance for error) due to more locked gates and dogs. Readers utilize monoculars, but they are only so helpful on rainy, foggy or overcast days. • Mistakes are made, but the number is extremely low and rarely for the same customer. • The City-wide reroute, completed last May Ist, placed Readers on new routes. They are still getting used to the new, heavier routes, which average 6.5 to 7.5 hours of read time. • Two new part time employees started last June, they are still learning/training on the job. It takes awhile to become proficient in reading meters and using the equipment. Page 5 of 6 REGARDING PURCHASE OF NEW UTILITY BILLING SOFTWARE Rank-arra-f.le staff nas trap trona y peen ignoreo n regaro to selection ofequ.pment and software (the last sofrware ipgraae, recommenaatrons % the information Services Divis.on and line -staff empioyees were nor considereo. res.. ting in the "nLman intense" utility o'lling program currently .,sea). We hope mat whatever new software being consiaerea w li oe revewed oy the rnformat on Serv,ces D vis.on AND rank-and-fi a staff. the ones who will actaa ly be worKing w.tn the programs, and the r inpit greatly considereo. REGARDING ALTERNATIVE PAYMENT OPTIONS Utility Billing Staff and other rank -and -file employees from various departments have suggested over the past few years that the City explore additional payment vehicles over the internet and offering the public the ability to pay utility bills at other City run locations. However, no matter how many alternative methods cf payment that are offered, there will always be a contingent of the public that wants the assurance and security of being able to make a payment in person and obtain a receipt from a bona -fide revenue employee. Q: Does Finance management understand who comes in to pay in-person and why? REGARDING THE TASK FORCE How many of the actual employees that interact with the public are on that committee or will be on that Task Force? We would suggest that actual line staff be asked to sit on this task force to ensure the front-line perspective on solutions is included. REQUESTS • We request that the re -assignment of the Purchasing Technician be reviewed and that the Purchasing Technician is returned to their already short-staffed division • We request that the need for additional staff be reviewed and recruitments begun for: o Customer Service Representatives to man the front windows &telephones o More Field Service Workers for late and weekend work. o More Full -Time Meter Readers vs. Part -Time Readers • We request that modern, efficient utility billing software and equipment be purchased with input from Line Staff • We request that Line Staff be included in the Task Force Once again, thank you for your courtesy and consideration. We remain steadfast in our support of Lodi and making Lodi "Livable and Loveable"! Page 6 cf 6 Message Sandra J Smith Page 1 of 1 From: Ruby Paiste Sent: Wednesday, December 26,2007 11:37 AM To: Emily Hutchings; Gail Glissman; Justin Louis; Karen Jackson; Laura Gonzalez; Marissa Speth; Melinda Wilson; Michelle Gines-Laubenstein; Michelle Martinez; Nancy Schmer; Sandra J Smith; Tammie Lonzo-McFarland; Virginia Hawes Cc: Michelle Martinez Subject: RE: Customer Compliment This is wonderful, keep up the good work! Keep smiling and it will radiate and project out to the customers Now, this is not always easy to do but somehow it works. Thanks, Ruby From: Sandra J Smith Sent: Wednesday, December 26, 2007 8:48 AM To: Gail Glissman; Ruby Paiste; Virginia Hawes; Michelle Martinez Subject: Customer Compliment Customer Terry Willard asked to speak to me today after talking to Michelle Martinez. Terry wanted to let me know how much she appreciates the wonderful customer service she received today as well as each and every time she has needed to contact our office. She also states that all ci our CSRs are always courteous and very knowledgeable which is not always the case when she calls other utility companies. She really appreciates having such wonderful people to assist her. SandmSmith SeniorC.A 9 evene- Division city of Lod, (2o9133368o&V 2524 2/4/2008 Sandra J Smith From: Vicky McAthie Sent: Monday, December 11,20007:56 AM To: Nancy Schmer; Sandra J Smith cc: Maxine; Janette DeJong Subject: RE: Job Well Done Greatjob Sandra. And Nancythanks for passing it on. vm -----Original Message ----- From: Nancy Schmer Sent: Thursday, December07,2000 31:24 AM To: Sandra J Smith Cc: Vicky McAthie; Maxine; Janette DeJong Subject: Job Well Done Sandra, I called customer Samuel Teresi to discuss with him the inquiry he made with you late yesterday afternoon. He wanted to be sure that you were commended for your excellent customer service. He acknowledged that he was upset when he was at your desk and really appreciated the way you calmed him down and reassured him. He said you are a "real doll'. Way to go! Thanks, Nancy Message Page 1 of 1 Sandra J Smith From: Ruby Paiste Sent: Friday, October 26, 200710:05 AM To: Michelle Martinez cc: Barbara Reed; Emily Hutchings; Gail Glissman; Justin Louis; Karen Jackson: Kevin Bell; Laura Gonzalez; Melinda Wilson; Michelle Gines-Laubenstein: Sandra J Smith; Tammie Lonzo; Virginia Hawes Subject: RE: Compliment That's great, keep up the good work! Yahoo!! Ruby From: Sandra J Smith Sent: Friday, October 26, 2007 9:41 AM To: Ruby Paiste; Gail Glissman Cc: Michelle Martinez Subject: Compliment I was just summonedto the lobby to speakto a gentleman who wanted to make a comment on Michelle Martinez. He stated that she had signed him up for utilities several months ago and since then has come into the office to pay his bill each month. He said she has always been very courteous and professional everytime he has come into the office and always has a smile on her face. He said he works with three other goverment agencies and it is very refreshing to see someone so helpful] and professional. Just wanted to pass this along. Greatjob Michelle!! Sandra Srnith Senior Revenue Division. Cityof.Lodi (209)333-6800 eat 2524 2/4/2008 Sandra J Smith From: Vicky McAthie Sent: Thursday, August 30,2001 8;10 AM To: Melinda Wilson; Elena Santillan; Erin Corwin; Gail Glissman; Holly Bombard; Kevin Bell; Merry Sasaki; Myrna Cooper; Sandra J Smith; Tammie Lonzo; Tammy Meidinger Cc: Maxine; Sandy Smith Subject: RE: Great service Great job all vm -____Original Message ----- From: Melinda Wilson Sent: Tuesday, August 28, 20014:37 PM To: Eiena Santillan; Erin Corwin; Gail Glissman; Holly Bombard; Kevin Bell; Merry Sasaki; Myrna Cogel; Sandra Smith; Tammie Lonza; Tammy Meidinger cc: Vicky McAthie; Maxine; Sandy Smith Subject: Great service 1 just talked to Mike Tanzer, the owner of 1720 S Hutchins St Apts, and he said what a pleasure it is to deal with our office. He said that we are always friendly, personable and efficient. He deals with many other cities and prefers us over the others. We always return our phone calls and provide excellent customer service. Keep up the great work!! Thanks, Melinda Page 1 of 1 Sandra J Smith From: Ruby Paiste Sent: Thursday, August 23,2007 9:50 AM To: Rob Lechner (Lodi EUD) cc: Sandra J Smith Subject: RE: SANDRA SMITH- APPLAUSE HERE Thanks Rob, that'sjust one of the reasons I picked her for the position. Shall I tell her that she is now obligated to bring goodies?????????????????? GREAT JOB, SANDRA!! KEEP UP THE GOOD ATTITUDE AND THE GOOD WORK, IT 1S MUCH APPRECIATED, THANK YOU. Ruby From: Rob Lechner (Lodi EUD) Sent: Thursday, August 23, 2007 7:00 AM To: Ruby Paiste Cc: George Morrow (Lodi EUD) Subject: SANDRA SMITH- APPLAUSE HERE 8/23/07 Ruby, Good morning. I've been conducting office time in Finance forthe past weeks, sitting in the cubicle owned and occupied by Stan Jones. His desk is adjacent to Sandra Smith's. As I sit at that desk, I hear Sandra in action, working with customers throughout the day. She ceases to amaze! I wanted to share with you how professional, diligent and thorough she is with customers on the phone. In one instance last week, Sandra painstakingly explained the following to one gentleman on the phone: the ECA, recent water rate issues, the TCE/PCE clean-up issue, the cost of various curbside refuse containers, and office hours at Finance. The conversation took approximately 10 minutes of her time- she never raised her voice, and continued to professionally respond to the customer. Kudo'sto her! By definition, this is EXEMPLARY customer service. Ijust wanted to share this with you. Rob 2/4/2008 Sandra J Smith From: Vicky McAthie Sent: Tuesday, June 24,2003 8:09 AM To: Maxine: Gail Glissman; Virginia Hawes; Elena Santillan; Holly Bombard; Karen Verble; Kevin Bell; Merry Sasaki; Myrna Cooper; Nicole Beadles; Sandra J Smith; Tammie Lonzo; Tammy Meidinger Subject: RE: Nice Compliment GREAT JOB!!!!! I forwarded this email to the CM and DCM so they know. Keep up the great work!!!! vm -----Original Messap.. From: Maxine Sent: Monday, June 23, 2003 4:41 PM To: Gail Glissman; Virginia Hawes; Elena Santiilan; Holly Bombard; Karen Verble; Kevin Bell; Merry Sasaki; Myrna Cooper; Nicole Beadles; Sandra ) Smith; Tammie Lonzo; Tammy Meidinger cc: Vicky McAthie Subject: RE: Nice Compliment I think we have many more who never say anything. I received a transferred call today from Peggy in CA's office. The gentleman wanted to complain about CVW not picking up his refuse and not answering the telephone. I explained the E-mail we received from Luanajust Friday about their CSR level not at 100%;1 volunteered to call for him, but he was satisfied with the web address, two e-mail contacts and their call center telephone number that I provided. He thanked me very much for all of the information. MMC -----Original Message ---- From: Gail Glissman Sent: Monday, June 23, 2003 4:35 PM To: Virginia Hawes; Elena; Holly Bombard; Karen Verble; Kevin Bell; Merry Sasaki; Myrna Cooper; Nicole Beadles; Sandra Smith; Tammie Lonzo; Tammy Meidinger Cc: Maxine; Vicky McAthie Subject: FW: Nice Compliment That makes two in one day, Crystobell Huft of us a note "Thanks for the wonderful service I me many good years". GREAT JOBM -----Original Message ---- From: Virginia Hawes Sent: Monday, June 23, 2003 4:29 PM To: Gail Glissman Subject: FW: Nice Compliment It is so nice to get a compliment from a customer VH -----Original Message ----- From: Elena Santillan Sent: Monday, lune 23, 2003 4:28 PM To: Virginia Hawes Subject: Nice Compliment Virginia, 2315 Burton Way moved to Oregon but wrote have had with the City of Lodi. It has served Mrs. Fabrizio the owner of 735 Brandywine Dr call to compliment our Departmentfor being so professional and for always taking an extra second to call her when something looks out of the ordinary.