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| Best In Class Customer Service Award |
 A-Active Awarded National Best In Class Customer Service Awards July 2005 It's safe to say that all pest control companies make an effort to provide exceptional customer service. More than 50 companies, however, were proud enough of the service they provide to submit nomination forms for the first Crown Best-In-Class Customer Service Awards, with three companies recognized for their extraordinary customer service programs at last year's NPMA Academy. The winners, recognized by co-sponsors of the award, Syngenta Professional Products and PCT magazine, were:
These companies demonstrated excellence in the following five categories - customer service recognition, customer testimonials, unique customer service initiatives, peer recognition and extraordinary customer service success stories - and their applications were evaluated by a distinguished panel of judges: . The panel of judges included Phil Cooper, president, Cooper Pest Solutions and author of What+How=WOW; industry icon Norm Ehmann, a former PCT Professional of the Year; and Dr. George Rambo, president of GR Consulting Services. "We are pleased to honor the Best-In-Class Customer Service Award winners," said Ashish Malik, business head, Professional Pest Management, Syngenta. "Customer service is paramount to Syngenta and we are proud to take part in recognizing these accomplishments. Much like the winners of this award, we believe that excellent customer service is essential to maintaining relationships and keeping the pest management profession strong." "The common link among the three winners is an exceptional attention to detail and a commitment to providing innovative customer service to their customers," said PCT Publisher Dan Moreland. "By going above and beyond what generally constitutes standout customer service, these companies are raising the bar for the pest control industry." Medium-Sized Company Winner: The essence of customer service at A-Active Termite & Pest Control in Virginia Beach, Va., is very simple: making people happy, not just customers but employees and vendors as well. A-Active won the Best-In-Class award at the medium-sized company level. It's natural to avoid hearing complaints in any business, but at A-Active management sees the true value of paying attention to complaints. "We continually seek out any weak link in the Customer Service Chain that may affect the way our customers see us. We look to develop win-win relationships so that all parties are working with our customers' best interests in mind," says company President Kevin Kordek. "It is our ability to accept the constant feedback from our customers about our service and respond quickly to a universal need that enables A-Active to provide a better and more convenient service. It's important for a company to grade itself on what and how its customers feel about the company's values." SERVICE INITIATIVES. Customer service initiatives start with the new hire. The company prides itself on hiring the right people by using strict hiring practices and high standards of quality control and performance. Finding quality employees is no problem for management. Most of the new team members at A-Active were referred by existing team members who feel great about their company and invite their friends to join the team. "While having the right people in the field representing our company is very important, their training and orientation is even more important," says Kordek. "We believe our success depends on everyone adopting the company culture as it relates to customer service. It gives our company a personality that our customers recognize as ‘A-Active' regardless of whom they interact with," he said. Kordek believes that if A-Active fosters an entrepreneurial environment with its inspectors, technicians and administrative team that they will, in turn, accept "ownership" of their clients and the results of the service they provide. This philosophy assumes risk - the risk that everyone on the team can perform at this level. "This is where the personality of the company shines through - where the ‘people' part of our business comes to life and where the reasons that we got involved in the pest management industry become apparent," says Kordek. NEW HIRE TRAINING. A-Active hires its sales and service personnel under the Quality Pro criteria (criminal background check, driving record check, personality profile and drug testing). An impressive number of educational programs and exams are on the docket for each new employee before going on their own in the field. In addition, each new hire is required to attend all "Sharing the Vision" meetings every Tuesday and Thursday. Every Tuesday and Thursday morning, employees of A-Active join together in what is termed a Share the Vision Meeting. To deliver a consistent message to customers, a consistent message must be delivered to employees, believes A-Active's management team. These 45- to 60-minute meetings serve as a forum to reinforce fundamental principles such as patriotism, integrity, enthusiasm and company vision. Typical meetings cover such topics as budget and sales reviews, safety, sales training, service training, review of policies, sales and service experiences, quality control, client letters, wellness and industry news. QUALITY CONTROL PARAMOUNT. The Quality Assurance program consists of an ongoing series of client surveys that measure performance at every client interface (administrative, sales and service). The information provided in the feedback measures the success of each client interaction. New clients receive the survey at the end of their first month of service. In addition, the company mails a survey to a random segment of their customer base each month to develop a fair cross section of opinions about the various services. Any evaluation rating a "9" or less warrants a call by the Operations Management, vice president or president to find out what it will take to get a "10." The results of this client contact are covered in the next Share the Vision meeting. Management uses the survey results to select the Employee of the Month and Year and these results are publicly shared and serve as a positive reinforcement of the mission. "Everyone at A-Active knows that a client's experience must be positive or we have failed!" explains Kordek. FREQUENT CONTACT. Like many pest management companies that treat quarterly, Kordek finds it a challenge to keep in contact with customers who may not be home when service is performed. A-Active focuses service protocols and policies around gaining the maximum effectiveness in the service and maximizing communication with the client. Here are some ways A-Active goes the extra mile to make their presence known.
REGIONAL AND NATIONAL AWARDS. A-Active has received numerous local and national awards. One achievement the company is most proud of is that of technician Larry Williams, who was selected the PCT/Syngenta Residential Technician of the Year in 2003. The many unsolicited complimentary letters about his work also included references to the high standards of the company. One of the unsolicited customer letters included the following testimony to the integrity of A-Active Termite & Pest Control: "Over the years, we have come to realize that we can trust A-Active more than any other business in this area. You have earned this reputation with us because there is an atmosphere of integrity and commitment to dedicated service that pervades your organization. We believe your exemplary leadership, insistence on high standards and above all, genuine honesty has brought this about. Simply stated, A-Active has earned our complete trust." A true testimony to the winner of the Best-In-Class Customer Service Award for medium-sized companies. "Zero tolerance for termites and pests" is the concept for the company's marketing campaign. And zero tolerance for unhappy customers is the result!
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