Plugged In
August 2015
Welcome to the New Plugged In In addition to the great content Plugged In has provided in the past, it’s my hope that we can utilize this platform to continue to educate and inform everyone on our most important and critical areas of focus as a company: member satisfaction, affordability, people and culture, safety and system reliability. We intend, with this new format, to keep you “plugged in” to everything that is happening in our company. You will notice throughout this issue – and subsequent issues – that each of those critical areas of focus has been assigned a unique icon. I hope that you will come to recognize each of these icons and regard them as important to our company and its goals to provide a better quality of life to each of our members. We also plan to rotate the focus of each issue of Plugged In around our values, starting next month with safety. We also would like to welcome the input from everyone with regards to content for Plugged In. We want to involve and connect each of our employees through this outlet and hope to have many of you participate.
We define MAPSS as our critical areas of focus, which we dentify as the cornerstones of maintaining a healthy Cooperative. By recognizing and focusing on these key areas, we can ensure we continue to deliver worldclass service to our members. These icons represent those areas of focus. When you see these icons next to article headlines throughout Plugged In, that means the content pertains to those areas of focus.
Member Satisfaction
Affordability
We hope for Plugged In to be a way to continue fostering and cultivating our culture. With that said, I invite everyone to please begin to think of ways your department might be able to contribute. Is there anything you would like to share with the rest of the company? Good or bad, we hope to be able to work through any issues and bring the positive to light within Plugged In. I feel strongly that by keeping everyone in the know, we can make this an even greater place to work, which will help make us an even better Cooperative.
People and Culture
If you have ideas for the next newsletter or any following issues, please send an email to PluggedIn@ozarksecc.com.
Safety System Reliability
Mitchell Johnson President/CEO
A Conversion Well Done Thanks to the hard work of our wonderful employees across all departments, the conversion is finally over and can be called a success. But that doesn’t mean it was without problems. The conversion affected a large number of accounts, resulting in some unhappy members. However, moving forward, we expect the changes to be helpful. We also expect the training our member service representatives are receiving to allow us to move forward
for internal distribution only
with these new systems as smoothly as possible. “We’re starting to see some real advantages from the conversion,” Kris Williams says. “You can find a lot more information with this system. Although the processes might seem more tedious now, we believe the outcome will be better for us in the long run.” Thanks to everyone for their hard work and for a job well done. ●
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Keith Kaderly Jerry Bolinger Adam Burks Mike Mangin Bobby Raymo Clinton Lancaster Joseph Cooksey Latasha Long Sandra Johnson Blake Reed Cody Slaughter Cole Adair Earl Clinton Hershel Pritchett Casey Jones Curtis Hannah Lisa Fourkiller Lawanda McCollum Yolanda Copeland
Growing and Improving We all know that we constantly strive to improve our members’ overall satisfaction. It’s almost like a form of currency. Within the last year. Did you know our member relations department has hired six new member representatives, as well as a trainer.
Redfearn says. “Though I might think we’re doing well in a certain area, this reflects actual member attitudes and perceptions. That’s what matters.”
In addition to new hires, the department recently began surveying members to get a better gauge of how we are doing. We’re hoping this will help us to pinpoint any weak spots and show us where we need to improve.
Our representatives definitely keep busy. Each one answers almost 90 calls every day, when most electric cooperative representatives average around 45 calls per day. In the end, a members’ highest priority might be that the lights are on, but feeling valued and respected by their electric cooperative would surely be close behind.
“I really believe these surveys are going to be a big deal for us going forward,” Derrick
We like to think that we are all working together to achieve that. ●
Tip of the Month Never give out your password to anyone. Never give it to co-workers, even if he or she is a good friend. Your password could accidently end up in the wrong hands.
Help us Help a Local Animal Shelter As we look forward to the third annual Co-op Canine Adoption Day, we want to lend a helping hand to the Washington County Animal Shelter. Now through the event, scheduled for October 17, we will be accepting the following items as part of our pet supply drive!
Connect with us on LinkedIn We would like to invite everyone to find our new, official company page on LinkedIn and follow us and connect with us on your own profiles.
That’s it! Now if anyone ever sees your profile on LinkedIn, they will be able to find our company page and learn more about who we are and what we do.
To find our company page, simply click here. Once on the page, click the “Follow” button in the top right corner and you will then start to receive status updates and posts on your personal news feed.
If you have any trouble using this feature, feel free to email PluggedIn@ozarksecc.com and someone will be happy to assist you. ●
Contact Mitch Styles for more information.
To add our page as an “employer” on your profile, follow these steps: 1. Log in to your LinkedIn account 2. Go to “Edit Profile” 3. Find the “Experience” section 4. Locate and click on the area that contains details about your position at Ozarks Electric Cooperative 5. Under “Company Name”, click “Change Company” 6. Type in “Ozarks Electric Cooperative” 7. Select the appropriate page (with our logo; see screenshot below)
Bleach Paper towels Clorox/Lysol disinfecting wipes Dawn dishwashing soap Fabric softener sheets (any brand) Pine pellets (found at Tractor Supply) Liquid laundry soap (any brand) Scoopable cat litter Arm & Hammer baking soda Hand sanitizer Ziplock freezer bags (gallon & quart sizes) Simple Green cleaner Air freshener Bar Keepers Friend cleaner Q-tips/cotton balls Purina Chow Complete (puppy, dog, kitten & cat) Fancy Feast canned kitten food
Connect with Our CEO
In the Community
Mitchell has recently joined LinkedIn and would love to connect with everyone. Click here or visit LinkedIn and search for “Mitchell Johnson” and click “Add Connection.”
Mitch Styles, Penny Storms, Kayla Clark, Hayley Koop and Clinton Lancaster recently helped “Fill The Bus” as part of the United Way’s annual school supply drive. #OzarksCares
8. Click “Save”
Be a Wise Health Consumer When it comes to your health, making a list and checking it twice might just be the best plan. First of all, you should keep a checklist of all medications you are taking and share this list with your health care provider. It’s also important to understand your health insurance plan. A list of basic questions about what is covered and knowing the answers to these questions can save
time and money. Prepare for visits to your healthcare provider by compiling lists of questions or concerns you wish to discuss during your appointment.
Altrusa International Helping Improve Communities
By making the most of the time you have, you can avoid unnecessary calls and repeat visits. Remember, you are your best advocate when it comes to health care! ●
Members of Altrusa International, Inc. from all over the world recently gathered July 17-21 in Kansas City. Penny Storms, a 22-year member, represented the organization as a voting delegate and served on the registration committee as well. Learn more about Altrusa International here.