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Ceridian's three Rs of service excellence: Repeatable,
reliable -- and right

Ceridian is passionate about serving the needs of our customers, and we continually strive to provide a more proactive, personal approach through enhanced service, quality and accountability. How are we putting these words into action? Newly-appointed Vice President of Customer Care of Ceridian's St. Louis and Chicago Centers of Excellence Paul Everett shares his views in a Q&A about Ceridian's customer service strategies.

Q: Welcome to your new leadership role within Ceridian's customer care organization. Tell us a little about the experience you bring to the table.

A: "St. Louis is my fourth location during my 13-year career at Ceridian. After beginning my career with Ceridian in Minneapolis as an account manager, I served as an account executive for four years before leading service teams in Dallas, Chicago and St. Louis. Currently, I provide leadership to over 200 customer service employees who support Ceridian's payroll, human resources and time and attendance customers. This is my third year leading the time and attendance support team."

Q: What is your personal service philosophy and goals for helping our customers?

A: "I fully support Ceridian's commitment to service excellence and our goal to provide repeatable and reliable service by improving our operating processes and accuracy. Our customers expect us to provide them with the right answers to their questions in a manner that is timely. We know that we've exceeded this expectation when our employees make a personal connection with a customer."

"For example, one of our customers recently dropped us a note of thanks related to Ceridian time and attendance customer support they received and told us 'In this day and age, people aren't concerned with the presentation of their service, just getting it done. You surpassed my expectation and I'm very grateful.' A similar comment from another one of our customers said 'You are a perfect example of what I consider excellent service. Your prompt response to emails and willingness to correct someone else's error without hesitation demonstrates your professionalism.'"

"Almost all of the positive comments I see and hear result from one of our client support analysts interacting with a customer at a personal level."

Q: How are Ceridian's client support analysts trained to answer customer questions?

A: "We have a lengthy training and development program that our employees go through. Before ever starting on the phone, they obtain customer service and Ceridian product certifications. We also encourage them to work toward industry certification within their first year of employment. In addition, we require ongoing training credits, and each client support analyst must complete 60 hours of continuous training each year."

Q: What are Ceridian's service initiatives for 2007?

A: "This year we are creating more small teams within our support centers which will allow our employees to go beyond simply answering a call, but also in building lasting partnerships. Another one of our objectives to enhance customer partnerships is through Ceridian's annual INSIGHTS customer conference, and we're proud to say that Ceridian is celebrating 20 years of offering this valuable resource to our customers."

Q: What makes INSIGHTS so valuable to our customers?

A: The INSIGHTS conference provides an opportunity for Ceridian customers to interact with technical resources, trainers and senior management face-to-face, all in one location. We offer a wide variety of training and networking opportunities, one-on-one consultations and motivating speakers. Customers who attend can also receive American Payroll Association (APA) and Human Resource Certification Institute (HRCI) recertification credits and earn a Ceridian University Diploma to broaden their Ceridian product knowledge. I encourage our customers to learn more about INSIGHTS by visiting the Web site at www.myceridian.com/insights2007 or by calling the INSIGHTS hotline at (952) 853-6363. This year, the conference will be held July 15-19 at the Gaylord Palms Resort and Convention Center in Kissimmee, Florida. I look forward to meeting many of our customers personally while I'm there."

Q: You mentioned the Ceridian University training opportunity. What can customers gain through enrollment in this program?

A: "Both Ceridian employees and customers can benefit from enrolling in Ceridian University programs. The University offers courses in a variety of formats, including Web-based, distance learning, self-study and classroom training. A variety of certifications are offered with a focus on HR/payroll including FPC, CPP, PHR and SPHR. Anyone who takes training courses through the APA or Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM) can earn free training workshops from Ceridian. There is a lot more information about Ceridian University as well as other self-service opportunities in the My Support area on www.MyCeridian.com."

Q: Ceridian always tries to do it right the first time. What if we don't reach that expectation for a customer?

A: "If we make a mistake, we will make it right. Hence the name 'Make It Right,' which is Ceridian's vehicle designed to help customers seek resolution for their requests. Customers can log on to MyCeridian at www.myceridian.com/makeitright to find the 'Make It Right' request form. Once they notify us by completing the form, our customer resolution team will begin taking action to get the process moving to resolve the issue immediately. Senior management also reviews the requests to ensure that customer service is being conducted at the highest level possible."

"Ceridian strives to make a difference by adding the personal touch to our customer interaction and, whenever possible, go above and beyond the customer's expectations. If we ever fall short of those expectations, Ceridian always welcomes any feedback they may have through the 'Make It Right form.'"