J.D. Power and Associates Reports: Salt River Project Recognized for Call Center Customer Satisfaction Excellence For a Third Consecutive Year

WESTLAKE VILLAGE, Calif., April 3, 2008 /PRNewswire/ -- Salt River Project has been recognized for call center operation customer satisfaction excellence for a third consecutive year under the J.D. Power and Associates Certified Call Center Program(SM). This distinction acknowledges a strong commitment from the Salt River Project call center operations to provide "An Outstanding Customer Service Experience."

(Logo: http://www.newscom.com/cgi-bin/prnh/20050527/LAF028LOGO-a)

"Based on the feedback we've received from their customers, it is obvious that Salt River Project's call center representatives are skilled at resolving problems and requests, which is essential to achieving high levels of customer satisfaction," said Gail Gross, senior director of certification programs at J.D. Power and Associates. "In particular, the call center representatives are viewed as highly courteous, concerned and knowledgeable, which demonstrates Salt River Project's commitment to preparing representatives to efficiently handle customer inquiries."

To become certified, the call center operation, located in Tempe, Ariz., successfully passed a detailed audit of its recruiting, training, employee incentives, management roles and responsibilities, and quality assurance capabilities. As part of its evaluation, J.D. Power and Associates conducted a random survey of Salt River Project customers who recently contacted its call center, which annually handles more than 3.3 million telephone, e-mail and fax inquiries from residential and commercial customers.

For certification status, a call center must also perform within the top 20 percent of customer service scores, which are based on benchmarks established in J.D. Power and Associates' cross-industry customer satisfaction research. The criteria used include evaluation of: courtesy; knowledge; concern for the customer; usefulness of the information provided; convenience of operating hours; ease of reaching a representative; and timely resolution.

"We are privileged to have received recognition from J.D. Power and Associates for the third year in a row, which places Salt River Project among a small number of companies nationwide that are recognized for quality operation of their call centers," said Michael Lowe, customer services executive at Salt River Project. "This is an amazing accomplishment that is only achieved through the collective efforts of hundreds of dedicated employees working seamlessly to ensure quality interactions with our customers."

The Call Center Certification Program was launched by J.D. Power and Associates in 2004 to evaluate overall customer satisfaction with call centers and to help call centers in various industries increase their efficiency and effectiveness by establishing best practices for handling service calls.

There are more than 75,000 call centers in North America and an estimated 125,000 worldwide that help customers with product and service questions across a multitude of industries, ranging from credit cards, financial services, investment services, utilities, service warranty and insurance to telecommunications, healthcare and office products.

About J.D. Power and Associates

Headquartered in Westlake Village, Calif., J.D. Power and Associates is a global marketing information services firm operating in key business sectors including market research, forecasting, performance improvement, training and customer satisfaction. The firm's quality and satisfaction measurements are based on responses from millions of consumers annually. For more information on car reviews and ratings, car insurance, health insurance, cell phone ratings, and more, please visit JDPower.com. J.D. Power and Associates is a business unit of The McGraw-Hill Companies.

About The McGraw-Hill Companies

Founded in 1888, The McGraw-Hill Companies is a leading global information services provider meeting worldwide needs in the financial services, education and business information markets through leading brands such as Standard & Poor's, McGraw-Hill Education, BusinessWeek and J.D. Power and Associates. The Corporation has more than 280 offices in 40 countries. Sales in 2007 were $6.8 billion. Additional information is available at http://www.mcgraw-hill.com/.

Media Relations Contacts: John Tews Scott Harelson J.D. Power and Associates Salt River Project Troy, Mich. Phoenix, Ariz. (248) 312-4119 (602) 236-3536 john.tews@jdpa.com scott.harelson@srpnet.com

No advertising or other promotional use can be made of the information in this release without the express prior written consent of J.D. Power and Associates. http://www.jdpower.com/corporate