Club's ERS ready to provide excellent service

As we move into summer and more of us take to the road, we’re certain to experience an increase in calls for our Emergency Road Service (ERS). In light of that, I would like to provide you with an update on our ERS performance. So far during 2006, we are averaging about 9,300 dispatched calls per month. Our service quality totally satisfaction rate pertaining to calls we’ve made during the 12-month period from March ‘05 to February ’06 has been 4 percent above the national ratings for all AAA Clubs.

We are very pleased with our high satisfaction scores, and plan to keep our road service moving in the right direction. Our dedicated ERS staff and management team led by Tom McGowan, Director Automotive Services, and David Kahler, Manager Automotive Services, deserves much credit for our successful efforts. Their dedication, plus the positive, outstanding manner in which they approach their jobs, has played a large role in raising our road service response to new, higher levels. McGowan and Kahler have adopted the improvement of member satisfaction as the No. 1 goal for their department. Another contributing factor to the improvement in our emergency road response is the investment your staff, management and Board have made to increase the number of club-owned vehicles in our fleet. AAA Central Penn now owns and operates three battery service trucks, one locksmith truck, three wreckers and one car-carrier truck. These vehicles give us additional resources in addition to the excellent service independent operators provide. Our wreckers and car carriers offer a full range of towing and recovery services and a number of them have club cabs affording additional seating capacity for transporting members and their passengers. The battery service vehicles take care of mobile testing and replacement of batteries and one of the trucks provides a full locksmith service for most vehicles (excluding those with high security systems or those utilizing microchips in the ignition keys). The addition of this equipment gives our people an increased capability and helps improve the quality of service we offer to members.

All of our drivers are given additional training routinely and are subject to driving record checks in addition to criminal background checks and random drug testing.

We are very fortunate at AAA Central Penn to have staff in all areas of the club who are dedicated to providing the very best service to our members. We recently completed an employee survey. In that survey, 90 percent of the questions elicited a more positive response than they did in a comparable survey conducted in 2004. The survey indicates the staff of AAA Central Penn enjoys their work, are committed to the organization and the goal of servicing our members. The overwhelming response to the survey, (we had a 77 percent response rate) and the detailed written comments indicate the sense of loyalty and dedication the staff has for the organization. Staff is pleased with their managers; they understand expectations and job responsibilities and enjoy coming to work and serving you, the member.

I can assure you we will continue to work hard to provide members with first-class products and services. Our staff backs up that promise, because 99 percent of them are members of AAA Central Penn. They know personally what members expect and deserve and that gives us a tremendous advantage over other organizations in providing exceptional service to our members.

As you go about your daily travels as well as travels to celebrate the summer season, please remember to buckle up and drive to stay alive.

R. Mac Reeves, Chairperson
AAA Central Penn