News from

 

 

 

Michael D. Chason

Director of Public Relations

ABAC 30, 2802 Moore Hwy
Tifton, GA 31793-2601
Phone 229-391-5055
Fax 229-391-5051
mchason@abac.edu

 

 

 

For IMMEDIATE Release                                                                                                                                         September 28, 2009

 

Employees Give ABAC Top Rating

 

TIFTONA new State of Georgia Employee Satisfaction Research Report shows that employees of Abraham Baldwin Agricultural College gave the institution top marks in regards to quality of the workplace and employee satisfaction.

In a comparison with five other state agencies, ABAC earned the highest score with 76 per cent of the employees rating the quality of the workplace as either a four or a five on a five-point scale.  Nearly 88 per cent of ABAC employees also rated the importance of customer service as a four or a five on a five-point scale.

The results of the survey and ABAC’s attention to customer service were reflected in the fact that ABAC President David Bridges was recently awarded the Gold Outstanding Customer Service Annual Leadership Award by Chancellor Erroll B. Davis of the University System of Georgia (USG).

ABAC Customer Service Champion Diane Kilgore and Rapid Process Improvement leader Chrystle Ross nominated Bridges for the award which recognizes a USG leader who has made a significant, positive impact on customer service for the citizens of the state of Georgia over the past year.

“We’re very pleased with the results of this survey,” Kilgore, Director of the ABAC Public Service and Business Outreach Center, said.  “ABAC has made a concerted effort to be ‘Georgia’s State College of Choice.’  This survey is a measuring stick toward accomplishing that goal when it comes to customer service.”

As far as employee satisfaction, the survey was statistically related to four dimensions of perceptions of workplace quality: pride, respect, camaraderie, and credibility.  Survey participants rated ABAC very high in all four categories.

Kilgore said Georgia Governor Sonny Perdue is committed to customer service and wants all state employees to be focused on “Faster, Friendlier, and Easier” service.  

Kilgore and Dr. Eddie Seagle both received Governor’s Commendations for quality customer service this year.  In fact, Seagle, a professor in the School of Agriculture and Natural Resources, is in the running for a statewide award.

ABAC was also selected by the USG Office of Customer Service and the USG Strategic Planning Office in partnership with the Governor’s Office of Customer Service as the only USG institution to participate in a LEAN Rapid Process Improvement (RPI) initiative to improve student financial aid services. 

As a result of the RPI initiative, ABAC has reduced the average financial aid application cycle time by 65 per cent—reducing the verification time from 20 minutes to seven minutes.

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