American Home Shield 2003 Annual Report Download - page 4

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In every line of service,we are introducing enhancements; we are piloting concepts; we are refining what we do
to become noticeably different and better in delivering the things that customers value most.
At TruGreen ChemLawn, we are changing our early spring treatment so that lawns get greener
faster – because our customers say they want visible results. At Terminix, we now offer effective protection
against termites with different methods and price points; because our customers say they appreciate choice –
while we continue to strengthen the best guarantee in the business. At American Home Shield, we now focus
more on eliminating the surprises in home repair because that’s our customers’primary concern. At ARS, we
are supplying “On Time Know How”by guaranteeing that we will show up within a two-hour window –
because our customers tell us they value “predictability”over any other attribute.
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We are making exciting changes for 2004. We will follow those up with even more changes in 2005 and 2006,
and each year thereafter. Raising the bar on expectations will be an ongoing part of how we do business and
transform the experiences of home and business owners.
A decisive factor in our drive for successful execution is that our technicians,teammates and associates,
by the tens of thousands, want our customer-driven approach to work.We listen to them,too; their satisfaction
rises when their customers are more satisfied. To make that happen, they need the right training and tools.
They need tested processes to enable them to be in the right place at the right time with the right solution. And
they need the right technologies to put customer knowledge and routing intelligence at their fingertips. We are
aggressively executing in all these areas.
This effort is driven by project teams across the Company relying on Six Sigma to help improve how
we service our customers. In 2003 every business unit exceeded its Six Sigma savings goal, and while these are
very impressive results, this year, our focus will be to maintain this momentum and leverage Six Sigma to focus
on the heart of the business – productivity, timeliness, pricing and problem resolution.
Our service people work hard. They are on the road. They go into our customers’properties – homes
and businesses – and they clean and fix,protect and enhance.They want and deserve to work in a safe environment.
We have increased our activity in this area, formed a new executive safety council, put new safety and loss
prevention managers in the field, and significantly increased training and tracking.
Message from the Chairman