The following article is intended to assist employees who do not interact with the public as part of their day-to-day responsibilities, such as Customer Service Representatives. These employees should continue to follow the processes already in place.
The Northwest Territories Power Corporation (NTPC) is committed to open and transparent communication with customers and other external stakeholders such as the Government of the Northwest Territories (Cabinet, Members of the Legislative Assembly, public servants), community leaders, non-governmental organizations, the general public and the media. While some restrictions need to be in place to protect corporate reputation and ensure consistent messaging with key audiences, we want to:
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Empower employees to actively engage with customers/external stakeholders, when appropriate
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Ensure that employee engagement with customers and other external stakeholders does not result in the escalation of issues or concerns
General Guidelines
The following guidelines are intended to assist employees in determining when it is appropriate to engage with customers and other external stakeholders and when they should remain silent and/or refer the individual to someone else in the organization.
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If asked a basic question for which you know the answer, feel free to respond. These would normally be yes or no type questions or questions with a number in the answer (“How many employees does NTPC have.”)
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If asked a question for which you don’t have an answer, never guess. Your guess will become the truth to the person you were speaking with even if your answer is wrong. If you don’t know the answer, record the question, get contact information for the person raising the question and commit to getting an answer back to that individual. Pass the question on to your manager or the Manager, Communications for follow-up.
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Remain calm regardless of the tone or actions of the person with whom you are speaking. If they are agitated, the best course of action may be to get their contact information and have someone else get in touch with them at a later date. As difficult as it may be, avoid becoming either defensive or aggressive in these situations. Employees should maintain their professionalism throughout all interactions.
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If any interaction with a stakeholder is likely to result in further action, notify your supervisor. Supervisors should forward this information to their manager or director if they believe the issue may escalate.
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When on the job, employees should not publicly share their opinion about NTPC plans, policies or practices (“What do you think about limits being put on the amount of renewables in our community?”). If asked this type of question, the best response is to indicate that the issue is complex and offer to have someone contact them with more information. If accepted, contact your supervisor or te Manager, Communications.
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Employees may provide information about their activities if approached by a member of the public (“I am checking powers lines to ensure they are free from branches”)
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Employees may not communicate with the media on matters pertaining to NTPC unless authorized to do so by the President and CEO
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If contacted by the media, employees should refer the individual to the Manager, Communications
We want to establish strong relationships with our customers and others and you have an important role to play. Employees who are out in the field and in our communities become the face and voice of NTPC. By using the previous guidelines in your interactions, you can help to build support and trust for the Corporation.