Public Relations for a Modern Utility

Abstract

public relations ; it can only decide how good it wants its public relations to be. Really good public relations cannot be easily realized, because it is not an easy job. It takes determination, thought, and a lot of work on the part of a lot of people to achieve good public relations. Everyone in the public utility field can do much to determine at what point in the wide range between bad and good public relations his own operation will fall. The author remembers a remark made at a meeting of the California Section several years ago by Philip F. Walsh, vice-president of the Southern California Water Co., Los Angeles; it was, in effect, Good public relations can be achieved primarily by rendering good There is no doubt about the truth of this statement. Certainly, a good public relations program for any business, particularly a public utility, must be based upon rendering good service. The best public relations program would probably fail if the service of a utility were inadequate. Even with a high level of service, however, because of the many complicatio s and ramifications of running a modern, up-to-date business, there are many ways in which the effect of good service can be implemented in order to achieve the highest level of public relations. This is probably just another way of saying that good service in itself will not receive all of the recognition that it deserves. The author agrees with Philip F. Walsh when he said that good service is essential to good public relations, but wishes to add to this that ma agement can profit greatly by a full exploration of the entire problem of making good service really pay off.