Choosing a Performance Measurement Approach at Paychex, Inc.
The following job description is for an account executive at Paychex, Inc. (www.paychex.com). Paychex, Inc., is a leading national provider of payroll, human resources, and benefits outsourcing solutions for small- to medium-sized businesses. Paychex is headquartered in Rochester, New York, but the company has more than 100 offices and serves hundreds of thousands of clients nationwide. Because account executives often make sales calls individually, their managers do not always directly observe their performance. Furthermore, man- agers are also responsible for sales in their markets and for staying up-to-date on payroll laws. However, account execu- tives are responsible for training new account executives and networking in the industries in which they sell products. For example, if an account manager is responsible for retail
companies, then that account executive is expected to attend retail trade shows and professional meetings to identify potential clients and to stay current with the issues facing the retail industry.
ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE JOB RESPONSIBILITIES
- Performing client needs analysis to ensure that the major market services product can meet a client's requirements and expectations.
- Establishing clients on the host processing system.
- Acting as primary contact for the client during the conversion process. Supporting clients during the first few payrolls.
- Completing the required documentation to turn the client over to customer service for ongoing support.
- Scheduling and making client calls and, when necessary, supporting sales representatives in presales efforts.
- Keeping abreast of the major market services system and software changes, major changes and trends in the PC industry, and changes in wage and tax law.
- Based on the above description, assess whether Paychex should use a behavior approach, a results approach, or a combination of both to measure performance.
- Using the accompanying table as a guide, place check marks next to the descriptions that apply to the job of account executive. Explain why you chose the approach you did.