CASE STUDY 4-3 Choosing a Performance Measurement Approach at Paychex, Inc. The following job description is for an account executive at companies, then that account executive is expected to attend Paychex, Inc. (www.paychex.com). Paychex, Inc., is a leading retail trade shows and professional meetings to identify national provider of payroll , human resources, and benefits potential clients and to stay current with the issues facing the outsourcing solutions for small-to medium-sized businesses. retail industry. Paychex is headquartered in Rochester, New York, but the company has more than 100 offices and serves hundreds of ACCOUNT EXECUTIVE JOB RESPONSIBILITIES thousands of clients nationwide. Because account executives often make sales calls individually, their managers do not Performing client needs analysis to ensure that the always directly observe their performance. Furthermore, man major market services product can meet a client's agers are also responsible for sales in their markets and for requirements and expectations. staying up-to-date on payroll laws. However, account execu Establishing clients on the host processing system. tives are responsible for training new account executives Acting as primary contact for the client during the and networking in the industries in which they sell products. conversion process For example, if an account manager is responsible for retail Supporting clients during the first few payrolls. Chapter 4 . Defining Performance and Choosing a Measurement Approach 103 Completing the required documentation to turn 1. Based on the above description, assess whether the client over to customer service for ongoing Paychex should use a behavior approach, a support results approach, or a combination of both to Scheduling and making client calls and, when measure performance necessary, supporting sales representatives in 2. Using the accompanying table as a guide, place presales efforts check marks next to the descriptions that apply Keeping abreast of the major market services to the job of account executive. Explain why system and software changes, major changes you chose the approach you did. and trends in the PC industry, and changes in wage and tax law Behavior approach to measuring performance is most appropriate when the link between behaviors and results is not obvious outcomes occur in the distant future poor results are due to causes beyond the performer's control Results approach to measuring performance is most appropriate when workers are skilled in the necessary behaviors behaviors and results are obviously related results show consistent improvement over time there are many ways to do the job right