CUSTOMER SERVICE STANDARDS:
The Tyres That Makes the Journey Possible
By J. N. Halm
The Tyres That Makes the Journey Possible
By J. N. Halm
INTRODUCTION
It is always refreshing to enter into a corporate setting where vision and mission statements are clearly displayed for all to see. It gives an indication of how serious the firm takes its business. Some companies have theirs beautifully designed and placed in the branch above the heads of the tellers, like military banners of an army readying itself for a battle. A bank I do business with have gone ahead to even add what they say are the values they hold dear. I am almost always enthralled by these displays.
However it seems to me, that most firms fail to hang another very important banner to their displays of the vision and mission statements-a list of customer service standards. These are measures of performance against which the services rendered to customers are assessed. I am all for the display of these standards for several reasons. I am of the opinion that the corporate vision and mission tells the company where it is going to and how it will get there. It is very good to have these statements displayed for all staff to see. However, they benefit staff more than customers. The service standards, on the other hand will benefit customers. They will tell customers what to expect from the company the minute they walk in. Customers know what measures to use in assessing whether the company is performing as promised. A display of service standards also puts staff under an obligation to perform as per the standards set.
Excellent businesses believe strongly in the importance of excellent customer service. That is why they publish the set of standards that communicates to the general public, particularly their cherished customers, the kind of treatment they should expect when they enter into business relatiosnhip with the firm. Some companies have their service standards published on their websites for all to see. Others have them placed inside the receptions areas for customers and even visitors to know what specific things it will do, under specific circumstances.
Rudimentary business studies teaches us that the vision is the destination the business intends to get to whilst the mission is the vehicle that would make that journey possible. Others have added that cash flow is the fuel that keeps the engine of the vehicle running. I have always been fascinated by the attempts at analogising a business to a vehicle on a journey, because come to think of it, it is perfectly true. A business is truly a vehicle on a journey. This analogy also serves the purposes of this write-up very well. If the vision is the destination; mission, the vehicle and cash flow the fuel, then I dare add that customer service standards will be the tyres.
I wish to state that customer service standards are nothing new and in fact most businesses, I have consulted for, have their own set standards. However, what I have realised is that many local businesses have no set standards. At best, they have an idea of how best to serve their customers but these ideas are not concretised into specific standards for specific areas of their business operations.
I recently had the privilege of training some customer service officers of one of the nation’s fine banks. I understood from our interactions that though the bank has standards, which are emphasised at regular training programmes, these standards are not published and given to them as a constant reminder of what they are to do under any given situation. A company like that needs to clearly spell out the standards it espouses and publish it out for these front line staff and also for customers. For companies that have clearly stated standards, all I advise is that these standards are published and displayed for all to see.
However, another company I did some training for late last year, had a different problem-they had no standards at all, and as a matter of fact, did not have a clue as to what I was babbling about. It took me some considerable time to detail out what customer service standards were all about. I know they are many such businesses in the country that believe they are serving customers but have no standards to measure themselves against. It is for such companies that I go into the next part of this piece.
It is always refreshing to enter into a corporate setting where vision and mission statements are clearly displayed for all to see. It gives an indication of how serious the firm takes its business. Some companies have theirs beautifully designed and placed in the branch above the heads of the tellers, like military banners of an army readying itself for a battle. A bank I do business with have gone ahead to even add what they say are the values they hold dear. I am almost always enthralled by these displays.
However it seems to me, that most firms fail to hang another very important banner to their displays of the vision and mission statements-a list of customer service standards. These are measures of performance against which the services rendered to customers are assessed. I am all for the display of these standards for several reasons. I am of the opinion that the corporate vision and mission tells the company where it is going to and how it will get there. It is very good to have these statements displayed for all staff to see. However, they benefit staff more than customers. The service standards, on the other hand will benefit customers. They will tell customers what to expect from the company the minute they walk in. Customers know what measures to use in assessing whether the company is performing as promised. A display of service standards also puts staff under an obligation to perform as per the standards set.
Excellent businesses believe strongly in the importance of excellent customer service. That is why they publish the set of standards that communicates to the general public, particularly their cherished customers, the kind of treatment they should expect when they enter into business relatiosnhip with the firm. Some companies have their service standards published on their websites for all to see. Others have them placed inside the receptions areas for customers and even visitors to know what specific things it will do, under specific circumstances.
Rudimentary business studies teaches us that the vision is the destination the business intends to get to whilst the mission is the vehicle that would make that journey possible. Others have added that cash flow is the fuel that keeps the engine of the vehicle running. I have always been fascinated by the attempts at analogising a business to a vehicle on a journey, because come to think of it, it is perfectly true. A business is truly a vehicle on a journey. This analogy also serves the purposes of this write-up very well. If the vision is the destination; mission, the vehicle and cash flow the fuel, then I dare add that customer service standards will be the tyres.
I wish to state that customer service standards are nothing new and in fact most businesses, I have consulted for, have their own set standards. However, what I have realised is that many local businesses have no set standards. At best, they have an idea of how best to serve their customers but these ideas are not concretised into specific standards for specific areas of their business operations.
I recently had the privilege of training some customer service officers of one of the nation’s fine banks. I understood from our interactions that though the bank has standards, which are emphasised at regular training programmes, these standards are not published and given to them as a constant reminder of what they are to do under any given situation. A company like that needs to clearly spell out the standards it espouses and publish it out for these front line staff and also for customers. For companies that have clearly stated standards, all I advise is that these standards are published and displayed for all to see.
However, another company I did some training for late last year, had a different problem-they had no standards at all, and as a matter of fact, did not have a clue as to what I was babbling about. It took me some considerable time to detail out what customer service standards were all about. I know they are many such businesses in the country that believe they are serving customers but have no standards to measure themselves against. It is for such companies that I go into the next part of this piece.
ATTRIBUTES OF GOOD CUSTOMER SERVICE STANDARDS
Customer Service standards, or "Standards of Service" are the measures that a business holds itself against in rendering service to its customers. They describe not only the services a business intends to provide, but also the quality of such services and the benefits customers should expect to receive. Many businesses do not have set and published standards because they do not have an adequate grasp of the concept. Those who do, have a fuzzy idea of what to place in the standards.
For a set of standards to stand the test of quality, it must possess certain qualities. Interestingly, the qualities of great Customer Service Standards can be acronomically termed as SMART, just like the much-touted qualities of good goals.
SPECIFIC
Customer Service Standards must be stated out explicitly or in detail, without any ambiguity. It is not enough to say that your service standard for incoming calls is that all phone calls should be received promptly; ‘promptly’ can be relative. The standard must be as specifically stated as this: “all calls must be answered not later than the second ring,” or as one organization puts it “80% of telephone calls must be answered within 20 seconds.” A clearly stated standard like this lives no ambiguity in the mind of anyone who reads it.
Another organization has the following standards: We will respond to your correspondence within 10 working days from receipt. If more time is required to send a full reply, we will send you an acknowledgement within 5 working days of receipt of your letter. You will get a full reply within 20 working days.
This is how specific they are about what they are capable of doing for their customers. Having standards that are not specifically stated leaves room for subjective judgments and interpretations by staff. Various interpretations of a single standard will abound leading to an image of inconsistency for the organisation.
MEASURABLE
As implied earlier, standards are measures that are set by organisations against which their service to customers are assessed. Customer Service Standards are useless if they cannot be measured. The essence of the measurability of standards is to ensure that the system is adequately evaluated on a regular basis, and if need be, for changes to be made. Excellent companies make it a policy to continuously review these standards regularly in order to try to improve them. These companies know that service standards are only as good as they are implemented and monitored, therefore they ensure that regularly reports are published on how they are measuring up to their own standards.
Fortunately for customer-oriented companies, there are a number of technologically advanced means by which they can easily measure the effectiveness of the standards set. I was privileged to have experienced the wonders of a software written, designed and being implemented for the Ghanaian market by a group of young Ghanaians. It was a pretty interesting experience. M.M. Technologies is a relatively young IT firm that has some amazing products. Their Integrated Customer Experience Management Systems will provide companies, which are serious about treating their customers better than all their competitors, an opportunity to do so. The software has the ability to provide businesses with a comprehensive management of their customer experiences. It is encouraging to know a couple of big companies have bought this software and are using it to provide their customers with the very best of services.
ALIGNED
Customer Service Standards must be consistent (or properly aligned) with the mission statement of the business just as a vehicle’s tyres must be properly aligned with its body for a comfortable driving experience. I have seen some tro-tro buses that have the tyres going in one direction whilst the body decides to move in a different direction. This is how some companies function. Businesses should not set up standards that are not consistent with the values they believe in. A situation like that creates an air of pretension that can easily be detected by both internal and external customers.
For instance, companies that believe in promptly serving their customers must indicate their belief in their service standards. This belief in promptness should be evident in almost all the company’s marketing communications. Therefore, if a company like sets up a standard that: “Answer emails of general enquiry within 1 day of receipt or explain why not, it would be perfectly in line with their ideals. Service standards are not supposed to be detached from the ideals of the company.
REALISTIC
Good service standards are set within the realms of possibility for the business and its staff. Unrealistic standards will not be met and so it would have been better if the standards had not been set at all. Many considerations go into setting up customer standards; among them is the resource base of the business. The technological and human resource strength of the business is a vital factor in setting up realistic customer service standards. For instance, it will be totally unrealistic to set a standard that all incoming phone calls should be received before the phone rings twice. It will take an employee whose job is to sit by the phone all day and do nothing else apart from picking calls to make such a standard become effective.
A standard for a firm I know is stated as such:
See that visitors are met from reception and taken to their meeting within 10 minutes of the time of their appointment.
The above standard can only be effective if the firm has the financial resources to hire a front desk person/receptionist whose main duty will be to receive visitors. If such a person has to combine this duty with receiving calls, typing of letters and other correspondences, making coffee for the boss and even running errands outside the office, such a standard will not work.
TACTICAL
Service standards must be part of the organisation’s tactics. A firm’s tactics always fit into the overall strategy for survival. Tactical planning involves the breakdown of the overall corporate strategy into short-term plans and actions that can be more easily implemented and evaluated. Some business owners, after hearing of the importance of having set standards to measure customer service by, will immediately institute some measures. This ad hoc way of doing things does not work effectively when it comes to setting customer service standards. Service standards must be part of an overall strategy. Just as a tactical plan gives an indication of how the strategy will be implemented, so do service standards indicate how customer satisfaction will be achieved.
For businesses that believe in the merits of setting SMART Customer Service Standards as espoused in this piece, I believe, the difference between they and their competitors would be evident. In this day and age, when good competitors are becoming better by the day and loyal customers are becoming more fickle by the day, it will pay to have some fantastic standards by which you serve your customers. Excellent companies, like excellent auto mechanics, know that without good tyres, a vehicle is doomed to a disastrous journey. Customer service is what carries a business, not the vision and mission statements. Implementing customer service standards is not always a cheap undertaking; it can be quite costly, just like new tyres. However, they reward tremendously in the long run.
Businesses that will disregard the needs to serve their customers well will find out pretty soon that they have no one to serve. Businesses like that can be likened to vehicles that have worn-out tyres. They would start the journey and maybe even go for some distances without incident, but eventually their deeds will catch up with them. The sides on the road to business success are littered with businesses with punctured and deflated tyres. Think about that.
About the Author
J. N. Halm is one of Ghana's leading sales and customer care coaches, exciting audiences around the country with effective and powerful training seminars and inspiring professionals to boost their results and start climbing to the top of the corporate ladder!
Mr. Halm is available for in-house training programmes, talks and corporate seminar for both small and large businesses. For booking, contact the Events and Programmes Director on 233-24-3157948/233-27-4930493 or on exsellersghana@yahoo.com
You can read the exciting e-books and other articles and post your comments on his blog at www.exsellers.blogspot.com
J. N. Halm is one of Ghana's leading sales and customer care coaches, exciting audiences around the country with effective and powerful training seminars and inspiring professionals to boost their results and start climbing to the top of the corporate ladder!
Mr. Halm is available for in-house training programmes, talks and corporate seminar for both small and large businesses. For booking, contact the Events and Programmes Director on 233-24-3157948/233-27-4930493 or on exsellersghana@yahoo.com
You can read the exciting e-books and other articles and post your comments on his blog at www.exsellers.blogspot.com
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