reviewing your customer service system
Reviewing your organization's customer service
system is an excellent way to see how the various parts of the
system fit together and determine the degree to which it serves
your customers. A convenient and effective way to review and
analyze your customer service system is to use the Continuous
Improvement Process, which consists of six steps.
Step 1: Determine the customer's
expectations of service. Whenever customers buy a product or
service from you, they have certain expectations. You need a
clear idea of what these expectations are to determine if your
customer service system is succeeding.
 The best way to learn what customers want from
you is to ask them. Remember, only 5 percent of your customers
will take the time to complain to you if they are dissatisfied,
so you need to give the other 95 percent a chance to express
their feelings. There are many ways to solicit feedback from
customers, including telephone surveys, mail surveys, customer
focus/feedback groups, employee surveys, internet surveys and
customer comment cards.
Step 2: Identify the steps customers must
take to obtain your product or service. In this step, you'll
trace the customer service process from your customer's initial
contact with your organization through their receipt of your
product or service and final billing. Following the flow of this
process will help you understand the details of every action or
operation you are performing. Remember, every contact your
customer has with your organization is a customer encounter. Be
sure they create positive impressions of your organization
instead of negative ones.
Step 3: Go into detail. Make a detailed
list of all the actions members of your organization perform for
customer service.
Step 4: Evaluate each action or operation
to determine what is working effectively. The goal in this step
is to look for ineffective, unnecessary and inefficient actions
or operations. You can evaluate the actions in your customer
service system by asking these five questions:
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What is the customer service action?
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Is this action or operation necessary?
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How can I do it faster and cheaper?
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How can I improve my accuracy?
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How can I build trust and confidence in my
customer?
Step 5: Determine needed changes. Begin
brainstorming solutions to any problems you identified in Step
4. If you have not already involved those who have to implement
changes, you should do so now. People support what they help
create.
Step 6: Develop and implement an action
plan. If you're serious about improving your customer service
system, you'll need to develop an action plan.
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