In the modern world the desire to win is something more than just anticipation for a victory. The point is to stream all assets and solutions for the good of a client. The client is the final judge recognizing the success or defeat. Assigning a client the first priority and providing him with a first‐class service is the key to achieving the leading position on the market.
When a business entity thinks about establishing a client‐oriented service, it cannot manage without a comprehensive Service Quality Management System. In order to implement the idea of “quality service as competitive advantage”, to raise the degree of client satisfaction and build up loyalty to a brand, it is necessary to realize well thought‐out package of actions. Exceeding client’s expectations is the challenge of today!
How to establish the service quality management system?
It is necessary to make the following steps:
- Determine criteria of qualitative service from the perspective of your clients.
- Formulate the standards of service that allow meeting the needs of clients at the appropriate level.
- Formalize these standards in the relevant documents and notify the staff.
- Train the employees, working with clients, to consciously follow the standards.
- Develop system for controlling how standards are followed. What is not controlled, most commonly is not done.
- Outcomes of control/performance evaluation are used afterwards for staff motivation, and for its dedicated training and career development.
The quality of service is a subjective concept. For all employees to understand the same way what is required from them the company introduces and uses unified Customer service standards. Standards are the way to transfer management and client expectations about the work to the employees. Moreover, the standards serve as a personnel monitoring tool.
Customer service standards include:
- General requirements common for all employees, agreed with service policies/standards of the company.
- Description of main procedures.
- Description of standards for performing various operations (greeting a client, finding out the needs, presentation standards, etc.).
- Standards guarantee brand recognition and substance and ensure loyalty of clients. Client-oriented companies standardize external service, then regulate the internal company activities then regulate the internal company activities.
In describing the standards we rely on the following rules:
- Standards must be measurable, and it must be possible to monitor how these standards are followed. If standards are not measurable and cannot be monitored, you will not be able to get clear on whether these are followed.
- Standards must be realistic and achievable. There is nothing good in standards one cannot follow under conditions of existing resource restrictions. Such standards merely reduce motivation and labour morals. However, if currently achievable standard does not satisfy the clients, raising the level of standard must be done step by step.
- Standards must be meaningful and important indicators of quality of your service from clients’ perspective.
- Standards must be formulated clearly and unambiguously. There should not be confusion regarding the fact whether the standards are achieved or not.
- Standards must correspond to company goals and values. Company must show that it really has got a strategy for achieving the stated objectives.
Existence of welldefined standards of company’s operation allows to:
- At all times, in any situation offer the clients equally good quality of service (ensure consistent service).
- Most rapidly and in a quality manner train the staff.
- Efficiently control employee performance.
- Measure the degree of client satisfaction with the service outputs.
- As fast as possible implement the solutions related to quality improvements.
Satisfied clients get only what they expected to get. Nowadays this is not enough. You should go much further and give them something they never had in view. Today everyone sells high‐quality goods and services at the same price, therefore, it is necessary to find the other way to stand out of this crowd of vendors –add value for a client. This goes down to the level of interpersonal relations – to the attitude a person providing you services shows to you.
Outcome
Stable competitive advantage due to implemented changes at the level of management and staff behavior that facilitate raise in loyalty to a brand and growth of clients satisfaction.
Translation into English and editing – Nellya Dyshlovaya
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