Brilliant Service

1. Brilliant Service CPD Project

2. Today • Introduction • What does Brilliant Service look like? • What are the effects of delivering Brilliant Service? • What are the effects of not delivering Brilliant Service? • What lies behind the delivery of Brilliant Service? • What hinders the delivery of Brilliant Service?

3. Introduction • ‘Businesses that want to compete, survive and prosper must return to the priority of excellent customer service’ • ‘With business becoming ever more competitive, often the deciding factor between success and failure is the quality of the customer service provided. Satisfied customers are more likely to be loyal customers, returning more often, and spending more during each visit’

4. What does Brilliant Service look like? • Treating clients with professionalism - polite/respectful - willing to help - honest - plain language – no jargon - calm - showing an interest in them ‘as people’/caring about their experience - making them feel valued - expressing genuine gratitude - not passing them from pillar to post • Listening and accurately clarifying clients’ needs • Consistently providing what clients want (most relevant solutions – innovative where appropriate) • Keeping clients communicated with/informed (actions, timelines, etc) • Seamlessly delivering what has been promised, or more than is expected, on time – first time (efficient and effective) • [If not] Dealing with complaints quickly and without hassle for the client • Being responsive to the changing needs of the client • Engaging stakeholders (inc clients)/ Using stakeholder interaction to continuously improve service delivery/establish priorities • Making it easy for clients to make contact/access services – details on correspondence, etc

5. What are the effects of delivering Brilliant Service? Individual Financial Save costs by effectively dealing with (and avoiding repeating) problems Getting word of mouth business from clients’ contacts Higher levels of employee morale and higher productivity from employees (internal BS) Higher volumes of sales – increases overall profitability Repeat customers cost less! • ‘Customer Lifetime Value’ – returning/Loyal clients (trust and rapport) • Clients willing to pay more for the product, knowing the service is good • Getting a reputation as reliable and honest – clients are more forgiving if you ‘level with them’ NB Individual and Financial are heavily linked!

6. What are the effects of not delivering Brilliant Service? Individual Financial Reduced revenue Wasted money through repeated errors Poor employee engagement and productivity (internal BS) Spending more on new customers • Unhappy clients • Customers not returning/Lost loyalty • Clients resentful towards company – even if standard of product is high • Poor reputation – that grows by word of mouth NB Individual and Financial are heavily linked!

7. What lies behind the delivery of Brilliant Service? • Motivation: Reward and recognition - rewards that correlate to company expectations and are wanted by recipients (eg linked to KPIs) - public recognition from superiors - recognition from peers - external recognition (eg CSE standard) - competition related to reward and recognition (inc KPIs, service delivery) • Motivation: Empowered employees - power to change culture/service delivery in own area for clients’ good - opportunity to manage own continuous development (and resources for/access to effective training) - being trusted to make decisions (responsibility) • Monitoring service delivery standards (including with partners) • Employees/Partners that are proud of their work/organisation • A supportive/motivating/uplifting organisational culture – commitment (inc from above), feeling of ‘team’, continuous improvement, etc • Employers that listen and commit to addressing issues • Clear service standards/expectations • Ongoing employee assessment/Regular feedback • A balance of customer satisfaction and employee satisfaction • A clear vision to all work towards • Always looking for ways to improve (inc monitoring outcomes) • Knowledge of clients (inc potential clients)

8. What hinders the delivery of Brilliant Service? • Lack of motivation • Conflicting priorities • Poor leadership (clarity of outcomes, feedback, reward/recognition, etc) • Lack of shared vision/values • Inefficient systems/processes • Poor working conditions • Outdated equipment • Entrenched ideas, theories and values by management

9. Sources • Customer Service Excellence Standard, and case studies: - Merseytravel - Birmingham City Council, Customer Service Organisation and Housing and Constituencies Directorate - Liverpool Housing Trust - St Helen’s Hospital, Rheumatology Unit - Glasgow Housing Association NB CSE Standard based on information from the 2002 Mori survey for the Cabinet Office – ‘Public Sector Reform: Measuring and Understanding Customer Satisfaction’ • E-How.com - Define Excellent Customer Service - What is the Meaning of Excellent Customer Service? - What Makes Excellent Customer Service? - The Difference Between Customer Service and Customer Satisfaction - How Does Poor Customer Service Affect a Business? - How Does the Motivational Level of Employees Affect Customer Service and Satisfaction? - Customer Service Motivation Tips - The Effects of Motivation on Customer Service - How to Support Customer Service Improvements - Top tips for excellent customer service

10. Brilliant Service CPD Project