The fact that successful organizations also have the most satisfied customers makes intuitive sense; and finding examples of such organizations is a simple matter. Names like Apple, Harley Davidson, Singapore Airlines and Emirates Airlines pop up immediately into mind. But which came first, the successful organization or the happy customer?
Unlike in the proverbial chicken and egg story, there is strong evidence that in the case of organizations and customers, one definitely has to come before the other. Peter Drucker, the father of modern management, said it best: “The result of any business is a satisfied (external) customer”. Drucker and other influential business thinkers clearly showed us where to direct our efforts.
It is by building a customer-centric culture first that an organization will develop the products, processes and services customers want, which will in turn result in a successful world-class organization. By taking inspiration from the most innovative companies and customer service gurus of modern times, this course will show you how to create this coveted ‘award winning’ service culture.
Course Methodology
Following short lectures by the consultant, participants will be asked to join in group discussions, analyze relevant cases, present results and develop plans focusing on the creation of a healthy customer service culture. Video clips, individual and team exercises are also used.
Course Objectives
By the end of the course, participants will be able to:
Explain why a superior customer service strategy has become of such critical importance in any organization
Defend the idea that without an all-encompassing service culture an organization will eventually struggle to remain relevant
Design a comprehensive set of plans, initiatives and systems touching all the vital departments of the organization to promote a superior service culture
Analyze the forces that will unquestionably resist the new culture and create strategies to overcome them
Evaluate the success of the service culture transformation strategy by identifying the Key Result Areas (KRAs) relevant to this transformation and how to measure them with the right Key Performance Indicators (KPIs)
Target Audience
This course is designed to help people of authority such as managers, supervisors and all decision-makers, at all levels of the organization, create a customer focused atmosphere in line with the scope of their responsibilities.
Whether you are concerned with the external or the internal customer, this course is for you. Whether you work for, own or manage a private for profit organization, a non-profit government services institution or anything in between, this course is for you.
Target Competencies
Customer Orientation
Establishing Focus
Fostering Teamwork
Managing Change
Improving Performance
Analytical Thinking
Course Outline
The case for service excellence
Famous quotes about ‘service’
Definition of ‘service’
Numbers to remember: the wake-up call
Famous examples
Service culture comes first
The cost of service: striking the right balance
Understanding corporate culture
Definition of corporate culture
Impact on the organization
Design versus nature
Areas to tackle and actions to take
Leading from the top
Mission and vision
Being a role model
Training and coaching
Recruitment of employees
The importance of recruitment
Who and how to recruit
A word about ‘competencies’
Service competencies
Internal customers
Types of internal customers
The silo mentality
Processes and procedures
The voice of the customer
Focus groups
Questionnaires and surveys
Complaints system
Service improvement tools
Kano model
RATER model
The ServQual model
Reward system
Ron Kaufman’s “Superior Service in Action”
Creating a superior service language
Pinpointing the real problems
'Serving up' true value
Delivering value the right way
Inspiring ‘action’, not ‘blame’
Managing massive culture change
Culture change challenges
Conditions for successful change
Change management approaches
Kotler’s 8 steps
Force field analysis
Measuring success of service culture implementation