00004-01-02 Customer Driven Organisation

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Fundamental Concepts

Customer Driven Organisation

Developed by:

Stephen P. D’Alessandro

M.A. (Mrktg), B.A. (Hons.) Bus. Mang, FIM, MCIM, TEP, MIOD

Clive Scerri

B.Com. (Hons.), MIM, MAWOP

This module has been level-rated at MQF Level 5 by the Malta Qualifications Council according to the

European Credit System for Vocational Education & Training - ECVET.

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Defining the Customer-Driven Organisation

• A customer-driven organisation is one which

continually focuses on its whole business from its

end result, i.e. from the customer's point of view

• Maintaining the momentum of a customer care

programme calls for a co-ordinated company

wide effort, based on DEDICATED:

• Determination

• Everyone must be determined to reach the

same goal of improved quality service

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• Determination (cont.)

• It is far too easy to start off enthusiastically

expecting all rules and regulations, systems

and procedures to change overnight to meet

the need for performance improvement

• Yet, the reality of the matter is that changing

systems is easy, the hard part is changing the

behaviour and expectations of the people in

the system

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• Determination (cont.)

• Do not go for quick fix solutions. These don’t

last very long and the results can be more

frustrating in the long run

• Aim for gradual improvements through

consensus

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• Evaluation

• The programme must be constantly evaluated

based on thorough and constant

measurement of changing customer

expectations

• It is not enough to hope that standards will

improve if everybody tries hard enough

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• Evaluation (cont.)

• To implement an effective customer care

programme systems of measurement are

essential

• How can we measure customer

satisfaction?

• How many customers can be seen to in a

shift?

• How long does it take for services to reach

customers at home?

• What are the standards of waiting time at

different times of the day or night?

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• Details

• Seeing to all the minute details

• Nothing is too insignificant to be overlooked

• The challenge of meeting and exceeding

customer expectations comes to bear in the

manner we use little details to show

customers that we care

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• Details (cont.)

• Make the effort to use their name once they

have presented their personal details

• Addressing the person as Mr. or Mrs., and

the surname shows that we respect them

as the customers and that we are aware of

their needs

• The difference between a mediocre service

and an excellent service is often found in the

details of the service

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• Involvement

• Everyone must be involved in the effort.

• There is need for the setting of common

objectives for all personnel involved in the

different departments in an organisation to

ensure that all give priority to the customers’

requirements

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• Involvement (cont.)

• If the experience at each department is to be

improved from the customer’s point of view

then the whole service package must be

continually reviewed and improvements made

to the package of services provided

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• Customers

• “The Customer is the King.”

• This calls for respect and courtesy by all staff

when dealing with customers

• No matter how fed up staff may be with a

particular situation, no matter how many

difficult customers get, staff cannot take it out

on the customer

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• Customers (cont.)

• They must show respect, especially when

customers do not act respectfully

• Dropping their standards to meet the lowest

levels of behaviour which they might come

across is certainly not going to help improve

overall standards of performance

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• Achievements

• Achievements should not only be recognised

by management but should also be celebrated

• It is management’s responsibility to seek out

examples of first class service to customers,

and to acknowledge such efforts

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• Achievements (cont.)

• The best motivator is example

• If we want others to look after customers

better, then we must first look after them

better, only then can we expect others to take

note of what we are saying

• Staff care is an essential pre-requisite for

customer care!

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• Teamwork

• Team-building to deliver solutions and not to

meet internal procedures

• There is an urgent need to break down the

barriers between staff at different levels and

staff in different departments or units within an

organisation

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• Teamwork (cont.)

• At the end of the day the overall service to the

customer depends on the contribution of each

person in the team

• Teamwork is all about sharing the same

objectives, in this case the determination to

excel and set a standard of service which will

impress the customer

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• Education

• Success depends not only on the training and

education of management and staff, but also

of the customer

• Managing customer expectations depends on

the level of information or knowledge that

customers have about the products or

services that they seek from the company

• Marketers need to devote resources to assist

customers in educating themselves further in

the subject matter concerned

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• Deadlines

• These must be based on benchmarks and

objectives set at the start

• Effective customer care is not about chance, it

is about co-ordinated efforts to reach

predetermined standards of performance

within given time limits

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• Deadlines (cont.)

• Without setting time frames the whole

exercise tends to get lost in routine

• There needs to be an urgency to improve

• Deadlines are often the most effective check

on the implementation of new systems

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• All customers should be treated to the best

service possible, and that includes the internal

customers

• Each department within an organisation is but

one link in the service chain to the company's

customer groups

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• An open communications system is probably the

single most important aspect of developing a

company-wide customer care orientation

• This refers to the need for every member of

staff to be able to provide input to the

workings of the organisation, and receive

feedback

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• Management must make sure that the right

information is given to the right people

• There is therefore a need for regular, formal

and informal meetings, on-line and written

communications, bulletin boards, in-house

newsletters, etc.

• These need to be integrated to ensure a

conformity of verbal and written communication

throughout the organisation

00004-01-02 Customer Driven Organisation

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