Experience of Customers vs. Organization
As a consultant, meeting with Sonia is an essential step toward changing the strategic focus of the organization. The role that Sonia has as a member of upper management is essential to change management within the organization. It is vital that Sonia realize that entitling her as executive vice president of the company ‘reflects a conscious decision on the part of management to make customer service key in the strategic operations of the organization’ (Blanding 2012, p. 54) Given this, Sonia must understand that the customer service experience operates within two dimensions: (1) at the microscopic level, via interactions with customers and (2) at the macroscopic level, via interactions with the entire organization.
Use your promo and get a custom paper on
"Evaluation of Key Customer Service Measures in a Mid-Size Company".
The first step that Sonia must take to improve customer relations experiences is to centralize customer service operations within the organization (Blanding, 2012). It is common for many companies to have de-centralized customer service operations. This doesn’t allow for a streamlined mission and vision related to customer service. Through centralization of customer service operations, fewer people can be available to accomplish the work of customer service. This occurs by means of a centralized customer service department. By centralizing customer service operations, Sonia can pay higher salaries to customer service officials and to hire specialists in the customer service field (Blanding, 2012). These actions have the potential to impact relationships with external customers the organization works with, along with internal operations within the company. The extent to which external customers are satisfied with customer service through a centralized customer service department will influence how well the organization operates as a whole unit. Employees that are paid higher salaries and specialize in customer service are likely to express greater satisfaction with their work, paying back the organization through loyalty and excellence of service.
Another change that is critical to the success of customer service operations is the utilization of quality control and testing (Blanding, 2012). If quality tests are utilized as a means of continuous improvement, then external customers and internal customers the customer service department serves will benefit. External customers will have the ability to comment on the relationship held with the organization through routine surveys and customer service interactions. Internal customers or employees can be offered the same opportunity through performance reviews, where supervisors and employees set goals related to personal and organizational customer service goals and potential improvements.
Why Important
Sonia must recognize that the impact of customer service to customers affects the manner in which the organization is capable of operating. By recognizing the direct relationship that exists between customer satisfaction and organizational growth, Sonia has the potential to streamline customer service interaction so that both external vendors and internal customers or employees are satisfied in the short and long-term. Over an extended period, within months and years, the organization will spend less money on turnover, and can gain more in capital and profits through quality improvement measures related to customer service interactions (Blanding, 2012). Sonia can provide the organization with quantitative evidence of the success of the customer service department through survey results, and through changes in the organization’s expenditures related to turnover and employee satisfaction within the customer service department. By sharing this relationship with upper management, Sonia also embeds the ideal of customer service on a small and large scale to key stakeholders within the organization. When customer service becomes a priority, processes within the company are aligned to meet the vision and mission of a centralized customer service department. Sonia will prove successful as an executive vice president by implementing these few measures within her department. As demonstrated, these measures will affect the company internally and externally within the short and long-term.
- Blading, W. (2012). Practical Handbook of Customer Service Operations, New York: Springer Media.
