Service Culture Lecture

Service – is an act of dealing with customers through offering a particular

skill.

Culture – is a guiding principles includes the values, beliefs, norms, rituals,

and practices of a group or organization.

Culture is the characteristics and knowledge of a particular group of people,

encompassing language, religion, cuisine, social habits, music and arts,
marriage, clothing,, what we believe is right or wrong.

A shared patterns of behaviors and interactions, cognitive constructs and

understanding that are learned by socialization.

Culture also encompasses your products and services, and the physical
appearance of the organization’s facility, equipment, or any other aspect of
the organization with which the customer comes into contact.

service culture - is an environment where employees are obsessed with

providing superior customer service to clients. This means going above and
beyond the call of duty to ensure the people paying for your goods and
services are delighted. Any policy, procedure, action, or inaction on the part
of your organization contributes to the service culture.

A key point to remember about service culture is that you and every other
employee plays a key role in communicating the culture of your
organization to your customers.

You may communicate the culture through your appearance, your

interaction with customers, and your knowledge, skill, and attitude.
 Elements that defines a successful Organization

Service philosophy or mission: The direction or vision of an organization

that supports day-to-day interactions with the customer.

Employee roles and expectations: The specific communications or

measures that indicate what is expected of employees in customer
interactions and that define how employee service performance will be
evaluated.

Delivery systems: The way an organization delivers its products and

services.
Policies and procedures: The guidelines that establish how various
situations or transactions will be handled.

Products and services: The materials, products, and services that are
state of the art, are competitively priced, and meet the needs of customers.

Management support: The availability of management to answer

questions and assist frontline employees in customer interactions when
necessary. Also, the level of management involvement and enthusiasm in
coaching and mentoring professional development.

Motivators and rewards: Monetary rewards, material items, or feedback

that prompts employees to continue to deliver service and perform at a high
level of effectiveness and efficiency.

Training: Instruction or information provided through a variety of

techniques that teach knowledge or skills, or attempt to influence employee
attitude toward excellent service delivery.

Considerations in Service Culture

1. Service Philosophy or Mission - Most successful organizations

have written mission and vision statements A mission statement
defines the organization's business, its objectives, and how it will
reach these objectives.

Vision statement - details where the organization aspires to go.

A vision statement describes the company's purpose, what the company is striving for,
and what it wants to achieve.

Most writers of vision statements find that it's a rewarding and inspiring process. It gives
them the chance to articulate the characteristics that influence the organization's
strategy
Mission statement - Why does your company exist?
A mission statement is a concise explanation of the organization's reason for existence.
It describes the organization's purpose and its overall intention. The mission statement
supports the vision and serves to communicate purpose and direction to employees,
customers, vendors and other stakeholders.

PUP Mission

“ To develop globally competitive students who will play proactive roles in

national and international development. Quality Instruction- To provide
quality instruction responsive to global needs and expectations. Wider
Accessibility- To democratize access to graduate education to all qualified
Filipinos and foreigners.”

VISION

Lead and inspire Filipinos to create a better tomorrow.

P&G

MISSION

Empower Filipinos everywhere with customer-focused digital innovations

that unlock and share their infinite potential.

Procter & Gamble’s vision statement is “Be, and be recognized as, the best
consumer products and services company in the world.”

Procter & Gamble’s mission statement is “We will provide branded products
and services of superior quality and value that improve the lives of the
world’s consumers, now and for generations to come.

As a result, consumers will reward us with leadership sales, profit and

value creation, allowing our people, our shareholders and the communities
in which we live and work to prosper.” 
 2. Service Standards - Service standards are expected behaviors
and etiquettes expected out of all persons related with the service
firm. It helps an organization in delivering quality, efficiency and
consistency. These standards improve and monitor performance and
quality of the service provided. 

Characteristics of Good Service Standards

  Relevant to the customer: Service standards are consistent with

customer priorities. This means they must address aspects of the
service that customers value most within available resource
allocations.

  Based on consultation: Service standards are developed in

consultation with customers and staff particularly frontline staff who
are responsible for delivering the service. They should also have the
support of managements to ensure that they are meaningful and
match the organizations’ overall purpose and values.

  Measurable: Service standards are quantifiable and linked to

monitoring activities.

  Consistent: Service standards should be consistent across the

board. For example, customers who visit a Sainsbury’s store in South
London expects the same treatment if they visit another store in North
London. Similarly, a customer who interacts with your reception staff
expects the same high standards when they interact with your
catering staff. It is also easier to share best practices and adopt
common approaches when standards are approached in an
integrated manner.

  Ambitious but realistic: Service standards are realistic, based on

analysis and consistent with objectives you want to achieve, yet
sufficiently challenging to the customer service team.

  Endorsed by management: Service standards are understood and

endorsed by senior management.
  Communicated: Service standards are clearly communicated to
customers, staff, and other stakeholders to help manage
expectations.

  Transparent: Service standards should be stated clearly and well

documented. They should also be monitored and performance results
should be shared with relevant stakeholders.

  Continuously updated: Service standards are regularly reviewed

and updated as appropriate.

Benefits of Good Service Standards

  Service standards provide the behavioral template by making

expectations clear

  Service standards lead to consistent service and can be a

valuable training resource

  They set benchmarks that can be used to monitor and improve

service standards

  They provide the proper tools to help staff achieve standards set

  They provide necessary tools to evaluate current customer

service quality

  They provide information that helps pinpoint problems areas in

service so corrections can be made

  They create an environment where rewards can be given based

on whether standards are reached and maintained

  Service standards can also form a valuable part of marketing

material, whether in print or web form.
 Steps for Developing Customer Service Standards
1.  Establish Priorities for Service Standards
  Review the services your organization currently
provides.
  Identify high impact service areas that do not have
standards in place. Example, your reception area where
customers first encounter your organization and interact
directly with your receptionists or front desks staff.
  Develop a shortlist of these priority services.
  Get input from your customer care team. They are in the
frontline and get direct feedback from customers.
  Review previous customer feedback or survey results
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 Engage senior management and validate priorities.

2.   Plan and develop
   Develop the standards.
  You can focus on one or two items on your shortlist.
  Build standards around timeliness, accuracy and
appropriateness of service.
  Draft the standard and seek feedback from front-line
staff and senior management.
  Determine how you will monitor performance against the
service standards.
  Develop a service standards portfolio.
3.   Implement the standards
  Develop a plan to implement the service standards.
  Review processes to introduce any changes if required.
  Train new and existing frontline staff on new standards.
  Communicate the standards to other key stakeholders.
4.   Measure performance against service standards
  Measure actual performance against standards set.
  Evaluate the performance data (example, your latest
customer evaluation results).
  Evaluate your findings.
  Share the results with your team.
5. Act on the results
  Assess if performance results match your service standard.
  Managers should regularly review the standards that have
been set and determine where improvements are needed.
  Decide a future course of action for continuous improvement.
  Implement any necessary enhancements.