Our work over the past 5 years with a wide array of clients along with decades of operations experience has led us to update our standards as follows.
Four Fields of Service Performance
1. Behaviors
2. Tangible Products
3. Processes
4.Physical Environment
The Organisation Perspective
Service excellence from an organisational perspective means taking in to account what Prof R Parasuraman defined as the Servqual dimensions and applying them in to the four fields:
Reliability
Reliability is the bedrock of great service. How reliable are we? Do we perform the promised service dependably and accurately? In each of the four fields do we consistently deliver a high quality physical environment, consistent tangible products like food and drink, are our processes reliable and our behaviours consistent? Do we have standard systems of work so that we consistently get the basic levels right?
Responsiveness
Are we pro-active in helping guests, visitors and customers? When it comes to our four fields do we truly take account of the customer needs? Do we remain solution focused for our customers regardless of their enquiry or need? Do we offer assistance and make sure we listen and respond to what people need from us?
Assured
Are our service teams knowledgeable and qualified for the tasks we carry out? Are we courteous and do we inspire trust and confidence? Do we, as an organisation, ensure that we are assured? Do we check and test our systems in the four fields on a regular basis? Have we standardised systems so that we can continuously improve them over time?
Empathetic
Do we provide caring, personalised service to our guests and customers? Do we read and respond to their emotions or are we simply delivering a careless process? This is a key issue for UK service operations and considerable effort is required organisationally to ensure physical, emotional and logical needs are met on site. This thoughtful approach extends way beyond Access programmes and disability compliance to think about each guests needs personally. The team only needs to exceed expectations by 1% to create a strong impact but that 1% does need to be present.
The Behaviour Perspective
Each member of the service team has a high level of personal responsibility towards the customer and the behaviours of great service personnel is distinct from the skill set.
Behaviours
Positive Mental Attitude. Being solution focused is a service trait and is best identified at the recruitment stage; it is infamously hard to train. Manchester is famous for its can-do attitude, this positive outlook on future events makes for great service personnel. Do we maintain the “best way to do that is...” even if the request falls outside our remit? Do our standards expect and enable our service teams to remain positive with the guests and visitors?
Motivated. Motivated personnel tend to apply their learning, tend to be self directing and act on their own initiative. To the customer the energy and zest for life that motivated people offer can add substantially to the guest experience. This motivated outlook manifests itself in a sense of urgency to get things done; South West Airlines have developed a business edge from this front foot approach. From a guest perspective, great service usually looks effortless.
Anticipation. For the guest few things make a stronger impact than good anticipation skills from members of service team. Do we read the situation? Do we plan ahead for the customer? Do we think through the guests likely requirements and provide helpful guidance or suggestions?
Confidence. Great service personnel maintain an inner confidence that usually comes from substantial product knowledge and training. This confidence comes across as an assured organisation. Do we make sure we have well trained personnel who understand or products and services at a deep level and do we make sure we have enough information to effectively support the guest at all times? Can we talk knowledgeably about what we have on offer and do we know what is available on any given day? Is this position supported by technology, training or both?
Empathy. Do we personalise the experience? Do we avoid judging the customer? Do we build options and check our understanding? Do we ask enough questions to understand the guest or visitor needs and do we listen carefully? Are we paying attention to what the customer is saying and doing or are we focused on what we are going to say next? Great service staff avoid contradiction and interruption.
Self Management. Providing great service is not plain sailing; verbal battles, pre judging situations in disputes, contradiction, anger and moods all get in the way of inspiring service standards. A World Class performance means the service personnel manage their own feelings around customers. Very rarely are guest comments personal and good service personnel know this. The best balance we know of is Ritz Carlton’s outstanding observation that we are “Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen”. Old school perhaps but the essence of service all the same.
Skills
Communication. Good verbal and non-verbal communication skills are the number one requirement of great service personnel. Research by People 1st, the UK Sector Skills Council for Hospitality, in 2008 put communication skills at number one for customer service skills. In the UK, good English verbal skills are essential, not just for service performance but also for sales. Non-verbal skills are significant; frowning, back to the guest and sullen looks all undermine the service experience. Eye contact, visibility, smiles and acknowledgements meet the psychological need for attention from the guest.
Self Aware. Self awareness is an extension of personal presentation or grooming skills. There is no second impression, outstanding service personnel know how we come across and take steps to ensure their appearance, choice of words, recommendations and manners are appropriate to their organisation. Do we have a clear approach to uniforms and professional appearance? Self awareness also suggests that scripting is inappropriate and disrespectful to team members, greetings and social interactions should be natural and well mannered.
Welcoming Skills are an extension of self awareness; a high standard of service means that every guest or visitor is greeted. The precise approach to greeting is something that each organisation tailors to its activities, however the more personalised the approach and the sooner it happens the better the perceived welcome.
Conflict Resolution/Recovery Skills. Mistakes do happen and sometimes a guest can arrive unhappy through no fault of our own. Our responsibility, however, is to remedy the cause of the upset to the best of our ability and that usually requires a clear approach to recovering situations. Well trained service personnel know the scope of their authority to fix things that go wrong and have a professional and structured approach to keep themselves safe and provide the best outcome for the guest.
Disability awareness. The Disability Discrimination Act protects disabled people from discrimination but good awareness of possible disabilities is a skill that we value. It may be that the guests’ age, visual impairment, hearing impairment or illness means that they can’t easily access services. Do we make it easy for these guests to enjoy our services?
Basic numeracy. Bills, invoicing and calculations have to be correct.
Cultural awareness is the foundation of communication and it involves the ability to stand back from ourselves, becoming aware of our cultural values, beliefs and perceptions. Why do we do things in that way? How do we see the world? Why do we react in that particular way? In hospitality and cultural attractions do we value diversity and, most of all, do we respect the guest regardless of their background?
Local Awareness. Closely aligned to product knowledge, local area knowledge and pride in the local area is a key feature of good service standards. Can we provide effective directions to guests? Can we suggest products, producers and activity suggestions locally? Do we offer a full concierge service? Do we know where principal financial, retail and religious service can be found?
IT Skills. Whilst not everyone on the staff needs to be ICT qualified, ensuring that someone with a basic knowledge of onsite technology is on hand on every shift is an increasing requirement. Can we support guests to go online? What are our restrictions on these services? Do make sure all our standard technology works?
Foreign Language skills are undervalued in the UK but Brazil, Russian, India and China are developing and the first thing people do when we gain wealth is to travel. Do we make these guests welcome in their own language? Sterling remains significantly devalued to 2008 peaks making the UK attractive to Euro zone visitors and guests, how well do we greet and welcome them?
The Tangible Products Perspective
There is often a tangible product in service organisations whether it’s a theatre ticket, performance, event, food or drink. The tangible product will be part of a wider value proposition but from a service perspective, the reliability of the product, its conformance to advertising and promotional statements, its presentation, availability and sensory impacts all need to align with the service ethos of the service provider. Does the tangible product exceed the customer expectations by 1%?
Which needs do this product meet? Is it quicker, more sustainable, more reliable, more local, more impressive, more fashionable, healthier, more substantial, more comforting?
Which senses do this product enliven?
How clean and how safe is this product?
From a standards perspective, good practice suggests there will be “boundary samples” somewhere in the organisation; specification, photographs, training events which set out how tangible products should be displayed and presented.
The Process Perspective
The processes that we expect a guest to comply with say something about our service performance. Are processes easy to follow and understand and are we quick? Are we actually enjoyable?
How much work, walk and waiting do we expect the guest to do at any point on our processes?
Have we recorded the steps from a guest perspective? Have drawn a diagram of the guest movement on site or en route? Have we eliminated waste and duplication? Have we established a point of difference in how we handle key processes to make them easier? How are the brand values reinforced to the guest during these processes? Whether it is buying a ticket or a drink have we mapped the process established timings and ensured that the service personnel can carry out the process with a minimum of waste?
How much work, walk and waiting are the service personnel expected to carry out? Have we considered any value addition activity and factored this in to the process? Have we removed any activity that does not add value?
Have we considered demand at any points in the system? If we could know a particularly busy phase in the day have we planned staff to cover this?
Is way finding on site easy and are signs up to date and accurate?
Are these systems standardised. If we believe that individual members of the team excel and can work it out for themselves then the process is random and outstanding personnel can only ever add one more way to increase the chaos. Processes should be clear, documented and meaningful from a customer point of view. Processes should also be clear, documented and improved upon from an organisational point of view.
In short have we reduced waste, defined clear processes to achieve the best value for the guest or are the processes simply designed to help the organisation achieve its “numbers”?
The Physical Environment Perspective
If first impressions count for our people then the physical environment must also be considered vital. In retail “kerb appeal” matters. Have we thought through what the physical appeal is supposed to look like and taken actions to bring that to life? The physical environment offers an experience long after the staff have departed and continues to provide impact and ambience when during service exchanges.
From a World Class Service Standards point of view, the physical environment needs to be considered in line with the value addition process for the customer. Is it flawless in appearance and clean? Are glass walls and doors clean and free of grease marks? Are barrier mats clean and well presented? Are surfaces well maintained and well presented? Is the space free of odour and appropriately lit? Are vents and intakes free of dust? Is the temperature comfortable? Are floor surfaces well maintained and clean and are any displays fresh and well presented? Are service hatches and access points closed and free of finger marks? Is maintenance equipment out of site?
If service staff are maintaining the building are we well presented and courteous?
Are there enough lifts? Are the lifts clean and efficient in the role? Do we feel safe? Is route finding easy and is sign posting easy to follow? Are the WCs well maintained and clean? Are stairs and landing areas clear and nosings all in good repair?
If there is technology present, such as screens or machines, are these services all in working order? If not is the house signposting well presented and consistent?
There is a great deal of detail in the physical environment issue and this section simply points at the way a Standard can develop. The essence of good physical environment standards are that the environments should always be clean, safe, legal and well presented and in line with the overall value proposition. Of all these features cleanliness is probably the most significant, older properties can get away with their long years if well maintained and clean. No amount of technology or modernity can compensate for an unclean space. Nowhere in the property is housekeeping more important than in kitchens and dining rooms with WCs and bathrooms a close second.
World Class Service Ltd works with its clients to help develop these exacting standards into customer journey maps and touch points to provide the basis for reliability and to help train and refresh the delivery team. If you would like World Class Service Ltd to work with your team to develop your standards contact us through this web site or by telephone on 0161 456 6007
