Keep Your Service Improvement Process Fresh and Flowing
Voice of the Customer will help you hear what your customers and colleagues want. Service Measures and Metrics will help you track what they need. Service Improvement Process—ensures you will create and deliver both.
Service Improvement Process, is not Service Process Improvement. A process improvement increases speed, reduces errors, improves efficiency, streamlines activity, or makes good use of a new technology.
A Service Improvement Process is different; it is the methods and processes you use to challenge and support your people to continuously improve their service.
A Service Improvement Process creates focus. It keeps the spotlight on service improvement and builds passion for elevating service.
When you want people to improve what already exists, rarely will a mere suggestion box attract a healthy flow of good ideas.
Now imagine a staff suggestion program that captures attention with a different service challenge and a different form of recognition every month:
January: Submit your best ideas for welcoming our new customers. Winners celebrate with dinner for two at a fancy restaurant.
February: Submit your best ideas for appreciating our loyal customers. Winners receive a one-year subscription to a useful publication of their choice.
March: Submit your best ideas for improving service between two or more departments. Winners from both departments get tickets to an upcoming show.
April: Submit your best ideas for speeding up a service process. Winners receive a brand new pair of running shoes.
May: Submit your best ideas for bouncing back with service recovery when something goes wrong. Winners get an extra day off.
June: Submit your best ideas for reducing costs while maintaining or improving our service. Winners take home a percentage of the savings.
July: Submit your best ideas for increasing our sales through service. Winners attend a training program of their choice.
August: Submit your best ideas for recruiting new team members who live our values and are motivated by our purpose. Winners enjoy a deluxe buffet with our next batch of new recruits.
September: Submit your best ideas for benchmarking other organizations. Who should we visit and why? Winners join the group that goes on the benchmarking visit.
October: Submit your best ideas for collaborating more closely with our vendors. Winners get a behind the scenes tour at the vendor’s organization.
November: Submit your best ideas for keeping our customers’ needs and interests top of mind. Winners are invited to follow any senior leader of the company for a day.
December: Submit your best ideas for new topics for our monthly suggestion program. Winners will see their ideas put into action next year.
Questions for Service Providers
• Do you participate enthusiastically in a Service Improvement Process?
• What service problems do you think could be resolved with your organization’s Service Improvement Process?
Questions for Service Leaders
• Is everyone on your team fully engaged in a Service Improvement Process?
• Do your team members feel motivated and empowered by the improvement processes you use?
• How do you personally support service improvement workshops, initiatives, contests, and suggestion programsNow imagine a staff suggestion program that captures attention with a different service challenge and a different form of recognition every month:
It’s true: no one ever hung a suggestion box hoping it would be ignored. But rarely will a mere suggestion box attract a healthy flow of good ideas.
Now imagine a staff suggestion program that captures attention with a different service challenge and a different form of recognition every month:
January: Submit your best ideas for welcoming our new customers. Winners celebrate with dinner for two at a fancy restaurant.
February: Submit your best ideas for appreciating our loyal customers. Winners receive a one-year subscription to a useful publication of their choice.
March: Submit your best ideas for improving service between two or more departments. Winners from both departments get tickets to an upcoming show.
April: Submit your best ideas for speeding up a service process. Winners receive a brand new pair of running shoes.
May: Submit your best ideas for bouncing back with service recovery when something goes wrong. Winners get an extra day off.
June: Submit your best ideas for reducing costs while maintaining or improving our service. Winners take home a percentage of the savings.
July: Submit your best ideas for increasing our sales through service. Winners attend a training program of their choice.
August: Submit your best ideas for recruiting new team members who live our values and are motivated by our purpose. Winners enjoy a deluxe buffet with our next batch of new recruits.
September: Submit your best ideas for benchmarking other organizations. Who should we visit and why? Winners join the group that goes on the benchmarking visit.
October: Submit your best ideas for collaborating more closely with our vendors. Winners get a behind the scenes tour at the vendor’s organization.
November: Submit your best ideas for keeping our customers’ needs and interests top of mind. Winners are invited to follow any senior leader of the company for a day.
December: Submit your best ideas for new topics for our monthly suggestion program. Winners will see their ideas put into action next year.
Sometimes it helps to put a little madness in the method. Is your staff suggestion program this exciting, or effective?
How would you make this approach even better?
