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In case you missed it, here’s the first blog post that preceded this one. Once you’ve come up with the criteria for your quality program and start implementation, the next steps are to ensure that priorities are in alignment with your operations. When needs are being met, and everything is in alignment, you will continually provide an excellent customer experience.
Consistency is key to a positive customer experience. A few bad customer experiences can hurt your brand and negatively impact your bottom line. To ensure needs are being met, you must coordinate your technology, business rules, employee training, tracking of metrics, and continually improve your processes. Essentially, everything needs to be in alignment.
The following are key steps to aligning your priorities with your operations:
- UNDERSTAND your priorities and needs
- UTILIZE tools & technology
- EXECUTE efficiently
- MEASURE results
Now let’s break them down one-by-one.
1. Understand Your Priorities & Needs
Consider the needs of all constituents to determine what matters. Additionally, think about how you will address each of these components in strategy and daily operations. Essentially, you need to consider what and who interacts with the service you are providing and how you will prioritize and meet the needs of all those involved.
2. Utilize Tools & Technology
Once you have determined who and what your priorities are, you need to create systems and practices that align with those criteria. Ensuring that your team and your technology are working efficiently is key. What tools and tech are you using, and is it helping you accomplish tasks and meet needs? Did you train your team well? Do they fully understand the quality program and what your priorities are? Are you communicating with them regularly and giving feedback?
3. Execute Efficiently
Make sure your tools align with what you want to focus on. Saying what your priorities are, and ensuring the tools you are utilizing are meeting those priorities, are two different things. You can do this by collecting data and communicating feedback using the review system we mentioned. If there is command and control of the system, and communication is clear and consistent, your team will work more efficiently. Additionally, giving kudos and praise and instilling values will empower your team.
4. Measure the Results
Continually measure the results of your systems and practices with metrics for each need and priority. You should have a way of measuring how well your priorities are being met. Essentially, every priority needs a metric to measure it. Examples of metrics include:
- Complaints/Reviews
- Revenue
- Staff turnover
- Broken products
- A seat at the table
The results you find should then be collected and communicated back to the team. There should constantly be a loop of feedback woven throughout your daily operations.
Parker Technology: Quality Programs = Excellent Customer Service
At Parker, we understand the importance of exceptional service. A good quality program can go a long way. By focusing on our priorities and what really matters and aligning them with our internal operations, we can consistently deliver a successful customer experience. Download our cheat sheet to building a quality program. Or, learn more about our solution.