Results Management, path to Excellence in Customer Supp. & SERV.

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Although the concept is quite clear, the execution sometimes fails, and may divert you from the excellence.

Let’s talk about this subject and refresh some interesting points which might help to manage the results of the Customer Support & Services and guarantee the path to excellence.

Process Results x Final Results

Understanding that RESULTS shall be understood by the outcome of a process or procedure and considering that they can influence other results, we can say that the results of the means to get to the final ones are as important and are the key to deliver the best service and excellence to the customer.

See an article about Process Management

Operational x Financial Results

You need to have resources to maintain your process flowing to deliver in excellent levels. 

You must manage the operational and financial results, as they must support each other (good operational results will motivate the sustaining of adequate budget and push the organization to do better with less resource, the lack of budget will impact negatively on operational results). 

The best management procedure analyses them together and allows taking the decisions based on both sides, balancing positive and negative impacts. (this is not done as often as it needs although it sounds natural). Decisions considering only one side will never deliver the excellence to the customer (short term decisions may impact long terms ones).

See this article about Customer Support & Services Budgeting

Internal Support Areas Results

As said, the final result normally depends on the other process results which might be handled and controlled by other areas. To get to excellence you need to negotiate targets on these areas which will support the final delivery to the customer. If you fail to negotiate or manage with the other area you are increasing exponentially the risks of staying behind. You are nothing without the proper support from other areas of the company.

Map your processes, identify all internal results impact, negotiate the targets with the responsible leaders and the management method you will use and be disciplined.

See this article about internal integration.

Reactive x Proactive Results Management

Each indicator can be differently managed. Some you will only be able to watch what already happened and take the actions after the facts (let’s call reactive management). These are more related to performances. They shall be regularly monitored, trends deeply analyzed and action plans built as needed.

Other indicators if well-chosen will support you in the flow and might help you still take corrective actions to prevent not delivering to the customer in time and with quality.

This is called here proactive management. 

Certainly for each final result you will be able to identify processes indicators which if followed closely will give you indications if you will run (or not) in troubles to deliver and still, with enough time, can act to correct and “put the train on track again”.

Also, define alert levels for each indicator, which will help you focusing only on the ones that have more tendency to fail.

It will demand to have real time displays of these indicators and a disciplined routine.

To know in advance, what might affect your final result allowing you to take actions is better than realizing the bad results later knowing that you could have taken actions to prevent them to happen.

See this article about KPI proactive management

Product Performance Management

Make sure you know what is going on with your product after delivery. It is crucial to identify issues even before your customers or together with them. Get all the data possible from the operation of the product, analyze and act. Make sure you are able to do this.

See the article about Reliability Management.

Action Plans Management, the routine

The hardest part is not planning, defining targets, agreeing management methodologies, etc. To start the wheel and keeping it turning is the challenge.

You need to be very focused and make the others focused too.

Build a way to manage with everyone involved, have different follow-up meetings, reports, in different levels, keep everyone aware of the current customer operation, alert high management whenever a more impacting issue happens. I am sure you can find creative ways to keep every involved people on the same page, with the same sense of ownership urgency as you.

Showing the operation status, awareness is a key aspect

To have everyone to work towards the plans you need more than planning, you need alignment in the sense of urgency and ownership and to achieve this you need awareness.

Having the operation data/status everywhere (where applicable) will help you having everybody in the boat rowing to the same direction (the direction the customer need you too).

Create visual displays on TV monitors, share the same data thru your network, send regular messages, emails to key people whenever an interruption of customer business occurs will help to spread within the organization the impacts of a product or service failure in customer operation.

The distance from the customer operation makes people to lower their level of importance and urgency to the solution of the issues. No matter how much you try to say won’t make the same result as having them seeing with their own eyes how the issues are affecting customer operation. You will also have an interesting and positive collateral effect, you will gradually change the mindset of people towards a customer centered organization.

Nothing is better than “being in the gemba“, or at least seeing and following what is happening there.

See this article about customer centered organization.

High Management

They shall not be left aside, away from the operation. Have them involved as much as any other employee. They will be the ones providing the necessary support to have issues resolved in time and with quality, either with resources or with priority definitions.

Suppliers involvement

Depending which business you are, the results will depend upon suppliers to be engaged as much as you are.

If this is the case your suppliers must be with the same level of ownership, awareness, importance and urgency.

The same lines listed above indicated for internal shall be implemented with your key suppliers.

See this article about this very important point.

People – the most important cornerstone in Customer Support & Services

A successful company have a workforce dedicated to the corporate vision. Let’s highlight important aspects, which will help you to set the path to excellence.

They are the ones who will interface with your customers, with internal areas, suppliers and company high management. They are the ones who will build the process, define the tools, establish the targets, manage everything. 

You need people with skills to live in this harsh environment to deliver excellence. They must:

· Have customer satisfaction DNA on their veins

· Be truthful

· Communicate well

· Be open for disruptions and changes

Have the team prepared to excel with customer is paramount to any business.

Customers, your partners

The path to excellence pass by having your customers working side by side with you as your partners.

Understand their operation and their focus, value their experience and what they have to say, manage the relationship.

Everybody like to be listened and valued and react positively.

Some articles which will provoke more insights:

· Customer Relationship Management, a winning strategy

· Customer Experience is more important than the product

· Listen to your customer and act fast

· Focus on Customer Focus

I am sure if you follow these recommendations you will, with no doubt, be ready for excellence, improve your loyalty with your customers and contribute heavily to the sustainable growth of your company.

Jul/2009