 ‘A’
is For Outstanding
One
workshop participant asked this question:
‘I’m designing a performance measurement
system for our in-house technology team and have run
into a disagreement with my boss.
‘He would grade a support technician as ‘A’
if the Service Level Agreement (SLA) norms have been
met, and ‘A+’ for any additional enthusiasm
shown.
‘I want to give only 50% for meeting the SLA norms
since these are non-negotiable specifications. The remaining
50% I would give for enthusiasm, special assistance
and ongoing development of the expert. What do you think?’
Here is my reply:
You need to clarify
with your boss and the rest of the in-house team what
an ‘A’ should actually stand for.
In most schools, ‘C’
is ‘satisfactory’ – which means all
the ‘non-negotiable’ specifications have
been met. I also refer to this as ‘customer satisfaction’.
‘B’ is
‘good’ (B+ is very good) – which means
all specifications are met and the work is done with
some notable level of enthusiasm, individual initiative,
etc. This is the domain of ‘customer delight’.
‘A’ is
for ‘outstanding’ – which is reserved
for performance well above and beyond the call of duty.
‘A’ is for extra-mile effort that brings
the customer, or the company, to a new level of performance.
‘A+’ is
legendary, a breakthrough, a brand new benchmark for
others to remember, admire and follow. This is where
your customers become ambassadors, enthusiasts, fanatics
and devotees.
To my mind, an ‘A’
should not be given for simply ‘doing the job’.
‘Doing the job’ is just expected, merely
satisfactory. That’s a ‘C’.
Doing more than the
minimum job is where higher grades should be awarded.
I recommend you bring
together your in-house customers and the members of
your technology support team. Encourage discussion.
Let there be a healthy debate.
Ultimately, agree on
what A, B, C, D and F will stand for in your unique
context. Then grade accordingly.
Key Learning Point
Within an organization,
departments may have very different opinions about how
well they are doing, and how well, or poorly, other departments
around them are performing. These disagreements stem from
a lack of clear standards for evaluating internal service.
This can lead to misunderstanding, inter-departmental
tension and low motivation and morale.
Setting clear standards provides a platform for better
communication. Raising standards over time is a pathway
to continuous improvement.
Action Steps
If your department
supports, relies upon or works closely with another department,
call a meeting to review or create agreed service and
performance standards.
Use these questions to get the conversation rolling: How
do you know when you are doing a good job? How do you
know when other departments are doing a good job? What
do you consider ‘satisfactory’ inter-departmental
performance? What constitutes ‘above average’?
What could another department do that would delight you,
astound you or have you stand up and applaud?
This commitment to setting clear standards is useful for
internal support situations. You can – and should
– use this approach with your external customers,
too.
Next Article in Customer Service Measurements >>
The Playful Policy Review
First Article in Customer Service Mindset >>
Leave This Place Better Than You Found It
Did you appreciate this customer service training article?
Get more like this at no charge. Subscribe now to the UP Your Service! newsletter.
YOU MAY USE THIS CUSTOMER SERVICE TRAINING ARTICLE IN YOUR FREE NEWSLETTER OR YOUR WEB SITE
as long as you include this complete statement:
Copyright, Ron Kaufman. Used with permission.
Ron Kaufman is an internationally acclaimed customer service training educator for quality service.
He is author of the bestselling series "UP Your Service!" and founder of
"UP Your Service College".
To enjoy more customer service training articles,
visit www.RonKaufman.com and www.UpYourService.com
FOR COMMERCIAL USE of this article in a paid newsletter, publication, or training program, please refer to our Terms of Use.
|
