Monday, May 9, 2011

Knowing and doing added value

It´s been interesting following differences between a service company and a product based company.

In a service company I purchased three items. I was not too happy spending more than 10 minutes at the counter paying three different invoices "because the services had been performed by three people". The service itself was ok but the whole service process was not thoroughly thought of.

In a service organization it is vital all employees know how to add value to customers, in different stages of the service. From that perspective, working in a service organization requires a service minded attitude and interest in strategy and development. And even if the objectives are known and the direction is clear, the challenge is overcoming obstacles and clarifying processes where the hickups are.

Elements of successful implementation are thorough service processes, infrastructure that supports it and relevant communications. The employee performing the service does not alone create the service experience. The experience is the total of all details.