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Private and public sector organisations set to benefit from new Customer Service Excellence standard
On 10 March 2008 Tom Watson MP, Minister for Transformational Government, announced the launch of the Customer Service Excellence standard. Public and private sector organisations can apply for the new standard and use it to drive customer-focused change in their organisation and deliver better service.
The new standard builds on the success of the Charter Mark standard that thousands of public sector organisations rely on to ensure they continually improve their customer service.
Organisations that have already achieved Charter Mark can maintain their certification and can start work towards the new standard at any time.
Background to the new standard
In 2005 Cabinet Office ministers commissioned an independent review of the Charter Mark scheme and invited Bernard Herdan, then Chief Executive of the Passport Service, to lead the work.
Mr. Herdan’s report, “The Customer Voice in Transforming Services” was published in June 2006, and recommended that a new customer service standard, based on the key drivers of customer satisfaction, should replace Charter Mark.
In the new standard the fundamentals of good customer service stay the same, but in addition there’s greater emphasis on delivery, timeliness, information, professionalism, and staff attitude.
How to meet the new standard
To meet the standard you must provide evidence of planning and working towards improving your customer service in five key areas. These are:
1. Customer Insight
- Show greater understanding of your customers’ preferences.
- How you engage and consult with your customers, and how you keep this system working effectively.
- How you measure their satisfaction and use that knowledge to improve your business.
2. The Culture of the Organisation
- How you put your customers at the heart of your policy and culture.
- Your commitment to professional, service-driven values throughout your organisation.
3. Information and Access
- How you make information available to your customers.
- How you ensure they get the right information when they need it.
- How well you co-operate with partners and providers to support your customers.
4. Delivery
- Your standards, performance indicators and targets.
- How you measure your performance targets and keep customers informed of results.
- How you deal with problems.
- How effectively you consult with customers and others about local standards and targets.
5. Timeliness and Quality of Service
- Show you have measurable standards in place for timely service delivery, and you meet those standards consistently.
Typically, organisations produce their evidence in three ways:
- Descriptive evidence shows what steps you have taken to meet the criterion.
- A brochure, report or CD supports the descriptive evidence.
- An assessor completes the picture with observations at your site.
How to get started
SGS United Kingdom Ltd, the world’s leading organisation for inspection and certification, can help organisations of all sizes on the journey to Customer Service Excellence. SGS clarifies the process and helps you at every step of the way.
SGS starts by understanding your business and advising you on the evidence you need to supply in your application.
Your SGS assessor reviews your application document to see how well your organisation meets the standard. Next, you receive a report outlining the areas to focus on for the next stage of your assessment. With your report you also get an itinerary for your onsite assessment.
Onsite assessment
The final, onsite stage of your assessment usually comes three weeks later. The aim here is to obtain the objective evidence that you are meeting the requirements of the standard. The onsite assessment closes with a meeting, a summary of findings, and a decision whether or not to recommend you for the Customer Service Excellence Hallmark.
If successful, you receive your certificate. If not, you can use the action plan to help guide you through the areas that you need to address. Once you have implemented the action plans, SGS will come in and re-assess those areas again. The time scale for this is entirely up to you.
Once successful, your certificate is valid for three years, provided you continue to meet the standard. Your SGS assessor will visit annually to review progress on your action plan and provide a report, highlighting any areas for improvement.
Contact SGS
Organisations of all sizes are certain to benefit from the new standard. To find out more about how SGS can work with you on your journey to Customer Services Excellence you can contact them on 01276 697 631.
SGS offers a free visit to advise on the best way to apply for the standard. In addition, you get a fully costed proposal giving full details of assessment time scales and the fees to take you from application to Customer Service Excellence certification.
SGS offers a range of training course, workshops and seminars to you get started and see you successfully through to certification. For more information, please email us.
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