Holy Grail of Service Excellence
Latest press releasesThe mechanic who keeps up a constant stream of repartee while he works under the bonnet of your car may hold the key to world-class customer relations, according to latest research.
Experts from Warwick Business School believe they have identified the mystery ingredient that sets some organisations apart from their lesser rivals in the field of service excellence, and light-hearted banter plays a major part.
A team led by Robert Johnston, professor of operations management at WBS, revisited five firms identified with service excellence in an earlier report Service Excellence = Reputation = Profit, and set about analysing the factors that contributed to their success.
While other studies have sought the views of management about the meaning of service excellence, the Warwick team went straight to the people who matter most in any service organisation - the front-line workers who have regular face-to-face dealings with the public.
Their findings, published in the latest report Delivering Service Excellence: The View From the Front Line, surprised them.
"The people we spoke to ranged from a toilet cleaner in Bangkok's Shangri-La Hotel, to RAC patrolmen in Walsall. All were asked the same question 'Do you like working here?' Without exception they replied 'I love it,' " said Professor Johnston.
"I then asked them 'What do you do?' expecting them to say 'I clean the toilets' or 'I fix cars', but they surprised me once again. They all used the phrase 'helping people' somewhere in their own job description," he added.
"One great example of this is the RAC, whose patrolmen are taught to go straight to the occupants of the car and ask how they can help, rather than lift the bonnet and start fiddling with the engine immediately. They don't fix cars, they fix people."
He added: "It all comes down to the personal touch and a large part of that is the use of banter. All of the front-line people we spoke to used it. It was clear that they were very professional individuals who took responsibility for what they were doing."
"When they took the 'How can I help you?' approach, rather than 'I'm here to do a job' it changed the nature of the game. Suddenly what might have been a repetitious job became more interesting, because it revolved around the needs of the customer, rather than the performance of the same task in the same way.
"That's how they manage to provide such great service day after day, week after week."
Professor Johnston said other contributory factors to service excellence were team-working and support from managers.
"Enjoyment of the job results in a virtuous circle," Professor Johnston added. "The enjoyment rubs off onto the customer, strengthens the bond with the organisation, and increases the employees' understanding of the financial consequences of what they do."
"Excellent service is delivered cost effectively."
The report also underlines the importance of team-working in organisations aiming to deliver world-class service.
Professor Johnston said: "As well as providing comfort to employees from the closeness of working relationships, team-work results in the sharing of experiences and the enhancement of each other's performance."
Experts from Warwick Business School believe they have identified the mystery ingredient that sets some organisations apart from their lesser rivals in the field of service excellence, and light-hearted banter plays a major part.
A team led by Robert Johnston, professor of operations management at WBS, revisited five firms identified with service excellence in an earlier report Service Excellence = Reputation = Profit, and set about analysing the factors that contributed to their success.
While other studies have sought the views of management about the meaning of service excellence, the Warwick team went straight to the people who matter most in any service organisation - the front-line workers who have regular face-to-face dealings with the public.
Their findings, published in the latest report Delivering Service Excellence: The View From the Front Line, surprised them.
"The people we spoke to ranged from a toilet cleaner in Bangkok's Shangri-La Hotel, to RAC patrolmen in Walsall. All were asked the same question 'Do you like working here?' Without exception they replied 'I love it,' " said Professor Johnston.
"I then asked them 'What do you do?' expecting them to say 'I clean the toilets' or 'I fix cars', but they surprised me once again. They all used the phrase 'helping people' somewhere in their own job description," he added.
"One great example of this is the RAC, whose patrolmen are taught to go straight to the occupants of the car and ask how they can help, rather than lift the bonnet and start fiddling with the engine immediately. They don't fix cars, they fix people."
He added: "It all comes down to the personal touch and a large part of that is the use of banter. All of the front-line people we spoke to used it. It was clear that they were very professional individuals who took responsibility for what they were doing."
"When they took the 'How can I help you?' approach, rather than 'I'm here to do a job' it changed the nature of the game. Suddenly what might have been a repetitious job became more interesting, because it revolved around the needs of the customer, rather than the performance of the same task in the same way.
"That's how they manage to provide such great service day after day, week after week."
Professor Johnston said other contributory factors to service excellence were team-working and support from managers.
"Enjoyment of the job results in a virtuous circle," Professor Johnston added. "The enjoyment rubs off onto the customer, strengthens the bond with the organisation, and increases the employees' understanding of the financial consequences of what they do."
"Excellent service is delivered cost effectively."
The report also underlines the importance of team-working in organisations aiming to deliver world-class service.
Professor Johnston said: "As well as providing comfort to employees from the closeness of working relationships, team-work results in the sharing of experiences and the enhancement of each other's performance."
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