The golden rule of service is: treat guests the way you would like to be served. Service quality standards are the criteria necessary to ensure the effectiveness of the quality management system. Service standards refer to the set of procedures and daily operations performed by staff that contribute to maximum customer satisfaction. “Know in order to foresee, foresee in order to manage.”

The key to the commercial success of a hotel enterprise is the ability of its owners to predict any possible desire of a potential client.

Based on this, it is necessary to develop service standards for each enterprise individually, taking into account international and national requirements. Standards must be flexible and reflect the wishes of customers, especially regular ones, and also correspond to the concept of the enterprise. Standards mean not only the correct technology for serving guests, but also the attitude of the staff to their work, i.e. to visitors.

Often the reason for deliberately unsuccessful service lies not in the absence of any expensive equipment and insufficient interior polish, but in “unobtrusive” service, therefore each hotel must have its own code of regulations regarding:

• behavior;
• appearance;
• technological process;
• knowledge foreign language within the profession;
• knowledge of the hotel concept and its structure.

IN hotel business First of all, an impression is sold, so it is important that negative emotions are not conveyed to clients, they should feel psychologically comfortable. The standards of hotel corporations are higher than those of so-called independent hotels, so clients who visit establishments of their favorite system are attracted by a certain predictability - the same quality of services provided. Maintaining a high level of service quality is facilitated by training programs used in hotel chains around the world, such programs are designed to emphasize the importance of corporate standards and their direct relationship with increased guest satisfaction. The standards of many well-known hotel chains determine that staff should be: sociable, friendly, have a pleasant appearance, and be able to work in a team.

Service standards may vary, much depends on the concept of the hotel - its category and target audience. Here are some examples of the service credo of high-category hotel chains: “Quality service. First time - every time! "We are ladies and gentlemen - at the service of ladies and gentlemen." In order to train hotel staff from maid to manager, it is necessary to develop for each type of activity professional standards. Their essence lies in the fact that they determine what service should be in each department of the hotel complex. However, there should be no deviations from the standards under any circumstances. Compliance with standards guarantees the stability of quality indicators: there cannot be a “bad or good” shift of waiters, receptionists, maids,” everyone always works exactly like that. Concierge, driver, security guard, administrator or waiter - each of them must know, understand and strictly adhere to professional standards. Imagine what would happen if each maid decided for herself how to make her bed, how to lay out towels and accessories in the bathroom, or was guided by her own life experience when deciding whether to clean the room at all or just take out the trash.

International service standards

1. Fast service:

• hotel employees should always be ready to offer assistance to guests;
• visitors’ demands must be dealt with immediately, without sending them to another department or to another person;
• all requests and complaints are resolved before guests leave the hotel.

2. Order execution accuracy: Guests should be offered accurate and complete information and fulfill every request until final satisfaction.

3. The most excellent wish of the guest:

• It is necessary to anticipate the needs of visitors and offer them help before they ask;
• Employees should be familiar with guests' special requests in order to automatically expedite their fulfillment.

4. Friendliness and politeness:

• with any visitor located within a radius of 2 m from you, you must be the first to start a conversation;
• Whenever possible, use titles before the guest's last name (Mr., Sir, Doctor, etc.);
• you should establish good eye contact with each visitor, always smile if the guest is within a radius of 8-10 m; We apologize for any inconvenience to the visitor.

5. Attentiveness:

• let the guest know that he has been noticed, even if you are busy;
• you should be extremely careful.

6. Appearance standards imposed on the uniform, hairstyle and hygiene of employees.
6.1. Dress:

• A complete uniform is required - clean, ironed and in good condition;
• groups of employees working together must wear the same uniform;
• all employees must wear a name badge, which is attached to the left; the icon should be High Quality and read well;
• jackets and shirts should be worn buttoned up; only long sleeves are useful in service areas;
• the contents of clothing pockets should not distort its shape;
• socks only dark colors;
• Closed-toe shoes, clean and in good condition.

6.2. Hairstyle and hygiene of employees:

• men's hair: clean, neat, pulled back from the face, not touching the back and sides of the shirt collar;
• hair for women: no longer than the bottom edge of the collar, otherwise it is collected in a bun or neatly tied at the back;
• Employees handling food, drinks or equipment must wear protective headgear;
• a beard is not allowed, the mustache must be neatly groomed and not extend beyond the corner of the mouth more than 12.5 mm;
• nails: clean (cut for men, medium length for women) and painted only in neutral colors;
• men should not wear any bracelets or earrings, only a wedding ring;
• for women - no more than two rings, earrings of a discreet style.

7. Confidentiality of information: the confidentiality of any information related to the guest is maintained, including room numbers, length of stay, personal information, etc.

8. Job knowledge: Any employee needs to know the hotel, facilities, opening hours and general information.

9. Patience:

• complaints and comments must be addressed politely, carefully and transferred to management for appropriate action;
• You should never argue with a guest or appear defensive.

10. Responsibility: Do you need a sense of responsibility and pride?

• when maintaining order in the hotel;
• in the event of a guest complaint, other departments or persons cannot be blamed;
• You should take responsibility for solving the problem yourself.

11.Number of personnel must be such as to provide efficient and continuous service to guests. At the same time, there are the following recommendations for the number of employees per 10 hotel rooms:

• five-star hotels - at least 20 people per 10 rooms;
• four-star hotels - at least 12 people per 10 rooms;
• three-star hotels - at least 8 people per 10 rooms;
• two-star hotels - at least 6 people per 10 rooms.

Qualification requirements for various groups of hotel workers

All hotel employees, in terms of qualification requirements, can be divided into three large groups: management (hotel administration, department heads, supervisors); staff working with guests (waiters, maids, doormen, receptionists); supporting departments (engineers, technicians, warehouse workers, stewards) ).

The competence of the personnel of these groups is of great importance for quality management. Hotel management must ensure that its staff have the necessary qualifications, knowledge and skills to perform their jobs to the best of their ability.

General requirements for all personnel:

• politeness, friendliness, enthusiasm, interaction with colleagues, relations with guests;
• flexibility, adaptability;
• taking responsibility, initiative;
• personal hygiene;
• discipline, punctuality;
• knowledge of work, quality of work, attention to detail;
• work under load, under stress;
• ability to complete tasks to completion;
• cost awareness; knowledge of a foreign language.

Organizational structure of a hotel enterprise

The hotel business is characterized not only by a large number of personnel with different skills and competencies, but also by a variety of relationships between its employees (staff and management), as well as structural divisions(by departments). management provides hotel company an appropriate basis for planning, organizing, executing and monitoring the work of personnel. And although a properly designed organizational structure in itself is not a sufficient condition for the successful operation of a hotel, its absence makes it impossible to organize efficient work the entire enterprise, regardless of the level of qualifications and competence of managers and personnel.

Organization of hotel services and management of labor resources of a hotel enterprise

Hotel service is a complex and multi-stage process, starting from the moment the client realizes his need for a service and ending with his departure from the hotel. It is very important to understand the composition, content, interrelation of elements, as well as the degree of participation of certain departments and hotel employees at each stage of this process.
Planning personnel requirements consists of several stages: cash assessment labor resources, assessment of future needs, development of a program to meet these needs. It is necessary to determine how many people will be required to perform a particular operation and evaluate the quality of labor.
Personnel selection involves creating reserves of potential candidates for all available positions in hotels and selecting the most suitable people for these positions.

Differences between a concierge and a butler

You might think that these two services duplicate each other, but this is not entirely true. They have different work hours - the concierge does not work in the evening or at night. In Western hotels there are 20 butlers for 230 rooms, while in Russian hotels of the same top category there are 5 concierges for the same number of rooms. The concierge is focused on solving “external” issues (tickets, excursions, restaurants). Butlers deal with internal matters.

A.Yu. Mazaeva,

European Chamber expert on hotel certification

To ensure high quality Maintenance organizations develop special standards for systematic training or training of personnel.

Service standards: concept, essence and functions

Definition 1

Service standards are methodological, organizational and instructional documents that are developed together with economists and company specialists.

Service standards are a set of internal corporate rules that regulate the activities of an organization in servicing clients and the algorithm for communicating with them. This also includes general standards for responding to non-standard situations.

Customer service standards are a mandatory element of an organization’s corporate standard of operation.

By mastering service standards, personnel become familiar with the state of affairs of the organization, its products and services, prestigious consumers, description and implementation of effective and profitable business practices. The main part of the training is devoted to the rules and methods of conducting service, the ability to create a favorable climate in the team, as well as between employee and client. Service standards cover in detail typical mistakes personnel, and recommendations are given on how to minimize them.

The main functions and objectives of service standards are as follows:

1. Arrange. The client should not see the problems that exist in the company. He must be sure that all employees of the organization are professionals.
2. Control. It is difficult to evaluate the work and professionalism of a manager if there are no specific evaluation criteria. At the same time, fulfillment of the sales plan is not a reliable evaluation parameter. The manager must understand whether the employee adheres to customer service standards.
3. Adapt. Service standards simplify the procedure for interacting with clients.

Service standards are effective only when the client does not see the difference between the work of several employees, but sees only high-quality and branded service, which does not depend on external circumstances and factors. The service standard must be tested in practice, supported by experience, and formed on the basis of analytical studies and government methods. Such a standard will increase profits, improve the organization’s image and attract new customers.

For what purpose are service standards introduced?

The main objectives of any company are to increase customer loyalty, as well as increase economic indicators. The key goals of implementing service standards at an enterprise are the following:

1. For employees who have work experience. Service standards will reduce the number of unnecessary actions and errors. As a result, employees benefit from time savings (there are no errors, so there is no need to waste time correcting them), and as a result, increased productivity.
2. For newbies. Service standards allow you to transfer necessary knowledge in the shortest possible time.
3. For organization. Standards will be able to eliminate dependence on old-timers. Few employees who have worked in the company will be able to avoid succumbing to “star fever.” A person loses the ability to objectively evaluate his work; having knowledge and experience, it seems to him that he is the one best employee in company. This can end badly - if fired, such an employee will take away the base and turn clients against the organization. Customer service standards are necessary so that all employees can be assessed on a single scale, based on their actual benefit to the company.
4. For managers. Unified service standards must be the same for all employees. This will make remuneration clear and transparent. In this case, the employee is not afraid that he will be paid less, and all mistakes are immediately visible.

Thanks to the application of service standards, you can:

• develop an organization style in communicating with clients;
• increase employee productivity with new clientele;
• bring the quality of service to a new level;
• form a positive opinion of the client about the company (a satisfied client will always recommend the company to his friends, this will increase the number of potential and actual customers);
• minimize conflicts between employees and clients;
• develop a training program for beginners;
• establish a procedure for monitoring the work of enterprise personnel;
• increase employee motivation to work.

What criteria should service standards meet?

Effective and efficient customer service standards must meet the following criteria:

1. Specificity. Service standards should be clear and simple for every employee, regardless of work experience, age, education and other factors. The wording must be clear and understandable.
2. Measurability. Service standards cannot contain concepts such as “fast”, “prompt” or “slow”. For example, an employee cannot answer an incoming call “quickly”, since this is an elastic concept. It is correct to say that the manager must answer the call within 7 seconds.
3. The reality of execution. Before implementing service standards, it is necessary to ensure that the company has the necessary resources to implement them. Make sure employees have all the tools to work effectively.
4. Transparency for staff. Since service standards are implemented to improve the quality of work performance, this information must be communicated to each employee. This is easiest to convey to newcomers, since they accept all the company rules. Permanent employees It is important to get used to innovations. Management needs to explain to staff how the new rules will affect customer loyalty, and what problems may arise if the standard of service is not adhered to.
5. Relevance. Service standards must coincide with the objectives of the enterprise as a whole. Therefore, standards need to be constantly supplemented, correlated and changed. However, this must be done wisely, otherwise the staff will think that management itself does not know what it wants.
6. Independence of employees within the limits of their authority. No service standard can provide for all the nuances of working with clients. Therefore, employees must have the personal capacity to effectively collaborate with clients. If an employee has been working with a client for a long time, then he will be able to accept correct solution taking into account his character and needs.
7. Complexity. All activities of the enterprise should be standardized as much as possible. This applies to all departments, not just individual employees. For example, if an organization is engaged in connecting the Internet, then in addition to the manager offering the service, technical workers, dispatchers, etc. are involved in the implementation of the application. It is necessary to create service standards for all employees who are involved in the work process.
8. Economic expediency. The implementation of service standards should not be unprofitable for the enterprise.

Compliance with a single structure of service standards must apply to all positions and subsections.

How service standards are developed

The process of developing service standards begins with the appointment of a project manager and working group. Marketers and HR specialists are competent in this matter. The working group should also consist of sales department employees who are well versed in the specifics of the company's activities. The company must have an “ordinary” manager who can take into account all the nuances of the staff’s work as accurately as possible. Next you need to act according to the following plan:

1. The project manager is given the authority to collect necessary information and the purpose of the group.
2. An action plan for developing service standards is discussed and drawn up with the working group. A responsible group is assigned for each work area and implementation schedule.
3. Step-by-step discussion of the standard. All intermediate results are analyzed and recorded in detail.
4. The final version of the draft service standard is drawn up and sent to all employees of the enterprise for review. At this stage, all comments and corrections are made to the project. It is important to consider all proposals as tactfully as possible, taking into account the interests of the staff. Often at this stage, top managers make a mistake - they “press” their authority on their subordinates. In this case, it is better to act democratically, hold a secret vote and give employees time to think about the project. At this stage, it is important for the manager to show trust - this way he will stimulate the staff and increase their loyalty to the organization. It is worth remembering that it is managers who will fulfill the requirements of the standard, so you need to listen to their opinion.
5. After making all the adjustments and additions, the finished standard of service is transferred to the general director or the person who manages the company. At this stage, only the manager can make corrections to the draft standard. It can be adopted by secret voting, in which the heads of structural units will also take part.

In order for the implementation of the service standard to go efficiently and smoothly, it must be done at the stage of enterprise formation. Then the staff will take it for granted. However, many companies were formed long before Russian Federation implementation of service standards has become the norm. In such companies you can often find resistance from employees to any innovations. Therefore, customer service standards need to be implemented as efficiently as possible and while minimizing staff resistance.

From this article you will learn:

• Why are customer service standards being implemented in the company?
• What are the benefits of using customer service standards?
• How customer service standards are developed in a company
• How to effectively implement service standards
• What are the typical mistakes that occur when developing and implementing customer service standards?

Almost every company has sales managers on staff. And beginning entrepreneurs often face this situation: a manager quits, and his clients “leave” with him. As a rule, this causes serious financial damage to the company, since experienced, professional managers acquire “their” clients. However, even the loss of one or two customers is still unpleasant. As a rule, the loss of clients due to the departure of a manager can be explained simply - your employee built relationships with the customer on personal sympathies, and not on loyalty to the company as a whole. To avoid this, it is necessary to develop customer service standards for the company.

What are customer service standards

Customer service standards are an internal corporate set of rules governing the company’s customer service activities, an algorithm for communicating with customers, and general standards for responding to non-standard situations. Customer Service Standard – component corporate standard of the company's work.
How to properly clarify customer objections. Find out in the training program
Features of Customer Service Standards

1. Arrange. The client does not encounter problems, does not see them, which means he is confident that all employees, without exception, are professionals who know their job.
2. Control. It is difficult to evaluate and monitor the work of each manager if there are no clear evaluation criteria. At the same time, fulfillment of the sales plan cannot be the only evaluation parameter; it is necessary to know whether the manager adheres to the customer service standards accepted in this company.
3. Adapt. Among other things, having customer service standards simplifies the procedure

Customer service standards are effective if the client does not see the difference between the work of two (or more) managers, but sees only “branded” service, always the same, regardless of any external factors and circumstances. The standard of customer service, which has been tested in practice, supported by experience (perhaps even someone else’s), created on the basis of analytical research and recognized methods, can be called “golden”. It allows you to increase profits, improve the company's image, and attract new customers.

The use of standards is necessary in the following cases:

• with increasing competition;
• with an increase in the number of complaints from clients about the work of the management service;
• when the number of “problem” cases increases when working with clients or after clients make a purchase;
• with an increase in the number of “lost” clients due to the fault of the sales department;
• in the absence of a structured and logical technology for working with clients;
• in the absence of a system for assessing the work of managers, as well as monitoring the quality of work with clients.

For what purpose are customer service standards implemented in the company?

A superficial glance allows you to see only the tip of the iceberg - convenience for the client. For example, a person going on a business trip to another city or country should know the main thing - no matter where he ends up, the company will serve him equally well, the process will be familiar to him and will not cause any difficulties. All actions of both the client and the company are predictable. He knows how the company will behave with him, and the organization, in turn, is ready for any of his questions, requests and wishes. However, behind this there is the main task company – increased customer loyalty, and, as a result, increased economic performance.
The goals of implementing standards are the following.

• For experienced employees: minimize the number of erroneous and unnecessary actions. The result of this will be saving time for each employee (no errors - no need to waste time correcting them). And, as a result, increased productivity.
• For new employees: customer service standards allow you to convey the necessary knowledge in the most concise form and in a short time.
• For the company: eliminating dependence on old-timers. Not all employees who have worked in the company for many years (or even since its founding) are able to avoid succumbing to the so-called star fever. Having knowledge and experience, a person loses the ability to objectively evaluate his work; it begins to seem to him that he is the best manager in the company. This can end quite disastrously - if fired, such an employee will take away the base and turn clients against the company. Customer service standards are needed so that all employees can be assessed on a single scale, based on the actual benefits they bring to the company, as well as the employee’s attitude towards the company.
• For the company: uniformity of control over the activities of managers. The standards are unambiguous, exclude ambiguous interpretations, and therefore cannot cause disputes about the rightness of the employee or employer.
• For managers: the standards of unified customer service are the same for all managers, and this makes the remuneration of each manager absolutely transparent and intelligible. Realizing that there will be no double interpretations, the manager does not have to fear that he will be paid less than expected - all his mistakes and achievements are immediately visible and understandable.

Application of service standards allows:

• develop a company style in communicating with clients;
• increase the effectiveness of managers’ work with new clients;
• bring the quality of communication with clients to a higher level;
• create a positive opinion about the company in the client so that he recommends it to friends, thus increasing the number of potential and then actual customers;
• minimize conflicts between the manager and the customer;
• develop technology for training beginners;
• transfer the assessment of a manager’s work from subjective to objective, transparent and understandable to everyone;
• establish a procedure for monitoring the work of personnel;
• increase managers' motivation to work.

As a result, all of the above will lead to growth in the customer base and company revenues.

Why is it beneficial to use customer service standards in a company?

A manager in a company is always under double control - from management and from clients. Customer service standards give employees confidence that their actions will be analyzed and assessed objectively. However, the manager understands that there is a clear algorithm for assessing his work, which means that excuses and searching for arguments in his favor are useless - if he really made a mistake, it will be identified and assessed accordingly. The “debriefing” will be just as fair for the rest of the employees - both punishment and rewards will be fair. Thus, the manager strives to perform better in order to receive appropriate compensation.

Benefits of using service standards

• Accumulation of experience: the entire base is concentrated in the company, and not in the hands of “old-time” managers. Thus, the departure of one or more “old” employees does not become a “natural disaster” for the company.
• Motivation, analysis and control: customer service standards allow you to develop a transparent scheme for motivating managers, based on a clear, almost mathematical analysis of their work. The sales process is optimized.
• Setting goals. With the help of standards, a company is able to set clear, reasonable plans. This allows you to maintain a friendly and stable atmosphere in the team, and the absence of “unclear” tasks increases the loyalty of managers to the company.
• Customer service standards are a fairly mobile system that allows you to immediately detect errors in working with customers and promptly eliminate them. In addition, at any stage of working with a client, the head of the sales department can intervene in the process, noticing an error in the manager’s work, and even work proactively - to prevent the mistake that the manager is making.
• A quick and easy start for beginners. Customer service standards are essentially a knowledge base, collected, analyzed and organized. Such information is easily transmitted and absorbed by newcomers, which means that the newcomer quickly gets to work and begins to make a profit. In addition, a newcomer will not ruin the relationship with the client with awkward actions, since he already knows what to do in any conflict or problematic situations.
• Customer trust. Customer service standards allow the latter to feel confident in the company - no matter where the customer is, he always easily recognizes “his” company by brand features and can be absolutely sure that in a small town he will be served with the same quality as in a city with a million population, because that everyone in the company knows their job well. This means that you can trust such a company.

What criteria should customer service standards meet?

• Specificity. Because customer service standards are created to monitor the performance of a specific group of people, they must be simple and understandable to every member of that group, regardless of their age, work experience, education and other factors. There should be no vague, unclear wording that allows for different interpretations. Thus, if a standard for the illumination of a room is being created, it is not enough to write that it “should be light at any time of the day with the help of lighting fixtures.” This immediately gives rise to a number of questions and misunderstandings - what does “light” mean? Which ones exactly? lighting Can it be used at different times of the day? Is it considered a violation to use all appliances in clear weather, and if so, will the person responsible for the premises be punished? Therefore, when drawing up a lighting standard, it is always clearly indicated which lighting devices should operate at what time of day and in what weather.
• Measurability. The customer service standard cannot contain such ratings as “fast”, “slow”, “prompt”, etc. For example, a manager should not answer an incoming call “quickly” - this is a loose concept. It would be correct to indicate that the manager must answer an incoming call within 7 seconds.
• The reality of performance. Before you implement customer service standards, make sure you have the necessary resources to enforce them. Make sure that employees are provided with the necessary tools for their work. If at any point an employee discovers mutually exclusive or controversial concepts and definitions, immediately respond and correct the deficiency.
• Transparency for employees. Since customer service standards are created to improve the performance of the company as a whole, it is necessary to communicate this information to every manager. It’s easiest to explain this to newcomers, since when they come to the organization, they immediately accept the “conditions of the game.” The most difficult thing is with the introduction of standards for the “old-timers” - having become accustomed to working according to their own system, they often do not recognize any innovations. Explain how what is happening will affect customer loyalty, what problems may arise if the standard is not met (not by the manager, but primarily by the client).
• Relevance. Customer service standards must correlate with the objectives of the company as a whole, both today and in the future. Therefore, if necessary, they need to be promptly changed, supplemented, and improved. But a balanced approach is necessary - too frequent changes create an imbalance in the team, and staff may get the impression that “the bosses themselves don’t know what they want.”
• Providing employees with autonomy within the limits of their authority. No matter how much we would like to, no standard can provide for absolutely all the nuances of working with clients. Therefore, employees should still have opportunities for creativity and personal contact with the customer. Allow for some variability - if a manager has been working with a client for a long time, he is able to make the right decision from those proposed in accordance with his needs and character.
• Complexity. All company activities should be standardized as much as possible. This applies to all departments, not just managers themselves. For example, if a company is engaged in connecting the Internet, then in addition to the specialist offering the service, a dispatcher, performing technicians, etc. are involved in filling out and completing the application. Service standards need to be created for all employees involved in the process.
• Economic expediency. Compliance with standards should not be unprofitable for the company.
• Recommended criterion: adherence to a single structure of standards for all positions.

How customer service standards are developed in a company

The process begins with the appointment of a working group and a direct project manager. The most competent are HR and marketing specialists; the working group should also include sales department employees as the most “immersed” in the situation. The team must have a representative from among the “ordinary” managers - with his help, all the nuances of the sales team’s work can be taken into account as much as possible. Next, we proceed according to plan.

1. The project manager must be given the authority to collect information and schedule group meetings.
2. An action plan to develop customer service standards is drawn up and discussed with the group. Responsible persons for each work area and work schedule are appointed.
3. There is a step-by-step discussion of the work. All intermediate results are recorded and analyzed.
4. The final version of the project is drawn up and submitted to all company employees for review. At this stage, management makes corrections and suggestions to the plan, and it is important to consider all wishes as tactfully as possible and in compliance with the interests of all employees. Often at this stage, a top manager makes a mistake, which can subsequently negate all efforts: as they say, “presses with authority.” It is better to act democratically - bring proposals and additions to the attention of all members of the working group, give time to think and conduct a secret vote. The trust that the manager will place at this stage will additionally stimulate employees and increase their loyalty to the company. In addition, managers will implement the standards, and their opinion must be listened to.
5. After all additions and suggestions have been made, the finished standard of customer service is sent to the general director (or another person in charge of general management of the company). At this stage, the manager can make adjustments, and whether or not to accept them will be determined by a secret vote, in which this time the heads of structural divisions will participate.

What are the stages of developing customer service standards?

Stage 1. We determine the indicator by which the company is ahead of its competitors. It will be the cornerstone in developing customer service standards.
There are three main advantages.

1. Price-quality ratio"

We choose if the company sells a product with an optimal set of qualities at a minimum cost. Our consumer is a thrifty person who values ​​practicality above all else in a product or service. When developing service standards, special emphasis is placed on everything that helps reduce the cost of a product (service). It is important to emphasize the ease of service, the speed of receiving the product (service), its durability or length of time.

1. "Best in the line of similar"

We use it if the product (service) has one or more unique qualities, parameters, properties not offered by competitors. Our consumer prefers reliability, but prestige and the opportunity to show individuality are also important to him.
In this case, the customer service strategy is largely “tied” to the manager - he must thoroughly know the properties of “his” product, as well as analogues, in order to conduct a comparative analysis for the client. Also, the specialist must “know the client by sight” - who is the person who might need your product? In addition, it is important that the manager does not overdo it in an effort to sell the best, taking advantage of the fact that the buyer does not pay too much attention to price.

1. "Close to consumer"

Provides an individual approach to each client. Our customer appreciates attention and sincerity. He will pay tribute to the new products that the company will offer, anticipating his requests and needs, but will not waste money, trying to acquire the newest and most prestigious.
The leading role in this strategy is played by the seller of the product (service). He must be a psychologist, be able to hold a conversation with the customer on any topic, and unobtrusively collect information about him necessary to sell the product.
Stage 2. Organizational structure, selection of positions.
Having decided on competitive advantage, we select employees for whom customer service standards will be developed. Please note the following.

• First of all, it is necessary to determine customer service standards for “technical” specialists and lower-level employees. These are those employees who repeat the same actions every day when working with clients (for example, “cold calling”). Creating customer service standards for such employees is relatively simple, as is implementing a system of standards. As a rule, there is no or almost no creative component in the work of such employees and there is no decision-making function.
• It is almost impossible to create customer service standards for management employees, starting with the head of the department. You can only create a common standard for the entire management, which will include the technical aspects of the work, the principles of maintaining and submitting reports.

Stage 3. After choosing the type of advantage, formulate a model of “ideal service”.
If the company had a code of conduct before introducing customer service standards corporate ethics, mission and list of values, use these data.
There should be two models: the ideal organization as a whole and the ideal work of specific employees in their positions.
For the first model, we answer a number of questions:

• What should our company be like in the eyes of customers?
• How should relationships be built between company employees?
• How should the relationship be built between management and performers?

Questions for the second model:

• What should a company employee look like in front of a client? ( appearance and behavior model)
• What is the relationship between the client and the individual employee, their nature.
• What situations are possible when working with a client?
• At what stage does a particular employee begin communicating with the client (for example, at the beginning of negotiations or at the final stage).
• Non-standard situations that arise when communicating with a client.
• Responsibilities for maintaining the premises and tools for each position (office, office equipment).
• A package of documents for each position.

When developing models, it is necessary not only to take into account the opinions of all involved employees of the company and its management, but also to involve customers in the process, especially for the formation of the first model. By the way, some companies also take into account the models of competitors, for which purpose they specifically communicate with them under the guise of clients. Of course, an ordinary customer will not be allowed into the internal “kitchen”, but in this way it is still possible to identify annoying or, on the contrary, details and innovations that are conducive to communication.
Stage 4. Create common customer service standards for all employees.
At this stage, you need to create a certain subculture, unique to your organization, but based on the principles business etiquette, working with objections and claims, corporate ethics.
Stage 5. Create unique customer service standards for each specific position involved in the process of working with a client.
At this stage, it is necessary to literally “sort out” everything manufacturing process. The following division can be used as a template.

1. External customer service standards.

These are the standards that the client sees: the appearance, shape, color of the room, equipment, technology in which the work is carried out, as well as the actual communication procedure.

1. Internal customer service standards.

This group includes standards that the client does not see, although he can see the result of their implementation (for example, if we are talking about cleaning premises for work - a store, office, bank branch). This group also includes standards for document preparation.

1. Technological standards (employee work regulations).

Step-by-step instructions: how to effectively implement customer service standards

In order for the implementation of customer service standards to go smoothly, this must be done at the stage of company formation. Then the staff will take it for granted. However, many businesses and organizations were formed long before the introduction of customer service standards became the norm in Russia. Such companies rarely manage without open and hidden resistance from employees to innovations introduced by management. Let's talk about how to implement customer service standards as efficiently as possible and minimize employee resistance.

Step 1. Bringing standards to staff

Remember: in order to corporate rules worked, it is necessary that all employees accept them, and not just “accept” under pressure from management. And for acceptance, understanding is necessary - it is important to convey to every employee, starting from general director and ending with the visiting technician, why it is necessary to comply with customer service standards. It may be necessary to resort to unpopular measures to influence those who are particularly stubborn. But it is important not to go too far, but to really understand what you are dealing with: is it a stubborn reluctance to leave the comfort zone and conservatism, or do employees really have reasons not to accept the customer service standards in the form in which you offer them?

Step 2. Hold a staff meeting

It is necessary to hold a general meeting of employees and explain the prospects. Don't talk about what penalties are facing an employee who doesn't want to work according to the new rules. Tell us about the company's prospects, about the positive consequences, explain that ignoring the changes will have a negative impact on the work of the enterprise as a whole, and therefore on each of its employees. Be sure to print out the standards for each employee who will work on them, and the results general meeting record and distribute to employees for signature.

Step 3. Establish a “transition period”

Don't try to introduce customer service standards overnight. In this case, shock therapy is not the best solution. Set a period during which employees will have to learn the new rules, conduct several trainings. Don’t immediately punish those who make mistakes—explain and correct them. But the boundaries of the “transition period” must be clearly defined and communicated to each employee.

Step 4. Check that employees understand the information And

After the transition period, test employees on the new customer service standards. Do not rush to punish those who showed the worst results, give them a couple of days to prepare, and then conduct a “re-exam”. By this point, employees must understand that they will have to work according to new rules. The excuses “I didn’t understand”, “This needs to be done differently” are no longer accepted - clarifications could be obtained during the transition period, and proposals were accepted at the preparation stage and also during the transition period.

Step 5. We develop collection measures

Be prepared for the fact that you will have to punish particularly stubborn employees. In this case, neither their past merits nor other subjective reasons should stop you. Think over the system of punishments in advance - these could be fines, reprimands, deprivation of bonuses, bonuses, benefits, etc. You may even have to part with several employees. And the separation will be unpleasant, given that in this case the team will most likely be on their side (“They came up with nonsense, and even fired a well-deserved employee because of it!”). But even the hottest heads tend to cool down if they see that you are serious.

Step 6. We demand compliance with standards

Demand service standards from all parts of your value chain. And monitor all participants in the process equally seriously. For example, if you require the manager to increase the number of sales home internet, then you must be sure that the technical service, which works directly at the connection point, will cope with the increased volume of work. All customer service standard requirements must be physically feasible.

Step 7. Monitor compliance with standards

At first, while employees are not yet sufficiently familiar with the new requirements, there may be breakdowns and attempts to “quietly” switch to the “old” scheme that is familiar to them. Control it yourself, demand the same from department heads, appoint responsible people directly from among the performers so that they report to you on compliance with customer service standards. These are measures internal control. Combine them with external control methods (for example, use the “mystery shopping” service).

Step 8: Standards Analysis

You don’t need control for the sake of control, analyze the results obtained and be sure to act on their basis - encourage, fine, provide additional training. It may be advisable to change something in the customer service standards, or maybe you did not take something into account at the preparation stage and the standards need additions.