Auditing Customer Experience to Improve Performance

This business had grown fast and continued to grow and processes and systems were no longer delivering excellent customer service

Auditing Customer Experience to Improve Performance

Posted by Charlotte Green on

The challenge

This established and successful staffing and promotions agency, mainly based at Heathrow Airport had grown significantly over 18 months and had plans to grow further into other UK Airport locations. Our challenge was to audit the current processes & systems, review leadership capability, and identify any aspects that may inhibit the business from delivering excellent customer experiences. As service reputation is critically important in the staffing agency sector, consistent excellent customer service standards were the Primary focus, and also the key to winning additional business.

The business had grown fast and continued to grow both organically and through planned expansion. Processes and systems that had been efficient in a smaller company were no longer supporting the delivery of excellent customer service for their clients – a critical factor on which the businesses reputation had been formed.

Our task was to pinpoint key challenges, identify new ways of working and support the change through both practically and via people development. We supported this business to explore alternative markets, expand within existing markets, and to develop sound tech rooted processes for financial and administration tasks, training and team communication – all of which align to the clear customer experience objectives and values.

 

The effect

We discussed the initial brief with the business owner and followed up with stakeholder feedback insight from business partners, brands and retailers already using the agency. Working with front line managers, senior managers, and the office support team we used surveys and facilitated discussion to identify their priorities, challenges and rewards. We planned this into a single business process map, and it became clear that different parts in the business were not aligned regarding client or consumer interests.

Solution

These are process adaptations and key behavioural changes we designed and implemented to ensure the business delivered its ambition of growth while maintaining exceptional Customer Service standards:

  • Co-created mission and values statements that aligned all areas of the business
  • Developed a key client scale based on commercial importance to the business
  • Designed a Service Delivery process which tracked all client and retail partner activity
  • Designed a database platform for all managers to access and input client information
  • Integrated existing staff database to include all staff details including training matrix
  • Developed a 3-tier training and development scheme (aligning pay grades)
  • Centralised recruitment process ensuring consistent standards and appropriate mix of cultural, language and knowledge skills.
  • Implementation of a Customer Experience based Recognition Reward programme across the business.

Following our proposal, we agreed the initial deliverables and timescales, and co-created a 3-year business plan with milestones for delivery of every aspect.

Result

The retail management team received bespoke 1-1 coaching, reinforcing the changing needs of the business and their value and input. Their No1 focus was to be the delivery of excellent customer service on the shop floor, moving them away from admin and lengthy manual reporting processes. Through 1-1 coaching we worked with each manager to deliver a tailored change and support plan.

Each manager began to move from a generalist manager, to a service focused leader, role modelling and coaching to consistently deliver excellent customer experiences.

Results The audit and change programme was completed within 12 weeks and the 3 Year Plan began to be implemented from there. Changes including:

  • Mission and Values Principles,
  • Clarity around communication processes,
  • Client Ratings received and analysed,
  • Service Delivery Agreements rolled out as standard with existing and new clients,
  • Training Structure implemented,
  • Centralised Recruitment Process,
  • Companywide Recognition scheme
Charlotte Green
Charlotte Green

Facilitating business growth through customer and employee insight, training and coaching for leaders that want to be directed by customers and informed by their teams