The service culture is not only for big companies. As market conditions get harder and creativity capture the production facilities, the efficient response to customer inquiries is basic.

The capacity to generate innovative ideas is not only exclusive of original products or new packs or dress up, is also the capacity to give the effective respond to customers needs.

“The company”, by mean, is the employees, and they interact day after day with customers, showing the “real” face of the company, and seducing or disappointing the ones that are seeking answers from the manufacturer of the products that they consume.

That capacity is by the way, the reflex outline of the internal communication and its efficiency. When the different departments, of the organization, integrate and satisfy their needs, customer requirements will be attend with great efficiency.

For Monique Castillo, Director of Continue Education of Economic Science of the “Universidad Javeriana”, the importance of leading the organizational culture towards service remains in the differentiation power that this strategy gives to the company. “More often the products are alike due to market regulations, among other factors. The possibility of being outstanding remains in the implementation of service culture that increases the attention and fulfillment”, said Monique, and also explains that in the company, when the different departments understands the importance of delivering information and answering promptly to other department requirements, the company acquire more efficiency in external answers.
 
That is why, is said, that the service culture is internal and external, understanding not only, direct buyers but also the different company departments and the customers of the organization, as well. Adoption of this strategy needs to be lead by the general manager as it is a corporate line of development, not a policy of human resources.

The strategy

Is not a mater of training. In fact, training is the last step in the adoption of a service culture. The first step is defining the type of service that the customer is waiting for or requires. So it is necessary to define first, who are the direct customers. In some cases it may be the final consumer, but in many others, the buyers are companies that distribute the product.
This is why in each type of business, customer experience and its expectations are different. Thus, it could be assured that service is not only being kindness, is organizational focus adopted to satisfy the needs of a more demanding audience.

The best method to acquire the consumer information is through phone. So constructing a marketing plan with the objective of knowing the desires and opinions of the customers is fundamental. “Complains are considered as favors, because it serve to improve relevant aspects in the company”, said Lolita Carrillo de Sicard, Director of Continue Education of “Universidad Externado de Colombia”.

The time it takes to attend the customer, the telecommunication facilities to make able the contact (PBX, customer service line, 01800 line), and the measure undertaken to improve the service and reduce fails in service, is need to be review internally. Finally, is important to analyze, in this aspect, competition weakness and strength.

Once achieved this self exam, the general manager could outline a unique service strategy, starting with the internal values of the company, as the case may be, qualify or commit human resource, promptly response to work requirements or creativity in creating new solutions and proposals. This is the raw material for defining a service promise, which will be a differentiator in your sector, and also will help to concentrate the human resource effort to comply with defined corporative objective. “Knowing the needs and expectations of external customers, waiting to be satisfy,  is possible to define the activities and process to be improved by internal customers”, explains Lolita Carrillo.

Time has come to training part of the employees. Is important to select employees that in addition of being communication channels (as the receptionist), they must be able to transmit knowledge into the organization.

Indicators

With a strengthen program of service culture is imperative an evaluation to verify the success of the exercise. First, through surveys or directly contacting the customer ask about his satisfaction level and the perception he have in the relation with the company.

Second, but more important that the previous indicator, is the process analyzes of the customer interaction with the company, because the experience could result friendly and not necessarily efficiently and successfully. The quality of the process in terms of access, time and easily done, is reviewed. In few words, a test is done over certain issues of service.

Service culture is essential for all types of companies, independent of the size, because is true that in any business and in a commercial relation the most efficient and creative, seduce the customer.