Do You Have an Audit Plan for Customer Service?

By: Deepak Selvaratnam

Today, Customer Service delivery has become so important that is even talked about in the board room! Government and cabinets are growing more concerned than ever around federal, local and parastatal agencies delivering appropriate levels of service to meet citizens’ needs.

 

All leading business journals today recognize the importance of customer service as a function and a strategy; HBR, McKinsey and a host of others.

 

Today, Customer Service is a Function and a Strategy

 

Service delivery is no longer the responsibility of reception, the information provider, order taker or outbound sales. Customer service is a complex and integral part of organizational service delivery driving revenue, citizen and customer needs, brand and reputation. This requires a scientific approach to planning and managing to achieve organizational goals.

 

“Working capital, cash flow and operating profits are primary measures of senior leadership performance. Companies audit their financials every year to validate compliance and performance, but typically don’t have an audit plan for critical business processes that impact these performance measures and the customer’s perception of performance.” – Group50

 

Many employ internal operational metrics to assess performance and combine external customer research, with differing periods of regularity, to assess service delivery performance.

 

These measures, however, do not constitute an audit and are inadequate to meet the vastly changed landscape of service delivery globally.

 

“Addressing the strategic and operating gaps in these critical processes should be part of every strategic planning process.” – Jim Gitney, from Group50’

 

Currently, not many organizations have made any attempt at all to conduct an audit of customer service. However, there are number of boards like that of Sampath Bank that have commissioned customer service audits recognizing the strategic importance of customer service.

 

Any board or CEO must consider an audit plan for customer service delivery, when it is a critical component that impacts their primary measures of senior leadership.

 

Here are some related links you may want to review when considering a Customer Service Audit Plan

• What is an Audit? What is a Customer Service Audit?
• A definition of a customer service environment
• Why conduct a Customer Service Assessment?
• Payoffs experienced by an Audit
• Steps in the Audit process
• Who conducts the Audit?
• Snapshotz Online Consultant and Assessor Training Programme (SCAT)
• Snapshotz™ Online
• Snapshotz™ Online for Consultants