Measuring Customer Service Effectiveness

Citation

Narasimhan, K. (2006), "Measuring Customer Service Effectiveness", Measuring Business Excellence, Vol. 10 No. 2, pp. 112-112. https://doi.org/10.1108/13683040610668747

To ensure customer satisfaction and the retention of existing customers it is imperative to measure customer service effectiveness. Customer service performance forms an important measure in Business Excellence Models such as the Malcolm Baldrige National Quality Award and the European Excellence Model, and is increasingly being measured by public services and educational establishments.

This book by Sarah Cook, the Managing Director of Stairway Consultancy, is a valuable addition in this field. She has also written three other books on process improvement and questionnaires. She has experience of working across a wide range of industry sectors.

This practical book comprises eight chapters supported by 76 figures, and includes a useful list of books for further reading. In Chapter 1, a case is made for measuring customer service effectiveness by discussing its role in service strategy, the importance of establishing customer lifetime value, and the need for both internal and external measures.

In Chapter 2, how to prepare for measuring customer service is briefly explained and tips are provided for setting objectives, identifying key areas for measurement, choosing the correct audience by segmenting, selecting the best measurement techniques, determining sample sizes, etc.

Chapter 3 is devoted to explaining how to conduct exploratory research using focus groups and one‐to‐one interviews and their benefits are covered. In Chapter 4 attention is focussed on quantitative techniques: designing questionnaires (postal and email), conducting surveys and face‐to‐face interviews, analysing complaints and compliments, etc. In Chapters 5 and 6, the topics of internal service quality (how to measure individual, departmental, and organisational services) and how to benchmark organisations are covered. A gist of business excellence models is also given in Chapter 6.

Chapter 7 focuses on analysing customer measurement results (both qualitative and quantitative data) and effectively communicating them by prioritising areas for improvement. The final chapter explains how to act on the results by adopting a holistic approach to achieve service excellence. Ten key elements of the holistic approach from defining vision and values of the organisation, through formulating strategy, setting standards and creating suitable structures and rewards, etc. are briefly covered.

All the chapters of the book contain instruments for assessing the current approach adopted by an organisation, which is a plus point of this book.