Adding Customer Value and Initiating a culture of ‘Continuous Improvement’

There are three main elements:

Customer Perspective – This is the most important element because only when the customer is totally satisfied that ‘he’ is receiving the best value at all times, will he remain with the you, the supplier. As soon as doubts creep in, the customer starts looking around the marketplace. Deal with customer complaints (although there shouldn’t be any, perhaps queries), provide good customer service. Introduce product and service developments. Keep them informed on market information. Be accurate and honest at all times. Give then the truth always. Employees should always resolve problems quickly, efficiently and be at the heart of customer service process.

Business Key Processes – These are the activities by the team that gives the customer the feeling that they’re getting what they want. The job of people like me is to identify the processes required for achieving customer objectives…this is true business development.* Successfully performing the same actions over and over again, with the same level of competency is no longer enough. Your company must develop a ‘continuous improvement method’. *(It’s a ‘bugbear’ of mine when businesses confuse business development with sales).

Learning & Talent for Growth –
There are two factors here:
i. In today’s difficult economic times, it seems every time you advertise a job there are hundreds of applicants giving you plenty of choice. The reality is, however, that few of these candidates will have the proven skills required to match the remit. Internal learning of existing employees is a good route to take, plus, it also helps raise staff morale. If employees see that there are opportunities for career flexibility and advancement, they are more likely to feel positive about their career prospects in their current job. For the customer, a stable and capable workforce is a pleasing and comfortable factor in business retention. However, as we know, fast, efficient change is the key to success, so if ‘learning’ is going to take too long, and the customer satisfaction level is at risk, then recruitment is necessary.

ii.The cornerstone of an organisation’s growth is the identification of good talent because it builds competitive advantage for the future. In today’s tricky economic environment, identifying and attracting highpotential employees can give employers an edge on their competition and set up their organisations for future success. An example here is the development of new internal processes that the current workforce is not capable of introducing and managing in an acceptable time frame.