Development of a retail standard. Customer Service Standards

At the moment, there is no single approach and no classical technology for developing service standards. The main goal of service standards is to create a unique competitive advantage for the company. Therefore, standards are the unconditional "know-how" of any company, and there are simply no "standards for writing standards".

The process of creating standards is a long and painstaking procedure that requires patience and significant time costs on the part of the participants in this process. Therefore, I will also try to suggest some approaches that will optimize this process and make it more compressed in time.

Determination of "Personnel performance standards" and "Customer service standards". Difference and interrelation of "Standards" with other internal corporate documents

One frequently asked question is how standards differ from other documents in the organization, such as job descriptions. Let's try to figure it out by analyzing the main types and types of documents that regulate the work of personnel in an organization.

The documents:

Staff performance standards- formalized and concretized requirements for those actions of personnel that employees must perform with a certain frequency, in a certain order, at a certain time or in typical situations.

Customer Service Standards- part of the "Standards of work of staff", relating to direct interaction with customers.

Goals of implementing the "Standards" in the organization, expected effects and results

Primary goal - provide the company with a strategic competitive advantage. The presence of standards guarantees the client that no matter which employee of the company he communicates with, he will receive the service of the "brand" quality that is inherent in this brand.

Tasks for the implementation of standards:

• unify the actions of personnel in various areas. This is of particular relevance for networks seeking to achieve brand recognition through uniformity in the delivery of services and quality of customer service.
• Make work procedures as clear as possible for employees (not only WHAT to do, but also HOW). This is primarily relevant for line personnel, in whose activities a large number of similar / standard actions or situations can be distinguished.
• Create grounds for a transparent and objective assessment of the work of employees

Effects and results from the implementation of the Standards:

• Achieving a uniform quality of services and customer service for all points of the network or distinctive features of the outlet ("recognizable", "predictable" service).
• Optimization of work processes and procedures (elimination of unnecessary or erroneous actions on the part of personnel)
• Clarity of the workflow for employees, minimizing the time spent by managers on the adaptation of new employees
• Increasing the motivation of employees by understanding the criteria for evaluating the work and work of colleagues

What Standards Can't Do:

• Re-educate employees in terms of their attitude towards customers (therefore, you need to select the “right” people)
• Replace the control function on the part of the manager (the existence of standards will not ensure their automatic implementation, so the control function on the part of the manager is very important. However, standards greatly facilitate the control procedure).

Determining the criteria to be met by effective staff and customer service standards

Staff performance standards must meet the following criteria:

• concreteness- should not contain vague and ambiguous formulations that allow different interpretations by people with different education, upbringing, experience, etc.

• measurability- if the standard requires the employee to perform any action within a certain time or with a quality that can be measured in any units, then this time or units of measurement should be clearly recorded

Often there is a combination of vagueness and immeasurability of the wording

• Reality of performance— standards should not contain mutually exclusive or conflicting requirements. In addition, employees must understand what resources or techniques they can use to meet the requirements of the standards.

• Transparency for employees of the goals that are achieved through compliance with the standard - Employees will be sincere in meeting standards only if they understand what the standard is for, what customer need it satisfies, and how the customer may feel if the standard is not met. This criterion is important, first of all, in relation to those standards that regulate contact with customers.

An example of writing a standard in accordance with this condition:

• Relevance— standards should be changed in accordance with new tasks, approaches, requirements and strategy of the company.
• Giving employees autonomy within their powers, variability of standards- First of all, this criterion refers to the standards of customer service. Standards should leave some freedom for creativity and personal expression of employees. This allows us to avoid the "robotization" of service, to introduce elements of sincerity and personal attitude of employees. The principle of "necessity and sufficiency" of standards must be respected, the service process in most companies cannot be 100% standardized.
• Complexity - standards (including customer service standards) should cover all company personnel, and not just positions directly responsible for working with customers.
• Economic expediency - standards must be economically justified. If the implementation of standards turns out to be unjustified costs for the company, it is not advisable to introduce such a standard.
• Recommended criterion: observance of a single structure of standards for all positions. This allows employees to quickly navigate the requirements, and managers to more clearly and systematically monitor compliance with standards.

Algorithm for developing the Standards for the work of personnel and customer service

1. Determine the type of competitive advantage according to which the standards will be developed.

Trout's Scheme: Competitive advantage can be realized in three ways:

• Price-quality ratio". Requires a set of the most important parameters for the consumer for minimal money, aimed at satisfying such customer benefits as practicality and savings
• Position "best by product". Assumes that the product (product + service) has a unique quality in one or more parameters. This strategy serves such needs as prestige, reliability, the desire to emphasize one's individuality.
• The strategy of "proximity to the consumer" - involves the provision of a service that a particular client needs, an individual attitude.

Requirements for standards:

• If a company implements a value-for-money strategy, then standards are important to help reduce the customer's cost of purchasing a product. Therefore, standards are needed for the purchasing department, as well as for participants in the entire technological chain that the product passes through. For sellers of a practice oriented strategy, the standards often describe speed and ease of service.
• If the company implements the strategy "best in product", then the seller needs to: know the product well; be able to conduct a comparative analysis with cheaper products (the phrases “our price is high, because a quality product”, “everything will break right away”, “we guarantee quality” do not count), as well as know the situations in which the client needs the best product. So, the offer of the most reliable equipment that will function for 100 years, and the client is going to renew this product every five years, is inappropriate, and it is important to help the client make a choice towards a less expensive product.
• If the company implements the strategy of "proximity to the consumer", then the highest requirements are placed on the work of the seller. To realize the competitive advantage of the company - an individual solution to the client's problem - the seller must be able to collect the maximum amount of information about the buyer, and also clearly understand in what situation what changes in the product are necessary for the client. In addition, when implementing such a strategy, the seller must become “their boyfriend” and be able to keep up the conversation not only about shades of nail polish, but also about new fashion, yachting, difficulties in relationships with relatives, etc.

Important:

• regardless of the price segment and type of competitive advantage, the client wants to receive attention and sincerity in communication.
• standards should be high enough to meet and exceed the needs of the target client audience, but not expensive enough for them to scare away customers with cost indicators.

1. Consider the organizational structure, select positions to be described in the standards.

When considering the organizational structure and selecting positions for standardization, it is important to consider the following points:

With the growth of trading companies, the tasks of collecting, analyzing and avoiding loss of information become more and more relevant. Considering that the problem of a shortage of qualified personnel for retail does not lose its severity, it is necessary to try to reduce the negative impact of the human factor - the costs and losses associated with the unskilled work of lower and middle-level personnel, as well as the costs of training and adaptation of employees. Therefore, at a certain stage of the company's development, it is necessary to introduce network merchandising standards.

Even with category management, the loss of information is sometimes significant: the vision of the store as a whole and the network as a whole often disappears, and a lot of time can be devoted to solving problems that will have little effect, while important, strategic moments and store opportunities slip out of sight. managers. For example, the distribution of space and display within the product group is being improved without a centralized analysis of the effectiveness of the use of selling space throughout the store. It is noted that the main effect is given by the location of the groups and the ratio of the areas allocated for them, as well as the organization of additional points of sale. The layout solves the problem of increasing profits only partially. Another danger is that analysts may not regularly place outlets and rely only on numbers in their conclusions. In this case, the brand sales structure indicators may give a distorted picture, and good, promising brands may be included in the list of candidates for deletion from the assortment. This can happen if you do not check whether the product was physically present on the shelves during the period in question; whether the brand occupied the entire area in accordance with the planogram, or it was quickly sold out, and the stock was replenished at the expense of "neighbors" - other brands.

A number of difficulties now arise for trade organizations in applying the principles of effective organization of trade space in multi-format networks. Very often, the stores that the network unites differ both in size and location, and in the absence of standards, one has to “reinvent the wheel” every time, the company's resources are inefficiently distributed. It happens that when expanding the network, moving to an area much larger than previous stores, errors are replicated according to the scale. Or when opening of a new store in the first months of operation, there are very serious losses associated with an incorrectly selected assortment transferred from another chain store: for example, an assortment in a store in a residential area is formed on the basis of a store in a business district. In general, the question of the ratio of product groups and brands for buyers with different incomes is very important, and because of the wrong decision, the store can lose a lot. When working in Russian cities, we have repeatedly noticed an orientation towards more affluent buyers, not supported by the market, both in assortment and in layout. It is not difficult to identify and correct such miscalculations by studying the amount and structure of checks, and the behavior of customers in the store will give a signal that this issue needs attention. In one case, a week-long observation on the trading floor showed that the majority of buyers in each department "collect" goods from the lower shelves. In another store, it turned out that after the renovation, customers began to be afraid to enter the alcohol department: the “suspiciously beautiful” design and elite brands at the entrance convinced customers that cheap vodka and wine had disappeared from the assortment altogether. And if they buy alcohol less, the sale of “snacks” and confectionery products may decrease ... An incorrectly chosen price category of brands for cross-merchandising can have a sharply negative effect: imagine the emotions of a buyer choosing cheap dumplings and seeing nearby wine worth half his monthly salary (“ That’s it, next time I’ll go to the market, here are all the goods for these, on Mercedes, so let them buy here, but I won’t spend too much”). Without a doubt, the presence of image brands raises the store's reputation and in some cases "works" not so much for the sale of these brands as for supporting the sales of economy class brands. But, if the main group of store buyers are people with an average and below average income, it is advisable not to place expensive, elite goods and fashion brands in large numbers and in prominent places in the hall. This is especially true of the entrance area, because in addition to irritation, buyers will form the impression of high prices, and the attitude towards the store will worsen in the medium and long term. However, fashion brands can also be displayed in impulse shopping places, but in small packages, so that there is a desire to try products that are consumed by a more affluent public.

Things such as working with groups of brands in the assortment should be reflected in the general standards of the assortment. The following main areas can be noted in which standards are being developed for each type of chain stores (separation by type can be carried out according to location, sales area and other significant criteria):

• Range;
• Principles of organization of the trading space;
• Maintain stock and order in the hall during the day;
• Seasonal and holiday changes;
• Placement and display of goods;
• Placement standards for groups of goods;
• Shop equipment;
• Rules and possibilities for placing advertising materials in stores.

The benefits that the standards bring to trading companies are obvious. Firstly, this is a reduction in costs in the operation of stores and the elimination of the negative effect of the division of operations, when employees do not fully understand how important this or that task is and how its implementation affects the overall results of the store. This is especially true for the work of salespeople and managers of the trading floor, whose training in the full program with a sufficiently high turnover can cost the company a lot. It is advisable for new store employees to be introduced to the accepted standards and rules immediately upon hiring in order to reduce costs during the period of adaptation and induction. After familiarization, testing is recommended. Centralized analysis and control over the network is also simplified if there is a clear evaluation criterion. The experience of the leading stores of the network, reflected in the standards, will allow for the optimal layout of trading floors of various configurations (when reconstructing existing stores and opening new ones), as well as improving equipment, ordering in the future exactly the one that best meets the needs of the store. Having solved the issue once, you no longer have to spend time on meetings, for example, on the topic “Rotating glass cases for mobile phones - is it good or bad?”

Of course, the standards are effective, but it is necessary to provide for the ability to respond to changes in a timely manner. The stricter the rules, the greater the degree of chaos in the event of any deviation from the usual situation. Therefore, the rules for adapting to the conditions of a particular store and the procedure for making changes and proposals should also be described, and the instructions for store employees should contain information about what actions they can perform on their own, and which - only in agreement with the central office. Changes to the rules should be made based on the results of the store's activities for the period, for example, once a quarter or half a year, if the product the store specializes in has a pronounced seasonality in sales.

Part of the rules and standards that apply to assortment, may include the following:

• Working with commodity groups;
• The ratio of brands for different groups of buyers;
• Rules for highlighting leading products;
• Rules for the selection and introduction of new brands;
• Rules for withdrawing goods/brands from the range;
• Rules for working with slow-moving goods, etc.

When analyzing and optimizing the assortment, it is very important to pay attention to the grouping of reports, since in many cases employees are lost from the abundance of data, and they do not always accurately highlight key points, positive and negative signals. We touched upon the issue of assortment analysis in the article “ Assortment: strategy and tactics”, No. 9 of the journal for 2002, and we plan to consider it in more detail in future articles. Now we note that the effectiveness of the analysis largely depends on the form of the product catalog and the allocation of indicators at the first stage in sufficiently large blocks that will allow you to see the overall picture in the store (from groups and subgroups to brands and types). It is dangerous enough to be strongly tied to the history of sales for the period, while you can not see changes in the buying environment, the activities of competitors and the emergence of new trends in the market.

Now let's move on to practical issues and consider what the format of an album dedicated to the placement and display of goods can be. Such an album should contain the following sections:

1. General Rules - a brief description that includes information about the main display errors that should be avoided in stores.
2. Scheme "Equipment" - a graphical representation of the trading floor with the characteristics of the equipment. For convenience of work and access to information, the shelves on the racks are usually taken into account section by section, and the diagram indicates the dimensions of the rack sections and the number of shelves in each section (working and drive). The "Equipment" scheme is the basis for drawing up schemes and calculating the efficiency of using retail space.
3. Scheme "Location of product groups in the hall" - a plan of the store indicating the location of each product group and rack numbers. For stores with a large area of ​​the trading floor, it is recommended to indicate the number of linear meters allocated for the display of each product group (subgroup).
4. Instructions for replenishing stock in the hall and actions in case of temporary lack of goods (general and for each product group).
5. Laying schemes.
6. Photos of the layout.
7. General rules for laying out, among them:

• display system in the product group (by types, blocks, etc.),
• the principle of species or brand boundaries,
• the principle of color spots and contrast,
• the number of units (including the minimum allowable),
• information about leading products,
• brief information about a possible invalid neighborhood in case of temporary absence of any brand.

The album should contain information about seasonal changes in the assortment and layout: changes in the areas allocated for product groups (subgroups) in accordance with changes in demand, changes in the layout at the end places, goods recommended for allocation in a certain period.

In order for the placement and layout standards to be fully used for work, and not just serve as decoration or a demonstration of the achievements of the analytical department, it is desirable to make the album in 2 versions. The first - for management and managers who carry out analysis and optimization - high-resolution graphic files. And the second, for store employees, is low resolution, but the images must be clear and understandable. When compiling an album, a black and white version should be taken into account, which is easy to reproduce on any, even the oldest and poorly functioning copier in case of loss or damage to the rules and schemes by store employees. That is why in some cases layout schemes are more effective than photographs. The files for the second version of the album should be small in size so that they can be easily transferred by e-mail if necessary.

From this article you will learn:

• Why are customer service standards implemented in the company?
• What are the benefits of using customer service standards
• How customer service standards are developed in the company
• How to Effectively Implement Service Standards
• What are the typical mistakes that occur when developing and implementing customer service standards

Almost every company has sales managers on its staff. And budding entrepreneurs often face the following situation: a manager quits, and his clients “leave” with him. As a rule, this causes serious financial damage to the company, as "their" clients appear with experienced, professional managers. However, even the loss of one or two customers is still unpleasant. As a rule, the loss of customers with the departure of the manager is simply explained - your employee built relationships with the customer on personal sympathy, and not on loyalty to the company as a whole. To avoid this, it is necessary to develop customer service standards for the company.

What are customer service standards

Customer service standards are an internal corporate set of rules that regulate the company's customer service activities, an algorithm for communicating with customers, and general standards for responding to unusual situations. The customer service standard is an integral part of the corporate standard of the company's work.
How to handle customer objections. Find out in the training program
Customer Service Standards Features

1. Arrange. The client does not encounter problems, does not see them, which means that he is sure that all employees without exception are professionals who know their business.
2. To control. It is difficult to evaluate and control the work of each manager if there are no clear evaluation criteria. At the same time, the implementation of the sales plan cannot be the only evaluation parameter; it is necessary to know whether the manager adheres to the standards of customer service adopted in this company.
3. Adapt. Among other things, the existence of customer service standards simplifies the procedure

Customer service standards are effective if the client does not see the difference between the work of two (or more) managers, but sees only "branded" service, always the same, regardless of any external factors and circumstances. A customer service standard that has been proven in practice, supported by experience (perhaps even someone else's), created on the basis of analytical research and recognized methods, can be called "golden". It allows you to increase profits, improve the image of the company, attract new customers.

The use of standards is necessary in the following cases:

• with increased competition;
• with an increase in the number of complaints from customers about the work of the management service;
• with an increase in the number of "problem" cases when working with customers or after customers make a purchase;
• with an increase in the number of "lost" customers due to the fault of the sales department;
• in the absence of a built-in and logical technology for working with clients;
• in the absence of a system for evaluating the work of managers, as well as monitoring the quality of work with clients.

What is the purpose of implementing customer service standards in the company

A superficial glance allows you to see only the tip of the iceberg - convenience for the client. For example, a person who goes on a business trip to another city or country should know the main thing - wherever he is, the company will serve him equally well, the process will be familiar to him and will not cause any difficulties. All actions of both the client and the company are predictable. He knows how the company will behave with him, and the organization, in turn, is ready for any of his questions, requests and wishes. However, behind this is the main task of the company - increasing customer loyalty, and, as a result, improving economic performance.
The goals of implementing standards are as follows.

• For employees with experience: minimize the number of erroneous and unnecessary actions. The result of this will be saving time for each employee (no errors - no need to waste time correcting them). And, as a result, improved performance.
• For novice employees: customer service standards allow you to transfer the necessary knowledge in the most concise form and in the shortest possible time.
• For the company: the abolition of dependence on the old-timers. Not all employees who have worked in the company for many years (or even since the day of its foundation) are able to resist the so-called star disease. Having knowledge and experience, a person loses the ability to objectively evaluate his work, it begins to seem to him that he is the best manager in the company. This can end very badly - in case of dismissal, such an employee will take the base, and turn customers against the company. Customer service standards are needed so that all employees can be evaluated on a single scale, based on the actual benefit they bring to the company, as well as the attitude of the employee to the company.
• For the company: uniformity of control over the activities of managers. The standards are unambiguous, exclude double interpretations, and therefore cannot cause disputes about the rightness of an employee or employer.
• For managers: the standards of unified customer service are the same for all managers, and this allows you to make the remuneration of each manager absolutely transparent and intelligible. Realizing that there will be no double interpretations, the manager may not be afraid that he will be paid less than expected - all his mistakes and achievements are immediately visible and understandable.

The application of service standards allows:

• develop a company style in communicating with clients;
• increase the effectiveness of the work of managers with new clients;
• bring the quality of communication with customers to a higher level;
• to create a positive opinion of the client about the company, so that he would recommend it to his friends, thus increasing the number of potential, and then real customers;
• minimize conflicts between the manager and the customer;
• develop a technology for training beginners;
• transfer the assessment of the manager's work from subjective to objective, transparent and understandable to everyone;
• establish a procedure for monitoring the work of personnel;
• increase the motivation of managers to work.

As a result, all of the above will lead to an increase in the client base and the company's income.

Why it is beneficial to use customer service standards in a company

The manager in the company is always under double control - on the part of management and on the part of customers. Customer service standards give the employee confidence that his actions will be analyzed and evaluated objectively. However, the manager understands that there is a clear algorithm for evaluating his work, which means that excuses and the search for arguments in his favor are useless - if he really made a mistake, this will be identified and assessed accordingly. The “debriefing” will be just as fair for the rest of the employees - both the punishment and the reward will be fair. Thus, the manager strives to show the best results in order to receive an appropriate reward.

Benefits of using service standards

• Accumulation of experience: the entire base is concentrated in the company, and not in the hands of “old-timer” managers. Thus, the departure of one or more "old" employees does not become a "natural disaster" for the company.
• Motivation, analysis and control: customer service standards allow the development of a transparent scheme for motivating managers based on a clear, almost mathematical analysis of their work. The sales process is streamlined.
• Setting goals. With the help of standards, the company is able to set clear, reasonable plans. This allows you to keep the atmosphere in the team friendly and stable, and the absence of "indistinct" tasks - to increase the loyalty of managers to the company.
• Customer Service Standards is a fairly mobile system that allows you to immediately detect errors in working with customers and quickly eliminate them. In addition, at any stage of working with a client, the head of the sales department can intervene in the process, noticing an error in the work of the manager, and even act ahead of the curve - to prevent the error that the manager is making.
• Quick and easy start for beginners. Customer service standards are actually a knowledge base, collected, analyzed and ordered. Such information is easily transmitted and assimilated by beginners, which means that the beginner quickly gets to work and begins to make a profit. In addition, a newcomer will not spoil the relationship with the client with awkward actions, as he already knows what to do in any conflict and problem situations.
• Customer trust. Customer service standards allow the latter to feel confident in the company - wherever the customer is, he will always easily recognize “his” company by brand features and can be absolutely sure that in a small town he will be served with the same quality as in a million-plus city, because that everyone in the company knows their job well. So this company can be trusted.

What criteria should customer service standards meet?

• concreteness. Since customer service quality standards are created to control the activities of a certain group of people, they should be simple and understandable to each member of this group, regardless of their age, work experience, education and other factors. There should be no vague, fuzzy, wording that allows for different interpretations. So, if a standard for the illumination of a room is created, it is not enough to write that it “should be light at any time of the day with the help of lighting devices”. This immediately gives rise to a number of questions and misunderstanding - what does “light” mean? What kind of lighting fixtures can be used at different times of the day? Is the use of all appliances in clear weather considered a violation, and if so, will the person in charge of the premises be punished? Therefore, when drawing up a lighting standard, it is always clearly indicated which lighting devices, at what time of day and in what weather, should work.
• measurability. The customer service standard cannot contain such ratings as “quick”, “slow”, “prompt”, etc. For example, a manager should not answer an incoming call “quickly” - this is a loose concept. It would be correct to indicate that the manager must answer the incoming call within 7 seconds.
• The reality of performance. Before introducing customer service standards, make sure you have the resources to enforce them. Make sure employees are provided with the necessary tools for the job. If at some point an employee discovers mutually exclusive or controversial concepts and definitions, immediately respond and correct the defect.
• Transparency for employees. Since customer service standards are created to improve the efficiency of the company as a whole, it is necessary to bring this information to each manager. The easiest way to explain this is to newcomers, because when they join the organization, they immediately accept the “conditions of the game”. The most difficult thing is the introduction of standards for the "old-timers" - accustomed to working according to their own system, they often do not recognize any innovations. Explain how what is happening will affect customer loyalty, what problems may arise in case of non-compliance with the standard (not for the manager, but first of all for the client).
• Relevance. Customer service standards should correlate with the objectives of the company as a whole, both today and in the future. Therefore, if necessary, they need to be quickly changed, supplemented, improved. But a balanced approach is needed - too frequent changes introduce an imbalance in the team, the staff may get the impression that "the authorities themselves do not know what they want."
• Providing employees with autonomy within their powers. No matter how much you want, no standard can provide absolutely all the nuances of working with clients. Therefore, employees should have opportunities for creativity and personal contact with the customer. Provide for some variability - if the manager has been working with the client for a long time, he is able to make the right decision from the proposed ones in accordance with his needs and character.
• Complexity. All activities of the company should be as standardized as possible. This applies to all departments, not just managers directly. For example, if a company is engaged in connecting the Internet, then in addition to the specialist offering the service, the dispatcher, executing technicians, etc. are involved in the execution and execution of the application. Service standards must be formed for all employees involved in the process.
• Economic expediency. Compliance with standards should not be unprofitable for the company.
• Recommended criterion: observance of a single structure of standards for all positions.

How is the development of customer service standards in the company

The process begins with the appointment of a working group and a direct project manager. The most competent are personnel officers and marketers, and the working group should also include employees of the sales department as the most “immersed” in the situation. The team must have a representative from among the "ordinary" managers - with his help, you can take into account all the nuances of the work of salespeople. Next, we act according to the plan.

1. The project manager must be empowered to collect information, schedule group meetings.
2. An action plan for developing customer service standards is drawn up and discussed with the group. Responsible for each area of ​​work and work schedule are appointed.
3. There is a phased discussion of the work. All subtotals are recorded and analyzed.
4. The final version of the project is drawn up, which is submitted for consideration to all employees of the company. At this stage, the management makes corrections and suggestions to the plan, and it is important to consider all wishes as tactfully and in the interests of all employees as possible. Often at this stage, a top manager makes a mistake, which can subsequently negate all efforts: what is called, “presses with authority”. It is better to act democratically - to bring proposals and additions to the attention of all members of the working group, give time for reflection and hold a secret ballot. The trust that the manager will provide at this stage will additionally stimulate employees and increase their loyalty to the company. In addition, managers will fulfill the standards, and their opinion should be listened to.
5. After making all the additions and proposals, the finished customer service standard goes to the CEO (or other person exercising general management in the company). At this stage, the head can already make adjustments, and whether or not to accept them will be determined by a secret ballot, in which this time the heads of structural divisions will participate.

What are the steps involved in developing customer service standards?

Stage 1. We determine the indicator by which the company is ahead of its competitors. It will become a cornerstone in the development of customer service standards.
Three main benefits can be identified.

1. Price-quality ratio"

We choose if the company sells a product with an optimal set of qualities at a minimum cost. Our consumer is a thrifty person who values ​​practicality above all else in a product or service. When developing service standards, special emphasis is placed on everything that helps to reduce the cost of goods (services). It is also important to emphasize the ease of maintenance, the speed of obtaining a product (service), its (her) durability or length in time.

1. "Best in line"

We use it if the product (service) has one or more unique qualities, parameters, properties that are not represented by competitors. Our consumer prefers reliability, but prestige and the opportunity to show individuality are also important to him.
In this case, the customer service strategy is largely "tied" to the manager - he must thoroughly know the properties of "his" product, as well as analogues, in order to conduct a comparative analysis for the client. Also, the specialist must “know the client by sight” - who is the person who could need exactly your product? In addition, it is important that the manager does not overdo it in trying to sell the best, taking advantage of the fact that the buyer does not pay too much attention to the price.

1. "Proximity to the consumer"

Assumes an individual approach to each client. Our customer appreciates attention, sincerity. He will pay tribute to the new products that the company will offer, anticipating his requests and needs, but will not overspend, trying to acquire the newest and most prestigious.
The main role in such a strategy is played by the seller of goods (services). He must be a psychologist, be able to maintain a conversation with the customer on any topic, unobtrusively collect information about him, necessary for the sale of goods.
Stage 2. Organizational structure, selection of positions.
Having decided on a competitive advantage, we select employees for whom customer service standards will be developed. Pay attention to the following.

• First of all, it is necessary to define customer service standards for “technical” specialists, lower-level employees. These are those employees who repeat the same actions every day when working with clients (for example, “cold calls”). It is relatively easy to create customer service standards for such workers, as well as to implement a system of standards. As a rule, there is no or almost no creative component in the work of such employees and there is no decision-making function.
• Creating standards of customer service for executives, starting with the head of the department, is almost impossible. It is only possible to create a common standard for the entire management, which will include the technical aspects of the work, the principles of maintaining and reporting.

Stage 3. After choosing the type of advantage, formulate a model of "ideal service".
If your company had a code of conduct, mission, and values ​​prior to introducing customer service standards, use that information.
There should be two models: the ideal organization as a whole and the ideal work of specific employees in their positions.
For the first model, we answer a number of questions:

• What should be our company in the eyes of customers?
• How should relations between employees of the company be built?
• How should the relationship between management and executives be built?

Questions for the second model:

• How should an employee of the company look in front of the client? (appearance and behavior pattern)
• What is the relationship between the client and the individual employee, their nature.
• What situations are possible in working with a client?
• At what stage does a particular employee begin to communicate with the client (for example, at the beginning of negotiations or at the final stage).
• Non-standard situations that arise when communicating with a client.
• Terms of reference for the maintenance of the premises and tools for each position (office, office equipment).
• A package of documents for each position.

When developing models, it is necessary not only to take into account the opinion of all involved employees of the company and its management, but also to involve customers in the process, especially for the formation of the first model. By the way, some companies also take into account the models of competitors, for which they specifically communicate with them under the guise of customers. Of course, an ordinary customer will not be allowed into the internal “kitchen”, but nevertheless, in this way it is possible to identify annoying or, conversely, details and innovations that are conducive to communication.
Stage 4. Establish common customer service standards for all employees.
At this stage, you need to create a certain subculture that is unique to your organization, but based on the principles of business etiquette, handling objections and claims, and corporate ethics.
Stage 5. Form unique customer service standards for each specific position involved in the process of working with a client.
At this stage, it is necessary to literally lay out the entire production process “on the shelves”. You can use the following division as a template.

1. External customer service standards.

These are the standards that the client sees: the type, shape, color of the room, equipment, technology in which the work is being done, as well as the actual communication procedure.

1. Internal customer service standards.

This group includes standards that the client does not see, although he can see the result of their implementation (for example, when it comes to cleaning premises for work - a store, office, bank branch). This group also includes document processing standards.

1. Technological standards (regulations for the work of employees).

Step-by-step guide: how to effectively implement customer service standards

In order for the implementation of customer service standards to go smoothly, you need to do it at the stage of company formation. Then the staff will take this for granted. However, many enterprises and organizations were formed long before the introduction of customer service standards became the norm in Russia. In such companies, it is rarely possible to do without open and hidden resistance of employees to innovations that are being introduced by management. Let's talk about how to implement customer service standards as efficiently as possible and minimize employee resistance.

Step 1. Bring the standards to the staff

Remember: in order for corporate rules to work, it is necessary that all employees accept them, and not just “reconcile” under pressure from management. And for acceptance, understanding is necessary - it is important to bring to each employee, from the general director to the incoming technician, why it is necessary to comply with customer service standards. It may be necessary to resort to unpopular measures to influence those who are particularly recalcitrant. But it is important not to go too far, but to really understand what you are dealing with: is it a stubborn unwillingness to leave the comfort zone and conservatism, or do employees really have reasons not to accept customer service standards in the form in which you offer them?

Step 2. We hold a meeting of employees

It is necessary to hold a general meeting of employees and clarify the prospects. Don't talk about what punishments threaten an employee who does not want to work according to the new rules. Tell us about the prospects of the company, about the positive consequences, explain that ignoring the changes will have a negative impact on the work of the enterprise as a whole, and therefore on each of its employees. Be sure to print out the standards for each employee who has to work on them, and record the results of the general meeting and distribute them to the employees for signature.

Step 3. Set the "transition period"

Do not try to introduce customer service standards, as they say, one day. In this case, shock therapy is not the best way out. Set a deadline for employees to learn the new rules, conduct several trainings. Do not immediately punish those who make mistakes - explain and correct. But the boundaries of the "transitional period" must be clearly defined and communicated to each employee.

Step 4. We check the assimilation of information by employees and

After the transition period, test employees on the new customer service standards. Do not rush to punish those who showed the worst result, give them a couple of days to prepare, and then conduct a “re-examination”. By this point, employees should have learned that they will have to work according to the new rules. Excuses “I didn’t understand”, “It needs to be done differently” are no longer accepted - clarifications could be received during the transition period, and proposals were accepted at the preparation stage and also during the transition period.

Step 5. We develop penalties

Be prepared for the fact that you will have to punish especially stubborn employees. In this case, neither their past merits nor other subjective reasons should stop you. Think over the system of punishments in advance - these can be fines, reprimands, deprivation of bonuses, bonuses, benefits, etc. You may even have to part ways with a few employees. And the parting will be unpleasant, given that in this case the team will most likely be on their side (“They came up with nonsense, and even fired a well-deserved employee because of it!”). But even the hottest heads tend to cool down if they see that you are serious.

Step 6. Require the implementation of standards

Demand service standards from all parts of your production chain. And equally seriously control all participants in the process. For example, if you require a manager to increase the number of home Internet sales, then you must be sure that the technical service that works directly at the connection site will cope with the increased volume of work. All requirements of customer service standards must be physically achievable.

Step 7. We control compliance with standards

At first, while the employees are not yet sufficiently accustomed to the new requirements, there may be breakdowns, attempts to "under the guise" to switch to the "old" scheme familiar to them. Control yourself, demand the same from the heads of departments, appoint responsible persons directly from among the performers so that they report to you on compliance with customer service standards. These are internal controls. Combine them with external control methods (for example, use the “mystery shopper” service).

Step 8. Standards Analysis

You do not need control for the sake of control, analyze the results and be sure to act on their basis - encourage, fine, conduct additional training. Perhaps it is advisable to change something in the customer service standards, or maybe you did not take into account something at the preparation stage and the standards need to be supplemented.

Introduction

Conclusion

Bibliography

INTRODUCTION

Retail trade is one of the most important areas for providing the population. It is an intermediary in the implementation of the market agreement between product supply and consumer demand. Being a source of cash flow, trade thus forms the basis for the financial stability of the state.

During the period of market reforms, it has undergone fundamental changes.

In retail trade, as in no other branch of the economic system, a rich competitive environment has formed. Entrepreneurial and investment activity in this area is the highest.

The modern commodity market is characterized by relatively high saturation, there is virtually no shortage of goods. The bureaucratic system of distribution of goods has been completely replaced by relations of free purchase and sale.

The dynamism of the volumes and structure of the sale of goods and services is gradually becoming more stable.

At retail trade enterprises, the process of circulation of funds invested in production consumer goods is completed, the commodity form of value is transformed into money, and an economic basis is created for the resumption of production of goods. Here, constant quantitative and qualitative changes are taking place, caused by the use of advanced technology, the improvement of machinery and equipment, management methods, which ensure an increase in the efficiency of the work of trade enterprises and an increase in the culture of trade.

The transition to a market economy, the emergence of a wide variety of organizational and legal forms of enterprises have led to the need for new approaches to the organization and technology of trade processes, to the widespread development of private initiative and entrepreneurship. All this imposes new requirements on the training of specialists whose professional activities are carried out in the sphere of commodity circulation.

As the standard of living rises and the market is saturated with goods, the needs of the buyer change. First of all, the need for the product itself is replaced by the need to belong to a certain group, to recognize the status, in a good relationship (everyone wants to enjoy the buying process). Satisfaction of these needs refers to the intangible factors of loyalty. Over time, the retail network is forced to offer not only a wide range at good prices, but also a good attitude towards its customers, to be emotionally attractive to its customers. This issue is especially acute, oddly enough in popular stores, where there is a large customer flow. Position of the seller: "There are many of you, I am one!" - a classic for many successful stores. And before a caring attitude towards the client becomes the norm for the sales staff, they will have to work hard.

Retail Service Standards

In the competition between retail chains, those who can offer customers something unique and valuable win. Quality service is a real competitive advantage. Firstly, because it allows you to retain existing customers. Secondly, because it is difficult to copy by competitors.

If the level of service in two or three stores can still be controlled without relying on system management, then a network of 5 or more stores cannot be managed ad hoc. So, the time has come to optimize and standardize all business processes, including the process of customer service.

The standardization process is necessary to ensure that all sales staff, in all stores of the distribution network, serve customers equally well. Based on the behavior of the best sellers and knowledge of the psychology of consumers, service standards are developed.

The technology for the development and implementation of standards is shown in fig. one.

Figure 1 - Technology for the development and implementation of standards

1) company policy regarding customer service appearance of the seller

2) the behavior of the seller on the trading floor

3) description of the customer service process

4) clear rules for interaction with the client at each stage of the service process

5) rules of conduct in conflict and non-standard situations.

But the secret of success is not only in how customer-oriented service standards are, but in how they are implemented and maintained.

The first step: the implementation of standards must necessarily contain training. Employees need to practice and “feel” how the standards work. Only after training, you can begin implementation, begin to evaluate the compliance of employee behavior with approved standards.

The second step: if a company is serious about putting the standards into practice, it must assign a person responsible for monitoring their implementation. For the first 3-4 months, this control can be total and explicit (there is a controller with a checklist behind him), and later it can be selective and hidden (mystery shopper, surprise check, etc.). Evaluation of compliance with service standards can also be taken into account in the appraisal of personnel. This allows you to select and retain the most successful sellers, raise their status through career growth.

The third step: the introduction of standards must necessarily be supported by a motivation system. Only in this case, the standards will not remain on paper. The more transparent the connection between meeting the standards and the sales staff bonus, or evaluation of their qualifications, the faster successful behaviors take root.

It is noteworthy that in the future, even ardent opponents of standards among employees note the positive aspects of their implementation - it becomes easier to work with clients.

It is important to understand that standards should be reviewed and adjusted over time (but not more than once a year) to match the changes that have taken place, and not remain anachronistic.

And in conclusion, we list the main effects of the implementation of service standards:

1) sales growth

2) increase in the number of regular customers

3) reduction of conflict situations

4) the growth of the professional level of the sales staff

5) formation of a recognizable and positive brand image of the retail network

conclusion

In conclusion, I would like to say. Sales staff work standards - shops need. It is like a beacon for beginners, which shows them standard situations, as well as what and how to do and what to say in them. Unfortunately, this also has a minus when the service process becomes too standard, and therefore predictable, uninteresting and even somewhat boorish according to some buyers. Why? The answer is simple, we are all people, not robots, with our whole range of emotional experiences and moods, so we want to be approached individually depending on:

Our mood;

The one who came with us;

What product do we choose?

Hurry, we or there is time to look.

A clear implementation of standards is possible only with strict control over the actions of the sales staff, which is quite rare, so smart salespeople feel what the client needs and approach them outside the box. Hence the answer, how to write these requirements is simply to observe those consultants who suit you in terms of average check and total sales, as well as the quality of customer service, and simply describe how they do it. This will be correctly developed customer service standards.

There is some rule regarding the detailed compliance of the seller with the prescribed standards of communication with customers. The higher the cost of production, the less rigidly the standards should be prescribed.

Degree of "standard" service

Mass market - high;

Bridge - medium;

Premium or luxury - low.

For example, if we take a group of goods of the Luxury class, then the individual approach to the client is most important there, because. these buyers are more demanding and sensitive to service. Plus, the policy of many expensive brands speaks of a special aura of their products, which the seller-consultant should be able to create when serving the buyer. And you can't write it in the standards. Not only that, in some boutiques in the service standards it is written: "Be prepared to break standards for the sake of customer satisfaction!

A positive result in the form of service standards adopted for execution is made up of the accumulated experience of the company's employees, the political will of the management and the expertise of the involved group of professionals.

How does the work on preparing service standards begin? At the first stage, the management of the network or enterprise is interviewed in order to understand what they want to get as a result of the implementation of service standards in their organization. Then those “bright heads” from among the staff are interviewed. The next important step after clarifying positions is finding a balance so that the interests of both parties are balanced, and all this is adequate to the expectations of customers. When the standards are written down on paper, it's time for trainings or workshops. There may be different forms, but, in fact, these are some kind of group actions with the aim, firstly, to overcome the natural resistance of employees to innovations, and, secondly, to adapt their behavior to these standards. As you know, people work best when they understand why they do it. Therefore, one of the main results of the training should be people's understanding of the tasks assigned to them and their involvement in the ranks of supporters of the decisions made.

bibliography

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Characteristics of the trade and financial activities of the trading house "Vityaz". Analysis of the organization of the trade and technological process: delivery and acceptance of goods, storage and preparation for sale. Recommendations for improving the trade and technological process.

Standardization is a tool for improving quality. Its essence, tasks and main elements. The history of the development of standardization in Russia, the first GOSTs. Activities of the International Organization for Standardization (ISO). Application of standardization in the service sector.

General provisions of certification in Japan. Interaction of the Committee for long-term planning with the European organizations for standardization SEN and SENELEC. Analysis of non-tariff trade-political means of regulating restrictions on the import of goods into Japan.

Description of the integrated system of global standards. Trade applications of bar coding, e-commerce, global data synchronization and electronic product code to identify and communicate information about products and services.

Approaches to creating sales trainings. Classification of the basic concepts of building sales training programs according to T.A. Soltitskaya. Sales process training focused on the seller. Resistance groups according to R.A. Schnappauf. Purpose and structure of the training.

Linking the growth of quality and competitiveness of goods with environmental certification. Influence of Ukraine's accession to the COT on the competitiveness of products. General requirements regarding the system of standards and conformity assessment for COT member countries.

The essence and specificity of the theory of customer service. Basic rules of behavior of the seller. General characteristics of the trade enterprise LLC "Avtozapchasti", analysis of the ways of technological service for its customers and recommendations for its improvement.

Analysis of the system of total quality control, focused on the consumer of products and on the mass and conscious involvement of managers and employees of the manufacturer in the work to improve the quality of manufactured products. Documentation of quality systems.

Development of the restaurant business in Russia. restaurant chain standards. Service standards. Features of the organization of the network. Types of business network structure. Organization of restaurant business in Moscow. Sbarro network. Other restaurants in Russia.

The concept, meaning and factors of product quality assurance. Methods for assessing quality indicators. An ongoing learning process (focused on jobs) and increased staff motivation. Product quality management service at the enterprise.

Observation of the work of counter and hall salesmen, cashiers in the Ekonta store, which was carried out in accordance with the developed customer service standards. Characteristics of minuses and pluses in the interaction of cashiers and sellers with customers.

Competitiveness of the company in a crisis. The problem of inconsistency in the actions of departments and the lack of a unified vision of the company's goals. Standardization of work of personnel. Cost optimization, assortment management, flexible pricing policy.

Fundamental concepts of quality management: management, assurance, improvement, traceability and quality identification. Stages of the life cycle of products. Quality loop and its stages. Supply and production activities. Quality star system.

The study of the essence of certification of quality systems operating at enterprises in various industries and sectors of the economy, which has become an element of the culture of production and economic activity and a serious factor in competitiveness.

Definition, goals and objectives of merchandising. History of merchandising. The current stage of development of merchandising. The practice of merchandising in Russia in our time. Stimulating the desire of consumers to choose and buy the promoted product.

The attractiveness of stores, the value of the latest technology in its enhancement. Organizations exercising control over compliance with the rules of trade. Requirements for personnel directly involved in the commercial service of citizens in the store.

Consumer service quality indicators. Determining the fundamental reasons for customer dissatisfaction in the fuzzy positioning of retailers. The use of the services of "secret agents" to assess the service level of retailers.

Ivleva Tatiana

At the moment, there is no single approach and no classical technology for developing service standards. The main goal of service standards is to create a unique competitive advantage for the company. Therefore, standards are the unconditional "know-how" of any company, and there are simply no "standards for writing standards".

The process of creating standards is a long and painstaking procedure that requires patience and significant time costs on the part of the participants in this process. Therefore, I will also try to suggest some approaches that will optimize this process and make it more compressed in time.

Determination of "Personnel performance standards" and "Customer service standards". Difference and interrelation of "Standards" with other internal corporate documents

One of the frequently asked questions is how the standards differ from other documents available in the organization, such as job descriptions. Let's try to figure it out by analyzing the main types and types of documents that regulate the work of personnel in an organization.

The documents:

Staff work standards are formalized and specified requirements for the actions of staff that employees must perform at a certain frequency, in a certain order, at a certain time or in typical situations.

Customer Service Standards - Part of the "Personnel Performance Standards" relating to direct interaction with customers.

Goals of implementing the "Standards" in the organization, expected effects and results

The main goal is to provide the company with a strategic competitive advantage. The presence of standards guarantees the client that no matter which employee of the company he communicates with, he will receive the service of the "brand" quality that is inherent in this brand.

Tasks for the implementation of standards:

• unify the actions of personnel in various areas. This is of particular relevance for networks seeking to achieve brand recognition through uniformity in the delivery of services and quality of customer service.
• Make work procedures as clear as possible for employees (not only WHAT to do, but also HOW). This is primarily relevant for line personnel, in whose activities a large number of similar / standard actions or situations can be distinguished.
• Create grounds for a transparent and objective assessment of the work of employees

Effects and results from the implementation of the Standards:

• Achieving a uniform quality of services and customer service for all points of the network or distinctive features of the outlet ("recognizable", "predictable" service).
• Optimization of work processes and procedures (elimination of unnecessary or erroneous actions on the part of personnel)
• Clarity of the workflow for employees, minimizing the time spent by managers on the adaptation of new employees
• Increasing the motivation of employees by understanding the criteria for evaluating the work and work of colleagues

What Standards Can't Do:

• Re-educate employees in terms of their attitude towards customers (therefore, you need to select the “right” people)
• Replace the control function on the part of the manager (the existence of standards will not ensure their automatic implementation, so the control function on the part of the manager is very important. However, standards greatly facilitate the control procedure).

Determining the criteria to be met by effective staff and customer service standards

Staff performance standards must meet the following criteria:

• Specificity - should not contain vague and ambiguous formulations that allow different interpretations by people with different education, upbringing, experience, etc.

• Measurable - if the standard requires an employee to perform an action within a certain time or with a quality that can be measured in any units, then this time or units of measurement should be clearly recorded

Often there is a combination of vagueness and immeasurability of the wording

• Reality of execution - standards should not contain mutually exclusive or contradictory requirements. In addition, employees must understand what resources or techniques they can use to meet the requirements of the standards.

• Transparency for employees of the goals that are achieved by meeting the standard - employees will be sincere in meeting standards only if they understand what a particular standard is for, what customer need it satisfies, and how the customer may feel that the standard is not being met. This criterion is important, first of all, in relation to those standards that regulate contact with customers.

An example of writing a standard in accordance with this condition:

• Relevance - standards should change in accordance with new tasks, approaches, requirements and strategy of the company.
• Providing employees with independence within their powers, variability of standards - first of all, this criterion refers to customer service standards. Standards should leave some freedom for creativity and personal expression of employees. This allows us to avoid the "robotization" of service, to introduce elements of sincerity and personal attitude of employees. The principle of "necessity and sufficiency" of standards must be respected, the service process in most companies cannot be 100% standardized.
• Comprehensiveness - standards (including customer service standards) should cover all company personnel, and not just positions directly responsible for working with customers.
• Economic feasibility - standards must be economically justified. If the implementation of standards turns out to be unjustified costs for the company, it is not advisable to introduce such a standard.
• Recommended criterion: observance of a single structure of standards for all positions. This allows employees to quickly navigate the requirements, and managers - more clearly and systematically monitor compliance with standards.

Algorithm for developing the Standards for the work of personnel and customer service

1. Determine the type of competitive advantage according to which the standards will be developed.

Trout's Scheme: Competitive advantage can be realized in three ways:

• Price-quality ratio". Requires a set of the most important parameters for the consumer for minimal money, aimed at satisfying such customer benefits as practicality and savings
• Position "best by product". Assumes that the product (product + service) has a unique quality in one or more parameters. This strategy serves such needs as prestige, reliability, the desire to emphasize one's individuality.
• The strategy of "proximity to the consumer" - involves the provision of a service that a particular client needs, an individual attitude.

Requirements for standards:

• If a company is pursuing a value-for-money strategy, then standards are important to help reduce the customer's costs of purchasing a product. Therefore, standards are needed for the purchasing department, as well as for participants in the entire technological chain that the product passes through. For sellers of a practice oriented strategy, the standards often describe speed and ease of service.
• If the company implements the strategy "best in product", then the seller needs to: know the product well; be able to conduct a comparative analysis with cheaper products (the phrases “our price is high, because a quality product”, “everything will break right away”, “we guarantee quality” do not count), as well as know the situations in which the client needs the best product. So, the offer of the most reliable equipment that will function for 100 years, and the client is going to renew this product every five years, is inappropriate, and it is important to help the client make a choice towards a less expensive product.
• If the company implements the strategy of "proximity to the consumer", then the highest requirements are placed on the work of the seller. To realize the competitive advantage of the company - an individual solution to the client's problem - the seller must be able to collect the maximum amount of information about the buyer, and also clearly understand in what situation what changes in the product are necessary for the client. In addition, when implementing such a strategy, the seller must become “their boyfriend” and be able to keep up the conversation not only about shades of nail polish, but also about new fashion, yachting, difficulties in relationships with relatives, etc.

• regardless of the price segment and type of competitive advantage, the client wants to receive attention and sincerity in communication.
• standards should be high enough to meet and exceed the needs of the target client audience, but not expensive enough for them to scare away customers with cost indicators.

1. Consider the organizational structure, select positions to be described in the standards.

When considering the organizational structure and selecting positions for standardization, it is important to consider the following points:

 Positions are subject to standardization, the functionality of which is of a procedural nature, i.e. in many respects it consists of cyclic actions that are repeated during the working day or for a longer period of time, incl. if these procedures relate to interaction with customers. The work of line specialists can be standardized to some extent in all areas. If the company plans to work on the implementation of standards gradually, then it is better to start with those positions that have direct contact with customers.

 The more autonomy in decision-making the position implies, the more difficult it is to describe the standards. For managers, starting from the level of the head of the department, only standards that are common to all employees of the organization, as well as describing the technical aspects of activities and issues related to reporting, can be used.

1. Describe the vision of the "ideal" service in accordance with the chosen type of competitive advantage.

If the company has a written mission and values, a code of corporate conduct, these documents can be used to form a vision.

At this stage, it is important to form two types of visions:

1. Vision of the "ideal" organization as a whole.
2. Vision of the “ideal” work of an employee in each specific standardized position.

Company vision:

When forming a company vision, it is important to answer the following questions:

Vision for specific positions:

When forming a vision for a position, it is important to answer the following questions:

To form a vision, it is necessary to take into account the opinion of 3 parties:

1. Owners and managers of the company.

Methods: group discussion, meeting, brainstorming, analysis of independent research results.

1. Employees directly involved in customer service.

Methods: brainstorming, role-playing game "Customer of the company", analysis of the results of service quality research, comparative analysis with competitors.

1. Clients.

Methods: interviews, questionnaires, "included" analysis of service procedures, focus groups.

1. In addition, in order to “detune” from competitors, to find moments where the company has the opportunity to demonstrate a clear advantage or isolate bright “selling” moments, you can visit competitors under the guise of a client. This procedure is especially useful because it allows you to feel in the place of the client, to look at the service process "from the other side", to understand the important points for the client in service.

1. Select blocks of requirements that should apply to all employees.

Main sections:

1. General standards of employee behavior and customer relations
2. Handling customer requests or complaints
3. telephone etiquette
4. Relationships with leaders
5. Relationships with colleagues

Each block, if appropriate, must be divided into main components in accordance with the most typical situations that arise in the work (for example, communication with a new client and communication with a regular client, etc.)

1. Select blocks of standards for each position.

The main ones (the classification is given in terms of the convenience of ensuring control and description of standards):

1. Service standards - visible to customers (external)

1.1. Technical standards

• Appearance
• condition of the premises
• status of reporting equipment

1.2. Interaction standards

 Describe the procedure for interacting with the client

1. Service standards - invisible (internal)

 Procedures hidden from the eyes of clients (cleaning, preparation of premises for operation, etc.).

 preparation of documents and reports

1. Technological standards (associated with the regulation of the implementation of production processes by employees).

The general principle is to first prescribe the most frequently occurring situations or procedures, and then disclose them in the standards.

The procedure for organizing the development of Standards in the company.

1. Creation of a working group.

Rules for creating a working group:

• The working group should include heads of client departments, a personnel manager, a service manager, a part of employees who work directly with clients, and, if possible, a marketer. The inclusion of ordinary specialists in the working group is important not only in order to take into account their opinion as the people who best represent the nuances of the service process, but also to facilitate the subsequent implementation of standards in the work.
• The standards development project leader should be empowered to request information and arrange for interaction with the company's management and owners. If the company has a rigidly built hierarchical management system, the team leader must belong to the number of top managers in order to receive the appropriate authority.
• To develop standards for individual positions, employees or managers, whose opinion and information may be important, as well as external experts - specialists in the field of service or in professional fields, can be involved in the work.
• It is desirable that an expert (internal or external) be present in the working group, who can carry out the interim and final audit of the standards.

1. Identification of those responsible for various areas of work and standardization of individual positions.
2. Collection of information regarding the vision and expectations from the content of the standards from the company's management, employees, customers (ie the formation of visions through appropriate activities).
3. Work on writing standards in the working group.

• A plan for the development of standards is determined (indicating the deadlines and responsible for each of the stages)
• Meetings of the working groups are held regularly, with a fixed frequency. The frequency is set depending on how quickly it is necessary to develop the final version of the standards.
• The person responsible for the block summarizes the information received from management, employees, customers and submits the draft standard for consideration to the members of the working group (it is desirable that the members of the working group have the opportunity to familiarize themselves with the standard before the meeting, and during the meeting to discuss the wishes and comments that have arisen).
• During the discussion of the working group, additions and clarifications are made to the standards, if necessary, additional experts are involved. The working group should also evaluate the standards in terms of their compliance with the criteria of the standards (measurability, specificity, etc.), if necessary, the standard is being finalized. At this stage, it is also important to assess whether this standard is mandatory and whether it can be replaced by another solution. If such proposals arise, it is necessary to form a list of them, evaluate the budget and the possibility of execution.

1. Standard audit.

The final version of the standard is audited by a working group expert or external consultants. If possible, it can be recommended to ask real customers to evaluate the standard.

It can be very effective to conduct a preliminary audit “in real time”, i.e. implementation of a visit by a representative of the target client group in the Mystery shopping mode. In this case, the inspector gets acquainted with the proposed standards in advance and during the visit evaluates how appropriate and convenient they are, as well as how realistic, from his point of view, their implementation.

1. Finalization and design in accordance with the approved design standard and standard structure. Produced by the person responsible for the development of this standard. Then the standards are finalized by the working group, taking into account the comments and suggestions that have arisen.
2. Approval by the company's management. After the final agreement, execution and approval by the working group, the standards are submitted for approval by the company's management.

Methodology for the implementation of the Standards. Ensuring external and internal control over their observance.

Implementation of approved standards is carried out in several stages.

In order for the implementation of standards to be as effective as possible, it is necessary to carry out this work systematically and consistently, to allocate a sufficient amount of time for the implementation of standards (with a competent approach, the full implementation of standards can take about 6 months).

Stage 1. Informing staff about the start of development and implementation of standards in the organization.

Methods: posting information in a corporate publication, reporting at a general meeting of employees, bringing information through direct supervisors. To increase the motivation and interest of the staff in this process, to ensure the involvement of the staff, you can announce a competition for the best ideas.

Stage 2. Establishment of working groups for the development of standards. Inclusion of lay employees in the working groups will contribute to the goal of better awareness of this process, as well as ensure that the views of lay personnel are taken into account, which will facilitate subsequent implementation.

Stage 3. Analysis of the approved standards in terms of whether the staff has the necessary knowledge, skills and abilities, as well as the sufficiency of motivation to meet the standards.

It is advisable at this stage to conduct an assessment in terms of the compliance of the current state with the new service standards in order to see the areas of the strongest discrepancies and draw the attention of the staff to them (it is better to do this through the “Mystery shopping” procedure).

Drawing up a training plan for the missing knowledge and skills, if necessary - correction of the motivation system. If it is planned that the quality of compliance with service standards will affect the motivation systems, then the change and introduction of a new remuneration system. It is more correct to first introduce new standards and give employees time to master them, and only then introduce changes to the Pay System.

Stage 4. Informing employees about the introduction of standards. Clarification of the goals and organizational changes that are associated with the introduction of standards.

Stage 5 Familiarization of employees with the content of the standards:

1. Acquaintance with the documents describing the standards. Explanation of new procedures and rules.

It is recommended to issue general service standards in the form of a book (if there is sufficient budget, issue with the participation of designers and layout designers and print in a printing house), and standards for positions - in the form of separate brochures, because they may change more frequently. Technology standards are often mandated by product manufacturers or service providers, and may be described in brochures or other documents provided by manufacturers.

The design of standards emphasizes the importance and value of this document for the organization.

1. Conducting training on the implementation of standards (or training in the "field" mode).

Stage 6 Organization of control.

What is not controlled is not executed.

The most effective is the combination of internal and external control procedures.

Internal control - is provided by the supervision of managers over the work of employees, the results are recorded in specially designed forms.

External control - is provided by conducting special programs by external specialists (Mystery shopping, a survey of real customers after the visit).