Eine Möglichkeit, um Probleme mit der Servicequalität zu identifizieren ist das Überprüfen der Customer Journey mit ihren verschiedenen Touchpoints. Hat man die Journey und die Touchpoints ermittelt, sollte man sich zum einen die Journey selbst, aber auch die einzelnen Touchpoints anschauen und die IST-Situation mit den Kundenerwartungen vergleichen. Dazu kann man z. B. analytisch theoretisch vorgehen, aber auch empirisch ermittelte Daten verwenden. Mit Hilfe dieses Ansatzes kann man die Erfahrungen die Kunden machen strukturiert erfassen und übersichtlich abbilden. Das ist ein erster und wichtiger Schritt um darauf aufbauend gezielt Verbesserungsmaßnahmen abzuleiten, umsetzen und deren Wirksamkeit auch kontrollieren zu können.

Scout the Battlefield - Identify and Assess Risks Before charging into battle, a wise general identifies potential risks. The same applies to service quality. Proactively consider: Internal threats: Are technical glitches lurking in your system? Do communication gaps exist between departments? External factors: Can economic downturns impact your supply chain? Are there potential regulatory changes on the horizon? Human elements: Do you have adequate training programs for staff? Are employee satisfaction levels high? Utilize workshops, brainstorming sessions, and risk matrices to map out potential issues and assess their severity and likelihood.

In the consumer goods industry, ensuring service quality is paramount to customer loyalty and satisfaction. Identifying and assessing risks using tools like surveys and feedback are critical, as they directly relate to consumer experience. As an aftersales leader, I've found that involving cross-functional teams in the risk assessment process fosters a deeper understanding of potential issues and promotes a culture of continuous improvement. This collaborative approach, coupled with my experience in market analysis and customer insights, allows for a more strategic prioritisation of risks that could impact service quality and, ultimately, the consumer's perception of the brand.

After gathering the data, analyze it to prioritize risks and issues based on their likelihood and severity. Visualization tools, like risk matrices or Pareto charts, are invaluable in this phase. A risk matrix helps map out risks on a grid, highlighting which ones demand immediate attention due to their high likelihood and significant impact. Meanwhile, a Pareto chart can illustrate the most critical issues by showing their cumulative effect, adhering to the principle that a small number of causes often lead to the majority of problems.

To manage service quality risks and issues: Identify Risks Early: Conduct regular risk assessments to identify potential quality issues before they arise. Implement Quality Standards: Establish and enforce clear quality standards and procedures. Monitor Performance: Use KPIs and performance metrics to track service quality and spot issues early. Foster Communication: Maintain open lines of communication with clients and team members to quickly address concerns. Training and Development: Provide ongoing training to ensure staff adhere to quality standards. Feedback Mechanism: Collect and act on client feedback to continuously improve service quality. These steps help proactively manage and mitigate risks to maintain high service standards.

Wenn man die aktuelle Customer Journey mit den Touchpoints kennt, kann man eine optimierte Journey entwickeln und die jeweiligen Touchpoints, an denen ja die Servicequalität entsteht, aktiv gestalten. Ein Touchpoint ist für die Qualitätswahrnehmung umso wichtiger je weiter er am Ender der Journey liegt und umso höher das „Involvement“ des Kunden ist. Das Augenmerk bei Verbesserungsmaßnahmen sollte daher insbesondere auf diese Touchpoints gerichtet werden. Was zur Verbesserung der Servicequalität erforderlich ist, hängt von dem jeweiligen Touchpoint ab und kann z. B. Informationen, Dokumente, zeitliche Abläufe, Mitarbeiterverhalten und vieles mehr umfassen. Ja nach Problemstellung müssen dann die erforderlichen Maßnahmen abgeleitet werden.

Forge Your Armaments - Plan and Implement Actions Now, equip yourself with concrete action plans. For each identified risk: Develop mitigation strategies: Can redundancies in your system prevent technical failures? Can clear communication protocols minimize departmental clashes? Prepare contingency plans: What alternative suppliers can you secure if your primary one falters? How can you adapt your services to comply with new regulations? Invest in employee development: Offer training programs to enhance skills and foster a culture of continuous improvement.

In my experience, the service quality audit cycle is critical for maintaining high standards in consumer goods aftersales service. By setting clear objectives and standards, we can ensure that our service aligns with customer expectations and our brand promise. The audit cycle helps identify gaps and benchmark performance against industry best practices. This systematic approach is vital for continuous improvement and driving customer satisfaction, which is at the heart of our operations at Electrolux. Implementing corrective actions based on audit findings directly enhances the consumer experience and supports our commitment to ESG principles by ensuring responsible and sustainable service practices.

Plan: Set service quality objectives, standards, and indicators. Define the scope, methods, and resources for the audit. Do: Conduct the audit and gather data. Check: Compare results with objectives to identify strengths and weaknesses. Act: Implement corrective actions to improve service quality.

Wie bei allen Veränderungsprojekten, sollte auch bei Maßnahmen zur Verbesserung der Servicequalität die Dringlichkeit der Veränderung dargestellt werden. Eine passende Kommunikation bildet den Rahmen für entsprechende Veränderungen. Um betroffene Mitarbeiter zu mobilisieren ist es wichtig ein Gefühl für die Wichtigkeit der Verbesserung der Servicequalität zu erzeugen. Dies geschieht am besten, wenn man darstellt, welche Ziele aktuell nicht erreicht werden. Erklären sie, dass das Ziel der Veränderung „nicht verhandelbar“ ist, Mitarbeiter aber den Weg der Veränderung aktiv mitgestalten können und auch sollen. Eine gute Kommunikation ist wichtig für den Erfolg, da grundsätzlich niemand eine Veränderung mitgeht deren Grund er nicht versteht.

Effective communication and collaboration are pivotal in managing service quality risks. Stakeholder engagement helps identify potential issues early on and fosters a culture of shared responsibility for service quality. Technology such as CRM and ERP systems enhances transparency and responsiveness, allowing real-time tracking of service issues and facilitating a coordinated response. This approach mitigates risks and strengthens stakeholder relationships, leading to continuous service improvement.

Managing service quality risks and issues requires a proactive approach. Begin by identifying potential risks through regular assessments and gathering feedback from clients and team members. Establish clear quality standards and KPIs to measure performance, implementing a robust monitoring system for continuous tracking. When issues arise, respond quickly by analyzing root causes and involving relevant stakeholders in the solution process. Encourage open communication within the team to share insights and lessons learned. Provide ongoing training and resources to empower staff to uphold high-quality standards while maintaining strong client relationships by keeping them informed and engaged.

Rally the Troops - Communicate and Collaborate Remember, you're not a lone warrior. Open communication is key: Inform employees: Share identified risks and action plans to ensure everyone is aligned and prepared. Engage customers: Gather feedback through surveys and focus groups to understand their concerns and expectations. Collaborate with partners: Work with suppliers and other stakeholders to mitigate shared risks and develop joint solutions

Communicating and collaborating with stakeholders—customers, employees, suppliers, and partners—is essential in managing service quality risks and issues. This can be achieved through diverse channels like reports, meetings, newsletters, and social media, allowing for the effective exchange of information and feedback. Leveraging tools and platforms such as CRM, ERP, or cloud services can further streamline coordination and integration across various functions and processes. Effective stakeholder communication and collaboration build trust and rapport, enhance transparency and accountability, and cultivate a culture of service excellence.

Claim Victory - Learn and Improve The battle might be won, but the war is never truly over. Embrace a culture of continuous learning: Analyze every issue: Conduct root cause analysis to understand the true cause of service quality problems. Measure your progress: Track key performance indicators (KPIs) related to service quality and regularly assess their improvement. Share learnings: Foster a culture where employees openly discuss mistakes and share best practices for improvement

The final step in achieving excellence is to learn and improve from your experiences and feedback. Leveraging tools like SWOT analysis, root cause analysis, and lessons learned can provide invaluable insights into your performance, pinpointing both the strengths and weaknesses that impact service quality. Metrics such as customer satisfaction, retention, and loyalty serve as crucial indicators of your success and areas needing attention. By systematically evaluating these factors, you not only enhance your knowledge and skills but also optimize your processes and innovate your products and services. This continuous cycle of improvement ensures that you stay competitive, responsive, and aligned with your customers' evolving needs.

Managing service quality risks and issues involves a systematic approach that begins with thorough risk assessment, identifying potential problems through process analysis and customer feedback. Regular monitoring using metrics like customer satisfaction surveys and KPIs is crucial. Training employees ensures they are equipped to deliver quality service, while feedback loops allow for continuous improvement. Conducting root cause analysis for issues helps prevent recurrence, and having crisis management plans in place ensures swift responses to significant problems. Engaging stakeholders and utilizing technology further enhance service delivery, promoting a culture of excellence and responsiveness.

Was man sich unbedingt bewusst machen muss, ist, dass Dienstleistungen prozessualen Charakter haben und in einer Interaktion entsteht. Ich konnte die Erfahrung machen, dass insbesondere das Konzept der „Customer Journey“ und der „Touchpoints“ dabei hilft den Prozess der Dienstleistungserstellung geeignet abzubilden zu strukturieren und entsprechende „Pain Points“ zu identifizieren. Um die für eine hohe Servicequalität an den diversen Touchpoints benötigten Supportprozesse zu ermitteln, bietet sich das Erstellen von „Service Blue Printings“ an. Damit lassen sich die internen Prozesse gut ableiten und darstellen. Denn nach meiner Erfahrung liegt mangelnde Servicequalität oft an schlecht funktionierenden internen „Unterstützungsprozessen“.