For one of the most important telecommunications companies in Mexico, one of its most important challenges has been to offer a service of such excellence that it not only helps to “maintain” its current clients, but also acts like a differentiation factor with respect to the competition.

Based on the current situation of the industry, the company’s management defined the refocusing or realignment of the processes/organization towards the client as a key objective within its business directives. In order to achieve the desired focus, it was necessary to not only set the goals but to carry out a change, at the company level, that would begin by the redefinition of the Customer Service area, which would be responsible for identifying the requirements of the clients and guide the company in the right direction.

CUSTOMER SERVICE

Customer Service must be understood as a strategy that permits the alignment and execution of processes and resources in the commercial and supply areas that are required to maximize the real value perceived by the customer (satisfaction).

It is important to identify the main service attributes for a customer and evaluate the current status of service provided by the organization and the competitor, in those terms. There isn’t a unique methodology to arrive at an understanding of the needs of the clients, thus the participation of those involved in customer service and assistance is always required.

A model for transforming customer service should never be static. On the contrary, it is a process that must be carried out constantly and rigorously. The great challenge to really understanding customer expectations is to arrive at a consensus within the organization and take immediate and forceful action on this subject. The most important thing for a client is that the service promised is delivered; without this, all other efforts lack meaning.

A transformation of customer service must be proactive, that is, it requires creativity, vision and intelligence in order to get ahead of the competition and the needs of the clients. Most of all, the proposal for change must flow, from the bottom to the top, with the complete conviction of the CEO and the managers so that they will insure the flow of the decisions toward the market.

REQUIREMENT

Internally, the customer service area was seen as secondary, and not as an area with which the rest of the company needed to be aligned.

This was found to be a great challenge given the implications of redefining the focus centered on the client and converting this into a competitive
advantage.

In order to achieve a transformation, not only of the customer service area but of the entire business, it was necessary to first have clear knowledge of the client’s needs in terms of products and services and the way in which other communication companies provide the same goods and services (Benchmark); second, to have standardized internal processes for “Customer Service” and support (Marketing, Sales and Distribution, Finances, Logistics, Human Resources, Legal, External Suppliers, etc.) throughout the Chain (Contact and service centers, distributors, agents, “retailers”, etc.) which will insure the fulfillment of the commitments to the client.

In order to achieve a real change in a customer service transformation project and measure the success of the actions taken, it was of vital importance to define clear objectives, segmented by stages, throughout the project; objectives which represent realistic goals that are compared with competitors, businesses or clients with similar characteristics.

Since the main generators of value perceived by the client are: response speed, efficient problem solving and pleasant treatment, the objectives of the project for customer service centered mainly on reducing the speed of resolving any requirements and the assistance time, searching for a balance between profitability and customer satisfaction.

In order to measure the advance and success of the project, objectives were defined for each of the key indicators in the customer service process. Among these were to reduce the average time of calls or efficiency in customer visits, reduce the percentage of call and contact center abandonment, increasing precision (giving the correct information and correct data entry in the transactional system), improve quality or treatment of the representative toward the client, increase the punctuality of “Call Backs” in the time frame promised to the client, reducing the number of days of items pending, increase the percentage of time the representative remains available to take calls or assist a customer in the contact center, increase the percentage of resolved requirements during the first call, and especially, increase the level of satisfaction to international standards.

SOLUTION

In order to successfully achieve the objectives of the project, the solution proposed by Sintec was used as a base. This consisted of 7 main points which are described below.

1. Model for Service Processes

A model of the processes was developed which included the activities of the service representatives and supervisors, the Information Technology in use and the interphases with other groups within the organization. By means of an analysis of the processes through “walkthroughs” and mapping, a model was developed for the processes of Customer Service with enough detail to identify the main areas for improvement and that considered the interphases between processes, main problems related to Information Technology and the indicators.

2. Level of Service

The level of service to be offered to the customer was defined through a sampling analysis of the market and an internal information analysis. This analysis considered criteria such as needs and expectations, profitability, customer loyalty and consumer habits. This level of service was supported with service matrices validated in pilot tests for each client segment separated by activities, persons responsible, frequencies and information requirements.

3. Alignment of Service Processes

The organization processes were aligned toward assistance centered on the client through redesign workshops based on the role of the organization and the levels defined per segment. To achieve this, working sessions were carried out with process users where the business practices that were to be incorporated into the processes (flow and sequence of activities, persons responsible and indicators, interphases with other processes) were proposed and justified and, above all, it was ensured that the interaction between all of the support processes would give the client a memorable experience.

4. Optimal Organizational Structure 

The functional Customer Service area was transformed into one centered on the customer, aligning the desired objectives using performance metrics. Roles, organization (support areas such as Marketing, Finance, Sales and Distribution, HR, Legal, and Logistics) and customer orientation were considered.

5. Human Resources

Job descriptions and profiles were defined by service program and represented in a master plan for recruitment. In order to achieve continuous improvement of the work team, the monitoring and feedback processes as well as the instruction manual were redefined.

6. Critical Factors for the Implementation

Through sessions with both the directors and the management team, critical factors were identified to achieve successful implementation, detailed by activities or tasks for each person responsible, deadlines, implementation sequence and amount of resources required.

7. Fulfillment of Obligations

Constant measurements of the evolution of both the design activities and the implementation were achieved through a system of multifunctional metrics, frequencies and persons responsible. Each week, the progress in the transition plan was presented to the Director and contingency plans were generated for the activities in the critical route.

PROJECT TEAM

For the successful execution of the design and the implementation, it was necessary to have adequate internal (directors, managers, coordinators, representatives) and external (consultants) staff. The staff involved was made up of teams with different responsibilities such as directors, team leader, consulting team, information coordinator and process team.

The main responsibility of the “Directors Team” and “Project Leader” was to exert leadership throughout the whole organization, where the priorities and the emphasis of the approach of the project aligned to the service strategy of the business were defined in conjunction with the consulting team.

The main responsibilities of the “Process Team” were: Validating the findings from the analysis of the process and defining practices, procedures and capabilities of both the human and technological factors.

Additionally, they were facilitators in the process of change administration. The main responsibilities of the “Information coordinator” were: executing information and data acquisition, coordinating other internal functions for obtaining information, supporting and insuring the configuration, reliability and standardization of information and data required throughout the project.

The main responsibilities of the “Consulting Team” were: to propose and guide the design, provide better practices, define and prioritize tasks throughout the design and implementation project maintaining thoroughness in time, sequence and quality.

CRITICAL FACTORS FOR SUCCESS

Any business that searches for a real transformation of the service it renders to its customers must invariably insure the correct construction, coherence and putting into action of the following factors (during the design and to review them during implementation):

1. Examine the business objectives, needs and expectations of the customers in order to define the purpose of the Customer Service operations.

2. Clarify the possible limitations and conditions for achieving the definition of an achievable operation and execution plan.
3. Establish a system for quality management metrics that would guarantee the precision of products and services and permit incremental improvement.
4. Establish the measurements for customer satisfaction, required for each segment.

5. Selecting or carrying out adaptations to the technological tool that will enable the processes defined for fulfilling the objectives.

6. Evaluate whether the current structure can support the redesigned operations and processes, which will ensure the fulfillment of the objectives.
7. Define the roles, abilities and responsibilities that will ensure the efficiency in fulfilling customer requirements.

RECCOMENDATIONS

Quick Actions:

Projects related to the transformation of customer service can be difficult and tiresome for the organization. It is necessary to detect which actions
for improvement can be designed and implemented in a very short term (1-3 weeks), so that the team involved can observe tangible results, motivate and stimulate the “driver” for the project. Various actions were taken, from adjustments to the system, reimplementation of the existing tools and reprogramming of the staff.

Sale of Ideas:

Some of the proposals can result in actions that must be taken by other areas, thus it is recommended not to try to impose the idea (it could take a lot of time and cause friction inside the organization). The final objective is that the proposed actions be implemented for the good of the business and not by the individual, thus the idea must be “pitched” and the person responsible for executing it must take the idea and the “kudos” that may come form its execution, as his own.

Trainer of Trainers:

A change in the focus of the business represents great efforts in training and continuous improvement; thus, trying to train everybody during the same period of time can be very costly and affect the operation. In these cases, it is recommended to work under a “Trainer of Trainers” scheme in which the group expert trains one cell, which in turn trains the next one, or the group expert develops self-learning materials (documents, videos, etc.). The benefit would be that training could be given during the time frames and to the numbers of people that the organization can support, in a natural manner and with lower costs.

 

RESULTS ACHIEVED

At the end of the customer service transformation project, the objectives defined at the beginning of the project had been achieved and in some cases surpassed; such as the level of service and abandonment. This is shown in the following graphs.

The results from the market surveys highlight important improvements in customer perception and satisfaction in topics related with service, such as waiting time before being assisted, which showed a 6 pts. improvement and problem solving time, with an increase in 9 pts.

In spite of the fact that a transformation in the focus of an organization cannot happen overnight, the most important steps have been taken to achieve a real transformation of customer service and with this the base for a solid competitive advantage.

CONCLUSIONS

Any business that looks to refocus its efforts toward the client and thus create a competitive advantage must clearly understand the needs and expectations of its customers, have a system for management metrics, technological tools that enable the processes, align the service processes and the organizational structure and have the roles, abilities and responsibilities of the work team clear.

The participants of the project to date are the main agents for change. Here there is a motivated atmosphere and a sense of urgency toward the responsibility of satisfying the needs and solving the requirements of the customers.

In spite of the fact that the projects for customer service transformation are linked to perceptions and expectations, the organization must have clear indicators that can be collected and be significant for decision making and the continuous improvement of the customer service operation.

Typically, the projects for transformation of customer service are long, thus it is recommended to take quick actions and, above all, to know how to pitch the ideas throughout the organization.

Finally, the work team plays an important role in the success of the project, from the directors to the representatives since they all contribute an important piece to the operation of the business and the problems the organization faces and above all, they are the main administrators of change.

“I am highly satisfied with Sintec and consider their consulting service to be the best experience that I have had, compared to international consulting firms”.

Vice-President of Customer Service Leading Telecommunications Company in Mexico

About Sintec
Sintec is the leading consulting firm focused on generating profitable growth and developing competitive advantages through the design and execution of holistic and innovative Customer and Operations Strategies. Sintec provides a thorough and unique methodology for the development of organizational competencies, based on three key elements: Organization, Processes and IT. Furthermore, Sintec has successfully carried out more than 300 projects on Commercial Strategies, Operations and IT issues with more than 100 companies in 14 countries throughout Latin America. Our track record of more than 25 years makes Sintec the most experienced consulting firm in this area of expertise in the region. 

Ciudad de México: +52 (55) 5002 5444

Monterrey: +52 (81) 1001 8570 / 01 800 112 8570

Bogotá: +57 (1) 379 4343

Sao Paulo: +55 11 3443 7433

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