No matter how much we're tempted to judge service quality from our own point of view, it is only the customer's opinion that counts. Any judgement of service quality is irrelevant unless made by the customer. So what creates the sense of good or bad service? Can the customer 'service experience' be managed and if so, how? Consumers and tourists are becoming increasingly discerning and expecting more for their money and it seems that service providers who are proficient in managing their clients' experience can benefit significantly, especially in tight economic times. And some of these principles are applicable are as applicable to government service delivery as they are to hotels, restaurants, retain and any other space where there is an interraction between client and service provider.

In order to be able to give good service, you need to clearly define what good service means in the context of your organisation. Simultaneously, you need to create a clear idea of what good service delivery might mean from the customer's perspective. Particularly, what cues would the customer be paying attention to that would create the impression they were receiving good service?

A number of different service quality models suggest that Assurance, Empathy, Tangibles, Reliability and Responsiveness are all vitally important in how we understand of service quality. By focusing on doing those things that the customer feels is important, we can improve the way the service (and by extension, the service provider) is perceived; we can manage client perceptions.

Ask regularly – Am I empathetic, reliable and responsive? Do I give assurance and highlight the tangibles? No matter what you do within your organisation, you are someone's customer and, at the same time, you also have your own customers. Giving good customer service is a combination of art and science.

Knowledge Creation Questions

• How do we talk about the customer? What words do we use to describe the customer?

• What stories do we share about our experiences with customers?
• Is there scope for improvement in the relationship? How could the relationship be improved? How could we measure improvement?
• What points of contact do we have with the customer that may 'tell' the customer about who we are and what level of service they are receiving?
• What is the customer saying about us? How would we know?
• What would we like the customer to say about us?
• How do customers perceive and evaluate service quality?
• What are managers’ perceptions about service quality in this organisation?
• Do discrepancies exist between the perceptions of customers and those of managers?
• Can perceptions of workers, customers, supervisors and internal services be combined into a general model of service quality for this organisation?
• How can we improve customer service and achieve excellence?

• Is there a standard for what we are trying to measure? Who has done this before?

Steve Banhegyi
steve@storytelling.co.za