Handbook on Service Excellence - United Nations

1 Handbook on Service ExcellenceA Guide to Service Excellencein Public Managementwith Lessons fromBest Managed CompaniesTABLE OF CONTENTSPageNo1 Introduction1 Introduction to the Guide What is Service Excellence ? The Service Excellence Framework2 The Service Excellence Circle4A Continuous Model for Improvement3 Where Are We Now?5 Step One - Establish a Culture of Service Excellence Build Leadership Develop a Service Excellence TeamStep Two - Assess the Current State Define Your Clients Define Your services Consult and Listen4 Where Do We Want to Be?

2 30 Step Three - Develop a Service Excellence Strategy Integrate Service ExcellenceStep Four - Establish Service Excellence Standards Service Standards Benchmarks and Best Practices5 How Do We Get There?51 Step Five - Enhance Capacity in the Public Service Employee Participation Recognition for Excellence and Innovation Training for Service ExcellenceTABLE OF CONTENTSPageNo Use of Technology for Service Excellence Establish a simple system for Service recoveryStep Six - Measure Service Excellence Measuring Service Excellence A Model for Client SatisfactionStep Seven - Evaluate the Service Excellence StrategyStep Eight - Communicate Service ExcellenceAppendix 1 - Disney World Perfecting the Art of Customer

3 Service68 Appendix 2 - The Nordstrom Way to Service Excellence91 Appendix 3 - Lessons from Nordstrom and Disney World for111 Public ManagersBibliography137A Guide to Service Excellence in Public Management11 IntroductionImproving Service levels is an ongoing process. improving means following a circle ofcontinuous improvement and measurement, beginning on a gradual, unending progressof doing little things better and then setting and achieving ever-higher intent of this guide is to facilitate building Service in each of the Departments in theGovernment of Andhra Pradesh.

4 It is also designed to assist each employee and servicearea in applying the Service Excellence Framework to their framework includes a Service Excellence model to assist each Department in theprocess of planning, implementing and evaluating Service Excellence . The central premiseof the model is continuous improvement in a complex and dynamic environment. Throughoutthe guidebook, there are also tips, examples and checklists that will assist you in the journeyto improve the delivery of services in the public Service Excellence Framework has been developed drawing from excellentorganizations in the private sector - national and international.

5 The principles and processeslaid out in the Service Excellence Framework should support the objectives of providingquality Service to people in the State of Andhra PradeshThe guide also elaborates the practices of a couple of excellent international organizationsin the private sector and suggests lessons that can be drawn by public is Service Excellence ? Excellence is an art won by training and habituation. We are what we repeatedly do - AristotleService Excellence means exceeding customers expectations and paying attention todetail.

6 - Disney InstituteService Excellence Is End-User Thinking Always focusing on the expectations and needs of the client Asking the client what constitutes excellent serviceMaking services Stronger2 Making the client the starting point for change Building the Department from the outside-inService Excellence Has Many Benefits Improved relationship between clients and the public Service Promotion of innovation and creativity in the delivery of services Recognition of employees who deliver excellent Service Higher levels of confidence in the public Service services that are designed and delivered with clients in mind Customers don t expect you to be perfect.

7 They do expect you to fix things when theygo wrong. - Donald Porter People don t want to communicate with an organization or a computer. They want totalk to a real, live, responsive, responsible person who will listen and help them getsatisfaction. - Theo Michelson The Service Excellence FrameworkThe Service Excellence Framework identifies ways to improve the delivery of services inthe public Service . The key elements of the Framework are to Build Commitment, EnhanceCapacity, Measure Effectively, and Communicate Effectively at every stage of the ServiceExcellence planning process.

8 The key to Service Excellence is not only focusing on whatservices we provide, but how we deliver Commitment Leadership Accountability End-user thinking Pride in the work of the department Integration of Service Excellence into organizational planningA Guide to Service Excellence in Public Management3 Enhancing Capacity Innovation Flexibility Training Recognition Consulting with stakeholders Developing Service partnershipsMeasuring Effectively Client and staff involvement Measurement tools linked to achieving goals of business plans Evaluating Service Excellence

9 Developing Service standardsCommunicating Effectively Communicating with clients, Service partners and other Service -providers Clients and providers sharing clear Service expectations and knowledge about theprovision of servicesMaking services Stronger42 The Service Excellence Circle Quality is a race without a finishing line. - Dick Schaff Keeping the Edge: Giving Customers the Service They DemandIn any journey, you have to start from somewhere and you have to know where you aregoing. This guidebook details a circle of steps you can take to implement Service Excellencein your Department whether through developing a Service Excellence Team, establishingservice standards or evaluating your Service Excellence Continuous Model for ImprovementThe purpose of the Service Excellence Model is to assist Departments to continuouslybuild upon previous Service improvement initiatives.

10 We work in an environment where wealways have to be ready to make changes and where we are always evaluating our , the main premise of the model is continuous improvement and is designed in acyclical manner to complement a dynamic work guidebook is not linear - the delivery of services is too complex and each Departmentis at a different stage in its delivery of services . Instead, employees may want to determinethe usefulness and applicability of each step, given their Department s unique mandateand status. The model allows for employees to step into the circle at whatever stage theyare at in delivering services .