Creating a "Corporate" Culture of Service Excellence

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August 9, 2007 - By Theo Gilbert-Jamison & Vivian Bright

It is often said that an organization’s corporate culture should not be confused with the corporate mission and values.  More often than not, what is said in the company mission statement is not how things are “really” done in the day-to-day operations of the organization.  The corporate culture of an organization won’t really be experienced until you have been inside for a while and you see how decisions are made, whether a supportive work environment is alive and well, if Senior Leadership not only talks about the mission and values at Town Hall meetings but they actually live it themselves every day and hold others within the organization accountable for the same behavior.

It is our belief that if you select the right people who “fit” your values, give them the skill and knowledge to be successful on the job, reward and recognize them for a job well done in accordance with the company values – excellence in service will not only be your company slogan to your external guests (customers) but it will be the way things are for the internal guests (employees) as well.

We have heard it argued – and so have you – that service excellence is something that is not really expected from companies or firms other than the posh, high-end operations that cater to the elite, that small percentage of the market willing to pay a substantial price for what they receive.  In other words, it is just fancy fluff for the few; that’s often an assertion. But is that true?

The Six Principles of Service Excellence
Through benchmarking studies and research, we found that there are six principles that are vital to creating and sustaining a culture of service excellence.  These six principles are based on those commonalities found in premier brands that are known for their ability to consistently provide a superior level of customer service.  Our study included organizations like The Ritz-Carlton, Disney, Nordstrom’s, as well as GE and Toyota.

The Six Principles of Service Excellence is a comprehensive approach to developing a branded service and corporate culture, while significantly impacting the work environment, employee performance and the service experience for your customers all in one initiative.  This approach has been successful in law firms, financial institutions, health care organizations, manufacturing companies, secondary schools and institutions of higher learning and various other industries.

The Six Principles of Service Excellence consist of:

• Principle 1 – Vision & Mission: Does your organization have a defined vision or mission statement that clearly articulates its direction and sense of purpose?  Are all employees from the boardroom to the storeroom aligned with the vision and mission?
• Principle 2 – Business Objectives: Do you have clear, concise business goals that are measurable and service-oriented?  Do your employees know them?  Do they identify the key priorities and goals necessary to drive excellence?
• Principle 3 – Service Standards: Do you have clearly stated standards of service that are understood and owned by all?  Do they clarify the expected actions and behaviors necessary to drive excellence?
• Principle 4 – Intervention/Learning Strategy: Does your organization have a sound execution strategy necessary to close service and performance gaps that are impeding the achievement of excellence?  Are the right interventions in place to continuously improve organizational systems and processes?
• Principle 5 – Organizational Alignment: Do you have an effective communication process company-wide to reinforce and sustain a culture of service excellence?
• Principle 6 – Measurement & Leadership Accountability: Have you established a means of measuring the strength, effectiveness, and sustainability of your organizational culture?

The Roadmap to Creating a Corporate Service Culture
If we are honest with ourselves, the only real difference between us and our competition is our service.  Creating a corporate culture of service excellence is a journey, not a destination.  We have found that organizations that embark on this journey enjoy a higher level of customer loyalty, employee engagement and accountability, improved work processes, increased market share. With these types of results it’s astounding that more organizations are not involved in comprehensive service excellence initiatives.  As Michelangelo once said, “The greatest danger for most of us is not that we aim too high and we miss it, but we aim too low and reach it.” Truly successful organizations ensure that their values are the way things are done.

To find out the “truth” about the culture of an organization spend some time in research and observation; research to find out what the company values are and then observe the behavior of the people within that organization.  You should NOT find a two-faced coin.

Theo Gilbert-Jamison and Vivian Bright are the managing partners of Performance Solutions by Design; a global performance consulting that caters to luxury and premium brands with an emphasis on transforming organizational culture. For more information visit their website www.psbydesign.com or reach them by email tjamison@psbydesign.com and vbright@psbydesign.com .