Clients, Services, Unit, Shared

What clients want measured

01 Sep 2003 | (News)

Clients primarily look for availability of and access to shared services. Some of these clients will work outside what the unit may think of as normal office hours and may be located in different countries to the shared services unit. One way to satisfy their needs is to introduce flexible working arrangements, or having a rota of stand-by operatives, aided by paging/messaging technology.

A second important client requirement is accuracy. When clients receive information that is inaccurate or incorrect, they begin to mistrust the unit as a whole and will try to find ways to go around it. As well as flexible working hours, some shared services will need to demonstrate adaptability in meeting clients' diverse cultural needs and expectations. In addition, the usability of products and services supplied is a key factor in achieving positive or negative client feedback.

From processes, we move on to relationships. Clients look for the empathy, courtesy and commitment that they feel is lacking from centralised, bureaucratic departments. An unhelpful attitude is apparent from the moment a client call is answered, and first impressions last. Once staff show that they are willing to be helpful, they also need to display credibility in their ability to provide assistance. Training and sometimes bringing in the necessary expertise go a long way towards achieving a professional image.

You're only as good as your last performance is certainly true of the shared services environment. You may have spent months concentrating on providing a first-class service, but this can all be undone with one failure. Dependability is, therefore, of crucial importance in maintaining a high level of service and client satisfaction. Finally, a staff member's responsiveness to a client request will shape the client's perception of the whole unit. This does not mean agreeing to unreasonable client demands, but working through the specific problem or situation with the client.

Innovation and value

Shared-services units must demonstrate a commitment to the continual development of new skills and capabilities, aimed at enhancing service quality and operational efficiency. This is very difficult to measure precisely and to attempt to do so would be missing the point. The important thing is to ensure that the shared services unit looks beyond the traditional measures of quality, cost and client satisfaction, and continually tries to improve its value to the organization as a whole.

Financial returns

Like any other business unit, shared services needs to compare costs against revenue. If costs exceed revenue, two options are available to redress the balance: reduce costs or raise the price of services. Since the latter will affect the unit's competitiveness, it is usually seen as a last resort. The unit should already have processes in place to reduce costs and a further examination of these is the best way forward.

Internal productivity

Every business unit has its own internal set of measurement criteria, which relate to its unique processes, products and services. Detailed process-based measurements enable shared-services units to predict potential areas of decreasing or increasing productivity. These, in turn, form the basis for decisions on process improvements or alternative cost-reduction strategies.

The overall message to shared-services units is, therefore, to:

- Stay up to date with contemporary skills and capabilities.
- Buy in outside talent, where necessary, and learn from it.
- Learn the business language and motivation of clients.
- Provide the products and services that clients want.
- Learn and master the consulting process.
- Seek constant feedback, both formal and informal.
- If clients choose an outside supplier, find out and understand why.
- Make sure your staff enjoy dealing with clients.
- Raise the standard of professional and communication skills.
- Work with external consultants, rather than against them.

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