Develop a customer-focused organisation

This standard is about developing a customer-focused organisation. You define your organisation's values and beliefs, assessing how you provide customer service at key points. You produce plans to implement customer-focused approaches, agree them with stakeholders and communicate them to colleagues. You also develop employee skills, behaviours and attitudes that puts customers first. The standard includes collaborating with other organisations, undertaking joint activities with customers and making improvements based on analysis.

This standard is for all managers and leaders.

1. define customer-focused organisational values and beliefs
2. assess the level of customer service your organisation is currently providing
3. produce plans to put customers at the heart of achieving your organisation's vision and strategic objectives
4. communicate your plans to key stakeholders and decision-makers to secure their agreement to your approach
5. review processes and systems throughout the organisation to ensure they are customer-focused
6. communicate your plans for embedding customer-focused approaches to colleagues to gain their commitment
7. develop employee skills, behaviours and attitudes to build a culture that puts customers first
8. implement processes and systems that reinforce staff commitment to providing service that meets or beats customers' expectations
9. establish collaborations with other organisations to maintain and improve services to customers, where appropriate
10. undertake joint activities with customers to identify improvements to the level of customer service provided by your organisation
11. model behaviour that shows, and inspires employees to show, respect, helpfulness and cooperation
12. analyse the level of customer service your organisation is providing at specified intervals, in accordance with your plan
13. make improvements to the level of customer service provided by your organisation based on analysis and feedback
14. follow the legal, organisational, codes of practice and policies relevant to developing a customer-focused organisation

General knowledge and understanding

1.      the principles of effective customer service, the factors that make customers satisfied

2.      how to measure the level of customer service being provided and why it is important

3.      the benefits of forming collaborations with other organisations to maintain and improve customer service

4.      the best practice in customer service outside your own sector

5.      the techniques for developing employee skills, behaviours and attitudes, and how to motivate them to deliver excellent service to customers

6.      how to design and manage processes and systems focused on customers' needs

Industry and sector specific knowledge and understanding

7.      the current and emerging trends that are likely to affect your products and services

8.      the developments in technology that support customer service

9.      the legal, organisational, codes of practice and policies relevant to developing a customer-focused organisation

Context specific knowledge and understanding

10.   your organisation's products and services, vision, objectives and associated plans

11.   your organisation's customers and their needs

12.   the strengths and weaknesses of your organisation in terms of satisfying customers

13.   how a change in your market structure, products or services will affect your customers

14.   the activities and services of your competitors or similar organisations, and how this may affect your abilities to be customer-focused

1. Building consensus
2. Communicating
3. Empowering
4. Evaluating
5. Leadership
6. Monitoring
7. Motivating
8. Reviewing
9. Thinking strategically
10. Thinking with a focus on customers