In economically tight times when companies postpone investments, prolong leasing contracts and continue using depreciated machines, the quality of service comes to the fore. In fact, it is essential for managing the time up to new investments.
Thus the quality of service is a recommendation for the future: who helps ordering parties or clients by means of good liaison and support to make it through the dry spell today, is an attractive future contractor. Outstanding liaison, support and service in the sectors B-to-B or capital goods in times of crises are a decisive cornerstone of a company's future success.
The infas Service Check is an instrument of research evaluating a company's current service performance by use of employees' as well as customers' expertise. The infas Service Check is based upon qualitative expert interviews, which illustrate the service process's entire spectrum along the interfaces between provider and customer. Its purpose is to assess the services offered by self-perception and social perception to identify thus resulting possibilities of improvement.
The product "infas Service Check":
- guided expert interviews with selected employees regarding the current service capability,
- guided expert interviews with selected customers' contact persons regarding the assessment of performed services, their expectations, the assessment of competitors and future developments,
- analysis and identification of possible improvements of service processes and their handling from the employees' and customers' point of view,
- illustrating similarities and potential discrepancies in self-perception and social perception,
- transparency and vividness of customers' needs via respective quotes (soundbites),
- recommended precise follow-up actions to improve service performance in the near-term or medium-term.
The survey design leads to findings by means of guided questions, which exceed the standard check of defined services. With qualitative interviews weaknesses and potentials for improvement can be identified, which have not yet been in the focus or lacking focus while planning service performance. Moreover, the method allows for more precise insight in specific expectations of the customers towards the respective provider. Expert interviews emphasise not least the comparison with competition, and future customer demands addressing key account customers or other strategically relevant customer segments as a general rule.
The infas Service Check - in addition to the customers' perception - makes use of the own employees' expertise who can assess the current quality of service from an insider's perspective who is directly involved. Interviews with staff working in sales, complaint management, service line resp. hotline as well as field and indoor are a good means for deducing their self-perception. The objective is to gain information about the own strengths and weaknesses and thus to identify starting points for potential development.
