In 1990, professors from Texas A&M University identified the dimensions of exceptional customer service in their book Delivering Quality Service[1]. They found that there were critical dimensions that defined service quality and from their work emerged a customer service model called RATER, which focused on five. Their research indicated that a service firm that can deliver on all five dimensions contained in the model can create an exceptional service experience.

The name RATER is an acronym with each letter representing the first letter of one of the five dimensions.  They are:

R eliability: Our ability to provide what is promised, dependably and accurately

A ssurance: Our knowledge and courtesy, and our ability to convey trust and confidence

T angibles:  Our physical facilities and equipment, and our appearance

E mpathy:    The degree of caring and individual attention we provide to customers

R esponsiveness:     Our willingness to help customers and provide prompt service

This simple, yet practical model is extremely powerful because it provides service companies with the framework needed to define the service experience that they would like to create and to translate that definition into specific actions to be taken by every employee to deliver on it. The challenge is to ensure that each customer contact communicates each dimension in the manner intended and does so consistently and correctly through the everyday interactions of their employees.

Over the next five blogs we are going to look more closely at each of the service dimensions of the RATER model and the individual actions employees can take to deliver upon it.  We will discuss how, as service companies, we can work with these to define and deliver a sustainable, differentiated and valued service experience.

In the meantime, I’d love your feedback! Please leave a link back to your own blog if you have one via the commentluv feature here on the site.

Until next time,

Jim

“You don’t earn loyalty in a day.  You earn loyalty day-by-day.”

-Jeffrey Gitomer

The post Transforming the Service Experience – 5 Dimensions of Service Quality appeared first on jimbaston.com.

Our field service technicians represent a huge opportunity to generate revenues. They have a special relationship with our customers based on a high level of trust. Through that relationship, they have gained a unique understanding of our customers’ goals. They have a practical understanding of the latest in technology and they know our company’s capabilities. Who better than them to recognize and explore opportunities for your company to add more value through more services?

Despite this truth, we have found that most service firms are not fully capitalizing on the unique relationships that their service people have. This is unfortunate for both the service firm and the customer. When we do not fully leverage the special relationships that our service technicians have, we are missing a tremendous opportunity to grow our business, reduce competition and increase customer satisfaction levels. But there is more to it than that. The customer is being denied the opportunity to run their plant or facility better. The customer is not benefiting fully from the knowledge and expertise of our service technicians.

Many firms have considered teaching their service technicians to become part time salespeople. Unfortunately, those firms that we have worked with who have taken this approach report mixed results and any improvement in business development appeared to be short lived.

One of the main reasons that turning technicians into part time salespeople does not work as well as we might hope is because customers trust the service technician to give them objective advice based on their knowledge and experience.  Unlike salespeople who are compensated for what they sell, service people are compensated for what they know and using that knowledge to do their job well – installing, fixing or maintaining things.  They are viewed as honest brokers – “telling it like it is” with no hidden agendas.  It would seem natural that, if they just put a little more effort in selling to those trusting customers, then they will be instrumental in building more revenues and profits.

Unfortunately, the harder the technician tries to “sell” to the customer, the less effective they will be in building new business.  The reason is that the moment the service technician starts to “sell”, he/she transcends that bond of trust that has been forged with the customer.  The technician’s focus changes from the needs of the customer to the interests of making the sale.  The very reason the customer trusted the service technician in the first place – the fact that they aren’t out to sell them anything – is suddenly no longer the basis of the relationship.   When the customer senses that they are being “sold”, they become confused.  To the customer, the technician has just changed from being a “trusted advisor” to just another “salesperson” and the relationship advantage is lost.

The solution is to provide the field service technician with training that ensures that any new business opportunities that are identified are based on solving the needs of the customer – not on the need to sell the services of our company.  This subtle change in approach directs the field service technicians to change their focus from our firm and our services – i.e. what we have or do that can be sold – to the needs of our customer – i.e. what our customer needs and how we can best address it.

When service technicians approach business development in this way, they offer a higher level of service altogether. They will be using their knowledge, skills and experience to help our customers realize how they can make improvements.  They will be giving our customers their heads as well as their hands.

I’d love your feedback. Feel free to leave a link back to your own blog as well via the commentluv feature here on the site.

Jim Baston

P.S. If you would like to explore the “Five Hurdles to Engaging Technicians in Business Development Activities“, I encourage you to download my article which you will by clicking here.

 “If you work just for money, you’ll never make it.
But if you love what you are doing,
and always put the customer first, success will be yours.”

-Ray Kroc

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