Since the inception of the Quality Service Provider scheme in 2003, sales at Secom have risen by over 30% and six out of every ten customers have awarded the company sole supplier status. Other results include reduced response times on calls, improved alarm responses and fewer complaints. Technological developments have included PDAs for service personnel, an online tool giving customers remote visibility of their monitored alarms and an Elite Desk for national accounts which serves as a single point of contact. Secom trains all of its staff members in customer care by way of induction videos, regional training sessions, a QSP Handbook and a monthly newsletter highlighting successes and examples of Best Practice. The 12 best performers every year receive an all-expenses paid study tour to the parent company in Japan.
Siemens Building Technologies
Service staff are measured and rewarded against improved response and fix rates, the number of visits achieved and the number of planned maintenance calls made. Individual commission is paid on reaching contracted response time and first fix ratios. Performance is reviewed at quarterly meetings, and customers are interviewed by ‘phone and asked to grade performance. Siemens also believes in a high level of staff retention – the average length of service is over eight years. Engineers also undertook an average of four ‘man days’ of training in the year 2006-2007. All these efforts contributed to 97% of customers renewing their contracts in 2006, and an impressive 31% growth in service business.
Chris Lewis Security Services
The company takes customer feedback very seriously. Clients have the choice of providing feedback on the spot via engineers’ PDAs, or by completing a Customer Satisfaction Survey. All responses are reviewed at weekly heads of department meetings and at management review gatherings. The company issues its staff with Charters which include customer service standards expected, and their adherence is regularly reviewed. The company saw a 36% increase in repeat business in 2006, and a 61% increase in the first five months of this year. It has passed its reassessment of Investors in People, and has recently been nominated as an Investors in People Champion.
Reliance High Tech
Reliance High Tech’s two-pronged approach to improving service began last year with the introduction of regular Customer Surveys, enabling clients to provide instant feedback on specific jobs and at specific sites. A software solution affording customers real-time information on the status of service calls involved the introduction of palm top computers and satellite navigation for engineers, providing 24-hour status data. As a result, Reliance High Tech’s first time fix rate has risen from 81% to 90%, and the average time to respond to a service call has gone down from eight hours to seven. Contract retention is up from 86% to 92%.
Securitas Security Services
The company has demonstrated its commitment to customer care on its contract with Poole Harbour Commissioners. Appointed in the summer of last year, Securitas has brought visible improvements to the running of the harbour. Training of new and casual staff for the busier summer season is carried out on-site, headed up by a senior member of staff with experience in the maritime and ISPS Codes. Other improvements have included better communications with the customer.
Northern Security Services
Northern Security provides a broad range of electronic, guarding and monitoring services and has made it a priority to drive up customer service. The contractor has radically changed the monitoring of its customer service level agreements, working with a local IT provider. The system works through a series of Key Performance Indicators agreed with the customer, ranging from how well assignments are being carried out to whether or not Health and Safety requirements are being met. These are scored by customers using a ‘traffic light’ system. At the end of each six-week cycle, the results are then discussed with the client.