How to execute, in practice, a good service...

On the previous post, we talked about the rules of services and about people with the right attitude, as the secrets to landing on the practice of the principles of a good service. Structuring better what we understand as the elements necessary to put a good service into practice, I would say it’s necessary to have three constitutive sets.

One of them are the technical protocols; how it is done, who supervises, which are the review gates, how the quality control works. In our case, we have a series of protocols, for diverse types of studies, thoroughly describing how the production process must happen.

Another, equally important, are the service principles. They are the rules of a good service – many of them intangible and subjective, such as courtesy or flexibility - which we transform into processes, so that we can take things from theory into the practice of the day-to-day. The principles say, for example, how long we must take to answer to the clients messages, what are the principles of courtesy that must nurture any contact with the partners; it foresees exactly who must participate of what stages of a project – for example, that all the reports must be reviewed by 2 directors; or if an unexpected problem must be immediately informed to the client, already with some suggestions of alternative action.

Both the technical protocols and the service principles are described in manuals and the teams properly trained. The manuals are alive and always updated, based on the feedbacks of the team itself. The study projects - a practical manifestation of the success or not of these manuals - are audited by an internal department of quality and by external audit, which certifies us formally.

Finally, the people. Services are translated into relationships between people, that is why it’s essential to have the right people. Attitude is the principal, because the processes teach, the techniques are transmitted in training. People that understand that, by fact and definition, the clients are the reason we exist and that the goal of the people and of the company is to understand the demand of the clients, solving the need for information and providing them with a pleasant experience and final product of excellence.

None of these three elements, however, sustains themselves without a committed leadership. Establishment of priorities and clear definition of the tasks guide the work organization. A constant anxiety for exceeding the seeking superior solutions, without accommodating in the common place, showing how important it is to captivate clients. Example and encouraging, in addition to constant supporting and coaching - this is the role of the leadership of a team of high-performance services.

The technical processes, the culture and the principle of the service, clear prioritizing of leadership and people with the right attitude are the ingredients. The recipe works in practice if everything is previously discussed and shared and the organization has the detachment and the humbleness of learning from its mistakes and improving constantly.

Rodrigo TONI

General Manager

Former Regional CEO of Southeast Asia and Former CEO IPSOS Brasil He worked for RI/TNS, Nielsen, among others Specialized in Management at IESE (Spain) and INSEAD (Singapore) Specialized in Survey Methodology, SRC, University of Michigan (USA). Social Scientist (USP) and Agronomist Engineer (USP)