Framework for Monitoring Customer Service

Customer Service Monitoring Methods
Omphemetse K. Sebego, Manager, Botswana, Member
Different initiatives such as dipsticks, mystery shoppers and customer satisfaction surveys (SERVQUAL) could be employed to monitor CS delivery.

Mystery Shopper and Customer Complaints
Westrik, Student (University), Netherlands, Member
I don't know about any framework for monitoring CS, but during my internship CS is measured by means of mystery shoppers, just as Omphemetse mentioned.
I think customer complaints have to be taken into account as well, though only a small percentage with complaints will actually complain to the company directly.
I'm curious too if there are other frameworks available!

Tools to Monitor Customer Services
cernay maria, etudiante, Algeria, Member
In my opinion we can use one or more tools to monitor customer services. The choice depends on the resources that are available and the type of service that need to be monitored.
Besides already mentioned mystery shopper and surveys, other tools can be interviews and statistics.
The most important is that the chosen tool(s) will efficiently give an insight of the situation: what are customer's needs and expectations and how current services are meeting them, where are the issues and how to solve them, what can be improved and how.

Methods of Monitoring Customer Service
Dr. Sapna Dadwal, Professor, India, Member
In my opinion in addition to the above written methods CS can also be monitored in the following ways:
1. By evaluating the process of delivering quality goods
2. By continous evaluation of the process of customer solution
3. By efficient use of customer information (collected by operational CRM).
4. By evaluating the process of customer access to the organisation.

CS Monitoring Methods: Zero Complaints
Ahmed Khator, Manager, Kenya, Member
If your company can concentrate on provision of quality goods/services you are automatically monitoring CS. So monitor your internal to sustain your external. An efficient company will strive for zero complaints!

Generic Process for Monitoring CS
Praneet Varma, Manager, Indonesia, Member
Here is a draft CS monitoring process. The steps can be adapted to your specific situation
1. Conduct an initial - open - questionnaire survey. Maybe through personal contact, postal or telephonic or whatever way the customers wants.
2. Derive through Pareto the top parameters common across the population.
3. Create a questionnaire on those points and add matrices to measure viz. 10 point scale rating system.
4. Engage call centre or postal services to contact a good number of customers on a regular basis.
5. Analyze the above parameters and build up an understanding of your weak areas.
6. Work on those points to see considerable improvement of the ratings in subsequent surveys.
Please note the customer's needs are dynamic and the parameters should be revised on regular intervals, else we will be addressing the wrong needs after some time.
There are several other way to measure. Any suggestions are most welcome...

Monitoring CS by Call Back to the Customer
Mary Grace Mabunga, Student (MBA), United Kingdom, Member
@Westrik: Besides using mystery shopper I believe giving a call back to the customer is also one way to effectively monitor customer service. As most of the customer rarely phone the company to complain unless they are a loyal customer and actually care about the company and the services they are giving, call back allows you to have a good understanding of how the customer perceives your CS in relation to their total experience of the brand. Thus you can improve it or keep it up.
Also, based on experience, CS people have a way of knowing/telling who the mystery shopper is and who is not, so this affect the reliability of our monitoring of CS.
If I'm to be asked what I prefer to use in monitoring CS, I will stick to call back.

Re: Call Back to the Customer
Westrik, Student (University), Netherlands, Member
@Mary Grace Mabunga: I totally agree with your addition.
However, there is an important implication when you're willing to call customers back: legally they have to agree before you can call them. Otherwise you might get problems when you're contacting them without their permission.
But indeed, if it is allowed or you have the permission, it gives useful feedback (provided your employees know how to ask the questions of course :).

Regarding Call Back
Mary Grace Mabunga, Student (MBA), United Kingdom, Member
@Westrik: In my 14 years of dealing with clients, I have never even once received a complaint as to calling them and asking them how they find and received the services and/or product and if it is as they expected?
Contrary to this, they are really happy to hear from us, knowing their opinion is valued and their concerns are being given a thought.
It's good to keep in mind giving a clients/customer a call back is the best way to assure them you are seeing to it that they receive the guaranteed satisfaction as promised and in case this has not been the case to resolve it as soon as possible without having them go through many channels to complain.

With regards to your valid remark about the employees having to know what to ask, indeed it is my experience only CS representatives who listen well and genuinely put themselves in the shoe of their clients/customer should be entrusted to handling call backs. .