Effective Complaint Handling Part 9

• Information from the complaints handling process and the trending data can be used to drive continuous improvement
• Plan-Do-Check-Act cycle:
• Plan  --- Planning the improvement activity
• Do  --- Implementing the plan
• Check --- Measuring the outcome against what has been projected in the plan
• Act --- this will mean either continuing with the planned activity or changing the plan to improve the results
• Complaints need to be tracked to ensure
• Completion
• Attention
• Feedback
• Action
• Some trends to watch out for:
• Most complaints per product
• Most complaints per salesperson /sales area
• Most complaints per customer
• Seasonality
• Functionality
• Increase in complaint numbers
• Decrease in complaint numbers
• Failure of the complaint handling process can have a major impact on an organization due to:
• Loss of revenue when customers move away
• Competitors use the source of the complaint to attract customers to their products
• Increased sales and marketing expenditure to attract new customers
• Decreased revenue and profitability

Until next time...






Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/

Effective Complaint Handling Part 7

• The overall responsibility for those involved in the Customer Complaints Handling Process is to ensure that
• The Customer is satisfied
• Action has been taken to prevent the complaint from occurring in the future
• The roles and responsibilities will be bounded by a set of objectives which are:
• Specific to the handling of complaints
• Measurable in terms of input and results
• Achievable - in terms of capabilities and expectation
• Relevant - in relation to the overall business goals of the organization
• Time-bound - so  that the personnel involved have a time scale to work within
• Training:  To ensure that ownership lies with those who are operating the process it is important that they are trained with regard to:
• The importance of handling complaints
• The organizational impact of poorly handled complaints
• The expectations of customers
  And finally
• The actual process itself
• Measurement: Key performance indicators may include
• Customer Satisfaction Rating
• Close-out time
• Document audit non-conformance levels
• Understanding of system by personnel
• Improvements implemented as a result of a corrective action identified in the process

Until next time...






Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/

Listening, Learning & Improving Part 2

Performance Appraisals

The Performance Appraisal Discussion

Actively Listen

• Don’t interrupt!
• Do Clarify
• Do Paraphrase
• Do Problem-Solve

There should be no surprises!

• Regular performance meetings with employees will ensure that surprises are avoided

The Performance Appraisal Discussion

• Make sure that it is a discussion and not a lecture!
• Make sure that the employee participates
• Make sure that there is clarity in terms of the issues discussed and the action points that come out of them
• Get Signed Agreement on the Appraisal and on any action plans

Positive Framing is Dependent Upon

• Tone and Pitch
• Body language
• Language
• Structure of the sentence

If There Is Disagreement

• Listen to the Employee’s Opinion
• Assess Any New Information as Appropriate
• Should the Employee not Agree to sign the Appraisal - document this fact
• The Employee can choose to add an addendum or rebuttal - this should be signed also by your manager and HR representative
• Sign and date the Appraisal including any rebuttals

Until next time...






Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/

Leadership and Delegation: Essential Steps Part 3

THE DELEGATION PROCESS

1. CLARIFY OBJECTIVES
When delegating a task, the leader must address the following:

• Policies and Procedures
• Communication Structures
• Coordination

2. AGREE ON RESPONSIBILITIES

• Leader provides clear terms
• Team member acknowledges a sense of commitment
• Team member is free to discuss doubts and concerns

3. DETERMINE SUPPORT AND TRAINING

• Does the leader need to provide guidance and support in the short- to medium-term?
• If so, what form of guidance and support is needed?
• What training is required to ensure the objectives are achieved?

  4. ENSURE FREEDOM TO ACT

• The team member must feel free to act and make decisions to perform the task
• The manager must respect this freedom and set clear boundaries

5. MONITOR AND REVIEW

• Monitoring ensures that the task to be delegated is being performed effectively
• Review sessions help to empower the team member to perform the task while ensuring appropriate supervision

  6. REWARD
When delegated tasks are performed well, rewards may include:

• Public Recognition
• Opportunities for Personal Development
• Opportunities for Promotion
• Monetary Rewards

 Until next time...






Sheryl Tuchman, SPHR, SHRM-SCP
http://tools2succeed.com/