Client Problem

This leading Australian agribusiness was undergoing a period of tremendous change, both in the marketplace and within the company. The impacts of international free trade agreements as well as over the acquisition and integrating other companies within business, has resulted in significant shifts in operation. The organisations key priority was to develop a culture of continuous improvement and in particular, to improve the quality of service to its customers.

SMS Approach

This organisation places tremendous value on relationships with its customers and stakeholders. Since the company’s Customer Service Centre (CSC) is the centre is the central point of contact for customers it is instrumental in building perceptions and understanding of its services. The aim is to deliver a resource for CSC operators that would lead to improved performance by:

• Ensuring Compliance: Accurate, current and consistent information that is provided to customers leads to direct savings through less errors/rework, risk reduction and greater efficiency. There are also indirect benefits through better service and customer relationships.
• Increasing Quality: Better service and relationships drives better business. Service quality is dependent on operator’s knowledge and capabilities. Improving service quality, whilst at the same time creating a more effective and efficient method for inducting operators improves both the top and bottom line.

Recommendation

The SMS OpLC team created a set of key learning deliverables that achieved all of the organisations aims and more. SMS delivered:
 

• E-learning modules that introduced financial and other necessary concepts that step operators through the business processes and provide interactive simulations of system transactions/tasks. These ‘bitesize’ courses offer a flexible way for operators to come up to speed quickly or grab a refresher. Tracking of operator progress enabled the organisation to accredit capability and manage performance.
• E-reference solution—a single, central online reference point for information on business policies, processes and systems tasks. An easy-to-use resource that replaced several, (rarely updated), hard copy folders, hard to access computer systems and the need to ask a manager. Operators can now immediately find the answer whilst on the phone with a grower.
• Quick Reference Guides available online through the e-Reference system. An operator can print and use in hard copy as ‘cheat sheets’ or desktop reminders.

Outcome

The Customer Service Centre team have responded enthusiastically to the ability to get the right information quickly and easily and feel empowered with a new level of self sufficiency. They have reported that inducting new members has not only been carried out on a more professional and comprehensive level, it has been completed faster and with greater efficiency.

“The results speak for themselves – A dramatic reduction in training and support overhead. What was not immediately obvious, but was even more exciting, was the way the process released tacit knowledge and allowed us to take a quantum step forward in terms of quality.” Process Improvement Manager