Wagenheim, George DAuthor InformationView Profile; Reurink, John H. Public Administration Review; Washington Vol. 51, Iss. 3, (May/Jun 1991): 263.
Is there an "organizing force" for public administration emerging for the 1990s? George D. Wagenheim and John H. Reurink believe that "customer-service management" will provide the organizing and operating strategy for the coming decade, and in this commentary they review the logic and components of that approach. By focusing on the needs of both external and internal customers, the organization develops means and mechanisms that benefit agency personnel as well as the people they serve in the process. As both a "driver and evaluator" of agency performance, customer service creates a positive reinforcement cycle for the agency through higher motivation and morale, self improvement, cost reductions, and innovation.
Customer service is a management strategy that focuses on meeting customer expectations. It is based on the concept that the organization will reach its goals effectively and efficiently through satisfaction of the customer. With this orientation of identifying, understanding and focusing on customer needs, processes are designed to satisfy customer expectations. Once the processes are designed, it is often necessary for management to implement changes that will support performance. For example, if customers expect quick response to inquiries, information and communication systems are required. If customers want rapid decision making, then empowerment or participatory management may be required. Although each customer is unique, there are common expectations, which include communication, information, responsiveness, problem resolution, and on-time, reliable, consistent service delivery. Consequently, management requirements exist to support performance including quality, participatory management, technology, information systems, and training. These management requirements that are designed to support the customer-satisfying processes also result in cost reduction and an increase in innovation, motivation, and morale for the organization. Thus, the customer-service perspective initiates a positive reinforcing cycle. The focus on customers requires a detailed analysis by all employees of the service delivery process. The changes in process result in satisfied customers and a more efficient and effective organization.
The customer-service management strategy has been primarily applied in the private sector. The organizations that have successfully implemented a customer-service program believe it has been instrumental in meeting their goals and contributing to the success of their firms. A misconception exists that customer service only satisfies external customers and increases costs. Customer service focuses on the internal customer, all employees in the firm, and reduces costs. Public administration and the private sector are very similar, especially in the areas of information exchange and delivery of services to the internal or external customer. This concept and its principles apply to many areas in public administration.
Identification and Scope
The definition and scope of customer service include concepts from marketing, service, quality and logistics. "The marketing concept holds that the key to achieving organizational goals consists in determining the needs and wants of target markets and delivering the desired satisfactions more effectively and efficiently than competitors" (Kotler, 1988, p. 17).
The definition of service can be divided into three elements: the core, the tangible service, and the augmented service (Kotler, 1988, p. 446). The core is the benefit of the service such as compliance with the law. The tangible service is the license, providing transportation, or advice to a client. The augmented service includes communication, information, responsiveness, problem solving, etc. The augmented service is the primary domain of customer service. In addition to identifying what service to perform, it is concerned with how a service is performed.
Quality is "freedom from deficiencies" and "meeting customer needs." It is also "decreased variation" and "determining customer wants" (Traffic Management, 1990, pp. 34-39; and Crosby, 1979, pp. 15,37,38).
From a logistics perspective, customer service is defined in an organizational perspective, as performance expectations and as "a process for providing significant value-added benefits to the supply chain in a cost effective way" (Lalonde, et al., 1988, pp. 4,5; Bowersox, et al., 1986, pp. 92-93; Levitt, 1983, pp. 87-93; and Stern, 1987, pp. 34-41).
Each of these views leads to identifying the elements and scope of customer service. The marketing concept focuses on customer needs, wants, and satisfaction. The definition of service identifies functions relative to benefits and features. The definition of quality focuses on the customer, delivery, and characteristics of the service. The definition of customer service, from a logistics perspective, focuses on a process that adds value. From these, customer service can be defined as: an organizational perspective and process that focuses on meeting customer expectations by doing the right things right the first time.
To further shape this definition, customer service can be viewed as a philosophy and an attitude. The customer-service philosophy is the belief that cooperating with the customer and offering what the customer wants is more efficient and effective than attempting to dictate and control what the customer receives. From the public administration view, "govemment exists to satisfy the needs of the citizens."
The people reign in the American political world as the Deity does in the Universe. They are the cause and the aim of all things; everything comes from them and everything is absorbed by them (Tocqueville: 1945, p. 59).
Attitude is the manner of acting, feeling, or thinking that shows one's disposition. The attitude that the customer is the focal point and reason for the organization's existence becomes part of the organization's culture. The organization takes the responsibility and the initiative to determine what customers want and if customers' expectations have been met. The organization cannot independently determine what should be done, initiate performance, hope the job will be done, and wait. Traditionally, all organizations have been inward looking, driven by a production orientation, cost reduction, and internal efficiency. Customer service calls for a shift in attitude from an inward to outward focus.
The customer-service perspective pervades all employees and all functions of the organization. Customer service is not just a department or function. In fact, if this perspective is properly implemented, the Customer Service Department would be eliminated or drastically reduced, as has been the case with many organizations, when a quality perspective has been successfully implemented. Customer service is a philosophy and attitude, which guides the actions of all individuals and groups within the organization.
The Customer
Critical to the customer-service perspective is a delineation of the customer. Identification of the customer is a prerequisite to determining expectations, needs, and wants. Any organization that goes through the process of defining who its customers are automatically increases its effectiveness through a more precise focusing of organizational energy. The traditional view holds that the customer is the person (or group) outside the organization who receives or buys a service. From this view, customers of public administration would include all citizens, segments of citizens buying or receiving goods or services such as social services and licensing, business, economic development, and voluntary non-profit groups who have dealings with the public sector.
Is there an "organizing force" for public administration emerging for the 1990s? George D. Wagenheim and John H. Reurink believe that "customer-service management" will provide the organizing and operating strategy for the coming decade, and in this commentary they review the logic and components of that approach. By focusing on the needs of both external and internal customers, the organization develops means and mechanisms that benefit agency personnel as well as the people they serve in the process. As both a "driver and evaluator" of agency performance, customer service creates a positive reinforcement cycle for the agency through higher motivation and morale, self improvement, cost reductions, and innovation.
Customer service is a management strategy that focuses on meeting customer expectations. It is based on the concept that the organization will reach its goals effectively and efficiently through satisfaction of the customer. With this orientation of identifying, understanding and focusing on customer needs, processes are designed to satisfy customer expectations. Once the processes are designed, it is often necessary for management to implement changes that will support performance. For example, if customers expect quick response to inquiries, information and communication systems are required. If customers want rapid decision making, then empowerment or participatory management may be required. Although each customer is unique, there are common expectations, which include communication, information, responsiveness, problem resolution, and on-time, reliable, consistent service delivery. Consequently, management requirements exist to support performance including quality, participatory management, technology, information systems, and training. These management requirements that are designed to support the customer-satisfying processes also result in cost reduction and an increase in innovation, motivation, and morale for the organization. Thus, the customer-service perspective initiates a positive reinforcing cycle. The focus on customers requires a detailed analysis by all employees of the service delivery process. The changes in process result in satisfied customers and a more efficient and effective organization.
The customer-service management strategy has been primarily applied in the private sector. The organizations that have successfully implemented a customer-service program believe it has been instrumental in meeting their goals and contributing to the success of their firms. A misconception exists that customer service only satisfies external customers and increases costs. Customer service focuses on the internal customer, all employees in the firm, and reduces costs. Public administration and the private sector are very similar, especially in the areas of information exchange and delivery of services to the internal or external customer. This concept and its principles apply to many areas in public administration.
Identification and Scope
The definition and scope of customer service include concepts from marketing, service, quality and logistics. "The marketing concept holds that the key to achieving organizational goals consists in determining the needs and wants of target markets and delivering the desired satisfactions more effectively and efficiently than competitors" (Kotler, 1988, p. 17).
The definition of service can be divided into three elements: the core, the tangible service, and the augmented service (Kotler, 1988, p. 446). The core is the benefit of the service such as compliance with the law. The tangible service is the license, providing transportation, or advice to a client. The augmented service includes communication, information, responsiveness, problem solving, etc. The augmented service is the primary domain of customer service. In addition to identifying what service to perform, it is concerned with how a service is performed.
Quality is "freedom from deficiencies" and "meeting customer needs." It is also "decreased variation" and "determining customer wants" (Traffic Management, 1990, pp. 34-39; and Crosby, 1979, pp. 15,37,38).
From a logistics perspective, customer service is defined in an organizational perspective, as performance expectations and as "a process for providing significant value-added benefits to the supply chain in a cost effective way" (Lalonde, et al., 1988, pp. 4,5; Bowersox, et al., 1986, pp. 92-93; Levitt, 1983, pp. 87-93; and Stern, 1987, pp. 34-41).
Each of these views leads to identifying the elements and scope of customer service. The marketing concept focuses on customer needs, wants, and satisfaction. The definition of service identifies functions relative to benefits and features. The definition of quality focuses on the customer, delivery, and characteristics of the service. The definition of customer service, from a logistics perspective, focuses on a process that adds value. From these, customer service can be defined as: an organizational perspective and process that focuses on meeting customer expectations by doing the right things right the first time.
To further shape this definition, customer service can be viewed as a philosophy and an attitude. The customer-service philosophy is the belief that cooperating with the customer and offering what the customer wants is more efficient and effective than attempting to dictate and control what the customer receives. From the public administration view, "govemment exists to satisfy the needs of the citizens."
The people reign in the American political world as the Deity does in the Universe. They are the cause and the aim of all things; everything comes from them and everything is absorbed by them (Tocqueville: 1945, p. 59).
Attitude is the manner of acting, feeling, or thinking that shows one's disposition. The attitude that the customer is the focal point and reason for the organization's existence becomes part of the organization's culture. The organization takes the responsibility and the initiative to determine what customers want and if customers' expectations have been met. The organization cannot independently determine what should be done, initiate performance, hope the job will be done, and wait. Traditionally, all organizations have been inward looking, driven by a production orientation, cost reduction, and internal efficiency. Customer service calls for a shift in attitude from an inward to outward focus.
The customer-service perspective pervades all employees and all functions of the organization. Customer service is not just a department or function. In fact, if this perspective is properly implemented, the Customer Service Department would be eliminated or drastically reduced, as has been the case with many organizations, when a quality perspective has been successfully implemented. Customer service is a philosophy and attitude, which guides the actions of all individuals and groups within the organization.
The Customer
Critical to the customer-service perspective is a delineation of the customer. Identification of the customer is a prerequisite to determining expectations, needs, and wants. Any organization that goes through the process of defining who its customers are automatically increases its effectiveness through a more precise focusing of organizational energy. The traditional view holds that the customer is the person (or group) outside the organization who receives or buys a service. From this view, customers of public administration would include all citizens, segments of citizens buying or receiving goods or services such as social services and licensing, business, economic development, and voluntary non-profit groups who have dealings with the public sector.
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