Excellence Indicators – Customers Category

+  The organisation places customers at the core of its business model and culture

+  The organisation uses various channels (e.g. market intelligence, focus groups, frontline employees, surveys) to identify opportunities and enhance its value proposition

+  Markets and customers are segmented to determine and address specific requirements to differentiate customer offerings and enhance customer satisfaction

+  Customer requirements and expectations are incorporated into the strategic development and implementation processes

+  The organisation engages customers to co-create and improve the customer experience

+  Customer-contact employees are well-trained and able to answer customers’ queries or resolve their issues effectively to ensure a positive customer experience.

+  Issues and feedback from customers are tracked and used to prompt improvement plans

+  Customer satisfaction is monitored through different channels (e.g. customer surveys, feedback forms, complaints and compliments) to increase customer loyalty

1 Customer Requirements

Interpretation Notes

How current market and customer requirements are determined and future needs are anticipated

Describe how the organisation:

a. Segments markets and customers and understands their current and future requirements

b. Incorporates market and customer requirements into strategic plans

N1. The organisation segments its markets and customers to understand each segment, their expectations and requirements, delight customers and build loyalty

N2. Listening channels may vary for different customers, market and customer segments and may include customer focus groups, interviews with customers, customer feedback channels, competitive comparisons, social media and web-based technologies

N3. The translation of market and customer information (e.g. needs, expectations and potential requirements) to strategic plans may be demonstrated through the inclusion of customer information in strategic plans, action plans, or policies

2 Customer Experience

Interpretation Notes

How the organisation engages customers to co-create products, services or experiences, improve customer loyalty and enhance customer experiences

Describe how the organisation:

a. Co-creates products, processes, services or experiences with customers to meet their needs

b. Ensures customer feedback is resolved and analysed to drive improvements

c. Provides access for customers to seek assistance and information to enhance the customer experience

d. Ensures overall ease of customer contact and service standards are set at customer touch points

N1. Co-creation with customers may include the translation and incorporation of customer requirements, needs and wants into the organisation’s products, services, processes or customer experiences offered

N2. “Personalised service” refers to adding value and choices to the customers by knowing their specific needs and serving them as individuals

N3. Effective analysis of feedback may be demonstrated by eliminating the root causes of issues relating to negative feedback, identifying what drives positive experiences and the setting of priorities for product, service and process improvements

N4. “Customer touch points” refer to the organisation’s points of contact with customers and users of its product, service or brand from start to finish. It can include interfaces before, during and after a transaction and may be applied in business-to-business as well as business-to-consumer environments

N5. Service standards at key customer touch points may consider the extent and type of staff-customer interactions and user system-customer interactions. It may also include measures of reliability, desired response times, service staff behaviour and after-sales services

3 Customer Satisfaction

Interpretation Notes

How the organisation determines and improves customer satisfaction

Describe how the organisation:

a. Determines and improves customer satisfaction for various customer segments

b. Determines current and future drivers of customer satisfaction

c. Incorporates customer satisfaction and feedback in the strategic plans

N1. The organisation may determine customer satisfaction by collecting information on customer ratings of specific product, service and process features, comparing satisfaction levels with competing or alternative offerings

N2. The organisation may analyse data and information on customer satisfaction to predict customers’ future needs and behaviours, which may be used to guide the development of future plans