newsletter june 2011 - proserv south africa external newsletter - march 2011.pdfi would like to...
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NEWSLETTER June 2011
www.proserv.co.za
Valued Clients I would like to present our latest quarterly newsletter to you in an exciting new format with interesting information and articles. Although the economic climate is still shaky, ProServ South Africa is experiencing a growth phase again and soon we hope to welcome our 50th team member. Our main focus has always been and still is that we continuously listen to the needs of our clients. Based on this principle, we try to stay relevant and continue to innovate our services. Recently we acquired the exclusive licence of Putting the Customer First® for South Africa, a customer service standard originating from the UK. Feedback from our clients and legislative developments, such as the Consumer Protection Act, tell us that improvement of Customer Service levels and quality in general is still a key focus for the industries we serve. The Customer First standard, which is hugely suc-cessful in the UK, will help our clients to benchmark their service levels against internationally accepted standards. Further details about this standard and our support approach can be found in this newsletter. Furthermore, we launched a new business unit earlier this year. It is called ProServ Talent at Work and the service it provides is almost a natural progression of what we do in our other business units. With Talent at Work we will be able to assist talented people early in their career development. While still at school or at university we can assist them in preparing for the world of work with our training pro-grammes and practical experience. From Talent at Work they can move into our learnership programmes provided by our Training division and if necessary, upon completion, receive permanent employment through ProServ Talent Placements. These developments assist with our objective to provide high quality synergistic services to a variety of industries.
I trust you will find this newsletter informative. Patrick Hijlkema Director Sales and Operations
A word from the DSO
ProServ believes that the most effective training and consulting solutions and tools begin with understanding the needs of the client and the people who will be influenced by the products and services offered. Therefore we value the communication that we have with our clients and suppliers and believe that the key to successful project implementation is communication.
Below, please find a list of all the key departmental contacts in ProServ South Africa.
ProServ Reception Lesego Selebogo [email protected]
Corporate Services Ruth Sepotokele
Business Development Celia van Wyk
Talent at Work & YoungProfs SA
Niels Bertschat [email protected]
Training and Enterprise Development Michael Mann
Chief Executive Officer Bart Bender [email protected]
Director Sales and Operations Patrick Hijlkema [email protected]
Consulting Services Tjade Moezelaar [email protected]
Product Development & QMS
Gillian Morrison
Talent Placements Sharon Blow
Putting the Customer First®
The National Standard for Customer Service
In 1999, organisations wanted to improve the business services sector and thus created Putting the Customer First® which is recognised as the National Standard for Customer Service in the UK.
Initiated by the Business of Competitiveness Group in Yorkshire and Humber UK and further developed by the Quality Working Group, London Business Support Network, the partners in these regions came together to agree on a common quality standard for improving the customer's experience of business support services.
In 2003, Putting the Customer First® was formally registered as a trade mark and a joint venture company formed to own and maintain the certification mark - Customer First UK Ltd.
The Customer First Standard has now been achieved by hundreds of organisations in the UK, and in 2011, ProServ South Africa joined as licensed International partner by launching Putting the Customer First® in South Africa.
History Are you New to Customer First?
If customer service excellence is your priority then Customer First is for you. Putting the Customer First® will soon be the National Standard for Customer Service.
www.customerfirstsa.co.za
Putting the Customer First® launch in South Africa
Building Customer Relationships
Maximising Market Awareness
Developing your People
Putting the Customer First® is a Service Standard and offers a practical approach to achieving Customer Service Excellence in an organisation. The journey to achieving the Standard is practical, developmental and really value-adding. The key milestones along the journey include three focus areas, namely: 1) Building Customer Relationships 2) Maximising Market Awareness 3) Developing your People
Recently ProServ South Africa obtained the licence for Putting the Customer First® in South Africa. The concept and project was launched in the Tourism and Hospitality sector in the Eastern Cape with clients of the Tourism Enterprise Partnership (TEP) who was also the funding partner. The launch started in May 2010 in East London, Port Elizabeth and Mthatha. The aim of the project was to implement the Customer First® Standard with 17 Tourism SMMEs, which is a first for South Africa. Our consultants Michael Mann, Marthine Otto and Tjade Moezelaar were responsible for the entire project.
Seventeen organisations participated in this project and were raising the quality of service delivery to customers in their organisations. They were assessed, developed and supported to achieve the Customer First Standard. Fourteen companies completed this Customer First Standard journey successfully and proudly achieved all 30 statements. They are officially the first companies that have achieved the Putting the Customer First® Standard in South Africa and are the front runners for excellent service delivery in South Africa. Below are pictures of some of the proud entrepreneurs who received their Customer First® certificate during the recent May 2011 function held in East London to mark their successful completion of the project.
Mr. David Mqumelo HR Manager Nelson Mandela Museum Mthatha
Mrs. Shirley Ntuli Owner Rose petals Guest House East London
Mrs. Cindy Lebega General Manager The Vision Guest House Mthatha
Mrs. Grazia Linden Owner Grazia Fine Food & Wine East London
Mrs. Karen Botha General Manager Ekhaya Guesthouse Mthatha
Left: Mr. Akhona Maqwazima, Eastern Cape Provincial Manager—TEP Right: Mr. Velile Ndlumbini Imanti Tours, East London
Mrs. Nondlela Gqwede General Manager La Maison Guesthouse Mthatha
The implementation of the Customer First launch project followed a phased approach:
Phase Outcome Project set up & Introduction Introduction and awareness around Customer First Self-assessment Completed Self Assessment and Gap Analysis report Advisory services Consulting and Training conducted to close gaps Preparing for assessment Internal assessment including preparations for formal assessment Formal assessment Compliance / partial compliance Post-assessment support Post-assessment support for potential partial
How did ProServ’s products and services contribute to the success of the project?
During the Customer First project a variety of ProServ South Africa’s products were used as the standard requires compliance with various subjects and business practices. We have assisted companies in implementing a performance management system, drafted policies and procedures, assisted in setting up of efficient feedback mechanisms and convenient client databases. In addition, thanks to ProServ's assistance, these companies have obtained a better understanding of the market they are operating in and have been able to apply this to their marketing strategies, recruitment efforts, staff development,
What was the client’s feedback on the project?
The feedback received from organisations that participated in the Customer First pilot was very positive. Below is an overview of some of the feedback received:
The companies have a better understanding of their business operations and how it fits in with the bigger picture of the market they operate in.
The companies have a better understanding of the
importance of identifying and exceeding customer needs.
The companies have a better understanding of the
importance in training and developing employees to ensure they have the necessary skills to meet customers’ needs.
The companies realised the importance of setting
service standard guidelines when choosing third party service providers or suppliers, as this will have a direct influence on their quality output.
Anything else of interest?
Fourteen companies went through the Customer First Assessment and were found to be compliant. Some clients indicated their occupancy rate increased as the direct result of implementing specific Customer First statements. As a result, four of the clients won awards in the Eastern Cape Parks and Tourism Agency’s 2nd Annual Adventure Province Tourism Awards, in the Best B&B and Guest House Section and included:
Winner in the Best Eastern Cape Museum Runner up in the Best B&B and guest houses category Runner up in the Best restaurant Runner up in the Best Eastern Cape Museum
Find out how we can support you to achieve the Customer First Standard
www.customerfirstsa.co.za
Supporting your Customer First journey
Organisations which are striving to achieve Customer First are sending out a strong and clear message to the market that the customer is at the centre of their business priorities. Implementing the Putting the Customer First® Standard will help your organisation overcome a number of potential problems which you may encounter when trying to achieve service excellence:
Really understanding customer needs Tailoring services to meet customer needs Providing quality customer care and follow up Identifying benefits that customers have gained from services
Excellence at the customer interface is the key to:
Building your business Establishing a real competitive advantage Winning more customers Maximising your customers’ loyalty and future custom
How can your organisation become Customer First compliant?
ProServ South Africa will be glad to assist you in obtaining the Putting the Customer First® Standard and achieving excellent customer service for your clients. Our methodologies and the duration of interventions can be customised to your desires. Please contact us should you wish to receive additional information.
Why is the Customer First Standard important for your organisation?
ProServ Talent at Work
What on earth is Niels talking about, what current perceptions?
Being a waiter is not considered a real job. It is viewed as a side job and not as an actual career; For this reason waiters are paid minimum wage which is around R10-11 an hour and they receive little or
no training! Waiters are seen as unskilled and not productive and for that reason people book many of them and they
might stand around bored; You don't need to have them around a whole day from morning till late but you actually need them for a
few hours only.
Talent at Work is a business unit of ProServ South Africa and a career development partner for young talented individuals, mostly comprising of students.
To have a better understanding of what Talent at Work does exactly and what they stand for, we will give you a view behind the scenes. We interviewed the General Manager, Niels Bertschat and asked him to provide us with information on all ins and outs of the concept.
Who is Niels Bertschat?
Niels Bertschat is a 28 year old Dutch/German young professional with a master’s degree in hospitality. Niels is a true servant of people and always puts the needs of others first. His life thus far has been in hospitality and is 2ndonly to his passion for South Africa. Through the years Niels has obtained vast practical and international experience in a variety of areas. The highlight of his career was to provide FIFA with VIP staff for all 10 stadia (5000 pax). His career objective is to successfully implement the Mise en Place philosophy and standards and serve South Africa. How does he plan to do this you ask? Well, firstly, by offering young talented individuals a successful career in hospitality, secondly, by changing the current perceptions about hospitality staff and finally by taking the service industry to a higher level.
What does Niels do for Talent at Work?
Niels is in charge of ProServ Talent at Work. The main duty is care-taking which includes taking care of the budget, marketing & sales and furthermore making sure that the students and interns are taken care of and feel comfortable at home. Last but not least, he ensures that all partners (clients) are being taking care of and their requests are met where possible.
What does Talent at Work like to brag about?
The services that Talent at Work provide are not limited to waiting staff (Niels prefers to be gender neutral). They also offer data capturing, host/ess, receptionist, kitchen assistants etc. All staff is provided with regular training to improve their standards and skills. Fantastic.
Why would you want to work for Talent at Work?
Working for Talent at Work is exciting as you never know what the day will bring which sounds unsettling but actually it offers great flexibility. Furthermore, Talent at Work believes in empowerment of the employees, allowing them to be outspoken, creative and make their own decisions. Every individual is talented in his/her own way and with the right coaching and training this will lead to a successful career.
What does Talent at Work expect from employees? Cleanliness, Openness, Fun, Flexibility, Empathy, Energy, Responsibility, Anticipate, Positive Attitude, Passion, Accuracy, Attention to detail, Punctuality.
What makes Niels hopping mad?
Everyone complains about poor skills of hospitality staff but not many are willing to put the time, effort and resources in to improve it! If clients invest time and funds in training people and then remunerate them decently, they will ultimately improve their quality standards, have more enthusiastic and driven staff and require fewer staff to do the same amount of work.
What does this mean for the companies who need staff from Niels? Firstly, the companies will be treated as partners and not just as customers or clients. Secondly, they will be allocated a dedicated team who truly believe in hostmanship and reliability Talent at Work delivers anywhere at any time and on TIME as well as a team who can assist in the clients staff scheduling. Thirdly, the client will receive quality, professional service through motivated and skilled people who see their assignments as part of their career growth rather than just a casual job. This means that companies who choose to use Talent at Work staff will receive a far more productive team as a result of their training and drive.
Fourthly, the client will receive a team of young energetic and outgoing people (predominantly students) who can be booked for a minimum of 4 hours giving them great flexibility. This is ideal for those seasons, holidays or special occasions which see a sudden increase in the numbers of clientele or patrons. These kinds of arrangements are also perfect for when existing staff are ill or unavailable to work. Finally, and most importantly, with our total solutions services, Talent at Work will lower the partner companies’ staff expenses.
Where does Niels see his department in 5 years’ time?
Niels hopes to have several Talent at Work offices in South Africa, be the most sought after brand amongst students for part time work and to be one of the top five suppliers of staff in Gauteng!
How many students is Talent at Work helping right now?
Talent at Work is assisting 80 active working students however, he has access to many more owing to the FWC 2010 network.
Who are some of Talent at Work clients?
Radisson Blu Gautrain Hotel Blowfish Entertainment
But of course, Talent at Work hopes to have many more to work with in partnership in the near future.
Just some of our talented staff hard at work during the FIFA World Cup 2010
De Kloof Luxury Estate La Scala
JOHANNESBURG CAPE TOWN POLOKWANE MAPUTO
CONTACT DETAILS
T +27 (0) 11 700 0400
www.proserv.co.za