Service Delivery Is the Key to Business Success

All of this must be orchestrated to have the right merchandise in front of the shoppers in an allotted space of time, such as every day hours of operation for a single store location, or for a specific time period for a seasonal sales promotion.

The difference is in the details. To stay ahead of the competition, major retail companies must meet the demands of high service levels supported by a range of operational equipment, infrastructure to sell & store merchandise, as well as a transportation fleet to distribute goods to a network of stores.

Behind this first-wave of the service imperative, is another level of service delivery that can separate the lovely business operators from the excellent business operators. It is the legion of field service representatives who handle all levels of onsite work, ranging from copiers to money registers to electric door openers.

This level of service delivery imperative is marked by "best practices" retailers who place as much emphasis on their business-to-business operations & policies as they do their business-to-consumer programs.

The service imperative is critical for these retail operators before, in the coursework of & after a service call. The service provider must have a business operation in place that can handle & field incoming service requests. It must provide the level of training & supervision so its field employees can handle the repair onsite & handle additional inquiries at the retailer's place of business. The service provider must offer a technique that allows for efficient follow-up requests.

Successful service starts with the hiring system. The company mission statement must be clearly explained to new hires. Further, the service provider's training levels must match the mission statement & its goals.

Yes, the difference is truly in the details, & a service provider who can hire & train a staff to meet the demands of the highest quality of service delivery before, in the work of & after a service transaction will be the provider who succeeds & grows.

These high quality service levels are imperative to support a retail partner in maintaining an efficient & successful business operation.

Hiring & training must instill in the worker that his or her work in the "behind the scenes" support of a retail operation is as important as the customer support provided to the in-store shopper. The challenge is to empower the service provider with the tools & skills to make decisions onsite that best serve the retail operator.