Measuring success
If you can’t measure the outcome, how do you know when standards have fallen, or indeed when you’ve raised standards to new heights?
Some outcomes will be relatively quick to check, while others may take longer and involve comparing standards across a set period. It is also true that some standards need to be checked more frequently than others.
Examples of measuring success could involve:
- Cleanliness being checked daily by a member of the management team. Success in this instance might be that all required actions are found to have been done at every check over a set period, eg a week or a month.
- It could be that you compare your online review ratings before and after the introduction of set service standards. A comparison like this may need you to wait longer to see the impact of standards.
- If you operate a ticket office, or reception then success might involve the phone being answered in a set number of rings with a defined greeting – this kind of standard can be checked frequently, but at different times of day.
Where standards are not being met, think about how you might correct this. Is further staff training required? Several members of the team not achieving the standards required might indicate a wider issue - perhaps the actions are impractical, or unclear. Don’t be afraid to revisit, ask for feedback from staff, and adjust the standards or the process if need be.
Consult your customers
When you’ve introduced a different way of operating or perhaps an entirely new product, it’s worth seeing what your customers think too, as ultimately, they are the people you are trying to impress.
- Observe and listen to customer reactions on-site.
- Monitor your online reviews - you should also be proactively trying to maximise the amount of feedback you receive particularly if you’ve changed something.
- Consider using surveys to ask your customers for feedback on your products and services.
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