Maintaining and Sustaining Customer Service

To:   All CMOs and marketing staff  (CSS)

Thru:   GM Madel

 Subject:  Maintaining and Sustaining Customer Service

Date:   November 20, 2016  

Objectives:

1.  To continue serving our present and future customers

(We are entering new markets:    cremation,   chapel memorial services and memorial plans and we better adapt to this changing business environment before we are left out.)

 To implement  the definition of MARKETING:   TO CONTINUOUSLY SERVE CUSTOMERS

WANTS AND NEEDS BETTER THAN COMPETITORS AT A PROFIT

2.  To increase our capability to be in bigger and more sophisticated markets

3.  To reduce complaints

4.  To increase level of customer satisfaction and delight

5.  To remind every one that this is part of our mission

Background:

We built this business on one of the pillars of Customer Service.  We did not have capital as we were poor.  However we leveraged on customer service every inch of the way for more than 30 years. We grew and grew because of Customer service and excellence.  

However as we pass the baton, and under new management or as we assign new people who are not properly trained or oriented, this may not be given due emphasis or neglected.  Failure or business shrinkage could be lurking around the corner.

It is not the money that we collect that counts, but the learning on how to build and strengthen the business.  To generate revenues and get the customer judge our efforts favorably with their patronage and purchase is the thing that counts

Take note that we have external and internal customers who we must take care of

 .Sellers are our internal customers and we do our best to please delight them.  We can only give them titles like sales directors and managers.  We encouraged and inspired them to work hard for their titles.  Let us not change nor issue edict tot reverse this

Let us build and strengthen our business not weaken this and shooting ourselves in the fee.

As per our CCD we are not to quarrel nor insult nor shame our customers nor make it difficult to do business with us.

Reality:

We are not getting the level of customer service that we envisioned a long time ago or as we practiced them before.   We fail in the following areas:

    1.  Documents

    2.  Interments

    3.  Park beautification and maintenance

    4. Dealing with our stakeholders:    suppliers and and sales executives

    5.  Corporate communications - blogs, obits

LET US USE THIS ACRONYM:

4 Is

1.  Improve

2.  Innovate

3.  Inform

4.  Implement

IMPROVE -  ourselves, increase our knowledge, our capability to train and supervise.  Lessen our selfishness and care for the WE.  This selfishness like wanting answers from higher ups, but failing to even answer the text or emails has been most destructive.   

Improve our processes, our equipment.  Practice TPM.   Improve our communications. Answer text, phone emails promptly Improve our skills.  Improve work scheduling.  Improve management.  Improve customer service

Improve execution. Improve our understanding. Ask question if you do not understand.   Understand the way instructions should be understood  Practice WE vs ME (read the ppts)

INNOVATE

1.  Read read read the web, read the newspapers. Observe Learn and Observe wherever you go.  Draw inspiration from many things you see.  Write them down in your journal.  Take pictures.  Have diary.  From this think of one new thing to do every day.  Innovate or die. Trees and grasses improve their appearance every day.  Do you?

2.  Are we going to resume suggestion system.  We had reporting system where we require innovation.   Are you going to die young with old ideas?

3.  Leave a mark on this world.  Make difference.  Innovate your work, your life and the world around you.  Leave a legacy by influencing others and  the world around you

4 Innovate:

     1.  Park -  plants (Calapan, may tree planting program ka na ba near the fence.  So with Oton;  other new plants to plan

          May herbal garden na ba?

     2. Office - decor flowers, customer service, tripping, sales presentation

     3.  Interments:

        1.  Music

        2. Tribute

        3. Prayers, novena, program

        4.  Food:   funeral pack meal during interment 

    4. Documents:

       1.  Document container

       2.  Freebies and promo items

       3. Estate planning

       4.  Speedier processing via cloud or sales force

INFORM

1.  Inform others:  your colleague, your boss, your community of your achievements.  Let people know what your staff have accomplished.

2. Take pride in that and publish that:  email your boss, or post this at Holy Gardens Best or Holy Gardens Communication.   Post your interments and pour out your sympathies, condolences and prayers. Do this regularly.  Do this with pride.  Many SBUs fail in this important task. 

We build our brand through this efforts/tasks.  A company can sell and reach a wide range of public, markets, and customer using media:  brochures, tarpaulin, posts at various media.  The cheapest and most accessible is social media.

"A company without signs, is a sign of no business."

Implement:

1.  Hasten the pace.  Speed is the only real competitive advantage.  The competitor is not sleeping.  He is out to take our market share in business. He can put us out of business. Do we want this?

What does being put of business mean to you?  Do you care?

2. Let us DIN (Do it now)  Not tomorrow not mamaya but today.

3. Execute/implement well.

    3ffb support this with your immediate action. Do not misplace do not forget because of your absence or being on leave.  Be mature.  Be serious about your job.  Your negligence can mean much in our execution and the performance of the team If you are inefficient, the others will too, and the entire organization as well.

    You must try to be in the SBU.  They can be resourceful to some extent.  But to exceed their limits means they are exposing themselves to risk like disciplinary action and dismissal 

4.  Remove the clutter and focus:

   1.  Ask questions only from a minimal number of bosses.  Asking many people confuses you and creates intrigues and misunderstanding.  The less talk,

   2.  Focus on your job, task and contribution to the results and outputs.

  3. Align yourself with the vision, mission and objective of the company. Try to understand all of these

5.  Review (do PMRSS) and go back to Number 1.  Improve. Learn from your mistakes.  We are humbled by failures and mistakes.  But the most important thing to do is to learn and improve.

6.  Go back to existing processes and review, and implement well. Review what you are missing:

      `1.  TPM

       2. Work scheduling

       3. Interment process flow

       4. Accounting process flow

       5. Memorandum Circular

Marjorie please print and send copies to SBU.  Find time to discuss at AM talk.  Schedule a telecon or one on one with me.

Jorge  U. Saguinsin

The Holy Gardens Group - "THE MEMORIAL EXPERTS"

Holy Gardens Plus  - about sales of services as addition to the plots bought

Destiny Financial Plans Inc  - about duly licensed memorial plan for sales

Griefshare   -  free obit posting

Holy Gardens Best  - best pictures

Landscaping ideas - gorgeous landscaping ideas

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