Customer First

Corporate Services will be using the business model Customer First UK as a framework and tool for implementing quality initiatives across its services.

Customer First UK will support Corporate Services in meeting two of its aims these are:-

Identify and develop working practices across the current existing services to improve efficiency and effectiveness in the delivery of outputs to our customers
Improve the quality of management and customer information we provide to improve decision making and develop appropriate customer expectations of our facilities and services

What is Customer First?

Customer First UK is the standard for service and business excellence. It recognises excellence and is about meeting customer expectations on a consistent and regular basis. The standard provides a framework to drive change and is about developing an organisational culture that puts customers at the heart of what it does.

Why do we need it?

Because we want to improve our standards and services to our customers.

With the ever increasing competition between Universities, not just nationally but increasingly internationally, we need to put the University of Exeter on the map by providing our customers with the standard of service and business excellence that will exceed their expectations.

The standard also reviews customer satisfaction. There is a considerable body of evidence that suggests customer satisfaction helps to identify the extent to which the services have delivered value for money, met customer expectations and achieved operational excellence.

What Does it Mean for Us?

It is about understanding our customers’ needs and continuously striving to meet those needs in a way that works for us
It is about what we do and how we can do it better
It is about having the right people in the right place at the right time
It is about continually providing our best for every customer
It is about being a quality employer with quality staff
It is about a set of standards that we can use to measure how we perform

What do we have to do?

All you have to do is your own job, but ensure that you are following best practice. You must make sure that you are adhering to standard policies and procedures applicable to the tasks that you are carrying out. If you are unsure of the way you should be doing any element of your job, then please speak to your line manager. He or she will then be able to either demonstrate best practice or support you in gaining the relevant training or support needed.

When do we have to do it?

You should be following best practice all the time and the Customer First Standard will be monitored on an ongoing basis. However, in order to gain the accreditation we must first undergo an external assessment process and this is explained below.

The Customer First UK Process

The process to achieve Customer First UK recognition is rigorous. It takes into account customer opinion and considers all aspects of service from the customers’ point of view. It is an ongoing process that provides a series of statements against which an organisation can continually judge themselves. The steps are as follows:-

A commitment from Corporate Services to achieve the requirements of the Customer First Standard. This will include the scope and scale of the assessment.
Carrying out an opening audit to provide a marker of where we are against the standard. This will highlight good practice and areas that need attention.
The Customer First journey will include:
- Understanding customers expectations
- Planning the service delivery
- Communicating the nature and rationale of the service
- Ensuring that adequate skills and resources are available
- Instigating a process of improvement which becomes part of operations and is self perpetuating
- Improving processes around customer service
External Assessment where the assessor meets a range of staff to find out more about how ‘we do things’ and also assesses the extent to which we meet the Customer First Standard. Evidence of current practice is essentially verbal rather than document driven.
Report and feedback where the assessor summarises the findings, results and outcome of the assessment.

Downloads

Booklet: Key to Putting the Customer First
Workshop Presentation - 5 March 2008
Customer First Newsletter - March 2009 [view online or download PDF ]

Contact

Name: Wendy Courtney
Location: Mardon Hall
Email: W.K.Courtney@exeter.ac.uk
Tel: (01392) 725479