1 Find out why your customers use your service and how you can ensure customer loyalty.
Research has shown that customers make choices based on recommendations and their own experiences more than through advertising. Ask new customers why they came to your setting and their expectations of the service. Use this to build on your strengths and deal with your weaknesses. Satisfied customers will often pay a premium and will offer other forms of support such as fundraising.
2 Ensure best practice in early years provision.
Good customer service starts with best practice in care and education and in support for families. Incorporate the values of the sector into your provision. Recognise that standards set for external inspection are the minimum and develop your own measurable quality standards that staff and customers understand, using the new national care standards, the guidance (when available) and the NVQ standards.
3 Define excellence in your core service.
Identify and set service standards for your core business and for different parts of the organisation and include a customer service element in each, for example, greeting parents within ten seconds. Make standards available to staff and customers so they know what you are striving to achieve.
4 Identify additional aspects of customer service.
These are the 'value added' aspects of your customer service, which follow on from your best practice and are usually tangible benefits, such as flexible payment terms, or an extended range of services but can be less tangible, such as excellent staff/ customer interactions. Find out what 'value added' aspects customers really want.
5 Develop a customer service strategy.
Settings need a clear strategy to achieve customer service goals, which should be easily remembered. A SWOT analysis can give a starting point: Strengths, Weaknesses, Opportunities, Threats. Have a simple slogan for your customer service initiative such as LISTEN: Listen, Include, Smile, Take time, Excellence, Now.
6 Identify barriers to good customer service.
Staff meetings and training sessions will help identify barriers, which can be physical (for example, lack of space to talk privately) or organisational (for example, staff cannot greet parents when involved with breakfasts), or involve negative staff attitudes. Perhaps set up project teams to look at particular issues. Address negative attitudes if they are affecting the quality of service, through appraisal, training and sometimes disciplinary action.
7 'Walk the talk.'
Research has shown that the managers most likely to succeed are those who understand the service, are committed to quality and remain involved with the service. They can often be found in the nursery and spending time with parents, children and staff. As they walk around they are assessing and monitoring service levels, demonstrating best practice and motivating all levels of staff to 'walk the talk'.
8 Help customers to sort out problems even when it's no fault of the setting.
Customers respond well to settings prepared to help them with problems. Staff who listen and offer to help find a solution are good ambassadors for the setting, but they do need to be clear about their boundaries. Staff should be trained in how to deal with unfair and aggressive criticism.
9 Be inclusive. Ensure that the individual needs of all your customers - children and their families - are met.
Best practice in early years provision is inclusive and anti-discriminatory. Good customer service opposes discrimination and does not favour one group over another. Settings must be sensitive where finance is involved and not treat some customers more favourably where they pay to attend.
10 Train and reward your staff.
Well-trained and committed staff are the keystone to good customer service, so training in how to achieve the service standards is essential. Excellence in routine tasks should be the norm and rewards should be given for specific achievements. Staff need to know the criteria against which they are judged and how they can improve their performance. Rewards in early years settings are hard to instigate, with pay and promotion prospects limited. Work with staff on fair and feasible ways of rewarding them.
