10
Mar

W. Warner Burke, from Columbia University, is an expert in organizational change.  Burke’s work with a variety of organizations indicates that for a true change initiative to be successful, focus and change must occur at multiple levels:Internal Organization

  • Systems level
  • Work-unit level
  • Individual level

Through our work at ServiceElements, we have seen many aviation-related companies struggling to breathe life into customer service initiatives, hoping that they will become “part and parcel” of their culture.  But it takes more than hope. Inevitably their initiatives failed because they were not addressing all levels of their companies.

So, what within these levels can change?

System Level – The system level includes mission, strategy, service culture, and leadership.  Is customer service an explicit strategy that the leadership of the organization agrees upon?  Does the overall culture reflect this strategy as a priority?

Work Level – The work-unit level includes standard operating procedures, management practices, reward systems, and strength of teamwork.

Individual Level – The individual level includes training programs for employees, managers, and leaders, and whether the right people are in the right jobs.

The bottom line? Hiring a company to do a one-day workshop on customer service (which means change is being initiated at the individual level only) is doomed to failure. It must be accompanied by critical analysis of the company’s system and work-unit levels. Clearly, the training will do little good if, for example, customer service is not a part of the company’s mission and leadership does not address work-unit level activities such as developing standard operating procedures and reward structures that reinforce the training and the mission.

Sure, training is a natural part of any customer service initiative – but so is assessment.  Leaders must be bold enough to assess their organization at all three levels.  Companies must understand where they are at now, in terms of customer service, and compare that to where they want to go in the future. It can’t be done without a comprehensive service audit.  If service is truly going to differentiate your company, then you must embark on a total solution.  Those who address only one of Burke’s levels without addressing the others will never do anything more than just talk the talk…or maybe even worse.

Category : Newsletter
18
Aug

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Steve Holstein
August 13, 2009 E-mail:
sholstein@ServiceElements.com

ServiceElements Adding New Division—-Survey Research & Performance Metrics for Customers & Employees

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona (August 13, 2009) – ServiceElements announced today that it is expanding its services to provide senior management within the aviation industry with a powerful capability for collecting and analyzing market data on which they can build their business.

Spearheading the initiative will be ServiceElements’ Vice President, Survey Research & Performance Metrics, Owen S. Robbins. Through applied research and using propriety software, Mr. Robbins has years of success in generating market data and performance metrics which become the basis for action plans capable of systematically achieving corporate strategic goals.

“Companies looking to make the most of the current market conditions and being at the leading edge of the recovery will receive tremendous benefits from the data and business insights that Owen can bring to them,” said ServiceElements President Bob Hobbi.

Mr. Robbins is a clinical psychologist with 25 years of experience addressing the challenges of developing, managing and advancing corporate enterprises by strategically applying psychological knowledge and expertise. He has developed research-enhancing technology that has been used extensively over the past 15 years to integrate multiple performance measures that become the cornerstone of a company’s planning process.

“Companies that integrate research into their decision making process won’t find this level of research/analysis expertise and industry experience anywhere else,” Hobbi said.

About ServiceElements

ServiceElements, an organizational and behavioral culture enhancement company, awakens the power of excellent service within companies as well as their individual divisions, departments and other organizational groups. Some of the company’s tools for re-focusing service culture and sharpening service delivery skills include, stimulating, highly interactive workshops, seminars and keynote speeches. Clients benefit from ServiceElements’ more than 20 years of experience in business, technical training, service excellence, Six Sigma, ISO 9000, quality management processes, Customer Relationship Management programs and process re-engineering. For additional information on ServiceElements, visit www.serviceelements.com.

For additional information on ServiceElements, visit www.serviceelements.net

Category : Uncategorized
18
Jul

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Steve Holstein
July 18, 2009 E-mail:
sholstein@ServiceElements.com

ServiceElements welcomes Owen Robbins to its team as Vice President, Performance Metrics & Research.

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona (March 3, 2009) – He is a clinical psychologist with 25 years of experience addressing the challenges of developing, managing and advancing corporate and entrepreneurial enterprises by strategically applying psychological knowledge and expertise.

Through applied research and propriety software which he has developed, Owen has had tremendous success in helping companies generate market data and performance metrics in order to create action plans for achieving strategic goals.

“Companies looking to make the most of the current market conditions and be at the leading edge of the recovery will receive tremendous benefits from the market information and business insights that Owen can bring to them,” said ServiceElements president Bob Hobbi. “Companies that integrate research into their decision making process won’t find this level of expertise and industry experience anywhere else.”

About ServiceElements

ServiceElements, an organizational and behavioral culture enhancement company, awakens the power of excellent service within companies as well as their individual divisions, departments and other organizational groups. Some of the company’s tools for re-focusing service culture and sharpening service delivery skills include, stimulating, highly interactive workshops, seminars and keynote speeches. Clients benefit from ServiceElements’ more than 20 years of experience in business, technical training, service excellence, Six Sigma, ISO 9000, quality management processes, Customer Relationship Management programs and process re-engineering. For additional information on ServiceElements, visit www.serviceelements.com.

For additional information on ServiceElements, visit www.serviceelements.net

Category : News Release
3
Mar

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                        Contact: Steve Holstein
March 03, 2009                                                                               E-mail:
sholstein@ServiceElements.com

ServiceElements Helps Unemployed Flight Department Members Gain Competitive Edge with FREE Customer Service Certification

SCOTTSDALE, Arizona (March 3, 2009) – “Differentiation is key for job seekers in what is becoming a very tight aviation job market,” said ServiceElements President, Bob Hobbi.

“Because of that, we are helping unemployed members of our industry gain a professional edge through a free customer service training webinar series,” Hobbi said. “Upon completion, they will be able to demonstrate to potential employers their desire and ability to impact customer satisfaction as they carry out their professional responsibilities.”

The specially-created, live webinar series focuses on integrating customer service strategies and skills into key aviation department organizational positions. Through the training, job seekers will be able to enhance their resume with evidence that they are serious about their profession and the people they serve.

The course was first rolled out and successfully completed by pilots from a flight department that was recently closed.

“Customer service has been brought up several times in my interviews, so this training will be invaluable as I continue my career in corporate flying,” Captain Tim Whalen, a Falcon 2000/Fokker70 Pilot

Sessions are held once a week over a four-week period of time with participants receiving course materials prior to each session.  A certificate is issued upon course completion.

New webinar series are being established as groups and individuals indicate interest by contacting ServiceElements on the company’s website (www.ServiceElements.com).

“We all need to pitch in and help our industry and our colleagues weather this storm,” Hobbi commented.  “We believe that when a person is skilled in managing customers, whether the customer is ‘in the back,’ or a fellow employee, that person will be a very valuable addition to any business organization.”

Category : News Release
10
Nov

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                        Contact: Bruce Fabricant
November 10, 2008                                                                                                  Phone 914-669-5430
info@serviceelements.com

New Book: Building A Customer Service Culture
Provides 7-Steps to Transform Your Organization’s Customer Service

SCOTTSDALE, AZ (November 10, 2008) – “There is a critical gap in the resources available to organizations wanting to provide a memorable and positive experience to their customers,” said Mario Martinez, Ph.D. and co-author of the newly published book, Building a Customer Service Culture: The Seven ServiceElements of Customer Success. This book closes that gap.”

“Most customer service books provide general, high-level advice without any direction on implementation,” Martinez noted. “The ideas may sound good, but readers don’t know what to do with them. Building A Customer Service Culture gives readers a true roadmap that employees, managers and executives can follow to transform themselves and their organizations.”

The book’s co-author, Bob Hobbi said, “In these uncertain economic times, one of the most potent tools for all of us is improving and differentiating through service. In customer service, re-work, corrections and unmet needs can prove costly.”

“In this book, we focus on the needs and requirements upstream from the employee/customer transaction. Training is futile if leaders do not foster a culture that is supportive of the required processes, procedures and behaviors necessary to produce excellent customer service. Our book provides “how-to” exercises and tools that leaders and employees can actually use to create the right mindset and execute the appropriate action.”

Building a Customer Service Culture is based on years of experience that the co-authors and others within their company, Scottsdale, Arizona-based ServiceElements, have had in helping hundreds of organizations and thousands of employees on strategies and programs for improving customer service. Many of these companies are within the business and general aviation industry, perhaps one of the most difficult environments for serving a customer constituency with demanding and discerning wants and needs.

The book is $23.95 and can be purchased at: http://www.serviceelements.com/programs-services/books

The book is being published by IAP, Information Age Publishing

About ServiceElements

ServiceElements, an organizational and behavioral culture enhancement company, awakens the power of excellent service within companies as well as their individual divisions, departments and other organizational groups.  Some of the company’s tools for re-focus service culture and sharpening service delivery skills include, stimulating, highly interactive workshops, seminars and keynote speeches.   Clients benefit from ServiceElements’ more than 20 years of experience in business, technical training, service excellence, Six Sigma, ISO 9000, quality management processes, Customer Relationship Management programs and process re-engineering.

For additional information on ServiceElements, visit www.serviceelements.net

Category : News Release
1
Oct

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                         Contact: Bruce Fabricant
October 1, 2008                                                                                                                 Phone: 914-772-2434

info@serviceelements.com

ServiceElements Introduces NEW Service Delivery Audit Program

Scottsdale, Ariz. – ServiceElements today announced the release of its NEW Service Delivery Audit program, the first of its kind for Business and General Aviation and Aerospace that systematically uncovers service and service delivery issues and helps to define or uncover specific solutions for those problems.

“Auditing service delivery processes has a real impact on financial results while helping flight departments, FBO’s, maintenance shops, MRO’s, charter management companies, fractionals and other members of our service providing community,” said ServiceElements President Bob Hobbi.

“ServiceElements began developing its Service Delivery Audit program more than three years ago in response to its work with many organizations and thousands of Aerospace and Business and General Aviation professionals. ServiceElements has industry subject matter experts as well as organizational development experts. This enables us to deliver a potent audit program.”
Mario Martinez, Vice President of Innovation for ServiceElements added, “We are accustomed to safety and various operational audits in the aviation industry.  But one area we have not specifically focused on is customer service integration.  A Service Delivery Audit not only brings attention to service but also brings it to the forefront. Technical proficiency is no longer enough in our industry. Service is now a critical issue for survival of your business or organization.  In 2008, organizations cannot afford a ‘hit or miss’ approach.  Our new Service Delivery Audit program brings out specifics.”

Hobbi pointed out that ServiceElements’ unique audit goes beyond just asking questions.  It uses various modes of gathering data: onsite observation, phone and one-on-one interviews with company leadership, management and front line workers, focus groups, voice of the customer and surveys.

“These different methods of gathering information helps us to discover gaps and bottlenecks in an organization’s real purpose which is delivering service,” Hobbi said.

“For example, we will watch the ramp at an FBO and observe interactions between line service, crews and customers/passengers.  By interviewing leadership and team members, as well as customers and passengers, we are able to assess perceptions of customer service that may differ.  Our feedback and analysis help identify the gaps that affect service when perceptions differ.”

By developing a 360 degree evaluation and audit procedure approach to service delivery, ServiceElements can uncover not so subtle service challenges.  “For example, when do you turn the engines on—before or after the passenger boards?  Do you and does everyone do it in a consistent way?  Hobbi pointed out that passengers notice the difference such as when line service personnel marshal aircraft correctly and consistently. How do they look while marshalling?

About ServiceElements

ServiceElements, an organizational and behavioral culture enhancement company, awakens the power of excellent service within companies as well as their individual divisions, departments and other organizational groups.  Some of the company’s tools for re-focus service culture and sharpening service delivery skills include, stimulating, highly interactive workshops, seminars and keynote speeches.   Clients benefit from ServiceElements’ more than 20 years of experience in business, technical training, service excellence, Six Sigma, ISO 9000, quality management processes, Customer Relationship Management programs and process re-engineering.

For additional information on ServiceElements, visit www.serviceelements.net

Category : News Release
15
Sep
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE                                                                                        Contact: Bruce Fabricant
November 10, 2008                                                                                                  Phone 914-669-5430
info@serviceelements.com

Christopher Crum Joins ServiceElements as New Business Developer and Strategist

Scottsdale, Ariz. (XXXX) –ServiceElements, dedicated to helping companies gain a competitive advantage through improved levels of customer service, announced today that business aviation veteran Christopher R. Crum has joined the company as a business developer and strategist.

“For more than 25 years, Chris has been passionate about providing outstanding customer service for numerous organizations in the business aviation industry,” said ServiceElements President Bob Hobbi.  “In more than one assignment Chris has led his organization to quickly double its sales by focusing on its service. We are fortunate to have another person with this caliber of expertise joining our team.”

Most recently, he was president and chief executive officer of Royal Jet Group, LLC, an international charter and aviation services company based in Abu Dhabi, UAE.  While in the Middle East, Crum was a founding board member of the Middle East Business Aviation Association (MEBAA) and primary sponsor of the first MEBA conference.

Crum also was president and chief operating officer of the Stevens Aviation FBO chain and vice president/general manager of Garrett Aviation.  While with Allied Signal Engines, now Honeywell, Crum spearheaded the creation and delivery of a division-wide customer service training program and, while living in Germany, he revamped and directed their service and support organization in Europe, Africa and the Middle East.

Crum has been a military officer and has an MBA degree from Arizona State University.

About ServiceElements

ServiceElements, an organizational and behavioral culture enhancement company, awakens the power of excellent service within companies as well as their individual divisions, departments and other organizational groups.  Some of the company’s tools for re-focusing service culture and sharpening service delivery skills include, stimulating, highly interactive workshops, seminars and keynote speeches.   Clients benefit from ServiceElements’ more than 20 years of experience in business, technical training, service excellence, Six Sigma, ISO 9000, quality management processes, Customer Relationship Management programs and process re-engineering.  For additional information on ServiceElements, visit www.serviceelements.com.

Category : News Release