What are some of the best service delivery management practices?
Service delivery management of each project will differ according to the client’s demands, but each company generally has a basic service delivery management plan drawn out that they add on to according to a customer’s specifications.
Here we have compiled a list of some of the best service delivery management practices that can ensure that your service strategy is effective and efficient.
- Complete clarity regarding what your company delivers
To make sure that you can properly meet your client’s needs, the first step is being completely honest with them regarding what services your company can and cannot provide.
An important part of service delivery management is ensuring that a customer has been given detailed information on your company’s specialties, limitations, costs, and any potential problems that might occur while working on a project.
Providing customers with all these details is crucial because it helps them understand what to expect from your services and it sets the tone for clear communication, which is essential for the success of any project.
It also protects your company’s integrity because a customer is already aware of services that are beyond your scope, so they will only request projects that you are capable of delivering.
- Establishing effective communication with the client
Every time a company works for a new client, the service delivery management team needs to explain the company’s specialties, limitations, and services in detail to the customer, as well as understand what the customer is looking for in their project.
Communicating with each new client will be different based on the type of services they are looking for.
However, the idea of extracting details from the client regarding their project and informing them of the company’s workings remains the same. Because of this, it is a good practice to have a basic outline planned that you can build on to establish effective communication with your customer.
Here we have generated a framework that you can incorporate to establish effective communication and collaboration:
- Inform the customer of all your service details
- Extract details regarding the project from the customer and understand exactly what they are looking for
- Explain to the client the level of work that will be required to achieve what they are looking for in the project
- Make sure that the client understands the project plan and acknowledges the services that will need to be put into it
- Provide cost details for each service and decide on the overall cost, payment method, payment time, and expected date of delivery of the project
- Making sure every company member is well-acquainted with their role
One of the fundamental practices behind effective service delivery management is ensuring that each team member is well versed in their role and is equipped to work towards the project’s completion.
The project manager will be responsible for allocating tasks in the team and overseeing the project’s completion, as well as coordinating each members’ work.
To ensure that there are no confusions, repetitions, or incomplete tasks, each member needs to have a clear job description so that they can work on their allocated tasks effectively collaborate with other members.
- Incorporate CRM (Customer Relationship Management) to enhance service delivery
CRM (Customer Relationship Management), is a method for companies to record and study their interactions with clients they have dealt with in the past, are serving right now, and, may deal with in the future.
CRM complies with all the relevant data regarding the company’s interactions with its customers, analyzes it, and uses it to generate new service delivery management strategies that can be more efficient and effective.
When choosing to incorporate CRM in your service delivery management practices, here are some of the features you should look out for in your CRM software:
- Customer contact information-
Your CRM should contain a customer contact database that includes details of all the clients your company has interacted with, from their names, mobile numbers, social media account addresses, and the services you provided for them. The contact database should be easily accessible and searchable so that you can easily access information.
- Company-client interactions record
This CRM feature lets you track conversations between the company and its clients so that you can go through your history and trace any documents or data that you might need in the present. It also acts as an excellent recordkeeping mechanism to track your progress.
- Email syncing
CRM should have the ability to integrate your company’s email addresses into your marketing campaigns so that you can easily dispatch business proposals and advertisements to all the contacts on your email database.
- Document and information management
When looking for a CRM, it is smart to opt for one that can store, save, upload and share documents with other members, or on other devices. This makes transferring information much easier and leads to more effective collaboration.
- Contract management
Your software company could often undertake projects that require contracts or business proposals with third parties. Using CRM that has a contract management feature makes the process of negotiating with a third party much easier because all your contract information is stored in a centralized location and is easier to navigate through.
- Increasing the level of customer engagement and interaction
One of the most effective service delivery management practices is paying attention to customer engagement and actively working to increase it.
Customer engagement is important because it is a direct indicator of your company’s performance and it helps in determining your strongest and your weakest services so that you can work on them accordingly.
Customer engagement can be increased by implementing the use of feedback forms, conducting surveys, and having review sessions where clients share their likes and dislikes about your services. These practices will help you determine your client’s satisfaction with your company’s service delivery and lead you to discover areas you can work on to enhance your service delivery management.
- Include suppliers in your service delivery management
Including suppliers in your service delivery management is important because it creates a transparent chain of operations that can easily be followed and understood by your clients.
Including suppliers also includes any additional costs or work that you may have to undertake in the form of contracts or business proposals. Managing this and letting your consumer be aware of it is important as it will keep them more involved in the project. Along with this, if there are any problems on the supplier’s end, your customer will be informed and they will be more understanding of potential delays in the project’s delivery.
- Learn to effectively deal with customer complaints
Working on a client’s project can often lead to moments where there will be customer complaints and you will be needed to communicate amicably to ensure that the service delivery process is not disrupted.
In the case of customer complaints, it is a good idea to listen carefully, address the customer politely and honestly, and try your best to resolve any concerns they might have. Not only does this count as customer care, but it also helps build a better relationship with your clients, which is key to effective service delivery management.
Listening to customer complaints can also provide insight regarding any weaknesses in your project plan, or simply your service delivery management. Pinpointing areas that you need to work on is crucial in improving your company’s services.
- Ensuring that your company has teams that can deliver the services promised to your clients
One of the most important parts of service delivery management is ensuring that your company has teams that can deliver the services promised to your clients.
As a member of the service delivery management team, your job is not just to promote effective collaboration between the company and its clients, it also includes ensuring that the company’s internal work is being managed sufficiently so that an undertaken project can be delivered on time.
Overseeing the development of a project and organizing its completion is a crucial part of service delivery management because it plays a fundamental role in meeting your clients’ needs and increasing customer satisfaction.
Conclusion
Service delivery management is an imperative part of any business. In today’s hyper-competitive landscape, the delivery of your services is just as important as the actual services you offer.
Excellent service delivery is where companies can differentiate themselves, build on their customers’ satisfaction and garner a loyal client base, all of which would be crucial in promoting the company’s growth and boosting productivity and profitability.
Incorporating effective service delivery management practices is essential to enhancing the quality of service delivery you can offer your clients. Although practices can differ from company to company, the basic methods to improve service delivery remains the same, out of these we have already mentioned some of the best practices that you can adopt to strengthen service delivery management at your company.
