How do you choose service quality metrics?

1 Factor 1: Your service goals and strategy

The first factor to consider is your service goals and strategy. What are you trying to achieve with your service? How do you differentiate yourself from your competitors? How do you align your service with your brand and values? Your service goals and strategy should guide your choice of metrics, as they reflect what matters most to you and your customers. For example, if your goal is to provide fast and efficient service, you might choose metrics such as average handle time, first contact resolution, and customer effort score.

2 Factor 2: Your service channels and processes

The second factor to consider is your service channels and processes. How do you deliver your service to your customers? What are the steps and stages involved in your service delivery? How do you manage and optimize your service resources and workflows? Your service channels and processes should influence your choice of metrics, as they indicate how you measure and improve your service quality. For example, if you use multiple channels such as phone, email, chat, and social media, you might choose metrics such as channel preference, channel switching, and channel satisfaction.

3 Factor 3: Your customer feedback and expectations

The third factor to consider is your customer feedback and expectations. What do your customers think and feel about your service? What are their needs and preferences? How do they perceive and evaluate your service quality? Your customer feedback and expectations should inform your choice of metrics, as they reveal how you meet and exceed your customer satisfaction and loyalty. For example, if you want to understand your customer experience and perception, you might choose metrics such as net promoter score, customer satisfaction score, and customer sentiment analysis.

4 Step 1: Define your service quality dimensions

The first step to choose your service quality metrics is to define your service quality dimensions. These are the aspects or attributes of your service that affect your customer satisfaction and loyalty. They can be based on various frameworks or models, such as SERVQUAL, Kano, or RATER. Some common service quality dimensions are reliability, responsiveness, assurance, empathy, and tangibles. You should identify the dimensions that are relevant and important for your service, and rank them according to their priority and impact.

5 Step 2: Select your service quality indicators

The second step to choose your service quality metrics is to select your service quality indicators. These are the specific measures or variables that reflect your service quality dimensions. They can be quantitative or qualitative, objective or subjective, internal or external. Some examples of service quality indicators are customer retention rate, complaint rate, service recovery rate, employee engagement rate, and customer testimonials. You should select the indicators that are valid and reliable, meaningful and actionable, and comparable and consistent.

6 Step 3: Monitor and analyze your service quality metrics

The third step to choose your service quality metrics is to monitor and analyze your service quality metrics. This is the process of collecting, tracking, and evaluating your service quality indicators over time and across channels and segments. You should use appropriate tools and methods, such as dashboards, reports, surveys, and analytics, to gather and visualize your data, and apply relevant techniques and models, such as benchmarking, gap analysis, and root cause analysis, to interpret and understand your results.

7 Here’s what else to consider

This is a space to share examples, stories, or insights that don’t fit into any of the previous sections. What else would you like to add?