By Jim Jerving
Ever been on a call to your local newspaper about your subscription and heard your agent set down the phone and ask your question of the agent in the next cube? Hopefully, your agent got the right answer from her effort to get internal service and pass it on to you.
Interestingly, almost all information employees provide to members comes from another employee, says Michael Neill, CSE, president of CUES strategic provider Michael Neill and Associates, Atlanta, and its credit union sales and service consultation-based program, Servistar.
“Internal service is how individuals within an organization serve each other,” says Neill. “Successful organizations are responsive to fellow employees.”
How can you tell whether internal service is going well among employees at your credit union? According to Neill, self-administered surveys are typically ineffective because employees tend to be less than candid with a company survey. As a result, measuring internal service quality is best accomplished by a third-party.
“There needs to be a logical, sequential plan to analyze gaps in internal service, followed by the development of an action plan to close those gaps,” says Neill. “Internal service scores resulting from the surveys go directly to employee evaluations. This establishes a baseline that internal service matters and accountability creates results.”
Jim Jerving is a freelance writer and frequent contributor to credit union industry publications.
Get more information about ServiStar or Michael Neill & Associates, Atlanta.
