»QAS Assessor Question and Answers

We put some questions to our assessors..

Q.What do you see as the main benefits of the CF journey to clients?
Q.What do you see as the main benefits for the clients own customers?
Q.What are the most common issues raised from Assessments?
Q.What is the most enjoyable aspect of conducting assessments and why?
Q.What is the most amusing / funny thing that has happened to you whilst on an assessment?

Q.What do you see as the main benefits of the CF journey to clients?

The CF process allows clients to reflect on its overall business support service – to celebrate what it does well and to identify areas that it could improve upon. Going through the CF process is also an excellent teambuilding exercise – and it is also creative insofar as clients are able to see potential to add value to their services and/or to raise their company’s profile

Differentiate ourselves in the marketplace’- provide competitive advantage
Improved customer satisfaction and retention levels
Retain our existing customers/win new customers
Identify market opportunities – improved customer knowledge
Increase revenue and profit
Achieve compliance against a recognised quality standard
Benchmark against an external standard
Tool for business improvement

In completing the self-assessment questionnaire, it prompts the customer to make a self-evaluation and review of their business.

Q.What do you see as the main benefits for the clients own customers?

Undoubtedly, the benefits for the clients’ customers has to be even better customer service, and peace of mind – that their supplier is focused and committed to continually improving its overall service

The reassurance that you will receive a quality service from an organisation that takes its customers seriously

A degree of comfort and assurance that they have achieved a minimum and visible standard of how this organisation treats their customers and runs their business.

Q.What are the most common issues raised from Assessments?

Customer relationships section - managing the customer journey still presents problems particularly the measurement of how the delivery organisation is making a difference.

Issues around measuring impact of service are quite common – however once the client recognises the benefits of developing processes to measure this, they are usually more than happy. Additionally, from time to time clients need to be reassured that CF is different to other standards – and very worthwhile to their business – I suppose they just need to be reassured of the “what’s in it for us” – other than spending time, money and effort!

Measuring Impact and managing referrals

They are very appreciative of the added value and `fresh eyes approach’ that assessors can add in terms of development actions and suggestions for further improvements.

Q.What is the most enjoyable aspect of conducting assessments and why?

Most enjoyable aspect - understanding the culture of organisations and their commitment to service excellence. The different approaches that they adopt to achieve this. Good practice examples that are demonstrated. How customers use and benefit from using CF as a tool to help them create and manage internal change.

Meeting such a wide range of people – and looking at how different companies approach the CF standards – some of the innovative approaches are fantastic… and of course, witnessing the team’s delight when the company achieves full compliance!

Learning about an organisation, working in partnership with them to achieve the standard and watching their success as they improve their ways of working.

The variety and challenge of working with a whole range of organisations and people and helping them embrace the spirit and Principles of Customer First. Not having one solution to fit all, but to initiate creativity, lateral thinking and `colour’ as may be appropriate to the organisation.

Q.What is the most amusing / funny thing that has happened to you whilst on an assessment?

Falling over just before an assessment!

…. Nothing drastic springs to mind – other than I am totally renowned for my lack of sense of direction so invariably I manage to get lost – even with all the modern day help systems in place!!!!

One organisation insisted I brought my dog with me to the assessment. She sat under the table throughout the whole thing and was invited back for the feedback meeting!

The usual occurrences of every business traveller such as snow drifts, blizzards, motorway jams, diversions, getting locked in the car park, drunken louts evicted from the train, bomb threats - and probably the most dramatic was driving to an assessment in Hull when a scimitar whirling young man was shot dead by police … The provisions or lack of them provided by the customer at their premises on assessment days also varies widely from being given a broom cupboard to work in for the day, no office at all, no drink offered at all, no heating, a room where there had been a party the night before and had not been cleared up, through the range to a sumptuous 3 course lunch with the executive team and full conference suite at my disposal – all of which I take in my stride, but does make we wonder `is this how they treat all their customers’?

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