In the first part of our series on the benefits of workflow implementation, we explored the advantages of using such a system for employees, including some that may not be immediately obvious. In this second part, we examine the same topic from the customer's perspective: Will our customers notice that we are using a new system? If so, how might this affect their overall satisfaction? Will they be more satisfied with our company's services?
Exceeding Expectations
Whatever industry our business operates in, we are almost certain to provide some form of service to our customers. Even a business focused exclusively on selling products needs to handle customer feedback, deliveries, and other service-related operational activities associated with product sales. Exceeding expectations has long been an established customer experience strategy in marketing. For example, if we know we can deliver a product in five days, we promise delivery within eight to ten days. The customer then receives the product on day five, significantly sooner than expected. This strategy can be applied in many other areas, but the principle remains the same: exceed customer expectations. Better still, if we can outperform not only our own promises but also our competitors' commitments, customers will be much more likely to choose our products or services over theirs. This is precisely the strategy's main objective: to turn customers into repeat buyers as effectively and efficiently as possible, so they never even consider turning to our competitors. How does a workflow system help? Well-organized business processes and their proper execution—largely supported by a workflow system—enable tasks to be completed faster, more accurately, and to a higher standard. Customers will notice these positive changes. Rather than looking elsewhere, they will choose our company whenever they can.
Evidence-Based Performance Tracking
The following real-life example also illustrates the customer-facing benefits of implementing workflow systems. A client facing serious legal compliance issues approached a company providing employment and legal services for assistance. Once the urgent tasks had been completed, the parties agreed that the client would continue using the service on an ongoing basis. The partnership worked well for several years, with everything running smoothly from both an employment and a legal perspective. However, a change in the client's management brought a single immediate question from the new leadership: “Why are we paying so much money? Do we really need this service?” The reason was that the service was not particularly visible: it “merely” ensured that everything consistently ran smoothly in the relevant areas. A clear, well-supported answer was therefore essential, and this required data on the work completed and the various services provided. The necessary information was retrieved from the workflow system in moments: which services had been delivered, when they had been delivered, and which documents had been produced during those processes. The provider then added the potential penalties for failing to carry out the relevant activities and presented the client with a consolidated report. The data clearly showed that the potential penalties far exceeded the service fees. It also became clear that the provider was essential, as the tasks in question could not be handled in-house—at least not cost-effectively. The result? The existing service agreement remained in place, and the uncomfortable doubts disappeared entirely. In this case, too, the process management platform provided sufficiently compelling evidence that the services had been delivered and that choosing the service partner had been financially worthwhile.
Further Brief Examples
A sufficiently robust and well-structured process management system offers the following additional benefits that customers will also notice: ● Faster response times ● End-to-end process tracking and comprehensive automated controls ensure that delivery meets customer expectations. ● Effective two-way communication across any channel, with fast, efficient follow-through on outcomes and requirements ● A more organized, better-run company in the customer's eyes
Summary
As the examples above demonstrate, workflow implementations can deliver a range of important benefits that may not be immediately obvious. It is therefore worth considering them from several perspectives, including the advantages customers gain from a better-organized, more responsive, and generally more consistent organization. The traceability of data and documents also deserves mention here: as we have seen, it helps us quickly provide customers with useful, relevant information. In the next parts of our series, we will continue with workflow examples from other areas!
