18 PROCESS AND PRACTICE

Photography: Menno van der Bijl

RON VAN HAASTEREN

is a service management consultant at TOPdesk. He is actively involved in the image of supporting departments.

LYDJE SNIEDERS
... is a customer satisfaction coordinator. Within TOPdesk, she works on various projects and processes to improve services.

DISTINGUISHED SUPPORTING DEPARTMENTS

IT, HR, and Facilities departments work behind the scenes to ensure that colleagues can get their work done. People generally do not notice the work supporting departments do until something goes wrong. As a result, it is easy for these departments to gain a negative image within organizations. Read on to discover how you can give your supporting departments a positive boost.

As a supporting department, you are often invisible to the rest of the organization. An example: your colleagues arrive at the ofce in the morning. They can enter the building, turn on their computer, grab a cup of coffee, and start their day. What many of them do not realize is that this is made possible by many underlying processes. They do not think of the supporting departments involved until the internet connection goes down or desks are not cleaned.

Identity and image

A departments identity is a determining factor in image development. You can directly inuence your departments image by managing its identity. The following tips can help you on your way.

Deliver quality
Your departments tasks are the core of its identity, so the quality of these tasks is crucial to your image. Carrying out a customer

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THE MORE TRANSPARENT YOUR DEPARTMENT, THE GREATER THE TRUST

CUSTOMERS SHOULD KNOW WHAT THEY CAN EXPECT FROM THE DEPARTMENT

satisfaction survey is a good way to gain more insight into these matters. Use the results to make targeted improvements in your departments performance.

you can use the news page to communicate about activities related to planned maintenance or sudden malfunctions. Another way to promote transparency is sending out a periodic newsletter. This is a good medium for sharing fun facts or providing information about certain procedures that generate many questions among your customers. You can also use the newsletter to inform customers about completed, current, and future projects planned schedules and projected results.

Be visible and recognizable

If your department does its job perfectly, it will be invisible to the rest of the organization. Raise your prole to increase your visibility. A visible department looks professional. Communicate about your departments activities, even when they are going well. This will create a positive image, and help customers know where to turn with their call. Uniformity within departments is also important. This helps you show what your department stands for, and increases recognizability within the organization. Think for instance of a corporate identity and logo used in email templates. Wearing recognizable work clothes or an accessory such as a key cord or nameplate will also work.

Be clear
Customers often do not understand the work required when they request an access card or new telephone; all they know is what they have to do and how long they have to wait. There are usually good reasons to set up processes the way you have make sure the customers know this. This will help them understand why things are done the way they are. The information should be clear, and customers should know what they can expect from the department. Confusion regarding procedures often leads to a lack of understanding.

Be transparent
Increasing the transparency of your departments methods will increase your colleagues trust in your department and improve your image. Grant customers insight into matters that will immediately impact their activities, such as an unexpected malfunction or planned move. When possible, inform those involved before, during, and especially after the activities: explain why the work was necessary and what it means for the customer. It is also important to provide status updates for individual calls. Introducing a self service desk is a great way to create transparency. It will grant customers insight into the progress of their calls, and

Distinguish your department

Make your department visible, show customers what you do, and explain why. Consciously working on your departments identity often results in a change of image. However, this is not a one-way street, so be open to signals from your organization and be ready to respond. Think along with the customer and be creative. Most importantly, do not let the examples in this article limit you: nd out what works in your unique department and organization.