Top class customer service from An Post
15/03/2012
Quality assured An Post Customer Services
The National Standards Authority of Ireland accredits An Post Customer Services with ISO 9001
What is ISO 9001?
It may sound like your computer password, but ISO 9001 is in fact a quality management standard. It helps businesses improve the quality of the services they offer and better meet the needs of their customers. It is an internationally recognised standard and over 950,000 organisations in 170 countries have achieved certification. A number of quality management principles and practices are required to achieve certification. These measures include customer focus, leadership, process approach and continuous improved performance.
Why seek accreditation?
Aidan Hughes, Customer Services Manager, explains: “Seeking accreditation allowed us to analyse our processes and identify improvements that can be made to the service we provide. Implementing a Quality Management System often highlights product or service deficiencies, which when addressed give cost savings through improved efficiency and productivity. Any tweak that can save two seconds off how a customer query is dealt with, whilst ensuring quality, is worth pursuing.”
What was involved?
All processes in Customer Services had to be documented. A process map was then produced for every working procedure, from agents logging on to their PC to resolving a complex customer query. The number of people involved and the time spent on each action were also examined.
The 42 staff working in Customer Services answer around 2,000 calls, 200 emails and 100 redirection requests every day so there were plenty of processes for assessment. The process maps were produced and combined into a quality manual over an 18-month period by Customer Services Representative Niall Murphy and Supervisor Rory Cooke. Then it was time for an external audit by the National Standards Authority of Ireland (NSAI).
Maria McKeown, Auditor NSAI Certification, began by reviewing the quality manual and procedures. She examined the Company’s documentation to ascertain whether the targets set for the quality management programme were measurable and achievable.
The next step was a full on-site audit to ensure that the procedures and stated objectives are observed in practice and that the appropriate records are being kept.
What was the verdict?
Maria congratulated the An Post team on producing some of the best process maps she had ever seen. An Post Customer Services was then awarded the certificate of registration to ISO 9001. “Special thanks are due to Rory Cooke and Niall Murphy and also to John Caribini, Collection and Delivery; Michael Hayes, Mails Operations – Engineering and John McConnell, Head of Quality, Mails Operations who were all extremely helpful,” said Aidan on the successful accreditation.
The Company as a whole should be proud of this achievement. Aidan notes: “The certification gives further credibility to our promise of world-class service and reinforces customer confidence in the trusted An Post brand. That’s most important in the highly competitive environment in which we operate.”
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