The conformity mark of customer focus and service quality
Organizations are increasingly aware of service quality as a vital success factor in today’s networked world. The digital transformation of Industry 4.0, along with globalization, have completely changed the relationship between providers and their customers, with both potential and established clients able to switch from one provider to another in a fraction of a second. Informal communication of both positive and negative customer experience has also gained momentum, especially on social media. This in turn has led to higher customer expectations, not only in terms of the actual products and services on offer, but also in terms of the customer experience itself.
Systematic provision of good and positive customer experience is therefore both a necessity and a success factor in the search for revenue growth and competitive advantage.
TÜV NORD's "Certified Service Quality" conformity mark offers consumers the transparency they need. The mark shows that service quality at a high level is guaranteed within the certified organization, with regular auditing of the underlying management system by TÜV NORD.
Benefits of certified service quality
More efficient monitoring of your service management
- Discussion and scrutiny of existing procedures with TÜV NORD auditors stimulates improvements and also reveals blind spots in day-to-day operations
- Service quality is audited each year, so the role of customer service in day-to-day operations is regularly in the spotlight
- A common awareness of customer focus can be developed and promoted within the organization
- Service provision can be brought to a uniformly high level over different departments/locations and interfaces can be optimized
- Internal interfaces become stronger and more active through communication with CX and SQ
- Continual improvement of (service) performance can be demonstrated through definition and management of key indicators
- The audit results are formulated in a company-specific audit report and can therefore offer signposts for strategic decision-making
- The " Certified Service Quality" mark has a strong external impact e.g. for marketing campaigns, improvement of market positioning (competition)
- It is easier to acquire new customers, whilst still retaining existing customer loyalty
We give you answers to the essential questions on service certification
The underlying certification criteria are relevant to all sectors and can be applied individually to any size of company or to individual business units in the context of customer service / service provision.
Management system certification according to TÜV NORD Standard A75-S008 is based on the principles of ISO/IEC 17021.
- A service management system must be in place in day to day operations prior to certification.
- Service quality should be an integral part of corporate culture and customer and employee orientation should be an essential corporate value.
- The operative and customer-related processes should have been in place in the company for at least 2 years so that a wide range of customers have already had experience of the organization and the quality of its service.
- Structured and harmonized procedures and processes for service provision, with measurable performance indicators, must be present throughout the customer journey.
The client has to name an authorised contact to the TÜV NORD CERT certification body for the performance and support of the audit on site.
- The client has to specify the scope of the certification to be stated on the certificate based on the activities and locations of the organization.
- The client must provide the following current information to the TÜV NORD CERT certification body:
- The general details of the organization, including its name and the address(es) of its physical location(s)
- Description of the type of activities and services present at the individual locations/sites
- Description of the corporate structure / organization chart and excerpt from the official company register
- Number of workers (FTE - full time equivalent, average of the last 12 months) at the individual sites
- Number of customers and number of processed customer contacts (average over the last 12 months) at the individual locations
- Information regarding all outsourced processes, subcontractors (e.g. call center) that are used by the organization in connection with the service provision
- Information on the type of regular customer satisfaction analysis/survey
- Presentation of the relevant measurable aspects of the service quality specific to the organization in relation to the defined activities/service offerings
The company-specific (customer) service quality management system is at the heart of the conformity assessment and takes into account service-relevant facets of the company, including internal and external interfaces.
As part of the three-year certification process, the lead auditor and members of the audit team obtain an annual overview of the company's organizational and actual day-to-day approach to service quality by means of on-site or partial remote auditing.
During the annual audit, the requirement criteria of TÜV NORD standard A75-S008 are reviewed and assessed within the audited company with regard to their implementation and compliance level. To this end, the TÜV NORD auditors conduct interviews with various representatives from the various hierarchical levels and divisions of the organization, perform a process-oriented document review, are present at live operations and so gain an overview of the strategic and operational approach to service quality.
The top priority in auditing is always to verify objective evidence of the implementation of a service quality management system in accordance with the requirements of TÜV NORD standard A75-S008, and also to consider the efficiency and cost-effectiveness of the quality approach.
There is no checklist test as such, rather an objective appraisal of the company-specific service quality management system. This appraisal can be used to identify specific opportunities for optimization.
Certification with TÜV NORD
TÜV NORD is an internationally recognised and reliable partner for testing, inspection and certification services. We offer an extremely high level of competence based on our long years of cross-sector auditing experience, and we guarantee independence and neutrality within the certification procedure. Our experts and auditors support the development of your company, providing continuity and objective feedback at all times.
