Service Provider-Customer Relations

A large federal department had recently created a shared services organization to handle its administrative functions, including HR, acquisitions, and finance.

The staff of the young shared services organization came from various agencies within the department. Within the organization, there was no common understanding of the services they were providing and no common service delivery approach.

Agencies, who had given up their dedicated administrative functions to form the shared services organization, were unsatisfied with the level of transparency being provided by the shared service organization.

We started by conducting interviews and gathering data on each area of the shared services organization.

We also met with key customers to capture their feedback on the administrative services being provided to them.

Using the information learned from the interviews and data review, we created a comprehensive services matrix. This service matrix documented the services being provided, the customers of those services, and key characteristics of each service such as frequency and level of maturity.

Using the data captured in the service matrix, we developed agency-specific service catalogs for each of the customer agencies. The service catalogs listed all of the services provided to the agency, a description of the service, primary and secondary points of contact for the service, and, where appropriate, target service levels.

With our help, the agency was able to clearly articulate to its customers the services it provided and customer satisfaction significantly improved.

Staff within the shared services organization as well as the organization’s customers had a clear vision of the services that were being provided and the expected levels of service.