Corporate standard: rules and implementation stages

Have You ever thought about what makes a successful, dynamically developing company from the hundreds of small shops, sales of which over the years remain at a low level? Every prosperous organization has a corporate standard. He ensures the company a positive image in the eyes of partners.

Any organization needs a set of rules?

In the environment of the beginning businessmen there is a perception that corporate standards are only suitable for large companies, the leaders are hard to keep track of the actions of employees. It is believed that for the team of newly established firms previously set rules. Why?

• It is not clear Yet how to attract potential customers and what actions will lead to sales growth.
• The Staff of a small trading point always in mind: mistakes can be corrected in the process.
• Corporate standard develop normally, training companies, and their services are expensive.
• Candidates for the posts of sellers could deter a system of rigid rules on small business. Because wages at the initial stage is small.

Does this Mean that the new firm it is better to do without corporate standards? The answer to this question in each individual case can be both positive and negative. Of course, it is difficult to set strict rules for the staff, when the staff of a small company consists entirely of family members or close acquaintances. But it so happens that the level of customer service directly will survive small businesses generally.

For the owner of a small shop, a café, a beauty salon rather just stick to the Golden mean: strict standards are not set, but there are a number of requirements that must be followed.

What can you say about large and medium-sized enterprises has been catering to a niche market? It would seem that they live easier. These firms implement quality products that are in demand. They have established advertising, and there are effective ways to attract customers. Whether a corporate standard business that is already successful? Let's discuss this question.

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Not isolated cases, when a potential client comes in or calls to a known company to make your purchase. Can the transaction not take place? Yes, if the buyer is not served properly. Untidy office, always busy phone, low-skilled sellers, difficulties when making the purchase, the reluctance of managers to meet… it Is necessary to prevent one of these problems – and the buyer will give preference to competitors.

In addition, each employee, whether he is a sales Manager or branch Manager, have their own ideas, how to serve customers: how to elect manner of communication, how much time to allocate to the conversation than to motivate the visitor to make a purchase.

If the company has a standard corporate culture, every employee knows exactly how he should behave in various situations. And employees of the company are interested to use the best business practices in dealing with customers. This reduces the time of decision-making, removed unnecessary chain of approvals. Buyers, in turn, develops a positive opinion about the company.

Thus, the corporate standard is the right firm to ensure:

• High level of service;
• Customer loyalty;
• Brand recognition;
• Improve the credibility of firms in the market;
• Facilitate the decision-making process;
• Save energy, time and money resources.

What issues affect the standard

For successful work it is not enough to build corporate standards that relate only to direct communication with customers. Indeed, in the daily activities of the employees of the company and there are many other sticking points:

• How colleagues interact, how often between them there are differences;
• Effectively built working day;
• As priorities in the business.

Therefore, implementing enterprise corporate standard, it is important to consider the following elements:

• Appearance of employees;
• The workspace;
• The professional standards, the order of operations in complex and conflict situations, the norms of the effective use of working time;
• The rules of communication with clients;
• Social responsibility of the company and its employees;
• Laws for senior management.

Let's Consider each component of the corporate standard.

Appearance managers

Many companies make the rules should look like employees of front office, i.e. managers employed directly by service users. Regulated form of clothes, shoes, hairstyle, the presence or absence of accessories, makeup, jewelry.

A Strict dress code is entered, for example, in a cellular phone company “MegaFon”. The corporate standard requires that employees working with clients, dressed in the style of “white top and black bottom”. On the neck of the managers shall be present silky scarf bright green color. The female employeesit is allowed to apply a light natural makeup. Jewelry and jewelry are excluded: wear only a wedding ring and discreet earrings. The shoes of the Manager of the cellular company have to be strict and closed. On the chest is mandatory is attached to the badge with the employee's name. The same dress code accepted at banks and large corporations.

A Very different set standards of appearance for employees of restaurants, hairdressers, fitness centers, retail stores. In fashion beauty, administrators at the reception, hairdressers, manicurists usually are distinguished by elegant styling, the makeup, original the nails. Their appearance they inspire clients to creatively to personal care. Women, noticing how stylish salon employee, imbued with the desire to visit it often.

In many retail stores uniforms trading managers selected in accordance with the type of products presented in the sales area. Looks interesting, for example, when the sellers at the toy store dressed in costumes of fairytale characters.

Organization of the workspace

The Corporate standards of the company reglementary the interior as areas of customer service, and premises for office use (offices, break rooms, restrooms).

In organizations with large branch network establishes requirements for the interior spaces:

• What color should the furniture be;
• How to place furnishings;
• In some cases, prescribed (especially if we are talking about companies of the IT sector), office equipment and supplies what brands are allowed to use.

Corporate standard also dictates the permissible location of objects on the surface desktop: how to put the computer where to put the writing utensils, how many documents at a time can lie “mean”.

Professional Standards

Depending on the goals and objectives of the various categories of staff for each position is determined by:

• The task what type of employees of the company must give the highest priority;
• How to plan the work day;
• What principles to follow in daily activities.

Standartisied well as the norms of corporate etiquette and procedure in conflict situations. Be sure to specify how often the employee can take breaks at work, can he still go beyond the office, how long is lunch time, is it allowed to smoke during the day.

The Rules of communication with customers

This area in many firms has received the most attention. The corporate standard defines:

• Who of the employees involved in the process of customer service;
• What rules should be followed when meeting with customers in the office and «the fields»;
• How to make outgoing and take incoming phone calls: what the account after the signal to shoot up, what words, expressions, phrases to use in conversation.

Social responsibility of the company and its employees

Also important are the standards of corporate responsibility. Marketing, the company takes working conditions dictated by the society:

• Implements high-quality products that are useful to consumers;
• Works based on the principles of honesty, lawfulness, humanism, respect for the dignity of people;
• Participates in the protection of the environment from the harmful effects.

Every employee should have a clear understanding that he is the face of the company, which employs. His actions have an impact not only on financial results, balance sheet and business reputation of the company. Therefore, the rules of conduct employees are subject to standards of corporate responsibility.

Rules of the first persons

For large organizations, of particular importance are the corporate governance standards that specifies how should be the management of the firm. In developing these rules necessarily take into account the interests of shareholders, customers, partners and employees. Corporate governance standards indicate what principles in its activities shall be guided by the company's CEO and his deputies. They include a description of the organizational model of the enterprise system in-house reporting, methods of monitoring the activities of senior management. From international standards of corporate governance most known systems PMBOK, ICB and ISO.

Stages of introducing new orders

In large organizations, rules are developed and implemented professional training companies. However, many owners of small firms using open sources of information, are quite successfully thought out the customer service system and launch it into action.

The Professional development of corporate standards includes the following steps:

• Analysis of the current situation. It is important to evaluate from the point of view of an observer, on how efficient the workflow is, what can be improved. Professionalthe company is often engaged for this purpose “secret shopper”. Specially hired and trained the employee is in office or salesroom of the company and plays the role of client. Usually, it is hidden keeps a record of the negotiations with the sellers on the recorder, and following the meeting, fills out a check-list: what we liked in the service, and that – no. A small business owner can conduct surveillance on their own or ask friends “inspect” the enterprise. After the inspection, it is important to identify the advantages and disadvantages: what attracts customers in your company, and what drives them to doubt and go without making a transaction.
• Development of standards. Gradually prescribed rules of corporate behavior of employees, workplace organization, requirements for the appearance of the managers of the front office. At this stage it is important to consider all essential details influencing the future prosperity of the company or its failures.
• Training of the staff. The corporate standard is implemented and put into action. Employees of the company, especially managers to work with clients explains the rules that must be followed.

• Check the result. It is important to analyze the effect of the implementation of the standards: if they have a positive impact on sales volume, depth of customer relationship, lead to an increase in profits.
• Adjustment of standards. In the process, can be identified many shortcomings and rough edges of a new enterprise management system. They should regularly monitor, especially in the initial stages. This helps repeat visits “secret shopper” and obtaining feedback from customers and employees. If failings is working on the bugs – changes to current standards.

Conclusion

It is Important to note that over-zealous dobukvenno adherence to the rules of the company from employees in some situations can hurt. Compliance should not lead to unnatural, illogical from the point of view of common sense, behavior of employees, their inattention to customer needs. Implementing corporate standard, should proceed with caution, respecting the principle of gradualism.