The Value of External Certification: How CSE Benefits Organisations, Customers, and Staff

We are all well aware that resources are becoming increasingly scarce and many organisations, especially those in the public sector, are facing economically challenging times.  In these circumstances, as organisations look for ways to save money, external accreditations and assessments can seem like easy targets, with an immediate saving.  However, this can be a very short-term view, ignoring the potential value that external assessments can offer over time.  The Customer Service Excellence standard (CSE) provides a perfect example of how external accreditations can add real value for your organisation, your customers and your staff. 

From an organisational point of view CSE can act as a driver for change and as an essential tool to help you manage change effectively.  We have all seen the enormous changes in how we work since the pandemic, and many organisations working with CSE have seen the value it added to that change management process.  It helps you to look more closely at what you are offering – and how that offer aligns with the changing needs and expectations of your customers.  The more you know about who your customers are and what they need and expect from you, the better you can provide effectively and efficiently, making the most of scarce resources and avoiding duplication or providing things that are no longer needed.  For example, many customers are looking now for digital and online services rather than face to face.  CSE helps you build the data to show this and to challenge your current provision; clients have told us that the standard gives structure and focus to these processes, helping them develop and implement change plans more effectively, as well as providing a much-needed external view to add weight to change plans.  The development points that are provided and reviewed each year also give specific added value, tailored to your organisation and aimed at continuing to drive change.

From a customer perspective, the CSE standard helps make sure that, as far as possible, people get what they need and expect from services.  This in turn improves customer satisfaction rates, which are really important, even if you are providing services that nobody else can provide.  Local authority residents might not have choice in who empties their bins, or processes their benefits claims, but happy, satisfied customers are less likely to be contacting you, putting a strain on stretched resources.  People who are happy where they live are more likely to look after the area, reducing the strain on Council budgets.  They are more likely to feel happier where they live, building a sense of community and wellbeing.  Working with CSE can help you to drive forward the changes to service that might be needed to make people happy.  There is a growing trend to look at the difference between what people want from services and what they actually need – CSE can help focus on need and therefore make sure that resources are used to their best effect.

Finally, there can be a real value added for staff.  Clients tell us that working with CSE drives a real sense of purpose and pride in what staff do; it serves as a reminder of the amazing work they are doing and helps provide a degree of recognition that people really appreciate.  As you get better at working with the standard you will be encouraged to look at your staff as internal customers, working to make sure that you fully understand what they need and expect from you, which in turn will help drive commitment, motivation and efficiency.  We all know that a happy workforce is a more productive workforce and, through looking at the cultural environment within your organisation, CSE can help make sure your staff are happy.  People tell us that the opportunity for reflection that CSE gives each year provides a rare chance to take a step back and look at how far they have come.  It helps keep everyone on track, working together to the same end.  By providing benchmarks and comparisons with other organisations, both in the same sector and beyond, it can also help spread good practice, making sure that everyone can benefit from new approaches and practices.

In summary then, the CSE standard can really deliver what it was intended to do – to drive improvements, to manage change and to make sure that we are all using our scarce resources in the very best way possible.  It can benefit your organisation as a whole, your customer base and your staff and can continue to add value every year.