BSI launches new Kitemark for Customer Service

20 April 2017

Dignity Funeral Plans first to achieve the Kitemark

BSI, the business standards company, today launches the BSI Kitemark™ for Customer Service. The Kitemark has been developed to help consumers easily identify organizations that are proven to deliver an excellent customer service experience, as well as helping deserving businesses to stand out in the market place.

The first UK organization to be independently awarded the Kitemark is Dignity Funeral Plans, which will be displaying the BSI Kitemark on their website and marketing materials.  Although piloted in the funeral planning service industry, the BSI Kitemark for Customer Service is available to any organization that wishes to demonstrate that they take customer service seriously.

As industries become more competitive and crowded, consumer expectation continues to rise. Poor customer service cost businesses £37bn in 2016[1] which demonstrates the impact that it can have on an organization’s success. This means that demonstrating the ability to provide excellent customer service is vital to those businesses that want to grow and prosper over the long-term. The BSI Kitemark for Customer Service has been designed to help address this.  

The BSI Kitemark requires an organization or department to undergo rigorous and independent assessment and witness testing to make sure it meets the relevant British and International standards. Any organization can apply for the Kitemark regardless of the nature of their business, size, service or location, as long as it has a service element.   

Maureen Sumner Smith, Chief Operating Officer for Europe at BSI said:

“Dignity should be proud that they are the first UK organization to achieve this and it’s testament to the customer service strategy they have in place throughout their Client Service Centre. The empathy shown by the staff, and enthusiasm for the company values is exceptional, and it is excellent to see this across all areas of their customer service.

“Delivering excellent customer service has never been more important to businesses. With rising customer expectations and the growing trend for sharing experiences through social media, companies are under increasing scrutiny and so face increasing pressure to demonstrate increasingly high service levels.

“Many companies are already delivering exceptional service, however by having their organization’s independently assessed on a regular basis as part of the BSI Kitemark process, they can prove to their customers their commitment to high levels of customer experience, particularly as the Kitemark is awarded based on results, not just intent.”

“The BSI Kitemark is a symbol that around 70% of the British public recognize, and one that continues to provide millions of Briton’s continued comfort, trust, security and knowledge about the safety and reliability of everyday products – now it’s time its authority was applied to wider customer satisfaction.”

Sue Pedley, Head of Customer Services at Dignity said:

"High quality and standards, including excellence in customer service, goes through the very heart of our business. We are so proud that BSI's new Kitemark recognises this, reflecting all the hard work put in by our client service team over the years.  Not only has BSI acknowledged that we already had great systems and processes in place but we have been able to work collaboratively with BSI to ensure that the certification scheme is as rigorous and robust as possible, not just for the funeral services industry, but for every sector. 

“We are supporting our customers at one of the most difficult times of their lives and that is why customer service is so important to our business. The vast majority of organisations seeking a provider to offer funeral plans to their customers choose Dignity and 94% of our customers would recommend our funeral plans to family and friends further emphasising that Dignity's values of compassion and care, openness and honesty, respect and responsibility really does lead to Excellence in Everything we do."

The assessment involves organizations or departments demonstrating their competency against BS 8477: 2014 Code of practice for customer service, ISO 10002:2014 Quality management Customer satisfaction Guidelines for complaints handling in organizations, ISO 9001 Quality Management Systems, as well as validation of the organization’s customer service feedback metrics or NPS® (Net Promoter Score®). 

In addition to an organization’s typical regime of monitoring and audits, to earn the BSI Kitemark the organization or department will be subject to further independent and regular evaluations and assessment. Importantly, if customer service levels are not maintained, the BSI Kitemark will be revoked until any flaws are rectified.

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www.dignityfunerals.co.uk