Initiation
Creating a World-Class Service Culture
The first investment necessary to get SNB off the ground was brick and mortar. But, early visionaries understood that a cultural transformation would also be necessary. “We had to take an organization that was enforcement focused and turn it into a service operation where the customer was king or queen.” New goals and objectives were necessary. Significant investments were made in training and have continued to be made since then. To establish the service centers for the pilot in 1992, three-week intensive general training was provided to both service representatives and management. Between 1992 and 1998, both groups continued to go through general intensive training programs targeted at changing the culture of the organization. General and specialized training continues to be offered to both new and existing staff at SNB to sustain and even further this transformation. Another example of the commitment to service is the management of error rates. SNB has policies and procedures in place for identifying and measuring error rates and then responding as appropriate. In some cases, when rates are not acceptable, new training programs might be developed or in some cases, responses with specific individuals are undertaken. SNB uses the error rates to identify areas to help them focus attention where attention is needed.
