THE core of a business is to exceed its customer-expectations through assured, motivated and committed employees capable of executing the functions, realize what is expected of them and have evaluation plans aligned with those expectations.

These expectations should be directly linked to exceeding those of the customers’. This link helps employees understand how to achieve without making them indifferent and ineffective. The feedback from the customers helps a business know the customer-expectations, thus enabling it to implement the strategies and bring about the desired results.

“A customer is a king” is truer today than had ever been before. As quality of life improves, demand for better quality services and products also increases. Customers all over the world now demand assurance and satisfaction of the product or services for which they are paying.

The customer (who is a boss or an influence) makes the deal with the human resource (HR) department for the type and the level of service and directly or indirectly foots the bill. The end-user or consumer gets the service specified in the deal and often wants more or different from the contract. It is the task of the HR person to facilitate the conversation between the customer and the end-user if his demands are inconsistent. A sponsor sets the parameters for the service and makes demand for the level of service and the quality but in that role he doesn’t buy the service, himself. He provides or approves the mandate, or charters for the service provider and the partners are those with whom he jointly provides a service to a customer or an end-user. Partnership is characterized by mutual need, common objectives and shared risks. The quality of each of the factors determines the effectiveness and smoothness of the partnership. The choice between competing alternatives often leads an organization into different directions. Trying to act according to several competing choices causes problems. Most of the internal staff fails in keeping everyone happy.

Developing a clear, consistent and focused strategy concept: Who is the “real customer” is one of the many questions that has to be resolved to develop a clear strategy as a HR group. It is also important to determine the conceptual framework of the strategy to be employed. Seeing the HR department from the customer’s perspective and encouraging employees to do so will not only lay the course for a successful business but will also guide in planning company policies, procedures and employee training. It will lead to share objectives among the customers and the employees. Today’s customer wants a say in the business. He sees the business as being there to provide for his service. In this changed environment of the economy and the industry driven by the customers, the business is open to competition worldwide. The transformation of the world into a global village echoes new mantra of “world class products and services” with quality, price and timely delivery playing the pivotal roles.

People involved in each process need to treat those next to them as their customer. In addition to external customer, every activity in the factory has an internal customer, too. The service to the internal customer is the one which will help gear up the organization to deliver finally the required service to the customer. For example if the marketing department deals with the external customer, its commitments are to be backed up by other departments for whom the marketing department itself becomes a customer. Therefore, all the departments and the people are to be oriented towards achieving total quality and the attitude of “help us to help you better”, on the philosophy of internal customers. The importance of the HR is in developing total quality people i.e. people with positive attitude, values in consonance with organizational mission. The HR effort should be to foster the spirit of reciprocity in interactions and not merely the mechanics of it. This activity should be oriented to demonstrate win-win relationships thus enabling effective spirit of teamwork.

The human resource not only consist of succession planning and recruitment but goes far beyond which has been highlighted by demographic changes like the increasing number of older workers. Previously, it was related to establishing wages, only. Large companies consist of a whole unit devoted to the HR research while small companies tend to use outside resources; such as identifying the reasons for employee turnover or the level of workers’ satisfaction. Career development and the human resource development (HRD) are related in may ways, but they require different capabilities. The career development scheme and the HRD system should be interactive.

It’s equally important to determine what is the HR’s business strategy. Thinking about it as a business changes everything about how people deal with the issues. There are always competing strategy concepts in any business and the HR is no exception. The greatest difficulty the HR and other internal service units usually have is the inability to say “no” to a customers or the end-user. This department is well on the way to becoming a focused, service-providing unit — a viable business within a business. The process to move from an organization that is struggling with its strategic identity and its boundaries and turn it into a strategically-integrated service-providing unit isn’t difficult to understand. Recognizing there’s a problem and agreeing upon what it is — the HR needs to figure out who it’s customers are. It’s often the biggest hurdle to overcome.

The customer-focused human resources (CFHR) approach means that every HR practitioner must be customer-focused. All other departments are its customers and they expect the HR service levels to treat them as business partners with the same dignity and respect as of the customers. Employees expect first-call solution to their issues. In a high-performance environment, to contact the HR department for any reason is regarded as down time. In every new approach and action, no matter how seemingly insignificant, there is a whole domain of power. In every moment there are infinite ways in which to make a very real difference.

The CFHR approach can be summed up in a simple sentence: Satisfied customers and motivated employees are the keys to competitive success. There are lots of challenges. Our employees facing their own tough vocation demand continuously higher-quality products and systems. If we can’t meet those demands for continuous improvement then there are competitors. The HR practitioners would receive the same importance as is given to customers. Their role will be multi-faceted, as they will be directly concerned for the quality of human resource required and utilize them to attain and fulfill the targets and objectives of the organization. This would be in line with the satisfaction levels acquired and developed among the ultimate customer, who is using the products and the services. They need to develop a stronger sense of commitment with the customer. Customer-focussed HR is reinforced by the measurable impacts it has on the employee’s morale.

Today workers and managers are taking greater responsibilities for business success and have developed new ideas which tap much of their creative and problem-solving talents as well as attain higher labour productivity. In all changes there is an enormous opportunity. Growth, progress, achievement and success are all forms of change. Change can take these positive forms when it is intentionally controlled and directed. The energy of change can either lift you up or push you down. The distinction is not based on change itself, but on what you make of it. Change will happen. You cannot avoid it. To do so would be to avoid life itself. Instead, see an opportunity in every change around you.

Business levels: Happy employees are more productive employees in the organization. We must realize that the key to long-term competitive advantage lies in improving customer-focussed HR — treating all employees as customers in ways that build loyalty and long-term commitment. While this concept has become more widely recognized. For achieving the ability to build an organization that is truly customer-focused, the HR is the most vital instrument. Developing a new strategy and competency framework adds real value of the HR role in an organization.

It is important for the HR people to understand the special expertize that they have to master at the workplace. Things like providing proper training to staff, emphasizing customer service, community focus and putting members first are few specialties which differentiates an HR department from the others.

Principles or “the secrets of customer-focused HR service”:

1. Understand employee’s rising expectations.

2. Learn to manage customer expectations.

3. Keep an eye on changing employee’s needs and demands.

4. Provide high quality services, which differentiates you from others departments.

5. Set and achieve high service standards.

6. Accept positive employee suggestions and comments.

7. Keep employees informed of any development and changes that have been made.

8. Keep a chain of relationship with employees.

9. Employees are beyond the products.

10. Appreciate complaining employees.

11. Take personal responsibility.

12. See the world from the employees’ point view.

We are living in times of exponential change. Global competition has arrived and trade barriers no longer provide the safety they once did. Organizations are seeking skills in their HR managers, which enable them to deal with the pressures and challenges of today and the future. To service and succeed. The HR people need skills and expertize in quick thinking, smart, working, wild dreaming and the ability to get cooperation from others. Most of the HR managers including other staff doesn’t like problems — they are perceived as time consuming, they create stress and strain. The natural tendency is to select the first reasonable solution that comes to mind. Every member of the HR will be accountable for improvement in cycle time for elimination of waste, and higher employee satisfaction.

Think forward for a new proactive HR role in the company for the new millennium. Starting small is better than never starting at all. If there’s something ambitious you wish to accomplish, it’s very likely that you won’t get it all done in a single leap. But that is certainly no reason to give up on it. There is something you can do right now to get it going. Then you will be ready for the next step. Tomorrow, there will be something else you can add to the effort. Before long, you’ll establish a powerful momentum. If you are reluctant in your efforts, the results will come with the same reluctance. Anything that is attempted grudgingly has only a slight chance at best of succeeding. Your reluctance is telling you something. When you are unenthusiastic about taking action, it means that you are really not committed to being or having whatever that action would bring. You change your views and see what successes you have made.