The Four Things a Service Business Must Get Right

All successful firms must design a compelling offering and manage the workforce to deliver it at an attractive price. But service firms must do even more: deal with the frustrating fact that their customers can wreak havoc on service quality and costs.

For example, a customer dithering at a fast-food counter slows things down for everyone else waiting in line. An architect's client struggling to clarify how a new facility will be used drags out the design process.

To tackle this challenge, Frei advises aligning four key elements of your business:

• What your service offering consists of
• How you fund the excellence you want to provide
• How you manage employees to deliver quality service
• What you do to help customers enhance--not erode--service

Get these elements pulling together, and none of them can pull your business apart--as service stars like Wal-Mart, Commerce Bank, and Cleveland Clinic have discovered firsthand. More here.