Putting the Customer First : Royal Mail’s Strategy for Service Excellence

Describes how Royal Mail recognized the need to embark on a total quality programme to improve the service given and to upgrade customer perception of Royal Mail. Shows how Royal Mail set about developing a “Customer First” strategy, initiating training and instigating a continuous improvement ethic. The programme involved all levels of staff from the managing director through to front‐line employees and established a quality support network in the process. A total of 120,000 people took part at various Royal Mail sites throughout the UK. Gives details of workshop content, the training programme itself and describes how pilot activity was measured and improvements carried out. Concludes that the strategy has been implemented successfully with positive results for the period 1988 to date.