Education about StandardizationA dialogue with academia and industry

CEN-CENELEC Management Centre Avenue Marnix 17, 1000 Brussels

Maitane Olabarria UzquianoCEN-CENELEC Management Centre

Benefitsof service standards

20 January 2015

YOU did it!

EN 16636 ‘Pest management services - Requirements and competences’ was approved

Publication expected on 11 March 2015

Challenges facing the service industry

Source: Ecorys – Questionnaire on Horizontal Service Standards (2014)

Service characteristics and role of standards

Service characteristics Role of standards• Intangible: nature of services

places a premium on reputation

• Comparability: measuring service performance and quality is difficult

• Co-production: production of services often requires interaction between the client and service provider

• Co-location: the client and service provider have to be in physical proximity for the service to take place

• Indicator of service providers capabilities & quality of service provided

• Definition of metrics for measuring service performance & quality levels

• Guidelines and procedures to facilitate & improve the effectiveness of interaction between service providers and clients

• Means to overcome barriers to trade & promote greater integration of service markets (e.g. compliance with market requirements / compatibility / interoperability)

Benefits of service standards

Source: Technolopis study (January 2012)

Benefits of service standards SMEs more likely to get bigger benefits regarding improved service quality, improved ability to demonstrate service quality to

customers and increased transparency of services provided

Large companies more likely to get larger benefits regarding improved ability to meet health/safety and regulatory requirements

50% respondents stated standards used/employed in procurement

69% respondents highlight use of standards in advertising (82% SMEs vs. 63% large companies)

Source: Technolopis study (January 2012)

Case study: Translation company EN 15038:2006 Translation services Traducciones Políglota: 9 staff alongside a pool of freelance

translators/interpreters Benefits for the company:

• Establishment of more formalised working procedures that can be better monitored & improved on an ongoing basis and spirit of continuous improvement amongst staff

• Rationalisation of operations, with clearly defined functions and responsibilities• Common definition of quality that can be used in procurement & contracting• Improved ability to detect and react to problems• Marketing tool/ ‘business-card’ with which to present a

quality-oriented profile to marketplace• Means to recognise good practice & to distinguish the really

professional companies• Competition in the market based on quality and service, rather

than price

Paloma ValencianoGeneral ManagerTraducciones Políglota

“Staff are more productive now as a result of applying these well-defined procedures in their every day work.

The returns to the company from implementing the standard have definitely justified the costs involved, and I would recommend the standard to others.”

Conclusion

Standards are a tool that can help you face the existing challenges for service companies and benefit your sector in general…

… but the publication of the standard is just the beginning

It now needs to be promoted to make sure it is used

THANK YOU FOR YOUR ATTENTION!

Maitane OLABARRIA UZQUIANO Programme manager Sustainability & Services UnitE-mail: molabarria@cencenelec.eu Interested to know more? CEN webpage on serviceshttp://www.cen.eu/work/areas/services/Pages/default.aspx

@Standards4EU

@CEN4Services