Stage 2 –  Alignment 

In the Alignment stage you prepare the organization for new initiatives. You now begin to adjust the culture so it will welcome and embrace the introduction of new skills and mindsets. Before you can do this effectively, your workforce needs to see genuine signs of alignment between the organization's:
• Business Objectives
• Service Vision and Values
• Service Standards
• Systems and Processes

Without this, improved service practices will not take root.  Consider the following questions:
1.  What are the key business objectives driving this area?  How does this initiative relate to those objectives?

2.  Would every area and level in your organization agree that you have a shared service vision and values? If yes:
•How were they developed?
•When were they developed?
•Was it a shared process where everyone was engaged in some form?

3.  Do a shared service vision and values need to be developed or revisited? If yes:
•What process will you use to engage the organization in this? 
•Who will own, drive and contribute to the process?

4.  Does your organization have clear, measurable service standards for internal and external contact via the phone, face-to-face and in e-interactions? If yes:
•Are they consistent throughout every area in the organization?

5.  Do clear, measurable standards need to be developed or revisited? If yes:
•How will you develop or revisit these?
•Who will own, drive and contribute to the process?

6.  Have you identified which systems and processes encourage or discourage your service vision, values and standards? If yes:
•How will you begin to align your systems and processes?
•Who will own, drive and contribute to the process?

In addition to aligning business objectives, vision, values, standards, systems and processes, people at various levels need to be aligned. This is true for senior executives as well as the frontline. Consider these questions:

1.  Have you identified which senior executives are crucial to the success of the initiative? If yes: 
•How will you engage them to participate?
•How will you encourage them to model new service-oriented behaviors?

2.  Have you identified how you will build “local” support for the initiative? If yes:
•How will you engage “natural leaders” throughout the organization so that they communicate, model and encourage service mindsets and skills?

Next Page:  Stage Three:  Training and Development