The customer is always right! This old adage has been used in all types of business and customer service situations, seemingly for ever. But, how does this apply to organisations in today's business climate?

Taken literally, if the customer is always right, does this mean at any cost? How do you know what is right for your customers? Do all customers have the same idea of what is right?

Recent research by CCM shows that although many organisations recognise the need to provide effective customer service, only a few have developed the necessary approach to ensure that they are capable of delivering it at a consistent level throughout the organisation.

CCM has developed a systematic way of measuring your company's ability to deliver a proper level of customer care. It's called S P A (Service for Profit Audit) and it assesses your current standards of service and contrasts them with the expectations of your customers. It's a definition of current standards combined with a set of recommendations on how they can be improved.

It examines your commitment to the customer – the ability to understand his needs and adapt products and services to match those needs. But it also examines the relationship an organisation has with its staff – the ability to develop, involve and motivate its people to produce a shared commitment to the customer.

S P A produces a plan that helps you to deliver a level of customer service that meets your customer's expectations. A plan that addresses all parts of the business to ensure that first class service flows freely. A plan that builds on your organisation's strengths and knowledge.

The Service for Profit Audit is designed to make sure that your organisation always gets it right, on the assumption that the customer may not always be right but she is, of course, always the customer.