Escalation Management Process

Paragon is committed to providing the highest quality services. We utilize an extensive list of metrics and KPIs, client and employee surveys, exit interviews and proactive outreach to track and monitor performance. However, sometimes great service can be as simple as remembering to put the customers first and involve them in important decisions, as this case studies demonstrates.

Client Profile
A Fortune 500 global manufacturer of construction and mining equipment with more than 150,000 employees in 500 locations worldwide.

The Challenge
Paragon became aware of customer dissatisfaction with household goods movers in the South of France. The customer was extremely unhappy with the quality of the departure moving crew’s work and their timeliness. To manage this situation, Paragon needed to quickly determine the source of dissatisfaction; ensure the household goods were safe and intact; address any issues with the mover so the situation would not happen again; and, most importantly, ensure the client and employee were satisfied with the final resolution. Additionally, Paragon focused on lessons learned from this situation and how to apply them across the company.

Paragon’s Solution
Paragon’s comprehensive Escalation Management Process addresses issues or concerns before they become service breaks. An important aspect to this process is proactive customer service “in the moment.” The Relocation Consultant plays an important role in managing escalations by bringing the Account Manager into the process early to address customer concerns, while there is still time to remedy the situation. Paragon recognizes that any issue during the relocation, real or perceived, is a distraction from work for our customers and HR partners.

In the formal escalation process, Paragon’s Account Manager will assist the Relocation Consultant to research the situation, collect the facts and address concerns with the supplier partner, plus offer recommendations for service recovery. The Account Manager will keep the client HR manager involved early in the process. Paragon’s philosophy is that we are an extension of our client’s HR so we must partner with the client to ensure their employees are satisfied and there are no disruptions that may lead to lost productivity.

In this particular case, in the South of France, a snow storm had appeared on moving day and the “A” team was unable to reach the property. The movers, in a panic to meet the delivery date, sent in the “B” team, who arrived late and did not pack up the household belongings to the customer’s satisfaction.

During root cause analysis, the household goods manager indicated that the firm had gone above and beyond to meet the deadline and had “jumped through hoops” to get a replacement crew onsite. The Paragon response was “don’t jump.” While that may seem contrary to the norm, the decision made by the movers actually took choices away from the customer and created a negative scenario. Paragon’s instruction was to communicate with the customer and involve the customer in the decision to have the “A” team tomorrow or the “B” team today. It is important that customers are involved in major decisions regarding their move. After all, the customer could see that it was snowing by looking out his window.

The Results
This example ended well with no damages to the goods and became a memorable training anecdote known as “Snow Storm Guy.” Once the move was complete, the customer was very pleased to find out that even his host location Paragon Consultant knew about the situation (from our weekly team meeting segment on Lessons Learned). Lessons Learned are shared with all global teams to maximize the benefits of real life experiences.

With Paragon’s Escalation Management Process in place, the client’s relocation program has succeeded in functioning more cohesively, with increased employee satisfaction, and reduced policy exceptions. The Process is now considered a Best Practice for the administration of relocation programs.