Overview - ISO/TS 23686:2022 (Service excellence measurement)
ISO/TS 23686:2022 specifies metrics and methods for measuring service excellence performance. It guides organizations on designing a service excellence measurement system that aligns with their service excellence model and objectives, enabling monitoring, evaluation and continuous improvement. The technical specification emphasizes measuring higher levels of the service excellence pyramid - individual excellent service provision and surprisingly excellent service provision - that drive customer delight and improved outcomes.
Key topics and technical requirements
- Measurement system design: Requirements for creating a service excellence measurement system aligned with the organization’s service excellence model and objectives (including use of OKRs).
- Frameworks and metrics: Guidance on frameworks for measuring leadership & strategy, culture & employee engagement, outstanding customer experiences, and operational service excellence.
- Types of research and data: Use of quantitative and qualitative research methods for gathering meaningful service excellence metrics; emphasis on data management and analysis integrity.
- Performance indicators: Definition and use of key performance indicators (KPIs), benchmarks and performance indicator systems to track service excellence performance.
- Guiding principles: Organizational commitment, research and organizational ethics, transparency in reporting (e.g., customer delight score), alignment with stakeholder interests, and continuous reflection and improvement.
- Governance and integrity: Requirements for audit compliance, documented processes for evidence collection, and adherence to ethical research standards.
- Teams and ownership: Encourages self-organizing teams to establish metrics that impact service excellence results.
Applications - practical use and users
ISO/TS 23686 is intended for any organization seeking structured, repeatable measurement of service excellence to drive outstanding customer experiences and sustainable customer delight. Typical users include:
- Customer experience (CX) managers and service designers
- Quality and performance managers
- Operations leaders and frontline managers
- Strategy and transformation teams using OKRs
- Market research and analytics teams applying quantitative and qualitative methods
- Consultants and auditors assessing service excellence maturity
Practical applications:
- Designing dashboards and KPI sets that distinguish customer satisfaction from customer delight
- Integrating measurement into service improvement cycles and governance
- Aligning partner, supplier and outsourcing measurements with organizational objectives
- Ensuring data integrity and ethical compliance in customer research
Related standards
- ISO 23592 - Service excellence: principles and model (primary model referenced)
- ISO 20252 - Market, opinion and social research (research methods/ethics)
- ISO 44001, ISO 9000, ISO 24523, EN 14943 - referenced for alignment, terminology and performance system concepts
Keywords: ISO/TS 23686:2022, service excellence, measuring service excellence performance, service excellence measurement system, metrics, customer delight, KPIs, OKR, customer experience.