External business communication and new customer service

INTRODUCTION

In the last decade, state and private service companies have sought to strengthen their businesses and preserve their clients against local and foreign competition.

external-business-communication-and-new-customer-care-services

This situation has led to the search for new forms of customer service with the purpose of loyalty, sale of products and services, quality assurance and post-sale support.

One of the first companies that had the vision of implementing an alternative service to customer service in the office was the Peruvian Telephone Company (CPT) –who in 1985- created the information service 103 to provide assistance to customers with inquiries from number of subscribers. It was not until 1995 that customer service via telephone became widespread in the private sphere (Telegestión 104 by Telefónica de España and Comunica-T, service by Banco de Crédito BCP, for example)

In 1997, the state-owned company Sedapal made the decision to implement a modern customer contact service over the phone: Aquafono. One of the main activities was to decongest the high demand for care in the Service Centers.

My professional experience covers since 1998 as a Service Manager and from 2000 to 2002 as a Supervisor, having as basic functions attending to commercial and operational requirements, consulting on the sale of services, advice on consumption and saving water, supervising the work of advisors, staff evaluation and support for new services.

The professional experience aims to provide an overview of the company where I worked and demonstrate that the new customer service services provided by the Aquafono - Infomóvil functional group give rise to a new perspective of external communication in service companies such as Sedapal.

Among the variables used for the preparation of this report and the application of methodological tools we find the background of the company, its current situation, the organization, its tasks and functions, work area, relationships within the area at the formal and informal level, relations with the command line and relations with other areas. In relation to the theoretical framework, the aim is to conceptualize the origin of the new customer service services in Sedapal towards a proposal for external communication.

A compilation of the history of the organization, its beginnings and development through the years has been made through printed material (files, memories and documents). Then, an analysis of the networks that originate within the organization and An external communication design has been made for each requirement presented by the new customer service. For this, the instruments used in the research were: The compilation, study of printed material, content analysis, surveys and interviews

Finally, once the important information had been obtained, the collected material was analyzed and studied to make the pertinent recommendations and suggestions presented in this report.

The new customer service services are observed in the state company Sedapal as a commercial or operational activity and are not even framed within an external means of communication, that is, it tends to be an operational service of answering calls, reviewing cases in the field or receive requests.

The Professional Report proposes, for the first time, to Sedapal, to conceptualize its origin, objectives and purpose. Likewise, to promote a change in the perception of the customer service system (that is, to move from an informative operational area to an external means of communication), to restructure its internal organization and, in addition, to redesign the procedures of the services provided by the functional group. Aquafono - Infomóvil so that effective and reliable information is provided to Sedapal customers.

In the theoretical framework, it should be pointed out that there is no bibliography related to call centers as an external communication system - the next is limited to marketing communication for telephone sales services as mentioned in the electronic magazine Razón y Palabra (article New forms of Organizational Communication from the professor at the University of Rotterdam (Cees Van Riel) or makes clarifications from the technological and administrative point of view. Therefore, our conceptual framework will address issues related to the definitions of organizations, internal and external communication in all its aspects, customer service management as well as conceptualizing the services provided by the Aquafono - Infomóvil functional group within Sedapal.

In the development of professional experience, reference is made to the general aspects of the Sedapal company. (Type of organization, objectives, mission, vision, organizational structure, strategic plan and organization of the Public Relations area) We will proceed to contextualize and describe the professional experience and then determine and analyze communication and organization problems, as well as proposals for solution to the exposed problem.

Finally, conclusions and recommendations are made towards the services studied. This report is the compilation of my professional experience from the point of view of organizational communication and covers a vision of the new customer care services in Sedapal from its beginnings to the present day in order to provide the necessary context to present the development of my professional experience.

CHAPTER I

THEORETICAL FRAMEWORK

1.1 Sedapal as an organization.

Organizations are social entities made up of two or more individuals in order to meet goals and objectives. There are a variety of types of organizations, for example: universities, service companies, schools, armed institutes, social clubs, the family, etc. Each with its specific characteristics that point to a goal to be met.

Goldhaber defines organizations as “open systems whose parts are related to each other and to their environment. The nature of this relationship is interdependent because all parts of the system affect and are mutually affected. ”In other words, an organization like Sedapal maintains several teams, projects and managements that are related to each other - manufacturing, distribution, quality of drinking water service and customer service - and maintains a direct relationship with its customers - beneficiaries of the service. According to Goldhaber's proposal, any situation directly affects both parties, for or against.

Bartoli defines organizations as "a structured set of components and interactions from which characteristics that are not found in the elements that compose it are obtained". That is, the relationships that are generated in an organization like Sedapal are its own characteristics and that these are not found in the subunits or elements that make it up.

For example, the family organization is made up of parents and children, there is a relationship or link between them, this relationship has its own particularities that are not present in the individual characteristics of each member.

For Richard Hall, organizations are "social units, collectivity or human groups constituted or reconstituted to achieve specific objectives, with relatively identifiable limits, normative order, ranges of authority, communication system and coordinated membership systems". This community exists relatively continuously in a medium and engages in activities that are related to a set of objectives.

For Teresa del Pilar, the word organization means “action and effect of organizing and organized group”. ⁴ According to what has been said, we can comment that the expression organized group evokes the company as a whole, formed from a formal distribution of responsibilities. We can determine that an organization like Sedapal is the form that all human associations take to achieve their ends of productivity and prosperity.

Agustín Reyes defines the organization as "The structure of the relationships that must exist between the functions, levels and activities of the material and human elements of a social organism, in order to achieve maximum efficiency within the plans and objectives indicated." ⁵

Sixto Velasco defines the organization as "the action of grouping and ordering the activities necessary to achieve the established goals, creating administrative units, assigning, where appropriate, functions, authority, responsibility and hierarchy, establishing the relationships that must exist between these units". ⁶

For Beckles organization is “structure of relationships between people, work and resources”. ⁷ Organizations as defined is a group of people who generate relationships, so as not to generate chaos are governed by formal structures. People within organizations exchange resources and interact in order to achieve goals, for example information, procedures, sales, social relationships, etc.

Guzmán indicates that organization is "the coordination of the activities of all the individuals that make up a company with the purpose of obtaining the maximum possible use of material, technical and human elements, in the realization of the purposes that the company itself pursues." ⁸

Koontz & O´Donnell defines the organization as “grouping together the activities necessary to achieve certain objectives. Assign to each group an administrator with the necessary authority to supervise and coordinate both horizontally and vertically the entire structure of the company ”. ⁹

For Massie, organization is "the structure and association whereby a cooperative group of human beings, assign tasks among members, identify relationships and Integrate their activities towards common goals." ¹⁰

For some Internet administration portals, organizations are defined as a "conscious coordinated social unit, made up of two or more people who function with relative constancy in order to achieve a common goal or series of goals." ¹¹ According to this definition, we can mention what organization can be service companies, products, schools, hospitals, churches, military, shops, police departments, organization of local governments, etc.

Others, say that organization is framed in the procedures, norms and methods, defining the organization as "a set of positions whose rules and norms of behavior must be subject to all its members, thus using the means that allows a company to achieve certain objectives". ¹²

According to the concepts shown, we are able to point out that the Sedapal organization is an entity, made up of two or more individuals, in order to achieve business and social goals and objectives, based on its rules, procedures and methods that govern them. Likewise, each component that makes up the projects, teams and managements has individual characteristics that differ from the group ones.

However, Sedapal, being a state organism, has a rigid formation under a vertical scheme of positions and positions that does not allow a dynamic from the worker to the management, nor an adequate interrelation between the work teams.

Sedapal, from 1996, began a change in its organizational structure, implementing Productivity with Quality that led to the reduction of personnel and redesign of the organization in order to make it dynamic and horizontal. At the macro level, there were profound changes, but staff with less ability to deal with this change were retained.

Therefore, the current situation of Sedapal as an organization differs from the conceptual proposal presented in the previous paragraphs. The institution, although it is true is delimited under a new organization approach, in practice it maintains an anachronistic concept of organization. An organization must be horizontal - although there are hierarchical positions that must be respected and earned with annual performance - they should be open to any worker in the organization so that they can interrelate or present their ideas, suggestions or complaints without any problem. The existence of an organization like Sedapal presupposes the existence of leaders rather than chiefs or managers.A leader is a person who can transform himself and has the ability to transform his team or management and therefore the organization. Therefore, a leading organization must be able to reinvent itself and profoundly change as well.

Being human beings the essence of organizations and the main asset of a company like Sedapal, it is important to mention that our professional report is based on the theoretical basis -proposed by Gary Kreps in his book Communication in Organizations- which is called theory of Human Relations in organization and Systems theory (the human being, its development within the processes of organization) The theory of Human Relations promotes self-realization and rejects the economic motivation posed by classical mechanistic theory. Kreps points out that self-realization is the process by which the human being develops individual knowledge, skills and abilities, and by achieving this, he feels motivated and is more productive for the organization.

Indeed, human beings have a primary need for food, clothing and money; But when we are within an organization and we only think about meeting these needs, we are in communion with classical theory, we carry out our actions automatically without feeling fulfilled or having growth in the organization.

The end of a worker is not money. Humanist theory proposes that the end is self-realization, motivation and personal satisfaction, money comes in addition.

The role of any director, supervisor or leader is to be a communicator and motivator. The executive should use communication to facilitate cooperation among members representing all levels and divisions of the organization. An organization begins to exist when: there are people capable of communicating with others, who are willing to contribute with action to achieve a common purpose.

Organizational managers should try to involve their workers in the operations of their organizations. Theorists argued that the more workers participated in the organization's decision-making the more likely they would develop an understanding and appreciation of the organization's problems.

Argyris mentioned by Kreps notes that the leaders of an organization can increase consistency between workers and management by increasing worker participation in the organization process. The more workers were involved in determining the operations of the organization, the more likely they would identify with the organization and adopt the goals of the organization as their own. When the organization's goals are identified as the workers' own, they are likely to work in the best interests of the organization.

Likert mentioned by Kreps was also involved in participatory decision making in the organization. Likert demonstrated that diverse management styles can isolate or encourage full worker participation in the organization. Communication is the key piece to start participation, it is the development of support communication between workers and management. Great importance was given to the manager who leads the teams by channeling the messages of the workers to senior management and the message of return of the leaders to the workers; this is how the manager is the conduit to include workers in the activities of the organization.

According to the field verification and direct observation carried out by the group in the Aquafono - Infomóvil functional group of the new customer services, it is determined that there is an authoritarian exploitative style of organization that coincidentally is found in most companies and with incidence in the state companies. This style tends to present a strong degree of control and authority. Workers are motivated by fear of punishment and given little authority to participate in planning and decision-making in the company. This type of perspective aligns with classical theory. This aspect polarizes workers with management. What is sought is a representation of participatory management.

The theory of human relations ensures greater involvement, recognition, decision-making responsibility and opportunities for creativity make jobs more satisfying for most people and consequently more effective, satisfied and humane organizations.

One of the tendencies of the theory of human relations is the strong presence of horizontal communication (remember that classical theory encourages top-down communication). It should be borne in mind that the use of the theory of human relations in a superficial way in an organization it makes staff feel important only for production purposes and not for personal development. Falling under this perception we will be distorted the end of this theory, therefore, a marginalization of the worker for improvement. Given this circumstance, the theory of Human Relations in the organization arises in order to meet the needs of the members of the organization and increase the participation of its members in the activities of the company.

Systems theory was developed to detail the descriptive model of the organization's processes. This theory tells us that the organization is a complex set of interdependent parts that interact to adapt to a constantly changing environment, in order to achieve objectives. Some of the key components of the organization are the individual members of the organization, the structural and functional groups and the technologies and equipment of the organization. Any change influences one component inevitably affects the other components of the system.

Systems theory mentions that the joint effort to develop an activity is more productive than doing it individually. This is corroborated with the practice of teamwork: the greater the relationship and participation, the greater satisfaction and fulfillment of goals can be perceived.

At first instance, we can perceive that systems theory is linked to classical theory; However, we can affirm that systems theory is focused on processes and work groups, and if we observe those who make up the work groups we can find that there is the interaction between the theory of human relations and systems because they start from the human being and his developing. By feeling good about their team, they will be able to provide quality care and good relationships between dependencies and the processes will be more efficient.

Kreps mentions the following “organizations are systems, each system receives resources or inputs from its environment, processes these inputs and exports products or outputs to its environment. The output of the system is never the same as its input. The organization makes entries in order to make exits that will help meet its goals (transformation model), for example: customers, money, technologies, materials, food, personnel, and exports products: goods, entertainment, processed information. ”

This perception indicates that they exist within organizations, they receive resources from their environment, they are processed and returned to their origin, which means that there is feedback work in the system, but this would not be productive and constant if the staff is not committed to the business.

In accordance with the theoretical proposals, we define that the Sedapal organization is an open structured system made up of people whose parts interrelate with each other to achieve objectives and goals. To achieve these objectives, the organization is governed by rules, procedures or laws. This general definition of organization is corroborated with the Strategic Plan, the Company's Internal Regulations, the Service Provision Manual, etc.

Sedapal is made up of Management and Teams related to each other aiming at a specific objective in "theory" but in practice the objectives and goals are individual and even the mission and vision of each unit are formulated, but they differ, for the most part, with the mission and vision of the company.

The theoretical proposal of Kreps, on which this study is supported, directly affects Sedapal's actions. While Senior Management emphasizes that human resources must be involved in the development process of the company in the sub units (such as the new customer service services: Aquafono - Infomóvil functional group) it is not taken into account or is limited to groups or domes, and not in the entire staff.

In general, only groups related to headquarters can access self-realization benefits (fundamental premise of human relations theory) while the relegated group does not have the necessary opportunity to develop.

The administration of the new Sedapal customer service services, for example, is designed based on the concept proposed by Likert Authoritarian Exploiter. The origin is due to the fact that Sedapal, by law, must not have any contact with the Service personnel, therefore, it is proposed representatives called Coordinators. This design is also appreciated in other areas and, generally, throughout the company.

There is strong control and authority of the organization towards its workers. Workers are limited to developing their own initiatives and opinions or proposals are not considered in decision-making.

Sedapal, despite the deficiencies related to human resources, is an open system that receives external resources (Ministries, National, International Organizations, Clients, and others). In turn, these inputs are processed and sent to their environment. For this purpose, investment is made in technology, materials, personnel, etc.

As Sedapal organization is aware of the change, it is thus that it adopts positions of private entities (philosophy of Productivity with Quality, Productivity with Value), but in some cases, the human resource, which maintains anachronistic paradigms, does not adapt to it and causes that the organization does not advance.

1.2 Communication in companies

Communication in the company is important for its operational functioning and as an identity-building element. The identity of the company is the only element that allows it to differentiate itself from the competition. What the company communicates is what the company is.

Alejandra Di Fonzo indicates that “companies with better service standards give communication strategic importance. Communication is a strategic function and structurally supports the business project, as it becomes an instrument for quality ”.

At the company level, two forms of communication can be found: internal and external. Internal communication has the utility of motivating your employees to keep them aware of the successes and failures of the organization as well as ensuring that the goals and objectives are understood by all. Internal communication helps create commitments on the part of its members and the cohesion of values ​​that are part of the culture. It is about making information available to employees that can be useful for their management and encourage participation.

Di Fonzo points out that communication in companies "aims to make customers and the environment understand what the company offers: to generate credibility, to be ahead of customer expectations and to integrate their suggestions and ideas into the offer of service of your organization ”. In this way, a satisfied customer is a committed customer.

Di Fonzo's perspective indicates that communication in the company is a strategic tool for the good performance of the organization and what it requires to show to its clients. Kreps gives us a more analytical perspective of how communication is presented in companies. He mentions that they can occur in three basic ways: intrapersonal, interpersonal, small groups, and multigroups.

Intrapersonal communication: "It is the basic level of human communication, it is the one that interprets the messages and we develop the ones that we will send to others." The interpersonal process of creating messages is known as encoding, and the intrapersonal process of interpreting messages is called decoding.

Intrapersonal communication allows people to receive and send messages that will entail communicating at the interpersonal and small group level in the life of the company.

Interpersonal communication: It takes place "between two people generally face to face despite the fact that people can use means of communication (such as the telephone) to communicate interpersonally without being in the immediate presence of others." The interpersonal relationship is the basic social system that can demonstrate the development of coordinated activities between individuals, in an attempt to achieve individual and collective goals.

The levels of interpersonal and intrapersonal communication occur simultaneously when one person talks to another. The most important result is the development of human relationships. Small group communication: It occurs between "three or more people who interact in an attempt to adapt to their environment and achieve common goals." This type of communication can take place face to face but can use a means of communication (teleconferences). The size of a group can increase the complexity of group communication.

Multigroup communication: "It takes place within a social system made up of small interdependent groups that share the performance of tasks to achieve commonly recognized goals." ¹⁹ It covers the three types of communication (intrapersonal, interpersonal and small group) For this communication to take place, the organization must develop formal communication channels between its different parts and members.

Taking the proposed theory to professional practice, the levels of communication have been developing in the four states, reducing their actions at the small group and multi-group levels.

The action of the customer service area is recharged and only allows information to be crossed sporadically or it comes through formal means. Strong intrapersonal communication is carried out due to the nature of the work, moderately interpersonal communication - due to the structure of the work modules.

Small group communication occurs in isolation, there is no strong dissemination of goals and objectives.

Multigroup communication is presented minimally due to the characteristic of the service and the scarce information to be shared, it only originates when a specific activity of the service is required or support is required (presentations, analysis work or emergency situations)

1.3 Organizational communication.

In organizations, communication is immersed in customer service and is a basic tool for making the customer-company relationship strong and lasting. Due to the nature of the study, it leads us to review the matter of organizational communication. We know that communication in organizations occurs in two aspects: internal and external. Having this premise, we will indicate that the new customer care services in Sedapal are new trends in communication in companies (remember that Advertising, Public Relations, Marketing, for example are traditional forms of external communication) that organizations must use to meet the needs of customers, know what their requirements are and satisfy their demands,as well as collecting relevant information from them for the benefit of the organization.

Gerald Goldhaber points to three definitions of organizational communication:

"It is the act of sending and receiving information within the framework of a complex organization." "It is the flow of information or the exchange of information and the transmission of meaningful messages within the framework of the organization." ²¹.

“It is that data flow that serves the communication and intercommunication processes in the organization. Within the organization, it identifies three communication systems: operational (data related to tasks or operations), regulatory (orders, rules and instructions) and maintenance / development (public and employee relations, advertising, training) ” For María Quintana, organizational communication is “a flow of messages within a network of interdependent relationships”. This flow of messages is a constant activity (input and output of information, exchange of messages) this exchange carries vital messages for the company and the customer.

Quintana proposes four factors that influence the effectiveness of communication in organizations: formal communication channels, the authority structure of the organization, the specialization of the work and the ownership of information.

Since organizational communication is defined as the flow of messages, it is essential to conceptualize what the message is.

Goldhaber defines the message as the information that is perceived and to which the recipients give a meaning (who could also be the source) is called the message.

Goldhaber points out that messages deal with significant information about people, objects and events generated during human interaction and are capable of being evaluated in the following way: modality of language (differentiates between verbal and non-verbal messages . Receptive assumptions: include people that are inside and outside the organization, includes internal messages: memos, meetings, external messages: advertising campaigns, public relations, sales, civic tasks, etc. Dissemination method: it identifies the communication activity used during the sending of messages to other people, implies that the messages are spread within the organization, they can be divided into two categories: Software method: includes oral communication activities (face to face) such as conversations, meetings, interviews, discussions and written activities such as memos, letters, bulletins, reports, manuals, policies, etc. Hardware method: they can be technological activities such as the telephone, teletypewriter, microfilm, radio, video tape, computer. Flow Purpose: Refers to the reason why a message is sent and received within the organization, as well as the specific function it fulfills. In turn, there are three reasons to explain the message flows: task message: they are related to those products, services or activities that have a specific importance for the organization, for example messages to improve sales, markets, and the quality of services, the quality of the products, etc. Maintenance messages - such as policy and regulatory messages - help the organization stay alive and perpetuate itself. Human messages: they are directed to the people of the organization, they affect their attitudes, morals, satisfactions and achievements.

The important thing is that the flow of messages within the organization is to inform, regulate, persuade and integrate. Messages to inform and persuade can be included in task messages. Regulatory functions resemble maintenance messages, and integration messages perform functions similar to human messages.

Goldhaber indicates that networks is the flow of messages between people follows a path called communication network. A communication network can exist with only two people, a few or the entire organization. Network management has traditionally been divided into up, down and horizontal communications, depending on who initiates the message and who receives it. Top-down communications are those messages that flow from superiors to subordinates. Most top-down communications involve task or maintenance messages related to guidelines, objectives, discipline, orders, or questions. Upward communications are those that flow from subordinates to superiors used to receive feedback, ask questions or make suggestions.It has the effect of improving employee morale and attitudes, including human or integration messages. Horizontal communication is the lateral exchange of messages between individuals who are at the same level of authority within the organization. They are related to the resolution of problems, conflicts or rumors.

1.3.1 Internal communication

One of the important factors that affect the functioning of an organization is internal communication. Through it, various messages are transmitted that collaborate in the development of internal and external activities. Internal communication affects the progress of the activities of the service and the relations of the personnel in the organization.

For Max Tello internal communication is "transmitting a message with the aim of causing a specific effect, which means not only having the ability to speak, but also to listen, to pay attention to others". The function of internal communication is to contribute to the efficiency in the different functions performed by workers within the organization's system, providing the organization's workers with the ability to respond to the multiple messages that senior management gives to their workers or vice versa.

The position formulated by Kreps guides us towards two channels of internal communication in organizations: formal and informal communication.

Formal communication channels are dictated by the planned structure established for the organization. The contents are related to labor aspects and, generally, uses writing as a medium (communications, memorandum, etc.). In Sedapal this type of communication is the one that is in force.

Internal communication through the written medium is slow because it has to comply with all bureaucratic formalities.

Informal communication channels are unplanned and emerge from natural social interaction between members of the organization. The contents that flow in informal communication is that type that, despite being labor aspects, uses unofficial channels (meeting in the corridors, for example) is faster than formal. It is usually loaded with emotional or sentimental aspects.

Informal communication models create communication networks. Kreps indicates that a network is a grouping of members of the organization that engage in modeled interaction. Three types of networks are distinguished: total system networks, diagram the communication models throughout the entire organization. Gang network identifies groups of individuals within the organization who communicate exclusively with each other than with other members of the organization. Personal networks are the individuals that interact with a specific member of the organization.

According to the proposed classification, four forms can be distinguished that can be taken by the members of the organization:

Isolates: They are members of the organization that have minimal contact with others, are hiding in the organization or are avoided, they can be isolated within their network or central networks of their organization.

Opinion leader: They do not maintain formal authority in the organization, but they guide behavior and influence the decisions of members of the organization.

The gatekeepers: They control the flow of information between the members of the organization, they are in the middle of a network and carry messages from one person to another or retain the information. This role is important and must be kept by a responsible and informed individual.

The cosmopolitans: They are individuals who connect the organization with its environment. They collect information from environmental sources and provide information about the organization to representatives of the environment.

Bridges: They are members of the organization that connect with a gang to which they belong with members of another.

Links: They connect two gangs without belonging to any, help to share relevant information between gangs.

Formal communication rarely fully meets the information needs of members of the organization. The less formal communication is used to provide relevant information to the members of the organization, the more they depend on the rumor to obtain information and the more powerful the rumor becomes. Conversely, the more relevant information about the organization that formal communication channels provide to members, the less members will depend on the rumor for information.

According to the meaning given to internal communication, it can be presented in three forms: ascending, descending and horizontal. This classification affects the development of customer service services because we depend on it for the development of activities (guidelines, directives, regulations, resolutions) if these senses are not given fully, chaos and disinformation will prevail in the organization leading to degradation.

Top-down communication: “It is the one that goes from the management to the other members of the organization following the hierarchical line and tends to be considered as the natural and spontaneous way of transmitting information in the company. The characteristic documents are the reports, reports, suggestions, complaints, interviews, surveys ”.

In organizations, it is easier for an employee to be attentive to receiving information from the boss than vice versa. Communication from the management tends to be considered more interesting, therefore, the problem may be the excess of downward information, without having made the necessary choice and adaptation to the receivers.

The functions of top-down communication are: sending multiple orders throughout the hierarchy; provide company members with information related to the work performed; provide a summary of the work done and indoctrinate employees to recognize and internalize the objectives of the organization.

For Kreps top-down communication is what flows from top management to the lowest levels in the organization's hierarchy, it is the basic formal message system. Send orders to lower hierarchies, provide job-related information, and job performance analysis to members of the organization.

It also indicates that excessive amounts of downward communication messages can confuse and frustrate workers. "Contradictory downward messages can frustrate workers and thus damage morale. Top-down communication is unclear, promptly indicated, and vague. The repetitive messages imply the distrust of the management towards the employees or they lack the intelligence of the same ”.

The problems with top-down communication are that many organizations saturate top-down communication channels by overloading them with messages, and resulting in commands that can disturb and frustrate subordinates.

Management provides its subordinates with contradictory and exclusive orders, causing confusion and anxiety; It is also unclear, many orders are communicated with haste and vagueness; there may be serial communications or forming a chain of messages in one direction, which goes from one individual to another without the security of feedback, with the following cumulative distortion.

Top-down communication may reflect the lack of consideration of superiors towards their subordinates, with repetitive messages that imply lack of trust in the receivers.

According to the proposal, top-down communication is the least suitable to use in companies like Sedapal due to the saturation of written messages. Employees who carry out customer service activities receive constant information on resolutions or repetitive documents about their activities that influence their actions.

Employee suggestions and observations are not considered, or are viewed inappropriately. Usually the staff are crowded and saturated with messages believing that the level of understanding is low and that the messages must be reiterated every moment. According to the definition of top-down communication, only the basic guidelines for the treatment of clients and the regulations of the company in relation to customer service are considered important. If we analyze the messages (which will be done later) the messages that come from the Senior Management are filtered by the Headquarters or the Supervision,the information is processed and notified to the managers through coordination sheets or memoranda (limited and cut messages) The impersonalized message provides an effect of disinterest of the employees (the personality criterion will favor the innovation and rendering of the given message)

Upward Communication: Flows from the lowest level members to the highest level. The purpose is "to provide those responsible with general information about the company's personnel in its broadest sense, that is, from promoting and institutionalizing adequate channels that encourage upward reporting (suggestion boxes, participation in their newspapers, for example)"

In traditional organizations, bottom-up communication is often accompanied by many difficulties that make it non-existent due to the prevailing hierarchical structure, and even more complicated in modern organizations in the sense that communications are generalized. At each new step of ascending an information it meets a competition of messages, which try to climb a progressively narrower channel. The opening of the upward communication path is based on proper planning and a method of selecting the information of interest.

The functions of bottom-up communication are: to provide managers with the necessary feedback on the current issues and problems of the organization; to be a primary source of information return for management, which allows determining the effectiveness of its downward communication; alleviate tensions by allowing lower-level employees in the company to share relevant information with their superiors and stimulating participation and engagement by all.

Upward communication channels have the problems of facilitating excessive control by management; provoke the anger of the director when the message is unpleasant, thus often, only favorable messages are communicated to the bosses, which causes the isolation of the executives; the little receptivity of the directors; and insufficient channels.

This type of communication provides the organization with vital information on the situation of the employees vis-à-vis the company, perceptions of the organization or modifications that may be established. In Sedapal, this type of communication is low because there are no areas dedicated to receiving suggestions from employees.

For Kreps, upward communication is what flows from lower-level employees to higher-level staff. It provides feedback, and information about the day-to-day operations they need to make decisions about the direction of the organization. It is the primary source of management feedback to determine the effectiveness of your top-down communication. It releases employee tension by allowing lower-level members of the organization to share relevant information with their superiors. It encourages the participation and involvement of employees, thus increasing the cohesion of the organization. However, from the employee's perspective he points out that it is risky for the employee to manifest his problems, he fears punishment when providing unpleasant messages.Managers are not receptive to honest feedback from employees, they react defensively.

Specifically, in the areas of customer service, the company Sedapal carries out the program ideas and suggestions which are not correctly structured because there is no individual or group recognition of the ideas, they are ranting or they are not informed. There are no work or financial incentives or congratulations. This program is tax rather than participatory. Sending a complaint, claim, suggestion or observation is seen as a negative element to the organization.

According to professional experience, no formal upward communication channels are established in the company in Sedapal due to the solid and traditional hierarchical structure that is made up (only occurs in the event that employees have amicable relations with the Headquarters or Management)

Passing over the headquarters to report an incident or event is observed as an act of indiscipline; Likewise, any dealings with other areas in the area of ​​Headquarters or Management must go through the filters of the Supervision and the Headquarters of the new Sedapal customer service services.

This situation, therefore, means that there is no interrelation between workers or that they make their perception of the company known. As long as the rigidity of the hierarchies is not broken or the paradigm of contempt for authority is broken, employees will not be able to offer their ideas to the organization and, obviously, human resources are wasted.

Horizontal communication: "It is the one that occurs between people considered equal in the hierarchy of the organization."This situation can occur at different levels. The main functions of horizontal communication are to facilitate the coordination of tasks, allowing members of the organization to establish effective interpersonal relationships through the development of implicit agreements; provide a means of sharing relevant company information among colleagues.

The problems related to horizontal communication is sometimes due to the lack of interest of the workers, due to the lack of time of the employees who cannot coordinate their own area. The absence of established channels also means that this type of communication is relegated to the informal sphere. The typical forms of horizontal communication are: boards, committees, round tables, assemblies, etc.

For Kreps horizontal communication is the one that flows between the members of the organization who are at the same hierarchical level, basically it is communication between colleagues. Facilitates the coordination of tasks by allowing interpersonal relationships to be established. It provides a means of sharing relevant organizational information among co-workers. It is a formal communication channel for problem solving and for managing conflicts between colleagues. It allows mutual support.

In the case of the new customer service services in Sedapal, this type of communication occurs sporadically in the so-called feedback meetings where topics of common interest are exposed on the development of activities or problems that may arise in the team or the organization..

In Sedapal, it is unusual for meetings to be held with other areas to discuss issues related to service provision. Since the creation of the new customer services, only eight meetings have taken place.

Every day, informal horizontal communications are originated when there are trainings, taking advantage of the confluence of personnel from other areas, but informally.

Due to the nature of the service, this type of communication is limited; likewise, the Headquarters and Supervision do not take it as a necessary matter. It only assumes them as such when internal problems or disputes arise so as not to affect the image.

1.3.2 External communication.

Kreps states that "external communication in organizations implies giving and receiving information between organizations and their relevant environments".

The environment shapes all the factors external to the organization. Organizations and their environments are connected by message flows that provide each other with relevant information. The relevant environment provides members of the organization with important information to process.

Giving and receiving are two important and interrelated communication activities, since they send information from the organization to the representatives of the relevant environment and look for pertinent information from the environment relevant to the organization.

Likewise, Kreps indicates that “external communication is used to provide persuasive information to the representatives of the environment about the activities, products or services of the organization. Information sent through external channels can be used to influence the activities of individuals and groups in the relevant environment. "

Taking the Kreps proposal into professional practice, we will indicate that the Sedapal organization exchanges constant information with its relevant environment. In this case, the relevant environment is Sedapal's clients who use drinking water and sewerage services. For example, the relationship between client - company is manifested through the new customer service services: Aquafono, Aquanet, Telemarketing and Virtual Commercial Office (Aquafono - Infomóvil functional group). Its activity is to collect information from clients (for example: names, telephone numbers, addresses, mails) this information will allow us to classify clients, satisfy and cover their needs (segment clients and create, for example, VIP clients).

These new customer services must not only refer to receive complaints and manage them or meet requirements or give information, they must provide advice, alternative services, receive and provide information to the client and the company, and collect useful information for the company. Later the case will be specifically analyzed.

The considerable increase in information in modern companies has caused our specialized structures and technologies to be implemented to store, process and retrieve relevant information in organizations. Direct information systems are tools that under the support of computers collect, store, process and retrieve relevant data from the organization and for decision-making. This technological proposal causes a large volume of information to be handled. It is up to the team leaders in organizations to get the right information to the right people at the right time and in the right way. In Sedapal's customer service, communication is centralized and partial.

One of the approaches given to organizations is the topic of open systems; that is, the relationship of organizations with their environment. The changes that take place in the organization influence its environment and vice versa. It must be remembered that the theory of Human Relations is internalized in the person and their personal development, in the case of systems theory the appropriate interaction between areas and their correct functioning is added to personal development to reach common objectives. Theorists of external communication systems stressed the need for openness to the entry and exit of information from organizations.

1.3.2.1 Formal external communication in Sedapal.

There are three forms of formal external communication at Sedapal that contribute to disseminating the organization's business activities: Public Relations, a team that advises the Presidency of the Board, Marketing, Public Opinion and Market Research is within the Commercial Management Team.

Public Relations: Kreps defines Public Relations as “communicative activities of sending and searching for information between the organization and the environment. It also involves collecting relevant information from the environment for the members of the organization, creation of the corporate image and press relations, emphasizing the sending of messages to the environment over the search for messages from the environment ”.

It also involves internal communication by seeking information from (employee surveys) and providing information to the organization's audiences.

This team encompasses the internal and external communication of the organization, in addition to creating, promoting and evaluating the image of the organization abroad. In Sedapal, this team has a low profile. Its operational capacity is limited to the Headquarters when an event occurs that involves problems for the company. There is little verification of the company's image, there is a limited relationship with the media (they are used to communicate large-scale service cuts) and verification of internal communication is poor (it has never reached the area of ​​new attention services). customer opinion surveys about the company)

Marketing and advertising: For Kreps marketing, advertising and public relations are related forms of external communication that are considered as separate activities of the organization. Marketing and advertising are integral parts of organizations' external communication. Marketing "is the process by which organizational strategies are created to identify, develop and position products and services to meet external market demands." Advertising involves the "implementation of creative communication strategies and techniques for specific products and services to attract the attention of consumers to the organization's products and services."

In Sedapal these areas develop services such as account debits or table water. (The latter paralyzed due to lack of senior management judgment and decision)

The new customer service services have been developed in areas where they have nothing to do with the positioning and creation of products or services (in the case of the IT and Commercial Teams where Aquafono and Infomóvil were conceived). The development of the Telemarketing Service was carried out entirely by Aquafono staff and Aquanet service, originally developed by the Sales Team, is managed by Aquafono staff.

So far, Telemarketing, Aquanet and Infomóvil are unknown services within and outside the company, there is no dissemination or advertising of them.

In relation to advertising in Sedapal, it is low due to the budget cut and the characteristic of a monopoly company (gross error, according to the vision, it must be promoted and improved to export technology, processes and personnel and stand out in the Latin American sphere at the company level). drinking water and sewerage services)

It must be remembered that not only water is sold and manufactured, products (table water), services (Infomóvil, Telemarketing, Aquafono or Aquanet) can be sold, trained personnel (technical engineers, communicators, creatives in developing new services, market analysts, etc..) Public opinion and market research: External communication in organizations involves collecting pertinent information from the environment, as well as providing information to it. Kreps mentions that public opinion "is a formal means by which modern organizations collect and interpret relevant information from the environment, for use in the organization's decision-making and in directing the organization's activities."

Market research involves collecting information from consumers about their perceptions and evaluations of an organization's product or service. In Sedapal, this type of work is carried out through a market research company, despite having trained personnel to carry out such studies. Perceptions of services such as Aquafono are evaluated, Focus Group is made to clients about the company, the company is compared with other organizations.

Market research is used to identify impending market opportunities for the organization and to assess the saleability of the organization's products or services and the efficiency of market strategies used with current products or services.

1.3.2.2 Non-formal external communication in Sedapal.

External communication has been defined as "giving and receiving information from the relevant environment…, the relevant environment is made up of other companies, organizations or clients". It is precisely the customers who are constantly related to the company. Receiving information from clients (channeling, analyzing and forwarding) is a complex action, where communication plays an important role.

In the Sedapal organization, new customer service services have been created: Call Center, Infomóvil, Virtual Commercial Office and Telemarketing (Aquafono - Infomóvil functional group) that maintain permanent contact with the client, exchanging messages and establishing communications.

For Sedapal, these new services are located in the Special Clients and Services Team, providing an operational nuance and limited management. However, due to its nature, it should be framed in a new area: Communications Department –in Sedapal it does not exist as such- due to its characteristic of formal external communication of the company (although it is not recognized as such, for the Professional Report it has been generated the subtitle of the non-formal external communication in Sedapal)

The new customer service services are detailed below: Call Center, Virtual Commercial Office Infomóvil and Telemarketing.

Call Center: The definitions found for the Call Center are directed at the technological field, despite this, it has been possible to locate definitions related to the field of customer service.

For Sakata Ingenieros, a Call Center is one that provides the company with the necessary elements to establish mutually beneficial relationships with its customers, suppliers, etc., with a centralized service via telephone. It is a functional unit within the company (or a company in itself) designed to handle large volumes of incoming and outgoing telephone calls to and from its customers, in order to support the day-to-day operations of the entity.

For the Serintel company in Chile, the Call Center is a tool that is designed and built to measure, attending to the needs of commercial areas. To the requirements and needs it is necessary to incorporate quality criteria, which translate into equipment and human resource requirements, which define or model the Call Center ”.

For the Andicel de Colombia company, a Call Center is a telephone service center that has the capacity to handle high volumes of calls, with different objectives. Its main focus is the generation of Outbound calls (Outbound Calls) and the reception of calls (Inbound Calls), covering the expectations of each of the campaigns implemented. ⁴¹

For the Call Center consultancy firm One to One defines the term as a Call Center that is an integrated system of telephony and computing oriented to enhance the three most important tasks of a company, through telephone communication: customer acquisition, Maintenance of clients, Collections. People who answer calls in a Call Center are called the operator or agent of Telemarketing, since they are responsible not only for answering calls, they also have the ability to advise and address any concerns of users. Operator (a) is the term used for the service offered by the company and we want to avoid confusing it with the person who provides said service. ⁴²

For Sistecol Company, the Call Center acts as an intermediary between the client and the company. It is a strategic tool to retain and develop more profitable and loyal customer relationships. ” ⁴³

For the Rasgocorp company, a Call Center is the solution where economic and quality results converge, serving as a direct interface to its clients. Of course the interface has to be fast, independent of the locality and with great ease when it comes to obtaining information. It allows you to efficiently manage your business, maximizing resources, reducing costs, increasing your benefits and having more contact with your customers. ⁴⁴

For the Soluziona Company, the Call Center is designed as partial or integral support for the customer relationship. The call center arises in order to satisfy certain aspects of the customer relationship in isolation: promotions, information and consultation, claims, collection, receipt of incidents, among others. The objective is the ability to provide customer service over the phone with optimum quality levels. ^{Four. Five}

Luís Gallardo mentions that the concept of Call Center currently goes far beyond the mere traditional telephone switchboard. It is a resource management tool in which not only is a highly professional customer service provided - through specific worker training, but also includes aspects of new technologies, such as service via the Internet., automatic voice reception, etc. ». ⁴⁶

In accordance with the proposals presented and adapting to reality, we will indicate that a Call Center is a unit or department in a company (or in a specialized company) that is dedicated to fulfilling communication functions in a company. The relationships that can be established as an external means of communication in companies are: between departments in the company, relationship with the user or customer and marketing functions.

As it establishes relationships inside and outside the company, a Call Center is important for pre-sale, sale, post-sale and customer support services.

One of the important aspects that every contact center must bear in mind is the basic profile of the personnel that works (Telephone Advisors, Telephone Representatives, Service Advisors or Service Managers) must have the following characteristics: show a great predisposition to keep the job in the company, have ease of communication, ability to work in a team, have a pleasant voice, dedication to service and demonstrate emotional stability.

Infomobile: The Infomobile is a rolling customer service unit, unique in its kind, that travels through the districts of Lima and Callao, taking information about the company and establishing commercial and educational relationships with Sedapal customers.

This service leads to a Service Manager at the customer's door or to the areas required where an exchange of information and messages that are vital for the company and the customer will begin. Infomóvil uses technology to meet customer needs, using state-of-the-art computers and transmission equipment.

Infomóvil is presented as an option to cover an important part of the clients' needs; Because this type of unit is ideal for inquiries and requirements due to its ability to move within the city.

Virtual Commercial Office: The Virtual Commercial Office, Aquanet is another of the variants of the customer service system in Sedapal. It is an interactive service in a web environment where the client can collect vital information about the water service, and even queries can be made via email.

Queries are absolved in real time because technology allows access to the company's database through the website. To access the service you must register, then an access code will be generated, which is the only personal means with which you can make inquiries.

Aquanet, is in the development stage because new technologies point to attention through chat rooms, for example.

Telemarketing: The Telemarketing service was created to reduce the company's heavy portfolio in the Large Clients area. This system is defined as the relationship between a business client through calls or emails to collect relevant information, provide personalized service on various aspects of water supplies and the use of the sewer network (administrative collection, billing, debts, offering of services, benefits and others)

This variant suggests an efficient form of communication and constant exchange of messages. Its expansion depends on the prompt decision of the Commercial Management due to the fact that the management indicators imposed by Fonafe are not being met.

1.4 The communication process within the framework of customer service

1.4.1 Communication

In any organization that has a customer service, human relations and good communication, play an important role in achieving the general and specific objectives of a company. The process of communication implicit in it is complex, due to the elements that intervene in it and that act positively or negatively so that participatory, comprehensive and, therefore, effective communication occurs.

Etymologically, the word communication derives from the Latin cum, con and munus, gift: it means something that is shared with others in the form of a gift or a gift. For Agustín Reyes Ponce, communication "is a process by virtue of which our knowledge, tendencies and feelings are known and accepted by others".

That is, in such a process messages such as ideas, knowledge, feelings and data are exchanged. Emotional states are created that are manifested in gestures, gestures, facial expressions and others.

For Stoner, communication "is the process by which people try to share meaning through the transmission of symbolic messages."

The human group that belongs to an organization and its environment constantly exchange messages, data and information through various means (telephone, e-mail, letters, brochures, etc.). These exchange processes make the company-client relationship stronger., promote and consolidate its image.

For Kreps communication occurs when "a person responds to a message and assigns it a meaning." ^In other words, for communication to be effectively established, feedback must be provided. In customer service, companies must not only refer to directing letters or notes to users, they must analyze the effect caused by said documents, the attitude the user takes towards them and the feelings they cause.

Kreps states that human communication is a dynamic and continuous process, it is linked to context and it is irreversible, it is a process of negotiation, it is a basic tool that people use to develop a sense of understanding about people and situations.

Communication is definitely a negotiation process. Every day, each interrelation points towards a negotiation, for example a claim, an invitation, the sale of a product, a meeting; the objective of both parties is the individual benefit and indirectly the collective benefit.

Communication is irreversible, since the message is given and there is no way to return to the start of the action, what is feasible is to try to modify the effects or changes in attitudes of the users, therefore, a message or information Misdirected will indicate high costs to the business rather than a well-crafted message (companies generally try to minimize costs related to customer service)

Assuming that an organization is a dynamic entity and that the main flow of an organization is communication, we point out that this is a dynamic and continuous process; that is, the moment that this premise is not fulfilled, the organization will have ceased to exist.

Today, you cannot conceive of a static and isolated organization, as new trends make organizations like companies and their customer service centers dynamic and productive.

For Ferrer mentioned by Emilce Castro Obando "communication is an active process of meaning and exchange of messages by which men identify, influence and orient themselves towards a certain social goal".In other words, messages such as ideas, knowledge and data are exchanged. Emotional states are created that are manifested in verbal and non-verbal messages.

We must understand communication as a process by which man is

it interrelates with its social environment, where it lives and participates; it is the process that includes the response, interpretation and reply, closing the significant circuit that goes from the sender to the receiver and vice versa. According to the exposed quotes, we point out that communication is to deliver the message through a channel, to receive the answer within a given moment. For this report, we will define communication as the response to a message, its analysis by the sender and receiver within a social context and at a certain time, causing effects and responses on both sides.

1.4.2 Customer service

In order to define what customer service is, you must first conceptualize that you are a customer. According to professional experience, a client is one who has an relationship with the company. There are two types of clients: an internal client made up of all workers in the different areas of the company and an external client, commonly called service users. Like every client, he has rights and duties; they are governed by the law of provision of services that must be public knowledge.

The Entrepreneur's Guide defines the client as “the most important person in our business. It does not depend on us, we depend on it. The customer is buying a product or service. It is the purpose of our work, not an interruption to it. ” ⁵² According to this definition, the customer is the most important part of our business and not someone outside it, is an individual who brings his needs, desires and satisfy our mission.

A client must be worthy of the most cordial and attentive treatment that we can offer him; We must please and satisfy their needs without arguing or confronting. A customer, in reality, is the source of life of a business and of any other.

For Arellano "the customer is that person who buys or gets a product."In other words, when a person purchases a product or service and pays for it, he becomes a customer of a company or organization. Being a customer, as we stated above, demands rights and duties with the service provider. Today, not only can you buy tangibles, you can buy intangibles with great value and utility for the customer and profitability for companies. As we pointed out, the client is the person who purchases products or services from organizations who must satisfy all their needs. The interrelation between client and company suggests an essential activity that occurs constantly and is defined as customer service.

For Brow, customer service is "matching two groups of people: employees and customers so that the company gets a positive advantage and must be rooted in the culture and creed of the company." ⁵⁴

It is not possible to add customer support in a business as something secondary or that has been thought afterwards. Employees of an organization must be convinced of what it is and understand how to achieve it.

For any company and the type of services it offers, customer service is vital and fundamental, an organization that does not have a customer service team (whether by phone, direct or via the Internet) will be relegated and its end will be immediate.

Customer service is identified as "a source of answers to the needs of the market and the company, they must contemplate a more dynamic strategy now when the context demands it."

Companies must implement customer service centers, reinforce them according to market needs and user requirements; therefore, companies must undertake challenges to raise their level of national and international competitiveness. A customer service center should not be considered as an operating unit; it should be part of the possibilities of communication that a company has with its clients.

Peralta points out that customer service is that activity that relates the company to the customer so that the customer is satisfied with said activity. He adds that customer service is a range of activities that together create a relationship. It also mentions that customer service involves task-oriented activities, other than proactive selling, that include in-person interactions with customers via telecommunications or mail. This role must be designed, performed, and communicated with two goals in mind: customer satisfaction and operational efficiency. ”

Relating the three proposed definitions, we will indicate that customer service is a sequence of activities that relates the company to the customer, creating a relationship. This interrelation can take place from person to person or by electronic means, with customer satisfaction and efficiency as a premise.

1.4.3 The service

So far, the terms communication and customer service have been defined. In relation to the second definition, it must be remembered that organizations satisfy customer needs through products or services. It is important to mention some deaths of what a service means.

The word service has a varied range of nuances, but at the bottom of all of them there is the idea of ​​"dedication and consideration for others".Also, it is defined as the “action and effect of serving. Organization and personnel destined to satisfy the needs of the public or some official or private entity ”.

A public service, such as the one provided by Sedapal, is defined as an entity dedicated to covering collective needs or general interest on a regular and continuous basis, in accordance with a special legal regime, either carried out by the State, directly or indirectly, or by private persons.

A service is also “the set of benefits that the customer expects, in addition to the basic product or service”. The service is an added value for the client, and in this field the client is increasingly demanding.

A service in turn has the characteristic of being intangible, it is manufactured and consumed at the same time, it is perishable, it cannot be stored; It is not noticeable to the senses before buying.

That is, when we buy or acquire a product, in addition, a service is being purchased from the sample of the product, attention to the sale and delivery of the same and even during the use of the product or service, the company-customer relationship continues.

Brow classifies services into material service and personal service. The material service consists of the actual product or service being sold. It is based on the product itself, adopting aspects such as raw material, property, telephone system, pricing, volumes produced, methods and work habits, levels of information and support resources.

Instead, personal service is the way in which material service is provided, including integration between employees and customers of a company. It refers to the quality of care with which we interact with the clients of a company. For example: ways to offer a product, customer service system, claims service system and others.

Brow adds that if personal service is poorly developed, time and money are wasted in creating material service. Definitely, a bad customer service strategy will cause thousands of losses, even if the product or service is of good quality. For example, the water manufactured at the Atarjea Plant is of good quality (99.9% purity), on the other hand, customer service is still in the formation stage, despite the fact that it is one of the company's premises to satisfy All the needs of the customers and offers good customer service, but it is not happening.

For Salinas, service is "any act that one person offers to another, intangible and that its production may be linked to that of a physical good."The service has the characteristic of not being perceived by the senses, it cannot be touched or touched, it links the client with the company and that the attitude or disposition of each one will affect the way the interaction develops; likewise, its provision is immediate.

Santesmases proposes that a service consists of "the application of human efforts or mechanisms to people, animals or objects".A service can be fully mechanized, partially mechanized or be without the assistance of any machine and basically consists of the application of human knowledge and personal ability. Depending on the degree of participation of the user in the provision of the service, a distinction can be made between two situations:

Services consisting of an instrumental task or activity developed for a consumer or user with little intervention on the part of the latter.

Services that require greater customer participation or use by the customer of a product or facilities of the person or organization that offers the service.

Sedapal seeks the massive participation of the users of the company, not only for claims or

requirements but seeks the use of water resources (irrigation techniques, saving water, etc.) or the conservation of the environment, for example.

Carlos López states the following: “In a company, four types of customer services can be identified (determined by the philosophy, attitudes and behaviors of each of the firm's employees, from the vigilante to the president): service ineffective and unpleasant, in which they combine low technical competence and poor customer service. The ineffective and pleasant service, in which companies with low technical skills treat the customer like a king and with this they hope to fill the gap of their technical incompetence.

The effective and unpleasant service is highly effective, they know how to carry out their processes, they are efficient, but because they reach high technical quality standards, they do not focus on the client, and therefore they are not leaders. The effective and pleasant service, are those that have found the perfect balance between their technical skills and their customer service strategies, they are organizations that focus on the customer because they know that it is who they depend on, they are aware of the competition and their perspectives. they point to leadership.

In accordance with the statements made by López and focusing on the reality of Sedapal, customer service is on two levels: low technical competence and good customer service.

Definitely, a large part of the claims trays are due to deficiencies in the water and sewage networks, the obsolete measurement system and a poor cadastre. Despite these contingencies, the company tries to provide good customer service, but technical deficiencies detract from that service. By not meeting the demand, a negative image is created, even though they know how to do their job but the focus is not directed to the customer (unpleasant effective service)

So far, only isolated definitions of communication, service, and customer service have been made. The study addresses the issue of new customer service in Sedapal from the point of view of communication. Being this the premise, we can establish that in the Sedapal company, specifically in the new customer service, call

Aquafono, Infomóvil, Telemarketing, Aquanet and Virtual Commercial Office (Aquafono - Infomóvil functional group) empirically establish a “communication with the customer”; which, in reality, is the flow of information to the client. If we adopt the definition of communication mentioned by Kreps (“human communication is a dynamic and continuous process, it is linked to the context and is irreversible, it is a process of negotiation) and integrating the definitions exposed in service (“ the set of benefits that the customer expects, in addition to the basic product or service ”) and customer service (customer service is a sequence of activities that relates the company to the customer, creating a relationship) we are able to design a global diagram of the process of communication in customer service.Communication Process in the Customer Service Framework

Interpreting the diagram, a customer when purchasing a product or service establishes a customer service relationship. For this relationship to take place in a concrete and clear way, there must be a communication; that is, that the employee (in the case of Sedapal, the Service Manager) and the client have the ability to receive and give information, establish relationships, mutual satisfaction, analysis of messages and continuous feedback (it is not enough for the client to report an operational incidence, often the field staff does not respond to problems) The primary activity is to provide quality care and effectiveness and, consequently, the Manager, through an electronic means, grant a response to the complaint. Likewise,would be able to return the call and verify the conformity of the work (through an automatic call system)

In both cases, the reactions of our messages or our actions must be monitored. If this is accomplished, effective and productive communication will occur; as well as a new approach to customer service.

As long as the new customer service services are process-oriented and goal-oriented, end-user satisfaction with the service will not be complete and the level of misinformation and communication will be critical. Therefore, this new proposal converts the information system that is being established into the new customer service services in Sedapal, making a change towards effective communication where the sender and receiver (company - client) obtain complete satisfaction of their needs and requirements.

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