Trade union of the future: how to produce the best service?
Target programme is a tool with which the Union Congress decides upon the direction of the union for the next four years. Image: Gettyimages
The series ’Trade union of the future’ deals with questions related to the future of the service sector and PAM in particular. The questions serve as a basis for PAM’s upcoming target programme. The first part of the series discusses the role of human beings in the future of services.
With technological advancements, service work changes and becomes more multi-channelled but it will not disappear. On the contrary, soft skills and ability to interpret and understand different situations will be more important than ever.
By using new technologies, companies have the possibility to stand out with good personal service. When all companies have access to the same technology, a company’s competitive edge could be to offer the best possible service. This is something that service sector professionals can do very well.
”In recent years, companies have tried to stand out and ensure their competitiveness by digitalizing their services. This is short-sighted and already happened with company websites: very soon all companies had them and they became obvious. In the near future, companies can be successful by offering personal service that is friendly, flexible and professional ”, PAM’s Executive Director Jyrki Konola says.
In many companies, services and products are too often developed by people who don’t have the service professionals’ experience, know-how and connection to customers. Service professionals’ expertise should be better recognised and more appreciated, and also used more in companies’ product and service development and decision-making.
Companies could improve their profitability by letting employees participate in the operational development and decision-making – and implementation of decisions – of their work and workplace. Also, when employees can develop their own work it becomes more versatile and more meaningful to them.
”Companies should hold on to their services professionals. This means offering training and increasing meaningfulness of their work by involving them in work planning and decision-making, not to mention competitive working conditions including salaries”, Konola says.
At the same time when technology and digital platforms change the ways we work and contract work, employees have to demonstrate strong service skills required by the new needs: not only digital skills but also connection skills, also in new channels. In the future, employees may even serve customers with the help of robots.
Source: Discussion paper on PAM’s upcoming target programme 1/2019.
What do you think?
Join us in discussing the future of the union! The discussion paper on PAM’s upcoming target programme will be debated in the candidate nomination meetings of the branches between 17 January and 19 February 2019.
The discussion paper is the first draft of the target programme, and you can have your say too. Check the events calendar of your branch and participate in its candidate nomination meeting. Your views, experiences and ideas are important to us!
PAM’s future target programme will be adopted in next summer’s Union Congress on 4–6 June 2019.
