Big businesses are advised that introducing flexible working hours will not damage their levels of customer service.Research by the Executive Offices Group (EOG) revealed that 87 per cent of organisations claimed that the biggest benefit of introducing flexible working was an improvement in employee productivity and customer service provision.Many respondents to the EOG's customer service survey said that flexible working practices were a key driver of enhancing customer service and increasing business profit levels.Performance improvement consulting professionals can help firms improve customer service through the application of systems thinking business theory.John Drover, chief executive of EOG, said that the majority of big businesses were unconvinced that flexible working could improve customer service as they were suspicious about employee productivity away from the office.Mr Drover said that employers at large organisations were also worried that remote working would damage customer service levels due to the capacity of technology.An increasing number of small to medium-sized enterprises are taking advantage of the benefits of flexible working including cutting overheads such as office rental and a reduction of time spent commuting."With last week's Budget focusing on entrepreneurship as a key means of stimulating and enabling long-term economic growth, simple measures like flexible working that are already contributing to small business profitability are to be both welcomed and actively encouraged," added Mr Drover.Related research by the British Chambers of Commerce found that over half of employers are worried that the extension of paternity leave rights will adversely affect their business' productivity.Businesses should not be afraid about the introduction of more family-friendly work policies as these practices can actually improve employee morale and productivity levels.Organisations which are family-friendly can also attract a wider range of employees as inflexible businesses often miss out on hiring highly-skilled parents because they are unable to allow them occasional time off.Parents with younger children are also likely to be less stressed at work if their employers provide flexible working practices as they will be able to react to potential problems without causing friction with their bosses. Further benefits of flexible working include greater employee engagement as workers are often appreciative of the opportunity to achieve a better work/life balance and show greater loyalty and commitment as a result.Employees are much less likely to be absent from work if flexible working is provided and this will cut business costs through lower recruitment, induction and training expenditure.