Think back. When is the last time that you received
excellent customer service? Not the expected service or decent service, but
that above-and-beyond service that makes an organization or business really
stand out in your mind.
Now,
who performed this feat of excellence? I’m willing to bet that it was the front
line staff of the organization – the cashier, switchboard operator, waiter,
hostess, order-taker or receptionist. Most of a company’s impressions are made
by the individuals that many times are in entry-level positions with limited
experience and training.
When
was the last time you had terrible service? Odds are that the poor service was
delivered by front line, entry-level staff. Why did one person or one
organization succeed when others often fail? The key to having consistently
good, if not excellent service, is in creating an environment that clearly
defines the expectation of service and provides the resources for staff to
deliver.
Creating
an environment of excellence starts at the top. Management must be the models
for all other levels, but it must also specifically define the expectations.
This means writing policy, procedures or guidelines that are specific to each
position.
Once
guidelines are in writing, it is up to management to ensure understanding.
Providing mentoring and evaluations of performance are both excellent tools to
determine if staff members understand the expectations. Do not be afraid to
revise policy regularly in order to make your vision clear.
Now
comes the really hard part. You have to enforce the rules, consistently and
with everyone. This is easier if you take the time to write position-specific
guidelines. This allows for flexibility since you may require some actions by
one position while other positions have different expectations or even
limitations. For instance, a cashier may be instructed never to leave a
specific post, limiting their ability to provide hands-on help to a customer.
It is up to you to provide an alternative if you want this level of service to
be provided by your business.
Allow people the opportunity to
learn about other areas within an organization. This creates a team that
understands, respects and can assist one another. Recognize the good as often
as you correct the bad and make sure that examples of excellence are celebrated
by everyone.
Last
but certainly not least, give staff the flexibility and support needed to go
the extra mile. A perfect example comes from Zappos, an on-line
shopping outlet that has limited personal contact with customers. Consequently,
they try to maximize these opportunities. They have empowered their customer
service representatives with a limited budget to provide the extra as
determined by the REPRESENTATIVE. Sometimes this is done in the form of an upgrade
in customer status, but it is not limited to in-house perks. A Zappos
representative sent a customer flowers on behalf of the company after learning
about a recent illness. That is excellence – all because the company voiced its
expectation and then supported its staff as they strived to deliver more than
just the expect!
This article was written by Denise Calhoun with the City of West Monroe. Denise recently led a customer service workshop for WMWO Chamber members. To learn more about customer service, please call the WMWO Chamber at (318) 325-1961.
