Let me ask you this, Enlightened Managers. What creates excellent customer service? A smile? One person who handles your issue from start to finish? Technical expertise? A professional greeting when you walk in the door?
Or does it come down to being served by someone who simply gives a damn - about you and your issue?
Today I'd like to share a little bit about my customer service philosophy. What are the elements of customer service excellence?
10% - HOW to provide great service. (Classic elements of this include greeting customers promptly with a smile, asking how you can help, practicing active listening, etc.)
25% - Technical Expertise. (For example, I may talk to the nicest technical support employee on earth, but if they don't have the skills to resolve my technical issue, they can't help me.)
65% - WHY to provide great service. (An emotional connection to the company, customer, and service or product. A sense of meaning and purpose that permeates the work.)
What do companies spend most of their time on when it comes to training and development? The first one! While refresher training on the basics of customer communication can be helpful, most of us have been to this kind of training time and time again. Let me ask you this though - why do we need so much refresher training on the basics of customer service. Why doesn't customer service training "stick"?
Adult learners can follow rote orders if they are reminded often enough, but wouldn't it be great to create a culture where those customer service basics are second nature? The way to do this is to set up a development structure (including management support and reinforcement) where the focus is on emotional connection to the customer.
*Why do we do this work?* *What kind of a difference can we make each day?* *What gift do we have to offer the world/our community?* *What kind of experience do we want to offer our customers?*
Questions like these are a gateway to emotional connection. I am always surprised (and a little saddened I admit) when I begin working with a team and they don't see the meaning or higher purpose in their work. I've seen quite a few health care workers view their jobs as nothing more than a list of tasks to be completed when *I* know they're making an incredible difference in the lives of people every day. I've seen manufacturing employees view themselves as "just unskilled workers" when they provide parts that contribute to human safety and security.
When I start a project that includes customer service training, I work with employees starting with the heart outwards. First we discover why their work matters on a deeper level. Each person has a gift to offer the world. Next we nurture the mind - ensuring that they have sufficient knowledge to serve others. Lastly we look at those externals - the customer service smile and correct phone greeting.
After all, if your employees know they make a big difference in the world, and they find meaning and joy in it, do you think you really need to remind them to greet people, smile, and maintain a welcoming environment? With the heart-work done, the externals tend to fall in place easily, and with fewer reminders.
That's my philosophy anyway, inside-out customer service. What is your philosophy? I'd love to hear about it.
And of course if you know of anyone interested in a deeper kind of customer service "training", I'd welcome the introduction.
Cheri, I've been silently following your blog for a while now but want to thank you for this post. This was a very nice "aha" moment for me and you said it so eloquently. My company has declared 2009 the year of "customer experience," which is great, but you've revealed that we'll be much more effective if we help our own employees connect with customers on a deeper level. I think the sentiments are already there, it's just a matter of bringing them to the forefront. Again, thanks for your insights.
Posted by: Jennifer Floyd | December 19, 2008 at 11:08 AM
Jennifer,
Tanks for your comment, and best of luck with your focus on the customer experience.
I think you are right that the sentiments are already there. They usually are, and if you can help people access all that "good stuff" that is ready to come through, I'm sure you'll have both happier employees and customers. :)
Nice to "meet" you!
Cheri
Posted by: Cheri Baker | December 19, 2008 at 11:27 AM