Customer Service Excellence is what it takes to bring
Customers back to our Company and it is excellent Customer Service that will
make them want to buy more of our products or services. Implementing Service Excellence
involves the whole organisation, from Managers to front-line Teams. This
article teases out some of the key areas of focus in implementing top of the class
Customer Service for our Customers.
Customer Service Excellence is not just about our Customer
Service people or our Sales staff, though these front line employees are
critical. It involves creating a culture and a leadership structure that will empower,
nurture and motivate all our people to deliver that want to stay' Customer
Experience.
Customers are the judges of any organisation, and they vote
with their money, or their feet. They judge the Company based on their
cumulative experiences of the product, the service and the people. For example,
they may evaluate the quality of the product, or its value for money. But they
will also notice the car park and the ease of access, or the cleanliness of
your display area. They will certainly notice the responsiveness of your staff,
their courtesy and helpfulness. They will even judge your Company on the way
your staff talk to each other, and relate to your Manager. It all counts!
Leadership Leads the Way
Everyone in an organisation takes their lead from the top.
The Leadership are role models; they model the attitudes, values and behaviours
that their staff will adopt. If the Leadership walks the talk, praises and
recognises going the extra mile' for the Customer, the Customer Service Teams
will feel more positive and confident in doing the same. If the Leadership
demonstrate irritation or annoyance about Customers, or worse still, treats
them as irrelevant to the Company, this will be reflected in the front line
Teams.
What Management measure is also vital. What gets measured
gets done also still stands, and Leadership needs to be measuring the right
things. Think of the shop attendant who does not make eye contact, finishes
stacking shelves before serving, or puts the money down on the counter instead
of in to your hand. The Manager of that shop attendant is almost certainly
measuring efficiency and might say he or she was being more efficient, handling
more Customers in a much quicker way.
The Manager ought to be recognising that this attendant is
efficiently and effectively sending Customers to the opposition!
Effective Leadership Processes and Measures
An effective Leadership will have processes to discuss,
monitor and measure Best Practice with Customers. They will have project Teams
seeking to find that extra 10%, that extra positive experience for their
Customers. They will use tools, like mapping the Customer's Journey through the
Company, to generate ideas at each contact point always seeking the
opportunity to make life easier or more pleasant for the Customer. Quality and
process improvement is top of their agenda, and they give quick recognition to
employees who demonstrate valuable improvements.
Customer Service Training Small Investment with Big
Pay-off
Companies often assume that investment in Customer Service
Skills Training is a waste of money! It is unfortunate that these Companies do
not ask their former Customers for their view! Everyone can give examples of
bad' Customer experiences that would amaze the Company Leadership. Effective
delivery of Customer Service Excellence will keep Customers, and generate profits
and Training plays a key part in achieving this.
Customer Service Excellence is about processes, knowledge
and behaviours. Good Customer Service Training should address each of these 3
elements, whether this is internal or external training.
Above all, training adjusts the priorities and aligns the focus
of all personnel, whether Customer Service, Sales, Administration or Managers. It
helps all to have a pinpoint clear focus on what they want to achieve with each
Customer. They align to their shared purpose of keeping Customers coming back,
and they learn the importance of their role in ensuring Company success.
Focus drives attitude and behaviours throughout the
Organisation. Managers will be much more aware of desired attitudes and
behaviours, and therefore will be much more likely to praise them. The Customer
Care Teams will heighten their awareness to core skills and techniques with
their Customers, as well as positive actions that will deliver Customer Service
Excellence. Interest, support and encouragement from management will motivate
them to want to perform well with their Customers. Everyone in the organisation
will be singing off the same page.
Continuous Improvement and Best Practice
Customer Service Excellence is about managing, meeting and
exceeding expectations. Customer Expectations are constantly changing, the bar
is forever being raised. This means that Teams at all levels in the Company
must respond to this by continuously seeking to identify opportunities to exceed'.
Teamwork sessions held quarterly to brainstorm and generate
improvement ideas are essential to achieving excellence. The Customer Care
Teams themselves should be encouraged and empowered to continuously seek out
Best Practice, to review and improve.
Achieving Customer Service Excellence is a continuous
process that should be energetically pursued by all in the Organisation.
Disclaimer: All information on this site is provided for informational purposes only! By no means is any
information presented herein intended to substitute for the advice provided to you by any health care or other professional
or organization.
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