Top 7 Tips to Create a Customer Service Culture of Professionalism and Excellence
Top 7 Tips to Create a Customer Service Culture of Professionalism and Excellence
Common sense suggests that if I want to keep my job that is based upon a continual stream of customers then it would be extremely beneficial to deliver professional customer service. Unfortunately, customer service still appears to be a significant issue and millions, if not billions, of dollars are being lost on a daily basis because organizations and employees still don’t get it. These 7 tips may help you to stem the tide and create a customer service culture where professionalism and excellence are a habit and not the exception.
1. Define Your Core Values
The Ritz Carlton had a simple core values statement that was shared by everyone: "Ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen." Whatever your core values are, they must begin at the top and cascade down throughout the entire organization. Everyone from the Chief Executive Officer to the delivery person must demonstrate these values 24/7.
2. Review and Reassess Internal Policies and Procedures
Many organizations set their people up to fail because the policies and procedures are not customer friendly. For example, I recently returned a phone call to a manager of a national chain who left me his extension. I listened to the automated message and waited to hear the usual statement: If you know your party's 3 or 4 digit extension, please dial that at any time followed by the # sign. When the message wasn't heard, I hit the zero key and was told that it was not an appropriate key. I hung up and re-dialed. Then when prompted for "General Services," I hit the appropriate key and learned I was speaking to someone on the front desk. This automated procedure was not creating a customer service culture of professionalism.
3. Talk to Your External Customers
Many companies have now developed the habit of surveying customers using the Internet. Yet, communicating through technology doesn't allow for the organization to truly hear what is not being said. Remember: What is seen is always heard before what is said. Take the time to conduct face to face interviews or at least telephone interviews. A good communicator can sense the tone and the nuances within the speech patterns of the person being interviewed.
4. Develop your Employees
Training is essential to performing any job. Most people are trained to answer the phone, but answering the phone consistently is really about development. When I called this hotel manager, 3 different individuals all of whom provided me with a different script greeted me. Knowing that consistency was a significant part of this hotel's training, I knew that only one of them had delivered the "trained" response. In speaking with the manager, he confirmed that all 3 were long time employees and should have spoken the same message. So the issue is not training or learning (the acquisition of knowledge), because the employees know what they needed to say, but rather development or performance (the application of knowledge).
5. Align performance to quality criteria such as Baldrige
Just as the favorite cake from Aunt Emma or that delectable soup from your favorite restaurant, you know that every time you take a bit, you will receive exactly the same sense of utter enjoyment. Why? Because Aunt Emma or Chef Tony used the same proportions of quality food each and every time. To deviate from that recipe would spell disaster and create enormous disappointment for their favorite people.
The Baldrige criteria are one of the best predictors of organizational success. Employing such a criteria will help to create a customer service culture of professionalism.
6. Use Internal Customers Feedback
Checking with employees while they are employed and when they leave is a simple way to gauge what is happening within the company. Loyal internal customers or employees are what drive loyal external customers. Performance appraisals and exit interviews can be tremendous tools to elevate customer service.
7. Ask yourself "Would I Buy from My Company or Me?"
Finally, ask yourself this simple question: Would I Buy from My Company or Me? Do you find yourself going to other places to shop or eat? Why are you taking such action? Is it because of company policy, prices are too high, lines are too long? If you wouldn't buy from your company, then why should anyone else?
If you use these 7 basic tips, your company can create a customer service culture where professionalism is consistently high and loyal customers are the norm and not the exception.
Top 7 Tips to Create a Customer Service Culture of Professionalism and Excellence - To learn more about this author, visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website.
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One would think with all the resources provided by today's technology that customer service would not be an issue in 2006. At any given moment, there is survey after survey showing what customers want and the impact when customers fail to receive what they want. With outsourcing being rampant, every organization should have a customer service culture of professionalism and excellence.
Common sense suggests that if I want to keep my job that is based upon a continual stream of customers then it would be extremely beneficial to deliver professional customer service. Unfortunately, customer service still appears to be a significant issue and millions, if not billions, of dollars are being lost on a daily basis because organizations and employees still don’t get it. These 7 tips may help you to stem the tide and create a customer service culture where professionalism and excellence are a habit and not the exception.
1. Define Your Core Values
The Ritz Carlton had a simple core values statement that was shared by everyone: "Ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen." Whatever your core values are, they must begin at the top and cascade down throughout the entire organization. Everyone from the Chief Executive Officer to the delivery person must demonstrate these values 24/7.
2. Review and Reassess Internal Policies and Procedures
Many organizations set their people up to fail because the policies and procedures are not customer friendly. For example, I recently returned a phone call to a manager of a national chain who left me his extension. I listened to the automated message and waited to hear the usual statement: If you know your party's 3 or 4 digit extension, please dial that at any time followed by the # sign. When the message wasn't heard, I hit the zero key and was told that it was not an appropriate key. I hung up and re-dialed. Then when prompted for "General Services," I hit the appropriate key and learned I was speaking to someone on the front desk. This automated procedure was not creating a customer service culture of professionalism.
3. Talk to Your External Customers
Many companies have now developed the habit of surveying customers using the Internet. Yet, communicating through technology doesn't allow for the organization to truly hear what is not being said. Remember: What is seen is always heard before what is said. Take the time to conduct face to face interviews or at least telephone interviews. A good communicator can sense the tone and the nuances within the speech patterns of the person being interviewed.
4. Develop your Employees
Training is essential to performing any job. Most people are trained to answer the phone, but answering the phone consistently is really about development. When I called this hotel manager, 3 different individuals all of whom provided me with a different script greeted me. Knowing that consistency was a significant part of this hotel's training, I knew that only one of them had delivered the "trained" response. In speaking with the manager, he confirmed that all 3 were long time employees and should have spoken the same message. So the issue is not training or learning (the acquisition of knowledge), because the employees know what they needed to say, but rather development or performance (the application of knowledge).
5. Align performance to quality criteria such as Baldrige
Just as the favorite cake from Aunt Emma or that delectable soup from your favorite restaurant, you know that every time you take a bit, you will receive exactly the same sense of utter enjoyment. Why? Because Aunt Emma or Chef Tony used the same proportions of quality food each and every time. To deviate from that recipe would spell disaster and create enormous disappointment for their favorite people.
The Baldrige criteria are one of the best predictors of organizational success. Employing such a criteria will help to create a customer service culture of professionalism.
6. Use Internal Customers Feedback
Checking with employees while they are employed and when they leave is a simple way to gauge what is happening within the company. Loyal internal customers or employees are what drive loyal external customers. Performance appraisals and exit interviews can be tremendous tools to elevate customer service.
7. Ask yourself "Would I Buy from My Company or Me?"
Finally, ask yourself this simple question: Would I Buy from My Company or Me? Do you find yourself going to other places to shop or eat? Why are you taking such action? Is it because of company policy, prices are too high, lines are too long? If you wouldn't buy from your company, then why should anyone else?
If you use these 7 basic tips, your company can create a customer service culture where professionalism is consistently high and loyal customers are the norm and not the exception.
Top 7 Tips to Create a Customer Service Culture of Professionalism and Excellence - To learn more about this author, visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website.
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Excellent content. Very well written.
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Dianne CramptonDianne Crampton is an executive leadership coach, team culture consultant, author and president of TIGERS Success Series, Inc. Dianne has been helping CEO's and Executives connect their employees to their core values and goals for over 20 years using the trademarked TIGERS team culture process, which stands for trust, interdependence, genuineness, empathy, risk and success. To download a free white paper on behaviors that build strong teams and behaviors that will predictably tear them down go here. Dianne's contribution to the 2010 Pfeiffer Consulting Journal (an imprint of John Wiley and Sons Publishers) entitled TIGERS Hearted Teams is available in November 2009. Her new book TIGERS Among Us: 5 Winning Business Team Cultures And Why, Three Creeks Publishing will release in March 2010. To receive publishing discounts, subscribe to the free TigerTracks Newsletter here. - Visit Dianne Crampton's Website |
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Linda RichardsonLinda Richardson is the Founder and Executive Chairwoman of Richardson, a global sales training and performance improvement company. As a recognized leader in the industry, she has won the coveted Stevie Award for Lifetime Achievement in Sales Excellence and she was identified by Training Industry, Inc. as one of the “Top 20 Most Influential Training Professionals.” Ms. Richardson is credited with the movement to Consultative Selling and is the author of ten books on selling and sales management, including Sales Coaching — Making the Great Leap from Sales Manager to Sales Coach, and Stop Telling, Start Selling. She teaches sales and management at the Wharton Graduate School of the University of Pennsylvania and the Wharton Executive Development Center. Linda is a frequent speaker at industry and client conferences, has been published extensively in industry and training journals, and has been featured in numerous publications, including The Wall Street Journal, Forbes, Nation’s Business, Selling Power, Success, and The Conference Board Magazine. Learn more about Richardson's sales training and performance improvement solutions at http://www.richardson.com web - Visit Linda Richardson's Website |
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Leanne Hoagland-SmithAre your sales where you want them to be? Will you be one of the few who achieves sales or business success or one of the many who have failed to change? Are you tired of being told you are like everyone else? Then you may find my first book on sales of interest. Be the Red Jacket in the Sea of Gray Suits, The Keys to Unlocking Sales available at Amazon or at http://www.processspecialist.com/red-jacket.htm. This book is a reflection of my no-nonsense approach to improving sales to overall business results. If you are truly committed to making sustainable changes, then I can help you secure a positive return on your investment because I focus on executable solutions not telling you the problems you already know you have. From training to corporate (group) coaching to executive one on one coaching, my approach is to assess, create awareness, build a goal driven action plan and then execute. The bottom line question is "Not do you or your employees know it, but do you or they want to do it?" Please call for a free strategy session at 219.759.5601. - Visit Leanne Hoagland-Smith's Website |
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David AchesonDavid Acheson is the founder of DCJA Consultancy. DCJA Consultancy is a management consultancy business specialising in B2B sales consultancy. They offer bespoke and packaged sales consultancy including Sales Optimisation Review, Interim Sales Management, Sales & Marketing Review, 1:1 Sales & Management Staff Analysis, Management Training, Solution Sales Training, Creation of New Pay Plan, KPI's, run Customer Feedback Campaigns, assist with Recruitment, Coaching, Appraisals and set up Strategic Marketing Campaigns. David spent his early career in accountancy and then moved into sales in 1982, working in Office Equipment, IT, Advertising, Training, Outsourcing and Consultancy. He has held many Senior Positions in SMBs and Global Organisations including Head of Sales Operations & Head of Business Development. His knowledge, skills and great experience of the Sales Industry has led to David making keynote speeches and running educational sessions to key businesses through organisations including The Chamber of Commerce and Business Link. - Visit David Acheson's Website |
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George LudwigGeorge Ludwig is a recognized authority on sales strategy and peak performance psychology. An international speaker, trainer, and corporate consultant, he helps clients like Johnson & Johnson, Abbott Laboratories, Northwestern Mutual, CIGNA, and numerous others improve sales force effectiveness and performance. Though it's George's strategies and processes that help corporations increase productivity and performance, it's his tremendous energy and dynamism that spark the transformation. Again and again, clients remark on his amazing ability to unleash human capacity and inspire men and women to break out of their comfort zones. The result is a whole new type of salesperson. His customized presentations teach achievers to make stunning advances in their lives. From helping salespeople realize cherished dreams to helping corporations exponentially accelerate revenue streams, George Ludwig leaves audiences and individuals empowered, emboldened, and clamoring for more. George is the best-selling author of Power Selling: Seven Strategies for Cracking the Sales Code and Wise Moves: 60 Quick Tips to Improve Your Position in Life & Business. - Visit George Ludwig's Website |
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