While customer support is definitely the new marketing, bragging approximately your customer service before you’ve made an effort to enhance it isn’t. Some visionary corporations apprehend this, though many don’t. Here’s one that clearly does understand: A famed retail agency, one that is often praised for its high customer service requirements, virtually asked me to hold off in writing an editorial about their new client-centered initiative, because, as they advised me, “We don’t think we’re where we need to be. Can we revisit this in six months? Let us maintain improving for now, and we’ll do our bragging later.
This response floored me in its humility and its rarity. The world of enterprise is one where such many venture statements and taglines factor in “providing an outstanding patron experience” or phrases to that effect. This is a lofty sentiment, and lofty sentiments can be valuable when used internally to aim for the purpose. But lofty aspirations only muddy the waters after being used broadly speaking as advertising copy, without the goods to again it up.
Please don’t get me incorrect. You’ll by no means obtain top-notch customer service until you make the selection to offer superb customer service. Making that selection forcefully, and proclaiming it loudly for the duration of the innards of your organization, is critical if you want your selection and your dedication to taking that choice seriously to spread via the ranks.
Yet, making after which proclaiming your purpose of superior customer service isn’t sufficient. It would help if you had to again up that choice with a couple of steps it takes to get there; none of that is a short restore. Still, all of that has terrific electricity and works collectively in a reciprocal manner to create and preserve an advanced customer service company.
Here are 5 of the essential steps to take.
1. Begin choosing new personnel based totally on standards that assist amazing customer service [My Forbes article on scientific, trait-based employee hiring/selection can be found here.]
2. Start onboarding employees in a manner that makes clear to new employees the cost you vicinity on advanced customer service, even earlier than you get to the nitty-gritty details of what it takes to achieve such service. (One way to reveal how significantly you are taking that is to have the best viable chief within the organization. Ideally, the CEO, kick off your onboarding session. More approximately this here.)
3. Invest in customer support education, the right sort of schooling, the education which can really get you close to in which you need to be (and that, with repeat reinforcement, can take you all of the ways). [More on the right vs. The wrong kind of customer service training here.]
4. Empower those employees–these nicely-selected, properly onboarded, properly educated personnel–to creatively and right now take action in want of your customers, whether or not a manager is round to approve their seasoned-customer movements. [More here on employee empowerment and how it works together with brand standards to create excellence.]
5. Begin a program of talent management to assist and get the maximum of, and do the most for, your employees. The cliché, “people are our most vital asset,” is a hundred% proper. [Here’s my Forbes article on talent management and the customer experience.]
Get your company cracking on all of this, beginning these days, and soon you’ll have masses to brag about.
Micah Solomon is a writer, consultant, keynote speaker, and teacher. Customer service, customer enjoy, organization culture, hospitality (email, internet, on the spot messaging).
