Are You Really That Good?
BusinessWeek came out with their listing of Customer Service Champs this month. Here are some quick thoughts to ponder as they relate to being an intentional leader rather than assuming your people deliver great service:
Do not feel bad that you are not on the BusinessWeek list. You may actually be better than their winners. They just are larger and/or have a better PR firm.
How do you REALLY know your people are doing a great job servicing clients? ACE Hardware doubled its mystery shopper program last year as competitor True Value worked harder at its customer feedback program. You need to know. In 1980 Robert Redford starred in a movie titled, Brubaker. It is based on a true story. The guy was taking over as the warden of a troubled prison. To fully comprehend what he was getting into, Brubaker first entered the prison as a new inmate with only one person on the inside knowing that he would enter that way, but not when. As a result, Brubaker knew what to do from the beginning and transformed the prison before political problems removed him. You have to know first-hand. Find a way to test your people and learn your company's reputation without people knowing who you are.
Great customer service companies invest heavily in training their people. Wegmens, a supermarket chain increased their training budget 13% last year during the recession. USAA trains call center reps up to six months before they are allowed to answer a phone on their own. How do you find the time or the budget to train? You decide it is more important than the customers you are losing, then you make the time and find the money.
To be an intentional leader you must be committed to deliver superior customer service. You do not have to make a BusinessWeek or other list. You just have to be a winner on your clients' list. Do not assume your people are doing a great job. Find out first-hand. Lastly, invest time and money in your people, then watch sales soar!
Meeting Ideas
ARE YOU REALLY THAT GOOD is encouragement to stop assuming your company gives great service and really, intentionally finding out just how great your people are with clients.
Here are some ideas for discussion during your next staff meeting, or just to do yourself, to consider how to become a champion in customer service so your company can grow faster:
What are the three most important aspects of customer service we should test?
Can we call into our support people and pose common problems to see how well they respond? If so, when should it be done, who is doing it, what questions will be asked and shall we mix it up between calm, upset and illogical customers?
What other areas of our business should we test? Sales? Accounts Receivable? Accounts Payable? Shipping or Receiving? Marketing? Reception? HR? ...?
How can we test vendors who represent us? How often should we test them?
Based on what we learn how will we train, reinforce and hold people accountable to our standard of quality customer satisfaction?
