The Little Secret to Great Customer Service

An office trinket bears the following slogan: “Rule #1: The customer is always right. Rule #2: When in doubt, see Rule #1.”

This sounds wonderful when you’re the customer. But how does it feel to be the employee in this kind of situation? We all know of, and perhaps have sometimes been involved in situations where a customer is so irate that all logic and courtesy disappears. The front-line employee is usually expected to diffuse the situation and salvage the customer’s relationship with the organization. More often than not, this is much easier said than done.

A family member recently joined a very well known organization that is highly regarded for delivering exceptional customer service and is recognized as a 100 best company. He previously worked for many years in a series of increasingly responsible positions for another service-oriented business. However, his new company is so invested in its employees that it only promotes from within – it’s impossible to walk in the door as an operational leader. One must start at the bottom and work up, irrespective of degrees or experience.

Employees are key to delivering great customer service
 

Curious to know how it felt for him to be on the front line of customer service once again, I asked about his new company’s “customer first” philosophy, specifically interested in how it is reinforced for new hires. Was there a training program? Do they evaluate employees on the quality of customer service? 

“It’s actually simple,” he stated. “When I was a leader in my previous company, it was my job to make sure that my employees felt good about being at work. That was my most important task, without question. The same is true in my new job. The environment is great. Managers work alongside employees. They ask us about ourselves, our families, our lives and they have a real interest in the answers. When you know you’re cared about on the job, you feel good about yourself. And when you feel good about yourself, you want to spread that to others with whom you come in contact.”

The power of the message lies in its simplicity. This very large company, a household name in many parts of the country, doesn’t invest in expensive, canned customer service training for its employees. It doesn’t herd them into classrooms to feed them a formula for managing customer interactions. Instead, it focuses every leader’s attention on the employees, to make them feel valued, positive and cared for. The result is a genuine atmosphere of caring and service and the customers feel it in every interaction.

Want to improve your team’s customer service levels? Try shifting your focus back to your employees. As the leader, make it your job to consistently create an environment of caring, where every employee feels good about him or herself. You’ll soon notice the difference in customer service as your employees spread the positive spirit that they enjoy.

Image courtesy of basketman/Free Digital Photos: http://www.freedigitalphotos.net/images/Other_Business_Conce_g200-Man_Selecting_Evaluation_Form_p71598.html

The One Question Employee Engagement Test

Employee engagement is a hot topic in today's leadership circles. There is good reason, given that a recent study by the Gallup Organization indicates that just 30% of employees are engaged and inspired at work.


Language is a powerful indicator of employee engagement

Engagement differs from satisfaction; an engaged employee is more than simply satisfied. He or she feels a special connection to the organization. An engaged employee exhibits a high degree of "discretionary effort," meaning that he or she is willing to give more than is required.

There are many tools to measure employee engagement. Multiple-question surveys assess various dimensions of the employment experience. But I assert that one simple, subtle test will quickly separate the engaged from the disengaged. The test can be performed by anywhere, anytime and results are delivered instantaneously.  Administering the test is subtle, quiet and simple. It requires nothing more than your ears. Intrigued? 

Here's The One Question Employee Engagement Test: 

What words do you hear an individual use to describe his or her organization?

Listen closely to dialogue. Stay carefully attuned to the way in which an individual describes his or her employer. Do you hear "we, us, our team, my company" or "they, them, the company?" These are subtleties indeed, but language is powerful. Employees who truly feel a part of an organization and are highly engaged demonstrate it through the words they choose. What about those who usually refer to the company or their team by its formal name, such as "Acme Company" or "Operations?" I argue that these individuals may be partially engaged or at best, neutral in terms of commitment to their organizations.

The One Question Employee Engagement Test isn't a substitute for an annual engagement survey. It's important to look at various aspects of the employment experience to gain a deep and valid understanding of engagement at the organizational and work group level. That is best accomplished through a series of questions and a carefully structured analysis of employee responses. The One Question Employee Engagement Test can, however, serve as an early warning sign of eroding engagement at the individual level.

Try deploying the one-question engagement test on your team, your friends, or  your family members. Use it repeatedly over time to determine if it has merit. I'm guessing you'll discover that it does.

Formal employee engagement assessments have great value to measure engagement on a broad scale. However, every leader has an opportunity to quickly assess a team member's engagement by listening closely to the employee's language.  Open your ears and apply the One Question Employee Engagement Test. You may be surprised by what you hear.