- Employees who smile and are genuinely happy to see you.
- Employees who sincerely want to help you.
- Managers who smile and are genuinely happy to see you.
- Managers who sincerely want to help you or help their employees help you.
- Happy customers.
Category: Customer service
When it comes to getting employees involved with customer satisfaction and retention, it’s not as difficult as some managers believe. Smart employees, including those who don’t have direct customer contact, have a vested interested in customer care. They get the reality that no customers = no business, and no business = no jobs.
Here are four critical keys to effectively engage employees in improving customer care.
Key #1. Solicit customer feedback from your employees. In staff meetings or in anonymous written form, ask employees to share what they hear from customers. You can use fill-in-the-blank type questions such as:
- When asked what they like best about our company, our customers typically tell me …
- When asked for ideas on how we can improve our products/service, customers tell me …
- Recently, I heard about a customer’s (positive or negative) experience with our company. This is what the customer told me …
- When people hear I work for this company, their typical response is …
Employees, especially those on the front line, have their ears to the market and need a safe outlet to communicate what they hear upward in the company. Their qualitative feedback is also valuable in alerting you to any changes in public perceptions about your brand.
Key #2. Solicit employee ideas on how to better serve your customers. I once worked for a bank that received low customer satisfaction scores. Management responded by calling a meeting to share the results and then proceeded to berate the branch managers for the poor scores. And the bank wondered why their quarterly numbers didn’t improve while employee morale also declined! Yes, there were operational issues, but management didn’t want to hear about them. How much better it would have been for everyone if bank management had taken the time to ask branch team members some basic questions:
- What gets in the way of your being able to provide quality service to our customers?
- What can we reasonably do, given our resources, to overcome these obstacles?
- In what ways can we better serve our customers?
Key #3. Seek to strengthen workplace engagement from the inside out. Internal customer service drives external customer service. That’s why it’s important to engage the behind-the-scenes support staff who serve their fellow employees (i.e., “internal customers”). Encourage employees to work together to improve internal service and systems.
Key #4. Recognize your employees’ efforts in improving customer care. Acknowledge and reinforce employee engagement in improving customer satisfaction and retention in whatever way works best in your organization. And don’t forget to celebrate your success. (Not sure what to do here? Ask your employees.)
CAUTION: Employees feel respected when management asks for their input and listens to them. Nothing will shut down communication and trust faster than when employees see managers as just going through the motions to engage them. That’s why I advise you to proceed ONLY if you are serious about responding to your employees’ input and ideas. You’re not expected to implement every single employee idea you receive, but you are expected to explain which are feasible and which are not. Otherwise, you can forget about passing go and forget about collecting $200, as they say in Monopoly. Most definitely, you can forget about employee and customer engagement!
It’s common practice for people to take time this holiday to give thanks for all they have … and for all that they don’t have (such as challenging circumstances in health and well-being). I’m all for expressing sincere gratitude, even if it’s just done once a year. I just wish gratitude was given more frequently – especially when it comes to thanking other people.
A friend of mine shared her recent experience with a Salvation Army volunteer, a man she recognized as the volunteer bell-ringer at the same store the year before. As she put money into the red kettle and received his thanks, she smiled and thanked him for his commitment to helping the Salvation Army. He also recognized her and told her she was one of the few who took the time to make eye contact and speak with him.
Another friend, who’s slightly disabled, described how she always thanks people who help her: “They are lovely in all the stores I go to and always help with opening doors for me or reaching an item on a high shelf or asking how I am if I haven’t been in for awhile. Some of them I know for years. There were a few in the market who weren’t polite, but I kept saying hello and now they are lovely! It goes beyond what they have to do so I am writing thank-you notes for a few of the stores to let them know I appreciate the service and their help.”
Gratitude is a powerful form of acknowledgment.
It’s also more important than ever, according to author and entrepreneur Bill Taylor in a recent HBR blog post:
“At a time of vast and troubling uncertainty, in a world that is being reshaped by technology, small acts of connection take on outsized importance. It’s strange to think that a winning smile from a cashier or a flight attendant, or a nod of recognition from an employee who has seen you three times that week, might matter to the person receiving it — or to the person doing it. But I believe it does matter, both in terms of creating better human experiences and building more valuable organizations.”
Thank you, Bill, for articulating and sharing this vital message. And special thanks to YOU for taking the time to read this post.
Customers. Every business needs them. Every business loves them … or tries to love them. Let’s be honest, from the customer’s perspective, some companies aren’t as customer-focused as they purport to be.
In recognition of all employees who strive to provide positive customer experiences, we honor National Customer Service Week. And I see it applying to ALL employees involved in customer service – those engaged in workplace cultures where customers are truly valued plus those who manage to successfully serve customers despite a culture where customer-focus is just lip service.
This special week-long observance was initiated by the Institute of Customer Service Association (ICSA) nearly 30 years ago to raise awareness of the importance of customer service and acknowledge those who provide it. “United through Service.” is this year’s theme that reflects the special bonding between customers and companies. It provides a wonderful opportunity to engage employees with appreciation, team-building, morale-boosting and fun activities.
And it’s not too late to observe National Customer Service Week:
- Employers – acknowledge everyone in your organization who does a great job taking care of customers.
- Employees – acknowledge co-workers who do a great job taking care of you and fellow employees as internal customers.
- Customers – acknowledge those employees who take do a great job of taking care of you; i.e, in addition to continuing to do business with them, let them know you appreciate their efforts.
Regardless of your status with an organization, you can be creative with your acknowledgment, but you don’t need to be extravagant about it. A simple and sincere “thank you for all you do” is a great way to show your appreciation … this week and all year long.
In a recent presentation I gave on “Marketing Tools of Engagement for Associations,” the topic of CRM (customer relationship management) came up. It’s not unusual for associations to experience problems with CRM systems based on limited resources or access to updated software. Another complication stems from organizational silos where different departments work with different data bases that they protect with a strong sense of proprietary ownership. Whatever the situation with CRM software, understand that it affects member engagement.
So the real issue is whether the association is member-focused or systems-focused. Here’s an example of the latter type. I recently spoke with several business owners and executives who are long-term members of a professional association. They were quite proud of their history of membership involvement and lamented how member recognition has fallen through the cracks. One 25+ year member shared finding a special 15th anniversary certificate in the office files, the last such recognition sent by the association. Another member actually called her association to ask how it missed acknowledging her 30th year anniversary and was sent a certificate in response to her call. With member engagement a hot topic these days, you’d think an association would want to recognize such members as part of its membership retention efforts.
Sadly, I learned the association is unable to effectively recognize long-term members due to its membership data base. It relies on the member’s inception date, and the association’s problem with the system is that a person could have joined 15 years ago, but might technically have only been a member for 12 years because the person dropped out for a few years and then rejoined. As a result, long-term members are not routinely recognized; however, the association will send an anniversary certificate if a member asks.
This organization has decided to forgo the opportunity to acknowledge and reinforce long-term members, because it might recognize some folks who don’t deserve it. It’s clearly a “systems-focused” rather than a “member-focused” association, and any declines in membership are blamed on the economy.
Member retention by inertia is NOT an effective member engagement strategy!
Here are several short- and long-term suggestions for becoming more member-focused:
- “Silent gratitude isn’t much use to anyone.” – G.B. Stern. Don’t make members “request” recognition – this really isn’t recognition at all, just “proof.” It’s also irritating to members if they have to prompt their association to recognize it. If the system is bad, fix the system or find ways to work around it. For example, randomly pick a date and recognize everyone who is a member on that date – even if that person hasn’t consistently been a member for five, ten or 20+ years, it’s likely s/he will appreciate the recognition.
- Take a critical look at your membership retention numbers. Most turnover occurs in the first few years of membership – is this the situation in your association? Can you segment turnover by length of membership to see where any other drop-off occurs?
- Seriously discuss how important members are to your association. In addition to being able to answer what “member value” you provide, also consider the value that members bring you in terms of brand strength and revenue.
- Make member engagement – all activities encompassing the member life cycle from recruitment to retention – a strategic and intentional focus of your association. It should be an ongoing agenda item in your staff meetings, board meetings, and strategic planning sessions.
Customers have lots of choices these days. It’s one of the reasons the “customer experience” has become a critical differentiator – treat customers right if you want to keep them coming back.
Employees also have choices. While the current economy doesn’t offer as many opportunities for employees to switch jobs as customers have to switch companies, employees can choose their level of on-the-job engagement.
How much longer can they continue like this?
While companies may think they have the upper hand over their employees because of high unemployment and economic uncertainty, they’re ignoring the reality that the customer experience begins with the employee experience.
Consider employees who have taken pay-cuts, given back benefits, or haven’t had salary increases for the past several years. Yes, many organizations have had to cut back to stay viable and learn to “work smarter, not harder.” But some employees have reached the point where they’ve gone from “doing more with less” to now being expected to “do everything with nothing.” No wonder employee frustration is considered the “enemy of engagement.”
What’s a company to do?
Talk with employees before they reach the breaking point, not after. Find ways to respectfully (rather than gratuitously) engage them in the process of coming up with ways to keep business going; i.e., let them take some ownership of the situation and possible solution(s). Then recognize and reward their participation.
Remember, customer relations “mirror” employee relations – the way your employees feel is the way your customers will feel. And if your employees don’t feel valued, neither will your customers!
As a business professional specializing in employee-customer care, I know many companies tout the “Ten Foot Rule” of Customer Service – whenever employees come with ten feet of a customer, they’re supposed to stop what they’re doing and give their full attention to that customer.
As a consumer, I also know that many employees have their own version of this rule – they try to steer clear of coming within ten feet of a customer. And if they do get close, they avoid eye contact and turn in the other direction. Sadly, some employees also observe this practice with fellow employees who are their “internal” customers.
Forget the excuses for bad customer service. The bottom line is the ten foot rule and other prescribed practices won’t be effective when simply issued as top-down edicts. Organizations that want their employees to serve customers in this way need to provide the training, tools, and reinforcement (including measurement and reward) that enable and encourage effective customer service.
It’s something to think about. How do employees apply the ten foot rule in your organization: do they step up to serve customers or do they turn tail and hide?
This was the gist of a conversation I had with Julietta, who works in food service at Mohonk Mountain House. Her “attitude of gratitude” went beyond feeling fortunate to be employed – Julietta truly loves her work.
I met Julietta during a recent visit to Mohonk. She was smiling all the while she cleaned up the area where the continental breakfast had been set up. We engaged in conversation, and it was obvious that she enjoyed working at Mohonk. “It’s like being part of a wonderful family,” she told me – a family that includes both co-workers and guests. Here’s an excerpt of our conversation.
Julietta: I love my customers, and sometimes, I listen more to my customers than my boss. I want to make my customers happy.”
Me: “If you’re customers are happy, then your boss will be happy.”
Julietta smiled: “Yes!”
And she’s not the only one who enjoys her work at Mohonk. I also met Emily, a young woman who was one of our hiking guides. She’s worked there for less than a year, but it’s a job she literally grew into. Emily explained that her family had been going to Mohonk for years, and she’d been an active participant in its kid’s club and teen program. From an early age she knew she wanted to work there and was thrilled to get hired in the recreation group. “I feel so fortunate,” she told me. “How many people get to live their dream job?” She spoke enthusiastically about her love for the place and the people.
Since my husband and I began visiting Mohonk several years ago, we met many such members of the Mohonk family, including Rudy (dining staff), Michael, Annie, and Matt (recreation), and others too numerous to mention. This was the first time I met Julieta and Emily, and they reinforced the engagement that’s part of Mohonk’s culture.
How many employees have you encountered lately who truly love their work?
[Note: For more on Mohonk’s guest service culture, see my interview with Jackie Appeldorn, Mohonk’s general manager.]
I’ve been fortunate in my 23 years as a consultant to work with truly wonderful people. Among them is Rosemary (Rosie) Makosky, who recently retired from Lehigh University’s Office of Distance Education (DE).
Lehigh was a pioneer in offering graduate degree programs by live satellite broadcast to corporate employees in the early 1990’s. I served as distance ed‘s marketing consultant back then, and we relied on relationship marketing for company/student recruitment and retention. Several times throughout the year we visited company sites to meet with current students and recruit new ones. These visits also enabled us to acknowledge the efforts of corporate staff who helped coordinate the on-site details of Lehigh’s distance ed programs. As DE Director Peg Portz was fond of saying, “Our programs may be by distance, but not our relationships.”
Rosie was the student administrator who coordinated distance ed’s admissions, handled registration, answered student questions and concerns, etc. She was the behind-the-scenes “go to”person for students … but she wasn’t kept behind-the-scenes. One of my favorite memories working with DE was accompanying Rosie on site visits, especially watching the reaction when she and the students met face-to-face for the first time. “So you’re Rosie!” they’d exclaim. “It’s great to finally meet you in person!” And then Rosie would engage in conversation asking about the student’s classes, family, and work situation. I loved witnessing such powerful connections – these students knew and appreciated how much Rosie cared about them.
I loved watching Rosie work her magic with students. Regardless of when they called, she never treated them as an interruption. She was always responsive, empathetic, and concerned in helping students get what they needed so they could succeed. She shared their triumphs and occasional setbacks. What I call being truly customer-focused is part of Rosie’s DNA. If only we had more Rosies in the workplace …
Thank you, Rosie, for all you shared and taught me when we worked together. Enjoy your retirement, dear friend!
I’ve been reading a lot about customer frustration these days – due to decreasing customer service levels or decreasing customer tolerance. Probably both.
Here are two prime examples:
- A customer is put on hold indefinitely and unable to track down a living, breathing person to actually talk with. (“Your call is important to us” … yeah, right!)
- Based on a unsatisfactory training experience, a customer requests a refund. The training company denies and refutes the request in a series of back-and-forth emails with the customer.
As a marketer, here’s my take on these situations:
- Put on Hold: The customer eventually got through to the company after sending a copy of her blog post. The company explained the “long hold” situation to the customer as a result of increased call volume due to new industry regulation. Stuff happens, but does this excuse the company? One hopes the company learns from this experience so it can be better prepared (via better planning and agility) to respond the next time it has to deal with increased customer calls. That some companies don’t learn this lesson only adds to consumer cynicism. Consider this comment posted in response to the blogger’s question: “Does it sometimes seem they might be doing this on purpose, as if perhaps they just don’t want to provide customer service at all … ?” “It’s a carefully contrived conspiracy, formulated in strategy meetings at the highest level.”
- Refund Request: What’s puzzling in this case is the company spent a lot of time and energy defending its training program, ultimately creating greater customer alienation and negative word-of-mouse (i.e., the 21st century version of word-of-mouth that with a mouse click can be instantaneously shared with millions of people). I don’t understand why the company didn’t just refund the customer’s money to “recover” the situation and minimize brand damage. Most customer-focused training and professional development offer money-back guarantees as good business practice. Even some training firms who don’t promote guarantees will prudently refund part or all of a registration fee to a dissatisfied customer.
Note to all companies: You need not buy-into the “customer is always right” concept. Whether the customer is right or wrong is irrelevant. What matters – and the reality you ultimately need to deal with – is that the customer perceives s/he is always right!
On the bright side, I recently came across these examples of positive customer service: Shannon, a food server at Einstein Bagels in Dallas TX, who took care of her immediate customer and those that followed;. And Sharman, Verizon business tech support, who stayed on the line with her customer for several hours to resolve that customer’s issue.
What do you think?
For every customer service horror story, there is a positive one … and vice-versa. Although we tend to hear more of the negative experiences than the positive, what is your take on what’s happening to customer service these days?