By Generation Next Governor at Large Brandon Crockett
Parts
Manager, Messer Truck Equipment
Published in the June 2015 issue of Generation Next Edition.
Customer service excellence is not found in policy manuals - it’s in
an exceptional experience. To ingrain customer service into your own behavior,
take the customers’ problems and make them yours. When employees focus on
excellence, the results are magical. Customers are happy, employees are happy,
management is happy. Customer service needs to become a part of you and your
organization. Encourage employees to internalize the principles of structural
integrity embodied by companies that are intensely loyal to their
customers.
Creating wow moments: everything
speaks
Small gestures
can create customer wows: remembering a customer's name, sending goody baskets,
letting them know there may be a better product on the market for them than what
you offer. The most powerful way to create wows is to share the best
principles with fellow employees. During meetings, share moments of wow stories
and talk about what can be done to continually improve the customer experience.
How many times have you seen an employee walk past trash on the floor or ignore
a display that has been bumped out of place? The idea is to create a culture
around excellent customer service – an environment where “everything speaks.”
Examples of this culture include employees realigning a misplaced item or
placing litter in the trash.
Imagine visiting a fine restaurant for a
special occasion. You made the reservations, you have heard great reviews, and
you've finally arrived and been seated. Then, picture seeing old lipstick on
your glass, or dried food stuck to your silverware. What would you think about
the cleanliness and quality of the food? Would you return again? Everything
speaks.
Imagine a customer enters your parking
lot and sees trash, delivery boxes stacked on the receptionist’s desk, or
employees standing around having personal conversations. These all affect the
perspective of the business either consciously or subconsciously. These will
raise the suspicion of your customer and subsequently subtract from your
company’s good nature.
Be a great leader in the art of customer
excellence. Lead by example and create other leaders. Do not look for followers;
look to foster other great leaders – and do this by setting the standard
yourself. Your actions will be seen – make sure they count. Remember, when
you're in a leadership role, you're always "on stage".
Every word, action, body language or behavior speaks and is
left open to perceptive interpretation.
If there is a common denominator shared
by all organizations – public or private, big or small, manufacturing, service
or government – it is the need for exceptional customer
service.
Learn about Generation Next.