I’ve noticed a trend lately. The companies that hire me to help with customer service are ones that already have great service. When you think about it, that makes perfect sense! When an organization’s leaders believe in and understand the importance of proactively elevating service, they are rewarded with returning and loyal customers. When these leaders know that what distinguishes them from their competition is how customers FEEL about their products and services, they will invest time and money in creating memorably fabulous customer experiences. They don’t just sit around waiting for problems to arise that need fixing. It’s a simple distinction between being proactive and reactive.
Real World Story:
In 2014, I was hired by The Bill Howe Family of Companies to present a customer service training to its 140 technicians in its plumbing business. I was to help the company promote the highest level of excellence and customer experience. The San Diego-based plumbing business was started in 1980, and it is a family-owned and operated plumbing, heating and air conditioning, restoration and flood services company.
Since my first service training session, I’ve presented several more company-wide seminars. I’ve engaged and empowered the employees with the customer service knowledge and tools needed to be successful in the field. And building on the 2014 implementation, I will begin intense small group and individual customer service training for this San Diego plumbing company starting in July.
Quote from a recent press release :
“Our work speaks for itself,” said Tina Howe, Vice President of the Bill Howe Family of Companies. “But, you can’t simply stop when you 
reach great. You have to continue to strive to improve and reach excellence for every single customer and that is why we have started this intense program with Barbara Khozam, Inc. Our employees are amazing, and this will only strengthen our team, allowing us to continue serving San Diego with the high quality of service they have come to expect from the Bill Howe name.”
Strategies that Turn it Around:
Tips for leadership teams that BELIEVE in proactively elevating customer service
- BELIEVE in the importance of customer service and role model the correct behaviors to your staffs.
- BELIEVE in and invest in your employees. From the Bill Howe website: “Focus on the health and happiness of the employees, ensuring they have everything they need to excel in their careers.”
- BELIEVE in and provide constant communication and training on excellent customer service principles. Bill Howe has formal training once a quarter and informal communication weekly.
- BELIEVE in yourselves as leaders and role models and hold everyone accountable for delivering excellent customer service—both internally and externally. Bill Howe has standards of excellence to which everyone is held accountable.
Remember: Customer Service is not a once-taught strategy that’s then forgotten about. It is a constant communication stream that must be talked about, demonstrated, and rewarded consistently. And most importantly, it’s a strategy that you want to hone before you have problems. In fact, being proactive may save you from having to deal with the most common issues that plague many customer service teams.
What do YOU do to remind your people about the delivery of exceptional customer service? I would love to read your suggestions in the comments section below.
[DB1]Add a link to the press release if you decide to post it on your website.