21332576 – cheerful male staff preparing customers order.
If you begin to rely on your customers to enforce your service delivery standards, odds are you have lost control of your customer service efforts. Enforcing service standards is not what customers should do. It’s what YOU must do! Not to mention implementing service standards that are divisive and socially insensitive, to say the least.
Real world story: It’s undeniable that social animosity is at an all time high. And recently, Dunkin’ Donuts, as reported by Inc.com, took that divisiveness to a whole new level in how it provides customer service in one store. Now remember, customer service is ALL about people helping people. So, naturally, alienating customers—no matter who they are—and putting your team members in a situation in which customers are encouraged to “police” them have no place in a customer service delivery strategy. This recent controversy at Dunkin’ Donuts is an example of someone in management losing sight of company standards and policies regarding how this company (at least in once store) interacts internally with its employees and, worse yet, externally with its customers.
Strategies that Turn it Around:
- Be proactive not reactive: While nothing in itself is wrong with being socially conscious and aware, implementing service delivery standards that cause social rifts is—no matter how trendy they may be—especially when such standards involve customers policing your employees. A good in-house service program and reinforced training can guarantee that your service agents are following your company standards at all times, and providing the best possible customer service.
- Know company standards and policies: It’s important that everyone in your company know the standards and policies that govern it. This includes your company mission and vision statements. Does everyone in your customer service team know what your company stands for and what it strives to provide customers and the community at large? Losing sight of your company’s mission and vision can, ultimately, lead to unforeseen problems with customers, thus tarnishing your company brand and quality of its customer service delivery.
- Hammer home your message: Training your employees should not end with their initial orientation class. Repeat training and retraining is essential to ensure that your employees know what is expected of them and why. Training, as part of your company culture, can improve customer satisfaction and your bottom line. Hammer home your company’s mission and vision with your employees as often as necessary. Everyone in your company, from the president to the parking lot attendants, should all have values that align with your company’s goals.
Remember: Customers appreciate service that is seamless and uncomplicated. And great service happens organically when service agents know what is expected of them and what their company stands for and why. Losing sight of the company mission and vision can translate to losing customers, and what kind of customer service is that?
What do YOU do to ensure that everyone in your company knows and understands your company mission and vision to ensure exceptional and consistent service delivery?