In my last few blog posts, I’ve written about empowering service team members with breathing room and flexibility to deliver great customer service. In several of the tips that I’ve shared, I’ve explained the importance of having written standards, so team members know how much built-in leeway they have to deliver great service flawlessly and consistently. In the spirit of those posts, a colleague recently shared the following story with me.
Real World Story: “I’ve been with my partner now for three years. He has a son, and the three of us—and our two dogs—have blended nicely as a family. We do everything together. But that bubble was burst at my son’s last dental appointment.
“I am not a legal guardian, yet I consider my partner’s son my son. So, in order to avoid any issues with me taking our son to his dental appointment, my partner called the dental office in advance to explain that I would be the one accompanying our son. Was there anything he needed to do in advance so there would be no issues? The receptionist said nothing was needed—no paperwork to sign, no guardian identification needed, no insurance card was necessary—‘Just have your partner bring in your son.’
“So my son and I show up at the dentist’s office 15 minutes before our scheduled appointment. The receptionist hands me a stack of papers to sign. I tell her that I’m not a legal guardian, so I can’t sign any of the documents. I then inform her that we called in advance and explained the parental situation and were told we wouldn’t be required to sign or do anything when we arrived.
“Needless to say, the receptionist said she had to cancel our appointment because I had no legal right to accompany my son. There was nothing she could do about the situation, and she said so matter-of-factly and without apology or empathy.
“From the perspective of the mind, I understand the legal ramifications of legal guardianship. But from the perspective of the heart, this was an avoidable ‘plunged dental scaler to the heart’ experience had we not been given contradictory information from an overly zealous employee and an uncaring one. To say I was shocked doesn’t begin to explain my humiliation—not to mention how this painful situation affected my son.”
Strategies that Turn it Around:
- Have Written Standards! I continue to believe that service team members should be given the necessary breathing room and flexibility to act effortlessly with minimal supervision to deliver great service. And having standards can ensure that everyone knows exactly where to draw the line between flexibility and breaking rules—or the law. For example, it is 100% understandable that minors need to be accompanied by legal guardians when receiving services from professionals like dentists, doctors and the like. It’s also 100% understandable that service members will develop personal relationships with repeat clients and customers, and so going above and beyond will sometimes happen naturally and may lead to breaking rules. But without written standards, drawing that important line will become difficult, leaving you with disappointed clients in the aftermath.
- Apologize When You Get It Wrong. Situations will sometimes go awry. So, how we resolve issues becomes very important, especially ones of our own making. First, apologize—with sincerity. Second, show empathy when you need to deliver regrettable information. Third, show you care by giving options to resolve an issue.
Remember: Having employees who go above and beyond the call is important to delivering exceptional service. BUT … without written standards … some team members may neglect to draw the line at breaking rules, leaving you, for example, with a disheartened client with a painful experience at a dental office.
How do your written standards help ensure that your service team members deliver great customer service on a consistent basis?