4 Steps to Spectacular Customer Service
Implement this simple 4-step process for creating a spectacular flashpoint culture of your own..
Most towns have at least one “flashpoint” business—a
place that’s famous for its turbo-charged workers and lines of eager
customers. These are the local hot spots that are “always jumping,” places
in which employee motivation and customer satisfaction fuel each other in a
flashpoint of contagious enthusiasm.
But flashpoint businesses don’t just happen by lucky accident. They have to
be made to happen. If there aren’t many such businesses, it can only be
because so few owners and managers understand the simple 4-step process for
creating a flashpoint culture in their own workplaces.
Not convinced such a process could be that simple? Not sure any such process
could ever work in your own business setting? Here’s a quick and easy way to
find out.
Step 1: Invite your employees to come up with some ideas for
improving the customer experience. For this process to work, the ideas for
changes in behavior or procedure need to come from the workers themselves.
The old way is to dictate in memos or training programs the kinds of
behaviors management wants employees to adopt, and then try to legislate
these new behaviors into the workplace—a way that has never worked.
Employees will only get behind a change if it’s one they believe in. And
employees are always more likely to believe in a change if the idea for it
comes from themselves, instead of their bosses.
Step 2: Choose one employee idea, and help the employee(s) implement
it successfully. The objective is to make the workers who came up with the
idea look like heroes in customers’ eyes. If there are costs associated with
the idea, helping with implementation will mean providing funding for it.
(Think of this cost as an investment in positive word-of-mouth, the most
effective form of advertising on the planet). If the idea requires changing
a policy or procedure, do everything possible to make the change. Eliminate
all obstacles to successful implementation of the employees’ initiative.
Step 3: Make it easy for customers to give positive feedback about
the new initiative. It’s always good business practice to hear what your
customers have to say—but few businesses make it convenient and easy for
customers to give feedback on a regular basis. To test this process, make a
point of soliciting feedback that relates specifically to the idea the
employees implemented. Use various methods to collect feedback, especially
that most powerful method of all: simple face-to-face conversation with the
customers themselves.
Step 4: Let the employee(s) bask in the motivational effect of the
positive feedback. This is where the magic begins. Let’s say an employee
came up with the idea of installing a bench so senior citizens would no
longer have to stand while waiting in line. When delighted seniors begin to
rave about the convenience of the bench, tell them, "This bench was actually
Terry’s idea. In fact, Terry, could you come over here for a moment—these
folks would like to tell you something about your bench"
And now watch the effect this feedback has on Terry. You’re watching the
first spark of the flashpoint effect: customer satisfaction driving up
employee motivation, and employee motivation driving up customer
satisfaction.
Once you’ve seen how well the process works, apply it again. And again. Keep
the ball rolling by holding regular employee brainstorming sessions to come
up with a rich supply of new ways to delight customers. Break a typical
customer transaction down into its individual steps, and get employees
thinking about ways to add a “wow factor” element in each step. Not every
idea will be implemented, of course, but make sure enough are implemented to
keep the positive customer feedback flowing in. And give your workers
opportunities to hear this feedback directly from their customers. Immediate
positive feedback from delighted customers is the primary motivational fuel
all flashpoint businesses use to keep the fires of employee enthusiasm
burning hot and bright.
Copyright Paul Levesque.
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