A Company Culture is Created by People
A business can have the greatest customer service vision and strategy on paper, but it’s the people in that business that make it real – or not.
A truly great company has a comprehensive, holistic and integrated customer service process that is driven and sustained by the culture. A “service culture.”
And consistent training is the key to fostering that culture.
People Need Training for Context, Content, and Buy-in
Ultimately, at the employee/customer level, customer service is made up of two main elements: process and mindset.
Process, by itself, is mechanical and disconnected from the employee and their customer. Without a service mindset, supported by a service culture, systems and procedures become impersonal and neglected.
A service mindset is essential, but without a comprehensive and systematic process supporting the service culture, mindset alone will be undermined by frustration and become ineffective.
The most common mistake businesses make when it comes to customer service is to simply issue managerial edicts and policies and then leave it to the staff to carry them out.
The problem is that people are busy, forgetful, and inconsistent. Without training for and reinforcement of an understanding and deep-seated appreciation of the value of customer service, it will rarely be delivered well.
Context
This refers to the “big picture” of your customer service vision, mindset, and strategy. It is the “Why” behind your company’s desire to deliver exceptional customer service and why it has such value for the company. And not only value for the company, but for each and every employee and their customers.
Content
Once employees understand the context around your customer service vision, they need to understand the “What” that comprises your approach to customer service. Every industry and every business is different which means the components of their customer service approach will vary. Your staff must know what exceptional customer service looks like in your business and what that means for their individual roles.
Buy-in
Understanding the “Why” and apprehending the “What” of your customer service vision is not the equivalent of enthusiastic engagement. In other words, just because an employee knows why you want exceptional customer service and understands what he or she should be doing to deliver it, that employee can still not be “on board.”