Actions Speak Louder: Creating a Culture of Customer Service

Without satisfied customers and employees committed to providing excellent customer service, profitability will suffer in the long run. Many businesses struggle to create a culture of customer service because they neglect to make their employees feel like a valuable part of the team. There are a few steps that any business can take today to transform their company culture to one of customer-centric service.

Happy Employees Make Happy Customers

One area that businesses, especially large companies, routinely fail in is employee morale. Many business leaders mistakenly believe that employee morale does not matter. However, when creating an engaging culture for the customer, successful businesses know that engaged employees results in increased customer service. The first layer of creating that service culture is to get employees to buy in to the mission of the company and ensure employees are happy with their work.

Engage the Customer

Another mistake businesses often make in their customer service culture is not engaging the customer. Although many businesses claim that the customer is always right, very few seek real feedback that they can use to adjust their customer interaction strategy. Instead of just having a catchy customer service slogan, ask for real feedback from long-term customers and immediately implement some of the suggestions. Customer feedback should play a crucial role in the customer service strategy and successful companies adapt their policies on a regular basis to reflect this.

Empower Employees

When employees are empowered to make decisions they feel are right, the customer will end up more satisfied in the long run. According to a human resource manager with a Master's Degree in Organizational Development, employees who feel able to actually help the customer will do so when the opportunity presents itself. Successful customer service policies have dissolved the hierarchies which require an employee to gain approval from several departments before making a decision that could benefit a customer. No customer wants to wait online or on the phone for several hours before getting the desired result. Instead, empower employees to make quick decisions according to each customer’s unique situation.

Take The Extra Step

Companies of all sizes can create a culture of customer service by taking the extra step with both employees and customers. Instead of waiting for a problem to arise, companies should be proactive in seeking out and fixing problems before they happen. Customers will be more satisfied, and employees will be more engaged when this policy is implemented. Additionally, this will enable your business to function more profitably and efficiently.

Overall, there are several steps that companies can take today to transform their culture from a typical business setting to one of outstanding customer service. However, both management and employees must be engaged and willing to make a difference in the lives of the customers. Instead of trying to cut corners or costs, companies should seek out problems ahead of time and empower employees to make changes. In addition, business should seek out honest feedback and implement changes based on customer responses. If businesses take these simple steps, a productive culture of customer service can be within reach.