The core of your customer experience is about building credibility with customers. And how to motivate employees to build that credibility. We do so by:
- Measuring the effectiveness of training practices.
- Mystery shopping to assess the customer experience.
- Getting customer feedback on individual interactions.
What gets measured definitely gets managed. But who’s measuring and managing the people at the top?
To be a successful organization motivation and effectiveness must start with senior management. If the example is not set, goals are not defined, and communication channels are not open, there is no way your employees will be able to do their job.
To build credibility with your customers, you must first have the belief and trust of your employees.
Building Credibility with your Employees
If you want customer service delivered by employees who care, and who will then help to develop loyal customers, Shep Hyken, author of “Amaze Every Customer Every Time”, advises:
- Start at the top. Leaders have to be role models for the employees to follow, and all employees must provide good service, whether they are interacting with internal or external customers. The customer-focused culture has to permeate the entire organization from top to bottom. Every decision that is made should incorporate the question, “How does this impact the customer?”
- Define your service. Take some time to thoughtfully consider what you want your customer experience to look like. What kind of special promise will you make to your customers? Do you promise to respond quickly? To be easy to do business with? To keep your promises? Once you define your brand of customer service, distill it into a few words that are easy for employees to remember and strive for.
- Communicate and train. Share your customer service philosophy (and its short-form motto or mission statement) with your employees and train them in how to deliver it. Part of this could involve mapping out the customer’s journey and identifying all the points of interaction he or she has with the company, and then ensuring that good customer service is built into each of these “touch points.”
- Lead by example. The best way for management to lead by example is by following what I call the Employee Golden Rule: Treat your employees the way you want the customer to be treated – maybe even better. When employees feel like their managers care about them and appreciate them, they are more motivated to do well in their responsibilities – including customer service.
Talk with your employees. Find out if they have all they need to effectively perform their job. Ask them how to improve. Find out why they would consider leaving.
We are not all born leaders, but some of us are put into positions where we must lead. Assess your expectations of your employees and then reflect on being sure you are working up to those expectations as well.
If someone was to mystery shop you – what would the report look like?
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