Preparation
This class focuses on helping employees recognize that their delivery of customer service is heavily influenced by their overall mind-set, the decisions made at that moment, and the actions they choose to take. Use the information below to enhance the class discussions.
1. Compile a list of possible hurdles or roadblocks that have the potential to negatively impact customer service. These can be workplace challenges or personal issues an employee may face outside the office. Examples include inadequate training; individual workload; office politics; health concerns; lack of sleep; poor diet and nutrition; relationship or family issues; etc.
While the Company can do its part to address or even remove many of these impediments, it is the employees’ responsibility to remain positive and professional in all customer interactions so that they are able provide exceptional service to everyone.
Now thinking about the items on this list, in what ways can the company and employees work together to minimize or remove these obstructions to customer service? Include these ideas in your notes so that you can refer to them during the class discussion.
2. Prepare a few examples similar to the one below of the various ways these hurdles and roadblocks have the potential to derail customer service.
A manager was running late for work and traffic was heavy. She was in the turn lane trapped behind a very “cautious” (i.e. slow) driver and the light had just turned yellow. In her harried rush, she jerked the car out of the turn lane, hit the gas, and flew past the other driver. She made a point of letting the other driver know how irritated she was by offering a universally recognized unkind gesture. When she saw the person’s face as she passed by, she realized that it was her boss’ boss – the CEO. As soon as she realized what she’d done, she remembered that she would be in a meeting with him that afternoon. She was mortified.
For the remainder of the morning and up until the afternoon meeting, she was anxious and upset about what she’d done. Her inner turmoil spilled over into the office affecting the interactions with her team and several external clients.
As it turned out, the CEO didn’t see her one-finger salute and the meeting went well. She was relieved…until…. Her boss called her into her office. She had witnessed some of the office interactions earlier in the day and even received a call from an upset client. It was then that she fully understood that she had allowed her frustrations, reactions, and subsequent responses to adversely affect both her internal and external customers.
The key takeaway from your examples should be that the choices you make and the actions you take have the potential to impact the Company, its customers, and you as an employee.
3. Optional: Identify the core competencies or criteria currently aligned to employee performance. Pick two or three that are the highest priority for the Company and weave references to them into the class discussion.
Examples of some common core competencies include: Communication; Teamwork and Collaboration; Relationship Management; Fostering Diversity; Managing Complexity, etc.
Review guidance below.
Roles
Manager – Managers that encourage growth…and failure are required for a company to be successful. Managers must hold themselves accountable for learning how to better motivate and coach their employees. Additionally, managers have an obligation to place their people in the right roles so that all employees are set-up for success and all customers receive the service that meets or exceeds their expectations.
Employee – Understand how your mind-set, the decisions made in the moment, and the actions you take affect the service delivered to your customers.
Getting Started
At the beginning of the session, welcome everyone and follow-up on last week’s homework assignment where they were asked to notice how many times they interacted with each customer group.
Ask: “What did you learn from your homework assignment last week? What customers did we not identify last week? Who did we miss?”
Help the attendees feel comfortable in responding so that they will continue to actively participate as the course progresses. Remember to encourage active participation and conversational dialogue by using open-ended questions.
Open-ended questions begin with What, When, Why, How, and Where, and cannot be answered with a simple “yes” or “no.”
Another technique is to ask, “Tell me more about that,” to clarify the employees thoughts.
If the participants are reluctant to engage in open dialogue, be prepared to share some of your personal thoughts and examples to get them started.
Introduce the second Tenet – Service Comes from the Inside Out.
Say: “Today, we will focus on the second Tenet – ‘Service Comes from the Inside Out’.”
Ask: “What does this tenet mean to you?”
Mind-set, Actions, Impact
Ask: “What can adversely impact your interactions with customers?”
As they identify these obstacles, ask them why they see it as an obstacle and what do they see as the solution to removing or minimizing its impact. Refer to your preparation materials as needed and share some of the hurdles you identified that the participants have not mentioned. You don’t need to discuss every item on your list; your goal is to get everyone thinking about their interactions with customers.
Ask: “We’ve talked about some roadblocks and potential solutions to remove or minimize them. Whose is responsible for delivering these solutions?”
Help the employees understand that the Company can do its part to address and even remove some of these impediments. It’s their responsibility to remain positive and professional in all customer interactions so that they are better able meet and hopefully exceed customer expectations.
Reiterate the takeaway from the first session: EVERYONE is a customer.
Summary
- Be aware of obstacles and barriers that could negatively impact customer interactions
- Know your role in helping to remove these obstacles and barriers
- Understand that every interaction is unique and impacts the customer’s attitude towards the Company and its employees
- Focus on meeting and exceeding the needs of ALL customers
Homework/exercise
Over the next week, be conscious of how your mind-set, the decisions you make, and the actions you take affect the service you deliver to your customers.
What are your thoughts on these insights? What insights can you share with other Agents? Make entries in the comments log below.
Let’s Engage!
I’m Agent in Engagement Simpson…Gregory F Simpson.
Employee engagement is a critical mission. I hope I can count on your help! Subscribe to the RSS Feed to receive the latest intelligence/insights and/or register to make entries in the comments log.
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Email me at g…@a…t.com.
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Learn more about me at gregoryfsimpson.com.
P.S. First contact? Welcome to the Agent In Engagement community. Explore and join fellow employee engagement operatives in targeting a known thief – alias: Disengagement. Together we can bring this thief to justice and make the world a better place for all companies and their employees.
You can access information on The 10 Tenets of Better Engaged Employees below:
Tenet 1 – Customers Make the Rules
Tenet 2 – Service Comes from the Inside Out
Tenet 3 – Provide Solutions and Show that You Care
Tenet 4 – Customers Define Quality and Service
Tenet 5 – Feedback from Customers is a Gift
Tenet 6 – Know Your Customer and You’ll Be Rewarded
Tenet 7 – Skip Satisfaction, Exceed Expectations
Tenet 8 – Create Value
Tenet 9 – Be More, Better, Faster, Different
Tenet 10 – Honor Your Customer
