A Business exist for clients and because of them. Without them, we have no business. Otherwise who are we going to service? No one.
But the problems don’t begin with customers. They start with you and your employees. When customers expect a fantastic experience but receive a third-rate one, you can lose them forever.
I personally as a Business Owner / Entrepreneur think this is the basic and an obvious known fact which means we shouldn’t even be discussing who is important here. Because i think when you first decide to employ people you need to employ people who are either qualified, have the experience and people who understand business in general.
But I choose to see that as only the foundation, meaning there is still something to be done and continuously so, just to avoid the risk of poor customer service and ending up losing business. As a Business Owner it is your responsibility to make sure that such happen in your organisation.
Here are ways that employees can assist in achieving perfect customer service:
1. Get on board with the fact that employees are your most important customers
Sure, they may not be your main target in terms of who is buying your products and services. And, yes, YOU are paying THEM. Minor details. The truth is that your employees are the audience for your strategy. They are the people, if treated right and armed correctly, who will authentically translate your message, your vision, and your brand to the paying customers you’re after. So you better make sure they understand it and are emotionally connected to it!
2. Explain to employees WHY it is most important
Before asking your employees to take on something new or deliver a certain kind of customer experience, you must explain WHY it is so important. Show them why it will help themselves, the customer, and the company, and why they are so instrumental in driving the business outcome you want to achieve. Too often leaders try to engage people from the point of view of the company. Instead, we must shift our thinking to center around the point of view of the employee. How can we communicate in ways that are relevant and motivating to them? If you engage your front line the right way, the experience they deliver to customers will shine. So, start with the WHY, and then follow with the WHAT and the HOW.
3. Make sure the Training is taken seriously
One of the biggest mistakes companies make when developing training to build employee knowledge and skills is not identifying what they actually need to be trained on, how they best receive information, or how the program impacts the customer those employees serve.
Traditional classroom training is not the answer for front-line workers today. So, what it?. What you really need to do before designing training is to go into the field and literally observe what’s happening. Go watch your people in action. Talk to them. Hear what they have to say! Where do they excel? Where is there room to improve? How do they interact with one another? User-centered training is designed with all of this data in mind, rather than what’s on the mind of the training developer or even of company leaders. Connecting training with the company strategy and designing it with the end-user and desired outcomes in mind is the most effective way to empower people to execute your brand promise at the front line. Investing time, effort, and money into this process will yield a much more effective training development effort, more engaged employees, and much better customer interactions.
Ultimately, many leaders’ biggest shortcoming is viewing the world from their perspective and their perspective, only. The shift that’s most crucial is the one where you change the lens through which you look at the company, the employees, the strategy, and the brand. If you start by thinking about how your people might think, feel, react, respond, or behave, you will find yourself way ahead of the winning customers for life game. The customer experience will never exceed the employee experience; employees are truly your most important customers. It’s time to start treating them that way.
So you see, when employees are taken care of and are equipped with the necessary skill and knowledge there will be no need for customer service complaints.
Compiled by Dikeledi Seoloane – On behalf of Matsobanemetja Business Consulting (Coaching Division)
Facebook Page: MATSOBANEMETJA BUSINESS CONSULTING
http://www.matsobanemetja.co.za
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Matsobanemetja Business Consulting Pty Ltd 