Great customer service doesn’t happen by accident. It takes great thought, planning, communication, implementation and the right people. Surveys and studies indicate that companies are investing more today than ever before on customer service and the customer experience (CX). Yet, many studies are also indicating that customers aren’t seeing the results of this investment. How can this be? Here is a short list of 10 reasons why companies fail to deliver great customer service.
1. They have not defined the company’s service vision or initiative. This is where it starts, at the top, with leadership defining in very clear terms what the service vision is. It needs to be short enough for employees to remember, and this is where many companies fail. It shouldn’t be a page, or even a paragraph. It should be one sentence or less. For example, Southwest Airlines’ mission statement is posted at the top of its website: "The mission of Southwest Airlines is dedication to the highest quality of customer service delivered with a sense of warmth, friendliness, individual pride, and company spirit." It’s that simple. Everyone who works there knows it and gets it. And so does the customer.
2. They don’t hire the right people to fit the company’s culture and personality. It’s not just about hiring for the right attitude. It is also about personality. They are closely connected, but there is a difference. The best companies really work to find people who not only have a great attitude and aptitude for the job, but also will be a good fit for the company.
3. They don’t train the skills needed to deliver a better CX for the internal or external customer. Many companies don’t spend the time, effort and dollars to train the soft skill of customer service. And, some that do train don’t include the entire company. Everyone needs to know their roles in how they impact the customer. And, everyone has customers. They may serve internal or external customers, or both. The frontline employees will be trained differently than warehouse employees, but everyone needs to be trained.
4. They think training during “onboarding” or one big session is the total package. No, it’s just the start. A one-time onboarding training is the beginning. From there, you must reinforce the customer service message as you consistently remind employees of the basics and continue to build on that foundation.
5. They have leadership that doesn’t provide a role model for others to emulate and aspire to be like. Unfortunately, there are leaders out there who have a “do as I say, not as I do” attitude. The leader must set the example. Show people the right way to do things. Exhibit the behaviors and the values that you want the customer to experience. What’s happening on the inside of a company is felt on the outside by the customer.
6. They don’t celebrate successful customer service and CX “wins” with their employees. Employees want to know they did a good job. They want to feel a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment. It’s important to let employees know when things are going well. Recognize individuals, departments and even the entire company when there is something to celebrate.
7. They don’t recognize that customer service and CX aren’t simply departments or strategies. If you followed my work at all, then you’ll hear me say or write (over and over) that customer service is not a department. It is a philosophy to be embraced by every employee, from the CEO to the most recent hire. The same can be said for the customer experience. Everyone has some impact on the customer. It may be more obvious on the front line, but even the departments that don’t ever see or talk to the external customer have an impact.
8. They treat employees one way, and then expect employees to treat the customer differently. I’m reminded of a manager who was known for berating his employees. After a nasty tongue lashing, he would send them out of his office and remind them they needed to be nice to the customer. How demoralizing is it for an employee to be yelled and then told to go out and act happy and nice? It doesn’t work. I believe in something that I refer to as the Employee Golden Rule: Treat your employees, or the people you work with, the same way you want the customer treated – maybe even better!
9. They think their customer service and CX are better than the customer thinks it is. Study after study confirms that the level of customer service that leadership believes the company is delivering is higher than what the customers think the company delivers. It is important to have ongoing surveys and conversations with customers to ensure that service, at the very least, meets their expectations. Ideally, the company and its people will exceed the customer’s expectations.
10. They are more interested in profit than taking a customer-focused approach and building customer relationships. This is a huge mistake. Put the money over the customer and you might get a sale. Put the customer above the money, and the money will eventually follow – and you are on your way to building a long-term, loyal customer relationship.
