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Building Customer Service Culture- Culture Foundation

Mancepsadminophobia - Fear of Customer Service 

Very sad thing is that despite of the fact that negligence of Customer Service is one of the top ten common reasons for business failure, yet talking about it became a Taboo theme. 
Everywhere  Customer Service is mentioned, panic arises and attention moves to another subject.
With this post we are getting back on track towards Superior Customer Service and Building organizational customer service culture.
Before we start ,I would like to mention an unfortunate case scenario:  

Case Scenario -Start up Failure 

Starting up a new business is one of the most stressful events in ones life.
Weather you already have a running business and expanding or you're just starting a "brand spanking new" one, getting it right first time before the launch of the Business, is a daunting task ahead.
                    Just for the sake of this exercise, out many, I will just briefly mention few tasks and probably give you a worst case scenario :

It starts with Developing your business plan and financial plan, deciding on a legal structure,arranging setup finances, Registering your business.
Before you get any further ,you have to obtain all  necessary licenses or permits,setting up your website and online shop.
Organizing insurance from personal,business insurance to Public liability and professional indemnity.

Arrange for cash flow shortfall, business credit card,an online banking solution.
Set up your financial record keeping system, invoicing system,cash flow tracking system.

Choose premises, then negotiate a lease or purchase agreement,setup accounts for connection of utilities such as electricity, water, telephone shop fitout and purchase business equipment.
                    You are almost done with setup and you are getting ready for production or service delivery. You manage to get products and services delivery system set and off you go. 
                    You need help , you need staff. Sure no problem. You need it asap and you get few close friends,maybe family members and few people from an Employment agency. You want it get going as soon as possible and get that cash flow circulation. Everything goes good so far.
                    As an owner, pretty much last thing on our mind, is the Organizational Customer Service Culture and Superior Customer Service Delivery,right?
 
                    Suddenly, out of nowhere, few months down the track...complaints keep piling up, service wasn't up to customers expectations, late deliveries, terrible service, faulty product with unsolved complaints, employees don't care and owner is too busy to fix the issues. Drama is developing as there is more problems with the cash flow, quality and value.
Here comes the " Blame game". It wasn't my fault it was his! Bad word about the business spreads fast and there is nothing you can do to stop it. 
                     Soon after that ...its all over. 

If we survive this stage and manage to fix the issues, get out of mud and continue delivering without any change in Business Culture, what is going to happen?
Problems are still there, lurking and waiting to explode but next time lot stronger. 
Are we able to keep covering up and get job done in a superior fashion? I don't think so. 
 
Amongst many ,the most common causes of Business failure in early stages is the:
 Lack of cash flow, Inadequate marketing and market research, failure to provide superior service delivery and understand Customers needs and buying habits,poor leadership,failure to employ suitable staff and "letting go" on incompetent staff, failure to invest in Customer Service including Customer Service education,training and building Organizational Customer Service Culture,legal issues and financial issues in a partnership and lack of innovation.

I am not going into Legal causes of Business failure and I am not going to talk about financial reasons for business fiasco. 
The most surprising, is that in top ten of all common reasons for any start up to fail is failure to provide superior service delivery, understand Customers needs and buying habits and poor leadership. 
I am sorry to say this, but there is no excuse for Failure to invest in building Superior Customer Service and Organizational Customer Service Culture .
Superior Customer Service Delivery.Development of Organizational Customer Service Culture should be included in every Business Plan.
Organizational Customer Service culture is one of the key components of  Superior Customer Service:

• Organizational Customer Service Culture,Value,Service Delivery,Effective Communication,Innovation,Improvement,Service Recovery  

Regardless if your Company is in start-up mode or its running for 10 or 20 years, if you have vision to achieve superior service delivery and not in the process of building Customer Service Culture , you need to act yesterday.

What is Organizational Customer Service Culture?

Just to get it more interesting, lets break it down into Customer Service and Culture.

 

We already know what is Customer Service,right?

 
Non-bias,Consistent and cost effective Provision and delivery (of higher value than expected) to every person in need of your products or Services in timely manner ensuring quality, accuracy and impeccable after sales support.

So what is Culture?

I used traditional interpretation of Culture.

It is a learned pattern of behavior which brings us together and ways in which we live our life.

The arts and other manifestations of human intellectual achievement regarded collectively.

Connections: the arts, the humanities, intellectual achievement; literature, music, painting, philosophy, the performing arts.
Connecting human to culture: intellectual/artistic awareness, education, cultivation, enlightenment, good taste, taste, refinement, polish, sophistication.
Culture and civilization: society, way of life, lifestyle; customs, traditions, heritage, habits, ways, mores, values.
Culture and cultivation, farming; agriculture, husbandry, agronomy.

Lets join them together:

                   The Organizational habit in Provision and delivery of Consistent and cost effective products or Services, in Traditional timely manner ensuring quality, accuracy , added higher value than expected and impeccable after sales support.

Organizational Customer Service Culture starts with:

Foundation - A refined collective understanding and appreciation of Customer Service attitude and behaviors. 

Building Blocks - Aligned Company and individual habits and Company vision in delivering Customer Service.

Support fame - Organizational Customer Service Education and training.

Customer Service Culture Foundation 

Before we start building a frame and putting blocks together, as for every building and every structure, we must build the ground and foundation. Once you have the foundation right, structural building blocks fit in place just where they belong.

 

There is 11 main key elements of  Customer Service Culture foundation, which supports the development of organizational habits and tradition.

• Aligned Company and personal Values and behaviors : Live,Love, Breathe Customer Service - Respect,Growth,Efficiency,Trust,Mutual Interest,Working together

• High level of Passion and love about product or services that you are delivering - Believe in your product and encourage employee involvement in product and services development as much as possible.From CEO to front line employees high level of product and services knowledge is a must : Know your products and services inside out.

• High level of tolerance - Everybody makes mistakes. Learning from your mistakes is high value asset. Make mistake,correct it and learn from it.

• High level of collaboration - Internal Customer Service. Encourage and Involve  all company areas in Business development.Acknowledge and take serious consideration of all suggestions.

• Leadership instead of Management - Leading instead of Managing:Lead,motivate,encourage,empower! Lead by example and work with your staff. Encourage leadership involvement in working with front line personnel on regular basis. Avoid Micromanagement and totalitarian management system. 

• Commitment to Customers and Customer Service delivery - Customer is a King! Policy that should be transparent from top to bottom of the ladder.

• Clear Company objectives ,strategies and goals :Company objectives, should be employee objectives too. Company development depends on staff involvement.You can fulfill your vision and company mission only if each and every staff member has a direct input in Company`s vision.

• Invest in your staff -Look after and Invest in your staff development and career advancement. Treat them as part of your family - you will have the same treatment.Trust them and they will trust you.Protect them and they will act in your best interest.

• Make promise- Keep promise : Customer Service is built on trust between your Company and your Customers. If you make promises- make sure you deliver.
• Maintaining superior Company Image, reputation and Integrity - Company image is of paramount importance which goes hand in hand with Company reputation and integrity. Image ,reputation and integrity is the deciding factor in gaining trust from your Customers. 
• Open door policy for ideas: Encouraging and acknowledging your  employees to submit their ideas, issues and business weaknesses is your asset - not burden

I will go over 11 key foundation elements in more details in my next post " Building the Foundation".

I will leave you with following thought:

  

Don't think because you hold 70% of the market share that Customers don't have other Choices. They will find better choice,better deal and tell everybody about it.

Bear in mind that they will tell everybody about good and bad but only bad will be remembered. Bad feedback spreads twice as fast from good feedback.- Dave

It seems to me that I have just discovered new Business Phobia.

I will call it:
Mancepsophobia
                               Fear of Customers- Latin word Mancep which means Buyer,Customer Shopper.
Mancepsadminophobia -
                               Fear of Customer Service - Latin word administratio which means service, assistance, administration, direction, management, government

 

 

I hope you have enjoyed reading this post. I would love to hear from you.

Please feel free to leave a comment,feedback or a question.

Until next post,

Yours truly 

Dave 
www.customerserviceinfinity.com
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