Author: JoAnna Brandi

Companies that have strong values, a sense of purpose and pride, a sense of humor and where people work together, can create an environment where people feel cared about. When people feel cared about, they in turn will create the kind of environment that breeds Customer Caring, the first step towards loyalty. Customer Service in these companies is often considered a profit center rather then a cost center since the activities done there create profit.

In years gone by the acquisition of new customers was a company's primary growth strategy. As we have come to understand the workings of business in these times, focusing our attention equally on 'understanding and retaining the customers we have' is emerging as a simple and positive way to create more profit. When we keep more of our customers everyone benefits - our customers, employees, shareholders and our communities.

With this understanding, most businesses today consider customer retention a critical business strategy, not just a marketing tactic. There is a broadening awareness that creating value is a viable way of creating profit. And so most companies have broadened the responsibility for keeping the customers (and keeping them happy.) These days, the marketing department is no longer the only one held accountable for customer retention. Responsibility for taking care of the customer is everyone's business. But those people that touch the customer directly everyday, all day, are those who shoulder a large portion of that responsibility.

There is a good reason every customer service representative is told on their first day with the company "You ARE the company in the eyes of the customer". They are told that because it's true. Often the only contact a customer has with your company it through your Customer Service department. We've all heard the phrase "you never have a second chance to make a first impression". Well, it's estimated that 68% of customers have their first contact with a company over the phone. How well do you handle that impression - day in and day out? The skill and attitude of the person on that phone will convey to the customer if your company is hospitable, friendly, knowledgeable, capable and worthy of their investment in you. Conversely, if their perception of you is that you are indifferent, arrogant, stupid, and just don't care, they won't be back for more. The former behaviors setting the stage for loyalty; the latter tossing away a customer before you even had a chance to recover your investment in their acquisition.

Companies that have strong values, a sense of purpose and pride, a sense of humor and where people work together, can create an environment where people feel cared about. When people feel cared about, they in turn will create the kind of environment that breeds Customer Caring, the first step towards loyalty. Customer Service in these companies is often considered a profit center rather then a cost center since the activities done there create profit.

So, as a Customer Service representative, know that customer happiness and retention is part of your primary responsibility. Whether you run an established Customer Service center or you are just starting one, here are some guidelines for creating the kind of environment that will masterfully create positive impressions with customers.

Know What You Are There To Do

Be clear on why you (Customer Services) exist and the importance of the dept. to the overall well being of the company. Be able to articulate your vision and mission in real concrete terms (don't just memorize the mission statement.) And then, connect each person's job to the larger picture. What part do they play in the company's success and why is it important?

There is nothing more frustrating for a new employee than to be unclear about what it is they are there to do. When a new person is not given a clear vision of what the company and department are there to do, how can they adequately understand how they should perform? When they don't understand how what they contributes to the overall goals, how can we expect them to make decisions that keep both the customer and the company happy?

Elevate Customer Services to the Position it Deserves

These people touch your customers everyday. Does your company respect and honor their role in the process of getting and keeping customers? Do you, the manager or supervisor of Customer Services respect your staff and foster that attitude throughout the organization?

Make sure you are always stressing the critical nature of their positions to others in the company - not just your own department. These are not "just" customer service reps, these are your primary touch points with the customers. If emotional bonding to the company is going to occur, it will occur here first.

Scrupulously Examine the Culture

A Customer-Caring culture begins with an Employee-Caring culture. Does every thing you say and do affirm the importance of people over process? Do you frequently ask for the opinion and advice of the people on your staff? How does everything you do create value for the customer? Do you treat your people as well as you want them to treat the customers?

Examine Your Own Behavior as a Manager

People do what you do not what you say. One of the complaints I hear inside companies is about managers who don't walk their talk. They get all-fired up with an idea - and then they want you to make all the changes. Scream "foul". It's hard to tell your manager, or for people to tell you, that your style isn't congruous with your story. Find a method of truthfulness in communication so you can share that information with each other. You can't expect people to change if you are not willing to change.

Develop a Hiring Procedure that Focuses on Attitude

Profile what works for your company. Is there a particular type of person that does well in your culture (quiet and bookish or zany and sharp?) If your market is grandmothers you had better have some highly skilled socializers, if you support high tech to high tech you will be hiring differently then if you sell high tech to consumer. Focus on attributes such as creativity, resourcefulness, adaptability and flexibility - needed for today's hardly-ever-satisfied customer. Remember the adage: Hire for attitude, train for skill. Know what kind of attitudes your customers like and respond to.

Involve People

Don't try to do it all yourself. Today's business challenges and its customers are demanding a level of intelligence difficult to produce out of one brain alone. Teams of people and their creativity, building on each other's ideas, learning from their diversity, are producing the products and the solutions for tomorrow. Do you need to improve things there in your Customer Services area? Ask the people that work there to participate in finding ways to do that. When people are involved in a project from the start, you have no need to get them to "buy-in" they are already sold on the solutions - they helped create them.

Create Standards

Develop a baseline of non-negotiable standards for yourselves. If the company doesn't already have standards - develop them in your group. Make sure they are in alignment with the company's vision and mission, but make them relevant for you. If the standards don't have meaning and people don't have pride in upholding them, your job as a manager will be harder then it has to be - you will have to provide a lot of extrinsic motivation for those folks. Solid standards, based on values that we believe in are motivators in themselves. It becomes a matter of pride.

The standards need to be clear and articulated in plain language and everyone must demonstrate their understanding of them (in their own words.)

Institute a Recovery Process

Make sure everyone understands how the company wants an angry customer dealt with. Knowing that customers whose complaints and problems are addressed on the spot are more likely to return and become loyal over time then the average customer, makes recovery a loyalty issue. Practice recovery skills like you would a fire drill.

Educate

The more people know the better they will be at making decisions. Teach some form of business training. At the very least people who deal with the customers need to know what the lifetime value of the customer is and how much it cost to get that customer to call in the first place (and what it will cost the company if they go away.) Ongoing training on interpersonal skills, stress management, product information, decision making, teamwork is critical to improvement - make sure you have plenty of education and training in the plans. Create a departmental library of books and tapes.

Create a Positive Environment

Use positive self talk and empowering language. Watch the use of the "no" words, customers hate them. Make sure some of the books in the bookshelf are by George Walther. His "Powertalking" tapes reside permanently in my car - I loved them so much I even started selling them. Make it a fun, energizing place to work. Positive language, positive, inspirational signage and a lighthearted outlook helps.

Saturate the Company with the Faces and Voices of the Customers

Help to bring the customers alive. Get the staff out to meet them or have them come in to meet the staff. Involve staff members in research work. Take photos or videos and bring them back to the office. Run a contest with your customers and get them involved with your people. Show pictures of staff to customers and encourage customers to send you pictures of them and your product.

There are many more things you can do to help create a more Customer-Caring, customer loyal culture. But this is a start. Take a look at the ideas presented here and see if you can find even a few things to improve where you work.. dare to make a difference in the lives of your customers - Dare to Care^sm.

Versions of this article ran in Direct Magazine and in Customer Service Management Magazine.

Copyright 2001 by JoAnna Brandi. Used with permission.