Why Exceptional Service Delivery Requires Team Effort
Quite recently, I came across an “unbelievable-facts” excerpt on Facebook which recounted how a Ritz-Carlton waiter in Dubai overheard a gentleman telling his wife who was a wheelchair user that, it was a shame they could not get down to the beach. The waiter promptly informed maintenance about the conversation he had overheard and by the next afternoon, the hotel had built a wooden walkway that led down to the beach to a tent that was set up for the couple to have dinner in.
All this happened because a waiter ‘overheard’ a customer he was serving. Of course, it would have cost them money to build the walkway, but it wouldn’t compare to the cost of sending off an unfulfilled customer who had the impression that, there were parts of the hotel which were inaccessible to persons with disabilities.
In today’s terms, could you imagine the reviews that the client would have given the hotel on trip advisor?
This-not-so-little incident that happened at the Ritz-Carlton got me asking a lot of questions. The first being, is customer service the responsibility of the front line only? The answer was quick and clear. No, it is not! Yes, it took a person at the frontline to overhear a conversation, but he needed maintenance to fulfill the action. Maintenance would also have required assistance from Procurement, who would have needed budge approval from Finance to engage. Very often, organizations overlook the fact that it takes the whole team working together to ensure that service delivery experience is spectacular.
When the ‘head’ is rotten or detached from the service experience, important information such as ‘overheard’ conversations do not get acted on. Frontline team members can work with confidence and a smile when they have the assurance that the support staff is available to help deliver to customers.
What happens at the front line is a reflection of the leadership and support functions of the organization. How management treats their people, how internal departments relate to each other and how matters concerning our customers’ needs are addressed, all impact the service experience.
Customer service begins long before the consumer of the service meets our organization. There are people who would check reviews and ratings before they engage. This means, should there be an adverse service review out there, it would shape and form the perceptions of prospective customers before they engage. It is therefore important as a service organization to ensure every client encounter is exceptional as there is no telling when an unsatisfied client would lead the service encounter process.
Here are a few pointers that can help any organization drive their exceptional customer service agenda:
- Empower your people – This should cut across the cross section of the organization. An empowered team is not afraid to go the extra-mile to delight customers.
- Reward exceptional actions and celebrate milestones - This would serve as a source encouragement to other team members
- Train, train, and train again! - We need to learn to unlearn and learn again to be better at what we do. Training needs not be only formal. Informal training, on-the-job training, real life experiences etc. are all essential in building an exception customer service track record.
- Understand your clients. - Know who you are serving, understand them and make a conscious effort to meet their expectation.
- Be open to feedback from your clients, and take the information received from them seriously.
- Do not take customer complaints for granted. Understanding why the ball was dropped and how you prevent it from happening in future only makes you better.
- Customer service should not be a preserve for the front line only. Internal engagements also require the same amount of customer etiquette – there is always a customer at the end of the line. It is therefore important to handle requests and queries from colleagues with the same amount of urgency and courtesy.
Clearly, delivering a stellar client experience requires the effort of the whole organization. It is not a preserve of the front line! #LetsWinTogether!
By Ama Amissah Wujangi,
Brand and Marketing Manager, Stanbic Bank