“Service which is rendered without joy helps neither the servant nor the served. But all other pleasures and possessions pale into nothingness before service which is rendered in a spirit of joy.” Mahatma Gandhi
Like what you do, until you can do what you love. I recently heard this phrase and it resonated. It was said in a forum where the challenge to deliver excellent service was one of the main points of discussion. As service providers, if we are looking for solutions we must admit that many of us have struggled to engrain into our organisation a service philosophy and service standard where excellent service must be viewed as a way of life and not as an add-on to an employee’s job responsibilities.
We must therefore ask the question, are organisations finally succumbing and willing to accept lacklustre performance? I beg to differ! What is true, however, is that most workforces today, as noted by the Gallup organisation, are not as engaged, as quality customer service demands and as a consequence perform their
jobs without the commitment that inspires customer loyalty.
This article’s title is quite simple but with precise execution can deliver the impetus that is needed in any organisation’s quest for service excellence. To employees I propose a challenge – revel in your skills or better yet embrace what you do!
Some detractors have argued that, some service providers appear to be more helpful than others and the question of ‘who do I ask for . . .?’ is most often met with ‘it depends’. They insist that sometimes satisfying a customer depends upon the goodwill of individuals, how busy the unit/department is or depending on the flexibility of individuals, they accede and do it themselves. So where must organisations go from here?
What organisations must do is create the ideal customer experience and, where possible, minimise service failures. A service failure occurs where the service delivered does not meet customer expectations.
Unfortunately, most organisations become aware of this unsatisfied customer only when a customer complaint is made. The onus is therefore on the organisation to close the gap between customer’s expectations and the actual level of service experienced by customers. There are various ways this can be done but the following CLEAR mnemonic provides a more loyal customer approach.
CLEAR: Towards service excellence. C: Calm your emotions. L: Listen actively to the customer. E: Empathise with the customer. A: Apologise/acknowledge the customer situation. R: Provide reactive and proactive resolution.
Calm Your Emotions
Manage your emotions. These emotions include defence, aggression, impatience, annoyance and being upset. Take a deep breath. Mentally step back and look at the big picture. Think about the seriousness of the problem and realise that the customer is not directly angry at you. They are probably angry at the situation. Instead “put the issue in its broader context”. If necessary and where possible, allow yourself some time then follow up at or before the time agreed; by calming the customer moving on to a successful resolution becomes more likely.
Listen actively to the customer
Active listening is imperative when the customer is irate. During the encounter listen for content, for feeling and for meaning. Observe the behaviour. More important, listen for congruence between what you hear, what you see and what you sense. In other words, do contrary to the renowned Stephen Covey’s quote: “Most people do not listen with the intent to understand, they listen with the intent to reply”.
Empathise with the customer
Empathy is the ability to put oneself in the other person’s ‘shoes’, to understand their position. An empathy technique essentially requires you to verbally cross to the customers’ side to demonstrate you understand their predicament. First, rephrase the content: restate the reason the customer is upset, in your own words. Secondly, reflect the feeling: put the emotions you are interpreting from the customer into words.
Apologise to the customer
Diffuse anger by saying “I’m sorry” or “I apologise”. Always apologise – whoever’s fault it was is irrelevant, you can still be sorry that the customer is disappointed with the service received.
Resolve the situation
Be proactive. Is there need for a change in a process or procedure? What could be done to stop this from happening in the future? Seek solutions and review the options. Remember, excellent customer service is the ability of an organisation to constantly and consistently exceed the customer expectations.
As we look towards the future, we must seek possible solutions for our valued customers. Possible solutions include identification of the higher purpose of the organisation and the required employee behaviours to consistently achieve the higher purpose. It also means looking at the systems and processes that currently exist within the organisation.
Following this, an awareness must be cultivated within employees that the art of providing excellent customer service is a skill that must not only be honed but be nurtured as well.
• Marian Haynes-Barker if head of the Technical Assistance Unit of the Productivity Council.