The top-down toolkit for creating perfect people skills
Staff need clear guidelines, training and re-training to ensure the human touch is evident to differentiate your business from the competition
IN a world where differentiating your business with product alone is just not enough any more, excellence in customer experience is the new battleground. This applies to businesses in almost every sector. I see this right across the board in every country I work in, whether it’s in B2B or B2C. What excellence means will, of course, vary. Specsavers for example (see case study below) knows that its customers have lots of choice for where they can go for a pair of spectacles, including online. But it also knows that the human touch is essential and will make the difference between it and the competition. THE CONSISTENCY CHALLENGE Although a great customer experience comes from a combination of product, people and place, let’s just focus here on the people element. For your people to give a great customer experience, they should connect with your customers in the first place.
Whether its face-to-face or on the telephone, you and your team members should make each customer feel welcome.
Your customers should be consulted and listened to so that their needs are understood fully. And then when their needs have been fulfilled, the interaction should be concluded with courtesy.
The 3Cs (connect, consult, conclude) is a simple but effective model. Yet, in my experience, the biggest challenge for organisations is achieving consistency. That means that every one of your customers, in every location, should get the same level of service every single time.
PEOPLE MANAGEMENT TIPS
To achieve consistency, consider these steps in getting the most from your people. 1 BE CLEAR ON WHAT IS EXPECTED Too often we assume that our people know what they have to do, and how and when they should do it. But that’s simply not fair, as ambiguity is often the cause of stress and confusion. We have a duty as managers to be concise with our people, to communicate our expectations and to outline exactly the standards we’re aiming for. There is nothing more motivating for your people to know that they have achieved the realistic goals that have been set for them. 2 TRAIN AND RE-TRAIN When you train your team, it ensures that they have the knowledge and skills to do the job effectively.
However, training is not a one-off activity. For example, although I was trained to drive a car many years ago, I’d possibly fail my driving test today. It doesn’t mean I’m a bad driver but undoubtedly I have developed bad habits over the years.
And another thing is that your business has been adapting to a changing world, and that most likely requires new knowledge and skills. So just like a hot-air balloon needs a constant supply of helium, so too do your people need training and ongoing retraining. 3 GIVE THE TOOLS AND THE RESOURCES TO DO THE JOB Not only does this include the practical equipment required for the job, but it also requires you to give your people adequate time to complete it. 4 GIVE FEEDBACK I truly believe that most people go to work wanting to do a good job. Personal pride and satisfaction matters to most of us. I’m sure you’d much prefer to know if your manager is unhappy with some element of how you do your job, rather than building up resentment towards you.
Managers should tell their people how they are doing, whether it’s good or if the work is in need of some improvement. 5 REWARD AND RECOGNISE CONTRIBUTION. Financial reward that is just and appropriate for the job is one part of this.
The other is to let your people know that they are appreciated for their contribution. Yes, I know they’re being paid a salary to do it.
But financial reward is what is known as a hygiene factor. It’s a basic quid pro quo for doing the work. However, great leaders know that they can get much more loyalty, commitment and productivity from their people when they treat them with respect. THE LAST WORD While product and place are, of course, important in the overall customer experience mix, they will be unique to each industry. It should be relatively straightforward to achieve consistency in these two.
However, the people element is a common denominator across most industries and it probably deserves and gets a heavier weighting.
For that reason, I think it is worth taking the time to agree a consistent approach for how your people interact with your customers. Now that does not mean creating robots without personality. But if you use the steps shown here, you’ll move closer to achieving consistency.