Putting Customers First: How Service Standards Can Drive Customer Centricity
When I first speak with organisations and leaders about uplifting the capability of their people in regards to customer service skills, one of the first questions I ask, is what documented service standards they have in place.
People cannot be expected to deliver a great experience if they do not know what is expected of them.
Building a customer-focused culture starts with defining what great service looks like. This includes clearly defined standards and behaviours that the organisation wants to be known for, which provides clarity to the individual, the team and the leadership. By establishing clear service standards, it outlines the expectations for customer interactions and experiences.
Trying to deliver a great customer experience without service standards is like trying to sail a ship without a compass. They are the true north star of the organisation and a uniting focus for everyone around the customer.
Service standards are a way of clearly defining goals and expectations. Without expectations, it leaves customer service up to the interpretation of each individual. This could vary depending on the person, their background and their experience. Standards help to empower the team to deliver a consistent customer experience. When the team understand the service standards, they are better equipped to meet customer needs and solve problems effectively.
There are five key stages when incorporating standards into the organisations culture:
Defining service standards to provide clarity and direction
Incorporating standards into orientation and training
Coaching service behaviours on an ongoing basis
Recognising positive behaviours and celebrating success
Reinforcing service standards to embed behaviour.
If an organisation does not have any standards in place, I recommend creating them as a priority as they are such an important foundation of building any service culture. They can then be used in orientation, onboarding, training, coaching and performance goals and it is where all great service begins. It gives everyone the opportunity to know what is expected of them, and what great service looks like for each organisation.
I recently worked with an organisation and part of the service transformation program was commencing with the creation of service standards. Through a highly engaging and interactive workshop, the team and leadership were able come up with a fabulous set of standards and behaviours. The team were proud and excited to bring these to life. The standards were then endorsed by the senior Leadership Team and the team has now had training in the standards, they have been socialised throughout the team and will be used in ongoing orientation, onboarding and training.
The level of engagement in living the standards will always be significantly higher when the team has had input. I was only speaking with one of my wonderful clients this week who shared how much creating and implementing service standards has improved engagement, customer experience and consistency of service across multiple sites.
In the words of Ken Blanchard, one of my Servant Leadership heroes, “All good performance starts with clear goals”. Service standards play a critical role in delivering excellence in customer service. They help organisations set expectations for customer interactions, ensure consistency and quality, empower employees, and provide a framework for measuring and improving customer satisfaction.
