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Creating a Culture of Service. Presented at the Small College Enrollment Conference 2014 Kathy Baugher Executive Director, Small College Enrollment Association . Disinterest or Indifference.
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Creating a Culture of Service Presented at the Small College Enrollment Conference 2014 Kathy Baugher Executive Director, Small College Enrollment Association
Disinterest or Indifference Studies show the main reason people leave a place of business is a result of rudeness or a perception of disinterest. 68% of customers leave because they feel they are being treated indifferently, and not because of a "bad" experience, poor quality products, or better pricing somewhere else.
Great service is ROOTED in culture • Just saying we deliver great service doesn’t guarantee employees are really wowing customers. Words like service and excellence don’t mean anything unless your staff lives and breathes those commitments. Great service is rooted in a culture shared by everyone in the organization – front line, back office, and management.
Culture is demonstrated at every level of the organization “Culture provides a frame of reference for people and establishes formal and informal ‘rules’ for how people live in a specific environment, be it family or workplace,” explains Kathy Washatka, president of Washatka Group in Bellingham, Washington. “Having a service culture is a much stronger commitment than just telling people to provide great service. A culture is demonstrated at every level of the organization.”
Consistent values motivate employees In a strong culture with consistent values for everyone, people are motivated to operate in a way that supports the status quo and it applies to everyone, no matter what the position. By approaching service in this way, people develop a stronger investment in the organization because they personally experience great service and know how it feels.
Service Is the Foundational Value A service culture uses service as the foundational value that guides all decisions as they are made. When new products are offered, the overriding question is aimed at how this improves the service offered to customers. Policies and procedures are always evaluated in light of how they support service to customers. The culture supports the belief that my customer is anyone who isn’t me. This means there is a commitment to providing the same level of service internally to each other as there is to the external member.
Clarity of mission, values and behavioral expectations In a service culture there is clarity about the core values of the organization, its mission, and the expectations. People are taught what service looks like from their first day of work. It’s one thing to say ‘we provide great service. It’s another to define behaviorally for employees what that looks like.
Examples of Organizational Values • Do unto others as you would have done unto you • Tell the truth • Listen and learn from everyone • Be proactive • We eat change for breakfast • To be rather than to seem • Others?
Managers Must Live the Commitment A service culture has to begin at the very top, because that’s where people look when things begin to fall apart. Leaders must be strongly committed and willing to actively and publicly live this commitment.
Training and Feedback are the Framework for Success Too often organizations make assumptions about what employees understand when they are told that service is valued highly. Everyone comes with different sets of experiences and they may not be on the same page at all. So while employees think they’re doing a great job, they may not be meeting the organization’s expectations. Training and feedback are the critical framework for success.
Feedback is a gift A strong service culture has to include providing feedback – both positive and critical – as a way of supporting and creating success. This means encouraging people to be creative about ways to strengthen and improve the culture. Constant evaluation keeps things fresh.
Provide as many delivery channels as possible for feedback • Invite feedback through surveys and suggestion boxes. • Form focus groups that consist of a cross-section of members. • Make follow-up calls to find out about people’s experiences. • Be responsive to complaints and suggestions – the more personal the better • Remain curious at all times. • Listen closely to what people are saying and also what they aren’t saying. • Track the number of services people are and are NOT using.
To create and sustain a service culture Involve employees in conversations about what service expectations should look like. Employees love being asked their opinions, so regular sessions can be fun and creative. Be sure to include internal and external expectations so everyone gets to participate.
To create and sustain a service culture Decide together what values are important in the way people work together, support each other, and work through hard conversations. How people work together will show up in other places; customers will recognize and be drawn to do business where members are happy and productive.
To create and sustain a service culture Provide training around topics like these: • Dealing with difficult members • Sharpening communications skills skills (i.e., how to articulate your own positions and how to actively listen to other positions, how to elicit more information) • Thinking creatively so you can turn a potential “no” into a “yes” for a member • Time management skills to prioritize your work so it is in sync with a service culture
To create and sustain a service culture Give employees feedback on service delivery. • Provide coaching on areas that need improvement. • Use positive strokes to keep employees feeling good about delivering service. Positive strokes are also powerful ways to emphasize what people are doing right. Use phrases like thank you and I appreciate you. Be specific about what you’re recognizing. Example: “Thank you for doing a great job on resolving Mr. Sizemore’s complaint.”
To create and sustain a service culture Develop recognition/reward programs that really challenge people. Don’t recognize people who just show up to work! Recognize people who raise the bar to encourage others to follow suit. Make the recognition significant, so it demonstrates the commitment to the value. Recognize both internal and external service.
To create and sustain a service culture Keep talking about service. Especially if turnover is high, it’s crucial to keep the conversation alive. Don’t assume people will just naturally pick up on your service culture. Articulate your service expectations from the beginning. Encourage people to share what they are learning about service, so that you can keep your approach fresh and stimulating.
To create and sustain a service culture Be open to change. What worked last year might be old hat now, so what can you do differently that will delight your customers? Competition is much too stiff to assume that once you gain a customer the hard work is over. That’s just the beginning. Now the challenge is keeping the customer and hoping to create an advocate who will do word-of-mouth marketing for you.
To create and sustain a service culture Make the measurement of service quality and feedback from the customer a basic part of everyone's work experience. This information must be available and understood by everyone, no matter what their level. The entire organization must become obsessed with what the customer wants.
To create and sustain a service culture Create ways to communicate excellent examples of customer service both within and outside the company. Institute celebrations, recognition ceremonies, logos, and symbols of the customer service culture and its values. This is where you want the mugs, buttons, and banners. Have a customer service bulletin board to feature service incidents that were special. Seize every opportunity to publicize the times when employees do it right.
To create and sustain a service culture Encourage a sense of responsibility for group performance. Help employees see how their performance affects others. Emphasize the importance of "internal customer service." Help everyone to see that if you don't serve each other well, you can never hope to serve your ultimate customer.
KB’s roadmap to a culture of service • Develop your organizational definition of service • Define the groups that need to be engaged in the definition and their teachable point of view and commitment • Describe the current and desired future culture • Who is the customer and what do they value • What behaviors do you expect to see evidenced if a culture of service is present • Does the customer value these behaviors
KB’s roadmap to a culture of service • Develop metrics to measure these behaviors • What business processes or systems need to change or realign to create a culture of service • Develop a plan of action to change or realign business processes • What governance or board practices need to change to sustain a culture of service • How do performance reviews need to change to align with a culture of service • What are the next steps and how do we create a culture that continuously improves
Contact me: Kathy Baugher baugherk@twitter.com khbaugher@gmail.com 615-775-2685 cell
