Every Customer Service Team Needs the Spirit of Flo

Some employees are naturally infused with the spirit of service.

People visiting the San Diego Botanic Garden last December encountered an employee named Flo who had this spirit. They were so moved by her kindness and generosity that they wrote a letter complimenting her service.

The letter described the type of service we hope all our employees will provide. It also revealed a bit of a mystery. 

Photo credit: Rachel Cobb

Photo credit: Rachel Cobb

More on the mystery in just a moment. First, here’s the letter:

Human Resources Department:

This letter is to express gratitude to one of your employees. Her name is Flo and she worked at Quail Gardens on the night of December 28. [Note: Quail Gardens is another name for the San Diego Botanical Garden.]

We noticed Flo at the Gardens because she greeted us as we were walking around enjoying the Christmas lights. Three of us visited the Gardens that evening but ended up exiting near the additional parking lot instead of at the main parking lot. Rather than retrace our steps, we very much underestimated how far it would be to walk around the neighborhood to the main lot.

One in our group uses a cane so he waited for us on a bench at the Seacrest residential facility. After reaching Encinitas Blvd, we stopped at a gas station to ask exactly how much farther we would need to go to get back to Quail Gardens. It was 8:45 pm. The facility was closing at 9:00 pm and we were worried that we could not walk that far in 15 minutes. 

That’s when we meant Flo. She remembered us from Quail Gardens and greeted us again when we saw her at the gas station. We offered to pay her to drive us back to the parking lot, and she agreed to drive us but would not accept any money. 

We made it back just in time to get the car before the Gardens closed. We then returned to pick up our friend at Seacrest and to explain why it took us so long to get there.

We appreciated the generosity that Flo gave us that night. We are both in our sixties and the walking had already tired us out. We could never have walked the rest of the way to the Gardens. 

We hope that Flo’s kindness and generosity can receive some type of recognition for going out of her way to assist us. We know this type of generosity does not happen very often, and hope that Flow can be acknowledged for her kindness.

What customer service leader wouldn’t want to receive this letter?

Flo exhibited many traits of an outstanding customer service professional. She made her guests feel welcome, she connected with them in a personal and authentic way, and she took care to help the guests in a time of need.

Which brings us back to the mystery.

There are no employees named Flo at the San Diego Botanic Garden. They don’t have any Florences or anyone else with a name that sounds like Flo.

The letter was shared with employees but nobody recalled the story. 

While Flo remains a mystery, employees have decided they can all embody Flo’s service spirit. The story is very reminiscent of Fred in Mark Sanborn’s The Fred Factor. Like Fred, Flo found a way to make a difference.

It’s a great reminder for anyone in customer service. We can all find a way to make a difference when we’re infused with the spirit of service.

The San Diego Botanic Garden is a wonderful place to visit. The friendly staff enjoy helping guests feel welcome and discover the gardens. If you’re in the San Diego area, consider visiting to see for yourself. 

Customer Experience Success Story at AT&T

Customers view service relative to their expectations. 

  • Good service meets expectations.

  • Poor service falls short of expectations.

  • Outstanding service exceeds expectations.

Here’s an email I received from my friend Larry. He expected to receive poor service from AT&T, but was pleasantly surprised in several ways.

Hey Jeff,

I wanted to share a GREAT customer service experience with you.

While I was out of town this weekend there was a power outage and I thought I lost my internet modem. I have not always had the best of luck when dealing with AT&T and am quick to say it. But I want to also be quick to point out my good experience.

First, I went to the local store. I got there about 15 min before they opened at noon. The parking lot was packed and there was a line at the door. 

When the door opened at noon, it was an amazing sight…there were a ton of employees inside and everyone who came in the door was immediately greeted and helped. No waiting at all. This caught my attention in a positive way.

I was met by a young lady who took me to a table and I explained my problem. We trouble shot the modem and immediately determined that it wasn’t the modem, but the power cord. We got the cord from another new piece of equipment and everything worked just fine. 

A power supply costs $10. A new modem costs $100. I asked for the $10 option. 

Initially she suggested we order one and I could have it come to my house or to the store and pick it up. She was unable to find the part # for the cord, and went to ask for help finding it. 

After a few minutes, she came back and I asked if there was a cord in the store I could borrow or rent for a few days until it arrived. She didn’t object and tried to order the cord for me. After another couple minutes, she just took my broken power cord and replaced it with the working one from the new modem box without charging me and said they will fix it on their side because she could not order a new one.

This is a great example of a front line employee taking the initiative and going above and beyond to FIX a customer issue. Instead of being without internet for several days or having to unnecessarily purchase a new piece of equipment. I was out of service for a couple hours and left a very satisfied customer who wanted to share that experience.

I am also sharing this on FB.

~ Larry

Notice how expectations played a role in Larry’s experience.

Larry’s initially low expectations made it easier for him to be pleasantly surprised by good service.

He was worried about wait times when he saw the large crowd. Excellent staffing levels allowed Larry to receive service much faster than he expected. 

Larry expected to pay for the repair. The associate took the initiative to find a solution she was empowered to deliver and gave Larry a replacement power cord at no charge.

These pleasant surprises prompted Larry to share his experience with AT&T on Facebook and with me. It all came down to one customer, at one store, served by one associate.

AT&T promises smart, friendly, and fast service at their AT&T stores. It sounds like they delivered.

How to Engage Your Employees: A Step-by-Step Guide

There's a big problem with employee engagement.

The benefits of engaging employees are widely publicized. Engaged employees are more productive, stay longer, and provide better customer service. You may have also heard that disengaged employees cost companies billions of dollars per year. Or is it trillions?

Gallup's popular employee engagement index has hardly moved despite these benefits. The index sat at 30 percent in 2006 when I gave my first presentation on employee engagement. In 2018, it was up to just 34 percent.

Unfortunately, employee engagement is a mushy concept. What exactly is it? And how exactly do you improve?

This guide will demystify employee engagement. You'll learn exactly what it is, why engaged employees are critical, and how to improve engagement step-by-step.

A team of engaged employees sitting at a conference table, celebrating a recent success.

What is employee engagement?

The lack of a definition hampers a lot of employee engagement initiatives. Leaders agree on the abstract concept, but aren't quite sure what to do.

Even leading consulting firms disagree on the definition.

  • Is it employee satisfaction?

  • Commitment to the company?

  • An emotional connection to the job?

It’s important to gain clear agreement on the meaning of employee engagement. You can't measure, improve, or sustain something if you can't define it.

Here’s the definition we’ll use for the purposes of this guide:

An engaged employee is deliberately contributing to organizational success.

I like this definition because it's specific. It lays out a clear description of what engagement looks like. You need to do three things if you want to engage people:

  1. Define organizational success.

  2. Share that definition with employees.

  3. Help employees contribute.

We'll take a closer look at each step in just a moment. But first, let's look at the impact of having engaged employees.


Why is employee engagement important?

The case for employee engagement is not a philosophical one. Engaged employees perform their jobs better and contribute more to the organization's success.

Don't just rely on vague statistics or anecdotes.

You need to make the case for employee engagement using hard numbers if you want to get executive buy-in. This means calculating the true financial impact of engagement if at all possible.

Start by identifying key metrics that are likely affected by employee engagement. In other words, what is the impact of employees doing their jobs well? Examples include:

  • Productivity

  • Quality

  • Customer satisfaction

  • Revenue

  • Cost savings

You can also look at the secondary costs of engagement. Here are a few examples of those:

  • Turnover. Disengaged employees are more likely to leave.

  • Theft. Disengaged employees are more likely to steal.

  • Harassment. Disengaged employees are more likely to harass others.

Once you identify the metrics affected by employee engagement, use these metrics to assess the financial impact. For example, a hospital decided to focus on employee turnover. Their annual turnover rate for nursing staff was 30 percent compared to an industry average of 20 percent.

The hospital took the following steps to calculate a hard dollar estimate that their CFO endorsed:

  1. Calculated the hard cost of turnover using this worksheet.

  2. Calculated the cost of turnover at 30 percent.

  3. Calculated the cost if turnover was just 20 percent.

The difference between #2 and #3 equaled the potential amount the hospital could save by reducing nursing turnover through employee engagement. The CFO calculated that reducing turnover from 30 down to 20 percent would result $100,000 in hard cost savings. 

He acknowledged this was a very conservative number. It didn’t account for hard-to-measure soft costs such as improved patient outcomes. By the CFO’s own estimate, the potential soft cost savings were $1,000,000.

Translating employee engagement into financial impact will get your executives' attention!

Need some additional ideas? Here are 13 ways to calculate the true cost of customer service.


How do you engage employees?

An engaged employee is deliberately contributing to organizational success. You can engage employees by doing three things:

  1. Define organizational success

  2. Share that definition with employees

  3. Help employees contribute

Let's break this down and take a closer look at each step.


Step 1: Define Organizational Success

In customer-focused organizations, success is defined by a customer service vision statement. This is a shared definition of outstanding customer service (or experience) that gets everyone on the same page. The customer service vision often does double duty as the corporate mission, vision, or brand statement.

There are three characteristics of a good customer service vision:

  1. It's simple and easily understood.

  2. It's focused on customers.

  3. It reflects both who you are now, and who you aspire to be in the future.

Here's an example from Convo, an app-based video relay service for deaf and hard of hearing people:

Our mission is to connect humans through universal communication solutions shaped by visual and cultural experiences.

Notice Convo's customer service vision matches all three characteristics:

  1. Simple: it's just one sentence.

  2. Customer-focused: it describes what Convo wants to do for people.

  3. Authentic: this is what Convo is already doing, and wants to do more.

You can use this guide to create a customer service vision for your organization, department, or team.


Step 2: Share the definition with employees

Employees can't be expected to contribute to organizational success unless they know what makes the organization successful. This is why it's critical to share the customer service vision with employees.

It's not enough for employees to be aware that the customer service vision exists. They need to use it to guide their work.

You'll know you've shared the vision successfully when employees can answer three questions about it:

  1. What is the vision?

  2. What does it mean?

  3. How do I personally contribute?

Here's a sample communication plan from The Service Culture Handbook:

Phase One: Announcement

  1. Share the customer service vision via company-wide communication from the CEO.

  2. Reinforce the vision via messaging from the corporate communications department.

  3. Display the vision on signage ad posters at all company locations.

Phase Two: Initial Training

  1. Hold town hall-style kick-off meetings at each location to discuss the vision.

  2. Create one-page job aids to distribute to all employees.

  3. Provide employees with mugs, t-shirts, and other swag to support the vision.

Phase Three: In-Depth Training

  1. Integrate the customer service vision into existing training programs.

  2. Have managers follow up with employees after the training to observe them using the vision to guide their daily work.

  3. Integrate the vision into an existing employee feedback form used by managers to coach employees on their performance.

This is just an example. You can use any approach that works for your organization's unique culture and situation. 

Help employees contribute

Most employees want to do a good job. The challenge is knowing exactly how and being empowered to do great work. 

Employees lose their natural motivation when they aren't empowered. People start jobs with high hopes and good intentions, but that enthusiasm is ground down over time through poor products, bad policies, a lack of resources, and poor leadership. 

Eventually, employees develop an issue called learned helplessness, where they accept that failure is a foregone conclusion so they stop trying. 

In other words, the employee becomes disengaged.

Empowering employees means enabling them to do great work. There are three elements to this:

  • Resources: employees need the right resources.

  • Processes: best practices must be identified and shared.

  • Authority: employees must have the authority to do what's right.

Visit this empowerment resource page to learn more about empowerment and find a step-by-step guide.



Employee Engagement Resources

Here are selected resources to help you engage employees.

Five Customer Service Trends Worth Watching

Yesterday, I facilitated a webinar called Customer Service Trends to Watch in 2015. Here’s a re-cap along with links to additional information.

You can watch a replay of the webinar here.

Trend #1: Fixing Broken Systems

Most service failures are caused by broken systems.

It might be a rotten culture, an unfriendly policy, or an underperforming department. These issues go beyond a simple employee error. They can’t be fixed with training. They’re systemic.

The now infamous Comcast cancellation call is a terrific example.

In 2015, I predict we’ll see more companies getting serious about fixing broken systems and making it easy for their employees to provide outstanding service.

 

Trend #2: Preventing Service Failures

Matt Dixon was a keynote speaker at ICMI’s CC Expo conference last May. One of his slides really caught everyone’s attention:

Delighting customers is fine, but service failures are what really impacts loyalty.

This isn’t a new idea. Dixon co-authored a 2010 Harvard Business Review article called “Stop Trying to Delight Your Customers.” And, he released a book on the subject called The Effortless Experience in 2013.

So, why is this a trend now?

Because companies are starting to realize how badly service failures are costing them. Not just in terms of lost customers and lost business, but in terms of wasted time, increased costs, and lots of unnecessary damage control. 

I expect to see a few more companies get serious about service failure prevention in 2015.

 

Trend #3: Proactive Social Care

My 2014 study on what angry customers Tweet about yielded a surprising result. Waiting is the number one reason angry customers Tweet. The number three reason was no response to a message sent to the company.

In other words, customers send angry tweets because another service channel failed to resolve their problem.

Some smart companies are flipping the script. They’re actively searching for problems they can solve. 

Here’s a great example from cable provider Bright House Networks. The rep happened upon a casual Twitter conversation about cable packages.

​

 

Trend #4: Fewer Surveys

In my 2014 article on the Salesforce blog, I detailed five signs that a customer service survey is missing the point.

People are getting tired of taking surveys. Even worse, most companies don’t do anything with them!

In 2015, I expect to see more companies fix their broken surveys. Or, better yet, abandon their customer service surveys altogether for one of these alternatives.

 

Trend #5: Employee Motivation

Managers just can’t seem to figure out employee motivation. 

Some try incentives. Others try threats. All too many don’t try.

A few are discovering Daniel Pink’s outstanding book, Drive, where he lays out three keys to motivating knowledge workers (e.g. customer service employees):

  • Purpose
  • Mastery
  • Autonomy

Here’s a synopsis of how these principles work for customer service employees.

 

So, will any of these trends hold true? Only time will tell.

How to Assess Your Team's Customer Service

Do your 2015 plans include working on customer service?

Many companies have service on their radar. The challenge is knowing where to get started. 

Do send your customer service reps through training? Perhaps you should invest in new technology? Will a new incentive program energize the team?

A great way to begin is by assessing where your team is now.

A good assessment compares your team’s current performance to where you want to be and provides detailed recommendations for closing the gap. It allows you to save time, focus resources, and get better results from your customer service initiatives. 

For example, a call center wanted to reduce the number of calls they sent to an outsourced call center. The third party call center gave them flexibility to handle spikes in contact volume. The trade-off was they could offer better service at a lower cost when they kept calls in-house.

A customer service assessment revealed some low-hanging fruit. Within just one week, the call center was keeping 50 percent more calls in house. 

There are three steps required to conduct a really good customer service assessment:

  1. Define what “good” looks like
  2. Select an approach
  3. Take action

 

Define Good

It’s hard to find something if you don’t know what you’re looking for. That’s why the first step in any assessment is defining what good service should look like. 

On a strategic level, this involves defining outstanding service for your team by creating a customer service vision.  

On a tactical level, this means defining what is supposed to happen for a certain process or interaction. Examples include establishing service standards, procedures, or contact guidelines.

 

Select an Approach

The next step is to select the assessment that best fits your needs. 

Large-scale assessments take several weeks to complete but offer an in-depth review. For example, ICMI offers an operational assessment for contact centers that takes a holistic look at the entire operation including management, employees, and technology. 

The time and expense of a large-scale assessment might be a bit much for many smaller organizations, but there are less-expensive alternatives available that are still very effective.

The Toister Performance Solutions onsite customer service assessment focuses solely on employee performance. It takes less than a day to complete, and you’ll have a detailed written plan the next business day. 

If you prefer to try the do it yourself approach, try using the Customer Service Alignment assessment for a strategic view of your operation. You can also use the Quick Fix Checklist to hone in on the solution to a particular problem. 

 

Take Action

An assessment isn’t worth your time if you don’t take action. 

There are many reasons why companies don’t take action after an assessment. Comfort level with the findings, the strain of other initiatives, and a lack of focus can all play a role.

It’s important to approach customer service assessments with an open mind. After all, why conduct an assessment just to tell you something you already know? The whole point is to look at things from a different angle.

It’s also imperative to conduct the assessment at a time when it will have your full attention. 

Assessments can be a powerful tool for improving customer service. That’s why they’re number three on my list of ways to take service to the next level.

Incidentally, training is all the way down at number seven.

How Companies Systematically Fail to Weigh Emotional Anchors

Last October 22 was a rough day.

My car broke down in a hotel parking lot while I was heading out to see a client. I had to cab it there, barely making it on time.

I got a call from my Mom while riding in a cab on the way back to the hotel. She told me my Dad had been taken by ambulance to the hospital with chest pain.

My car needed to be towed. I had to trust the internet to find a nearby mechanic with good online reviews. I coordinated this while getting updates about my Dad from my Mom.

The mechanic seemed trustworthy, but it took them a few hours to diagnose the problem. Fortunately, my Dad was stable and feeling okay. 

My car’s diagnosis came in. The clutch slave and master cylinder both needed to be replaced. This is a major repair that requires the mechanic to remove the entire transmission. It’s also an astonishing problem for a car like mine with only 37,000 miles on it.

The mechanic told me the car would be ready the following afternoon. The nice-ish hotel where I was staying was sold out, so I ended up in a dingy motel down the street. 

I spent the night feeling stuck and worried about my Dad.

My car was repaired by mid-afternoon the next day. My Dad was feeling okay, but he was still in the hospital. I made the three hour drive to visit him, worrying throughout the entire drive that my car would break down again.

Companies frequently fail to consider their customers' emotional needs.

Companies frequently fail to consider their customers' emotional needs.

 

The Cold No

I really liked my car before this incident. I had owned it for four years and couldn’t imagine owning another one.

Now, it's hard to drive it without thinking about the huge hassle it caused me. I went from loving the car to feeling like I’d never buy another one from this brand again.

My local dealer wasn't any help. I had bought the car there and take it in for regular service. I contacted them for help. The service advisor flatly told me there was nothing they could do. She delivered the message without the slightest bit of empathy.

I called the manufacturer’s consumer affairs hotline to see if they'd be willing to do something. Anything would do, even a goodwill gesture of some kind. After a bit of back and forth a case manager told me there was nothing they would do.

Just like the dealer, the message was delivered with zero empathy.

 

Emphasizing The Wrong Needs

Customers have two needs: rational and emotional. 

It’s the emotional needs that are often overlooked. Everything is geared towards addressing the rational issue.

Rationally, the dealer was right.

They’re compensated for repairs by the customer or, in the case of warranty issues, by the manufacturer. My repair didn’t fit either circumstance, so there wasn’t any money in it for them.

Rationally, the manufacturer was right.

My car was sold with a warranty that guarantees against these types of problems for a certain period of time. Once that time is passed, those problems are no longer the manufacturer’s responsibility. My car’s warranty had expired.

So, I’m being careful not to call out the brand by name. By the same token, the complete lack of empathy feels cold.

I wasn't expecting to be completely reimbursed for the repair. But nothing? Not even a goodwill gesture? Ouch.

I understand that how I feel about the situation is a mix of both rational and emotional needs. Trust me, emotional needs are far more important than rational ones.

 

It’s the System

What companies should understand is their systems create these emotional disconnects.

  • Companies teach employees to fix problems, not assuage feelings.
  • Companies think in terms of dollars, not goodwill.
  • Companies focus on transactional value, not lifetime value.

Perhaps I should have been more clear. I could have told the dealer and the manufacturer, "I had a terrible experience, and I'd like you to help me feel better about my car."

The problem is customers don't think like that.

They speak in rational terms too. Sometimes, it's hard to understand what you're really feeling in the moment. It seems weird to tell a customer service rep that what you really want is to be emotionally validated. 

Very few employees are trained to decode what customers are really saying. 

I tried to make it clear to the dealer and the manufacturer that I wouldn't buy their brand of car again. They'd both lost my business. I doubt this is tracked.

Most businesses don't have a good system for this. Most employees aren't taught to carefully listen for this information. Very few pass along complaints.

 

Epilogue

Today, my Dad’s feeling great and is in good health. That's what's most important.

My car is driving fine. I think. Something doesn't feel quite right, but I'm not sure whether it's real or imagined. Emotions have a funny way of playing tricks on you like that.

My Favorite Business Books of 2014

Here are some of the best business books I read in 2014. These books are perfect for a last-minute Christmas gift or a good business book to read yourself over the winter holiday.

 

The Effortless Experience

I discovered this book when author Matt Dixon gave a riveting keynote address at ICMI’s CC Expo conference in May. 

The core message is avoiding service failures is a much stronger loyalty driver than delight. Dixon makes a compelling case for finding ways to make service consistently effortless for customers. He offers practical solutions and common-sense tactics than can easily be implemented.

 

What Great Brands Do

Author Denise Lee Yohn makes the compelling argument that branding is more than just a marketing exercise. It’s how to run a business. All departments impact a company’s brand whether it’s operations, R&D, or even customer service.

The book is full of practical examples and hands-on exercises that make it easy to translate the ideas into action.

 

Your Brain at Work

This book offers a fascinating look at how we can improve our success by having a better understanding of how our brains work.

It follows a typical workday for Emily and Paul, who are both overwhelmed with constant emails, meetings, and distractions. The author, David Rock, rewinds the scenes that unfold throughout their day to show us how small changes can lead to big improvements.

I'd be remiss if I didn't also mention my own book, Service Failure. It uncovers hidden reasons that employees struggle with customer service.

Happy Holidays!

How Cheap Retailers Lose Out on Holiday Sales

For customers, holiday shopping means one thing: crowds.

This is good news for retailers. Cash registers are ringing Jingle Bells. Many retailers count on the holiday shopping season to make up the bulk of their profit for the year.

Yet, many retailers still pinch pennies like old Ebenezer Scrooge. That penny pinching many be costing companies even more sales.

A new report from CTS Service Solutions reveals that crowds are driving customers away. The full infographic is below, but here are some findings that really stand out: 

  • 50% have left a store because of parking
  • 62% abandoned a sale due to slow service
  • 70% decided against a purchase rather than wait in a long line

Retailers can follow a few simple steps to capture even more sales this time of year.

Staff Up. Yes, many retailers add employees for the holiday season, but they’re often still chronically short-staffed. Saving just a few sales per hour would more than pay for the extra cost.

Manage Lines. Waiting in line has just as much to do with perception as actual wait time. Check out these tips for lowering customers’ wait time perception. My favorite? Keep customers engaged and keep things moving.

Mobilize Checkout. Okay, this is probably on next year’s wish list, but take a look at this terrific overview in Fortune magazine. One reason customers love the Apple Store so much is you don’t have to wait in line to make a purchase. The associate who assists you takes your payment right then and there. 

Courtesy of: Customers That Stick

Courtesy of: Customers That Stick

Huge crowds can weigh heavily on your employees too. Here are 15 Holiday Tips for Anyone Who Works Retail from Bob Phibbs, The Retail Doctor.