Remember the old saying, “There is no time like the present?”  It’s so true!  When things need to change the best time to start is now.  Successful organizations need to adapt, grow and develop a culture that promotes service excellence otherwise they will be left to ponder, “Where have all the customers gone?”  The following is a brief summary on how the organization, the individual employee and the customer have a role in the promotion of a culture of service excellence.

The Organization:

Culture is shared beliefs, values and attitudes and a generally accepted way of doing things.  Developing a culture of service excellence will take time and patience by all staff and cannot be put into place by decree.

Organizations must adopt and nurture an environment of caring about customers and about each other.

Sample Guidelines:

- Be aware of what your customers are saying about you and your product.
- Be clear with employee expectations both with the customer and their coworkers.
- Let the public in on the good work you are doing! 
- Have Fun!

The Individual:

Ask yourself and your staff:

What is it that you bring to the workplace that enhances the customer experience and supports a healthy working environment? 

Your responses are what I call Personal Success Factors.  They represent your current qualities, strengths and attitudes.  Personal Success Factors are the foundation on which to the culture of customer service excellence is built.

Personal success factors build the human side of the business and move you towards a service-oriented rather than a task-oriented environment.   It is the difference between “Have a nice day, NEXT!” to “It was great to see you in the store again, be sure to check back next week for our new summer products.”

This builds loyalty.  Loyalty is built one customer at a time and the emphasis is on building rapport and trust through careful listening, empathy and personal touches.   A satisfied customer means repeat business that just keeps on giving!

The Customer:

To talk about culture and the customer you first need to examine the subtle and not so subtle ways we influence the overall shopping experience. 

The way customers behave in your store may have been influence well before entering.  We often form opinions or expectations through various points of contact such as the website, the telephone, the parking lot or just by walking towards the store and trying to figure the window display.  If any of these points of contact produce frustration, confusion or delays then a negative expectation is set up.

Customers expect their shopping experience to be efficient, productive and entertaining.  They may not expect all three to happen at once but two out of three would great!  

Customers also want to be noticed, valued and appreciated by the people with whom they do business with.  The added bonus of ‘Thank you” can go along way.

Promoting a culture of Customer Service Excellence begins with focusing on what is best for the customer and then taking action on all levels to deliver a ‘Whatever it takes” approach to customer service. 

Nothing is received until something is given.  What can you give to your customers today that will begin this cycle?