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The ‘Startup Era’ is responsible for introducing many colorful phrases and compound words into the global lexicon. This fresh terminology includes elevator pitch, bootstrapping, freemium, and even company culture. Company Culture, in particular, has come to define an organization’s overall ‘feel’ or personality. When scouts go on recruitment drives at colleges and universities, it is the company culture that they hope to hook the future employees with. Depending on a number of factors, including the average worker’s age, key products, history, the company’s vision, and management style, the company culture defines what is expected of the employee. This is especially true when their immediate supervisor or key decision-maker is unavailable. Culture equips an employee with the know-how to successfully navigate challenging situations at the workplace. No matter the industry type, company culture has an undeniable impact on customer service quality.

Bulls-Eye: Keeping Your (Brand) Promise

Imagine there is a bakery that has the word ‘punctuality’ emblazoned across its social media profiles. The bakery team is expected to uphold that promise with on-time deliveries.  An owner ensures service quality by equipping the workplace with all the required tools, and materials. This can include a third-party delivery service or a refrigerated truck with driver for custom cake orders.  If there is a delivery mishap, positive company culture encourages employees to resolve the issue to the customer’s satisfaction. A company’s mission, values statement, and slogan all play a crucial role in cultivating an organization’s culture. They usually embody an organization’s service philosophy.  It is when the leadership acts upon them that the employees see these statements for more than just words.

‘Home’ Away from Home: Boosting Employee Engagement

T-shirts, baseball caps, notebooks, pens, and laptop bags – these are some of the examples of branded goods that can create a sense of comradery in the workplace. Aside from branded paraphernalia, what actually fosters employee loyalty is work that they feel proud of, a supervisor that they respect, and an office environment that makes them feel right at home. This ‘togetherness’ can easily translate into improved employee morale. Other small gestures that contribute to a positive company culture include celebrating birthdays, generous leave policies, open-door policy, and perks like catered lunches.  Relaxed, happily-engaged employees deliver superior customer service. Along with treating the customers right, management must also make employees feel like an integral part of the organization. If employees do not feel valued, their dissatisfaction can hamper their quality of work and eventually, the overall customer experience.

Head-start: Customer Service Skills

A key component of positive company culture is an organization-wide understanding of the service philosophy. Every single team member must understand what is meant by ‘quality customer service’ at their workplace. Some managers achieve that by asking corporate trainers to deliver experiential workshops. These workshops can deviate from the standard classroom format. Instead of pulling up a presentation, facilitators can employ training games, and role-playing activities with the participants.  It is recommended that regularly-scheduled customer service training sessions form the bedrock of a skills development program. On-going skills-based trainings help employees work in teams, enhance their customer service skills, and boost their productivity.

A resilient company culture results in sustainable business. Interacting with a motivated, happily-engaged employee can often be enough to transform a one-time visitor into a lifelong customer.  Luckily, this potential lies within the grasp of each team member. Every employee is responsible for their part in developing the company culture at their workplace. The same goes for the overall customer service quality. With the aid of training sessions and open dialogue, an organization’s leadership can ensure that their company culture reflects their customer service philosophy.