Customer Experience and Organizational Culture – The Missing Link

The way an organization chooses to be thought of by its own employees, customers and the world at large makes its culture. The culture of a company forms an integral part of the overall customer experience management. Here are some important organizational culture considerations which can directly contribute to improved customer experience.

Communicate To All Levels

The culture of care starts from the top and flows to the bottom of the organization. All levels of management and junior staff must be clearly communicated about the seriousness with which the company takes customer experience. This should be conveyed through not only the company’s philosophy but should also be reflected in the form of rewards for employees who have set precedents of exemplary customer service.

For example, if a representative makes tremendous effort in trying to please an angry customer, the company should appreciate his efforts and make it well known for others to follow the example.

Define Service Standards

Complex business processes need to be broken down into simpler terms. Each customer situation has to be planned in a proper manner and a standardized plan of action needs to be built. The service standards must be communicated in a manner that employees at all levels of the organization understand them. Here are some of the examples of customer service standards set in clearer terms.

• Greet the customers in a courteous yet professional manner.
• Make sure customers’ requests are patiently listened to and all necessary actions have been taken on a timely basis.
• Inform the customers about the normal process time for completion of a particular task.

Customer service standards should be drafted out according to the industry in focus and for particular scenarios as well. It is better to plan in advance than have to worry about customer management and service at the last minute.

Delegation of Authority

Empowerment of employees who are dealing with customers on a regular basis is essential for the organization, however, the level of authority may differ. Any organization that needs to immediately resolve customers’ issues must strike balance between giving too much authority or no power at all to resolve issues. For example, sufficient level of autonomy must be given to frontline employees for resolving trivial matters instead of sending every small issue to the senior management for resolution which would increase wait time and impact quality of service delivered.

Setup Customer Feedback Mechanisms

There should be multiple ways and platforms for customers to provide their feedback on. The customers can be provided with phone, email, social media, live chat on website and other ways of giving feedback. This makes it easier for them to share their thoughts.

Hire the Right Talent

Customer facing jobs come with a lot of pressure to perform. In order to become recognized as an organization that takes on all customer related challenges head-on, you must hire people who are capable. A customer service employee, working at any level, must be friendly, possess the ability to work under pressure, and behave in a professional manner at all times. The ability to analyze a situation and offer intelligent solutions can greatly help overcome issues in a proficient manner. Similarly, employees with highly developed people skills like patience, attentiveness, clarity of communication, and those who use positive language greatly help improve customer satisfaction levels.

Positive Reinforcement

Customer service staff must be encouraged and rewarded for the efforts they are putting in. Instead of reprimanding them for their mistakes, teach them how to handle difficult situations. Ask questions and present actual scenarios to them during training workshops and ask them for different ways in which they feel, the situation can be handled better. Encourage and incentivize them to perform better. A positive approach will create a positive attitude for the staff, resulting in improved performance.