Meet my new favorite employee at Krispy Kreme, Jackie and see how changing your customer service culture can change your company’s future profits
https://www.petevanbaalen.com/home/changing-your-customer-service-culture-to-change-your-future-profits
Focusing on the customer is easy to say, but harder than you’d think to pull off. It always sounds good in a conference room, during some management retreat or even on the plaque you place in the lobby of your company. But once you actually introduce the customer into the equation, it gets difficult.
But it’s not impossible. Being customer focused means creating a culture that builds up employees through training and by the company practicing what it preaches with every interaction it has with internal candidates. It is after that practice is established that the employees can and will provide that same experience to the paying customers.
Changing culture involves an intentional process to improve how you do business. I had a former employer who was convinced that the best way to improve culture was to post internet mimes on attitude and then pass out bagels every few months. His actions did not match his desire. Lasting and meaningful change is more than passing interest from a CEO.
The Ritz-Carlton Hotel is internationally recognized as a customer service leader. They start with their creed: “We are Ladies and Gentlemen serving Ladies and Gentlemen." That is a very classy and very bold statement to make, and one that they work hard to uphold. Their training programs are industry leading, and it shows in every aspect of their business.
Leadership at The Ritz-Carlton has made a commitment to their employees, knowing that commitment will translate to their customers and provide long term success for their organization. This is evident in their commitment to employees:
The Employee Promise
At The Ritz-Carlton, our Ladies and Gentlemen are the most important resource in our service commitment to our guests.
By applying the principles of trust, honesty, respect, integrity and commitment, we nurture and maximize talent to the benefit of each individual and the company.
The Ritz-Carlton fosters a work environment where diversity is valued, quality of life is enhanced, individual aspirations are fulfilled, and The Ritz-Carlton Mystique is strengthened.
By building a strong workplace environment, the brand of The Ritz-Carlton is strengthened. Isn’t that what every business ultimately wants?
In most cases you have to start by making your statement an aspiration, and then work on a plan over time that will help rise your organization to that high level. You and your organization need to have strong resolve, because this will take time. You’ll need to mark your progress not in days or weeks, but in months and years. But it is possible, and the potential pay off is big. The companies that build company loyalty through customer experience, like Southwest Airlines, Ritz-Carlton and Starbucks enjoy prolonged growth and stronger than trends profits. It will also mean strong employee loyalty, which can reduce employee turnover. The future of workforces in the coming 10 to 20 years means that finding and keeping qualified employees is important.
Improving customer experiences is a training opportunity that doesn’t cost any money. And I’m not taking about a one time event. Your organization has to plan out training over time to truly change your culture. This doesn’t mean you have to take the entire team for an off-site meeting. You can talk to your staff and give them the power to provide superior customer service. You trust them, and will back them up to make great decisions to wow the customer. While there are many resources available; from books to websites to Ted Talks and YouTube. In fact, let me provide you with your first training session. The training is for your business, your team or even just yourself.
Jia Jiang created a blog to help him deal with rejection, “100 Days Of Rejection Therapy” is a funny and thought provoking look at life. His goal was to learn rejection by immersing himself in it. Something funny happened along the way; not everyone rejected him. In this video, you’ll meet Jia and Jackie, an employee from Krispy Kreme. Jackie is an empowered employee who connects with customers, even when they ask crazy things. Yet she wanted to make the customer happy, satisfied and an evangelist for your brand to others. Is that everyone’s goal in business, with each customer interaction?
So how would your team react to a crazy customer request? Are your employees empowered to say “yes” to customers? When your employees are saying yes to customers, you are building customer and employee loyalty. A loyal customer will become an evangelist for your brand, helping to attract more customers.
I’ve never been a super big fan of Krispy Kreme. After viewing this video I’m more of a fan now of that product. And I’m a huge fan of Jackie. I’m much more likely have a positive impression of Krispy Kreme going forward, which translates to more revenue.
