Customer Service - Personal/Professional Achievement - Telephone Skills

Customer Service - Getting from “Department” to “My part meant…”

Choose the correct response:
“Let me connect you with customer service” really means…

"Sir, I have no idea what you're talking about.”
“Look, lady, it's not my problem.”
“I really don't have time for this.”
All of the above.

Unfortunately, in all too many organizations, it appears that “d” is the correct response. I have a challenge for you – look in a mirror and ask yourself, “What does that question really mean in your organization?”

You see, customer service is not a department – customer service is an attitude. And attitudes are contagious! Is yours worth catching? I'm not advocating anarchy here – “Down with the Customer Service Department” is not a practical solution to the ever-growing disenchantment with the state of customer service. What is practical and what does work is a repositioning of service from “Department” to “My part meant…”, where everyone in the organization recognizes that they are in customer service (whether internal or external) and all have a part in the service function. The General Manager of a phenomenally successful box manufacturer I've worked with summed it up as well as I've ever heard it put – “Everybody in this operation is a customer of the operation that preceded theirs.” Everyone knows that their part is a vital part of the success (or failure) of the entire operation.

How is such a “My part meant…” attitude instilled, nurtured and made contagious throughout an organization? Not coincidentally, the word “PRAISE” serves as an acronym for how this can be accomplished.

Praise. In what is still regarded as a classic book on workplace success, Tom Peters and Bob Waterman said the simple, easy-to-do act of paying positive attention to people has a huge impact on productivity. Dale Carnegie said it best, “Be hearty in your approbation and lavish in your praise.” In other words, tell 'em they 'done good'! I can hear you saying, “Tell who they 'done good'?” Tell everybody! And praise is no more exclusively the job of the boss than service is the job of a “Department”. “My part meant…” employees know it's o.k. to praise co-workers, other departments, vendors, bosses, because they recognize that everybody is a part of their success.

Responsibility. Of all the killer phrases uttered in the workplace, “That's not my job” is perhaps the most lethal to customer service. For that phrase, more than any other totally relinquishes responsibility. “My part meant…” people know that it is their job, whatever the job is. Now I'm not suggesting that everyone in the organization needs to be able to do everything that needs to be done; that's obviously impossible. I am suggesting, however, that everyone needs to know how to get the customer (internal or external) in touch with the right information or the right people. “My part meant…” employees know that they have the responsibility – and privilege – to be part of solutions.

Attitude. We've already discussed that customer service is an attitude, and not a department. Dr. William James, the founder of modern psychology, put it best a century ago when he said, “The greatest discovery of my generation is that man can control his life by controlling his attitude of mind.” And attitude is best defined as “how we choose to respond” to situations. “My part meant…” people recognize that they cannot control everything that happens – late deliveries, co-worker absenteeism, angry customers, policy changes - but they can control their response.

Involvement. In our seminars I'll frequently write “TEAIMWORK” on the flipchart and wait for the obvious response (and corresponding groans!) – there is no “I” in teamwork. Trite? Yes, but true! You'll never hear a “My part meant…” employee say “them” or “they” when referring to the organization – you'll always hear “we” or “us.” You'll hear, “'I'm sorry we let you down”, not “those people in shipping”. Why? Because in this kind of organization everybody is in customer service.

Self-esteem. It's impossible to recount the times I've heard the expression, “I'm just a customer service rep.” Though I've learned to suppress a pained facial expression, I cannot stop the grimace in my heart! Those six words shout that customer service is not valued very highly in the organization, that it is probably perceived as a necessary evil. Nobody is just an anything. As the great poet Walt Whitman observed, “I am as bad as the worst, but, thank God, I am as good as the best.” Service excellence requires that everyone recognize their importance in projecting the image of the organization, no matter their role. Self-esteem can be defined as “How much I like myself.” Nobody can be any more effective in working with others than the degree to which they feel good about themselves. Let people know – tell and show - that they matter in the organization, and they will understand that their part does mean a lot.

Empowerment. “I'll have to check with…” is rarely heard from a “My part meant…” employee. Their goal, and the goal of their organization, is for them to be able to handle it. In those situations where they can't – when it is necessary to check with someone else – they'll say something like, “I'll be happy to check with…”, rather than “I'll have to check with…”; a small, but significant difference.

It has been said that the best way (indeed, Dale Carnegie said the only way) to get somebody to do something is by making the other person want to do it. In other words, give them a motive for action. See how much that resembles motivation? My many years in customer service have made it abundantly clear that you can't motivate anybody to do anything. But you can create the kind of environment in which an employee wants to do something – in other words, true motivation comes from within. The motivation that “My part meant…” employees have comes from their knowledge that they play a meaningful role in the organization's success – that their contributions matter.

Roy Lantz is a speaker and seminar leader whose newest book, Never Beat the Boss at Horseshoes… was just published. He is also author of The Care and Keeping of Customers.