Two of the biggest problems caused by the same company when employees seek to help customers without success are the lack of an internal service culture in the organization and the lack of decision-making authority for the benefit of the customer. This article abounds on the first of these important items to be taken into account by any organization.
In previous articles we analyzed some of the reasons or causes why organizations are poorly evaluated by their clients, regarding the service: the first is the breach of promises to sell or service (contact 125) The second reason is related to the lack of adequate and complete training for customer contact personnel (contact 126). On this occasion we will analyze the third great cause of this phenomenon, and in a next issue we will focus on studying what is related to the deployment of authority or empowerment.
The third major reason why organizations do not make customers perceive an appropriate service attitude stems from the problem experienced by customer contact employees who, although they want to help them, do not receive the necessary support from the company.
Entrepreneurs and executives make a big mistake in thinking that hiring service-minded staff will improve customer evaluations; In other words, we consider that with an adequate contract, the organization will not require any other activity.
We often hear employers or executives complain about employees with little or no service attitude, not realizing that the way the organization operates is not intended for the end customer - let alone the employees who provide it. face to customers.
In reality, in many cases it is the way in which companies operate that inhibits, hinders or damages spontaneous service attitudes among employees, especially due to the lack of a culture of internal service in the organization and the lack of authority. (empowerment) for decision making for the benefit of the client. Then we will abound in the cultural problem.
Lack of service culture
There are a large number of companies that sincerely seek to improve the service they provide to their clients, but focusing their efforts solely on the personnel in contact with the final client. And it is these collaborators who are blamed for the poor service customers receive, when in reality the service is the end result of the efforts of all - or almost all - areas of the organization.
Demanding from the trenches employees a quality service in a company where the other areas are excluded from the process of measuring and taking responsibility for the service, or in a company where an equal effort is not encouraged in the other areas, is a utopia that It is ineffective and expensive for organizations.
The lack of a culture of internal service is a serious cause that damages the enthusiasm of contact employees. What can a person with an interest in helping a client achieve, but without team support? Not much or nothing.
Imagine the room service manager in a hotel, understanding the annoyance of the customer who complains about not receiving the dish he chose, offers to bring him the dish originally requested.
The collaborator in contact with the client has fully carried out his work, however when he arrives at the kitchen department they tell him that 'there is no longer any service', or 'I made the dish they asked me for, if you made a mistake in ordering it is not my problem 'or' yes, I was wrong, but I need my immediate boss's order to change it and he is not here right now ', or' my shift is over, wait for the next one '. With this lack of support will trench employees be able to help customers?
If you are someone who thinks that an employee with the right attitude should call the kitchen manager or the operations manager or the general to resolve the injustice to the customer, it is our duty to tell you that the more difficult it is for anyone to do their job the more complicated it will be to obtain the desired results. Even, it is not uncommon that, despite the fact that the employee goes to the superiors - and they are not always available -, for a small margin of waiting, the client can get more annoyed and can choose to cancel the order.
But there is more. Even managing to recover the client, the common practice of going to supervisors to solve internal service problems undermines the relationships between departments and, in addition, they lead to a change in the opinions of the same supervisors.
Even sometimes executives, after so much insistence from the trench employees, begin to lose credibility (it seems incredible that there are so many problems with customers, when it is only a reflection of the reality of the company) and return to their operational vision that the customer may not be right, which would be catastrophic.
With the friction with other departments, the possible distrust of the executives and the constant demand to discern, confront and go to many instances to solve a problem (worse if it is a simple or recurring problem), the enthusiasm of the personnel of Contact. The more problems you have to go through to help an end customer (that is, with someone else's problem), the more tempted you will be to not help them or to look for an organization where you feel more support; both situations cause the service problem to reoccur.
In many companies where an internal service culture is not promoted, most of the functions or activities are not carried out properly. The plans (production, maintenance, systems, etc.) are not met, nor are the deadlines, teamwork does not exist and for a department to obtain a service from another area of the same organization, it must abide by the time and conditions - sometimes even exaggerated - imposed by the provider areas.
What can contact employees do if systems, policies, procedures, and even peers act against or against the customer?
Thus, many times the policies and procedures are extraordinary excuses to ensure that internal clients do not 'get away with it' (that is, that they do not obtain anything outside of standard times or nothing by exception), despite the fact that it is for the benefit to an injured customer. This position generates that the client receives a lousy service and that the trench employees are demoralized when they find that there is no support in their complex and very important work.
In order for a customer to perceive the correct service attitude in a person, companies must promote and strengthen an internal service culture to ensure that they have all the necessary support to captivate the customer.
Lack of an internal service culture is a serious cause that damages the enthusiasm of contact employees.
What can a person with an interest in helping a client achieve, but without team support?
How to do it?
Consider the following to start creating a service culture effectively:
- As in all areas of total quality, we must create a common organizational concept (quality of service, in this case) emphasizing the two most important activities for the end customer - and that will also be for the internal customer -, which are compliance and service attitude. Remember that it will be necessary to measure the performance in terms of internal service, to monitor the progress or progress of the project. It is important that the causes of poor internal service are measured so that the points susceptible to improvement can be identified.
The creation and promotion of a culture of internal service allows obtaining better results with end customers and in organizations, since less effort is required to achieve results and the synergy of teamwork allows finding more appropriate and economic ways to satisfy to the clients.
The internal service culture will greatly help employees to obtain support from their peers at a similar level in the organizations and this favors a better coordination of activities and favors the resolution of a considerable part of problems that arise with clients in the services that receive.
If in your company you want to provide a quality service to your customers, but no action is taken to give them the support that contact employees need to achieve it, it is certain that their 'wise objectives' will remain in the dark… and their precious ones clients may stay with their competition. Of this we will abound more in our next collaboration.
