The support of devoted service leaders and aligned leadership teams are needed to build and sustain a service culture that is superior. On the side of the leaders, they must evidently communicate the vision, provide effective training, motivate committed action and create an environment that is very encouraging.
Let’s closely examine every one of the 4 points mentioned above to have a better understanding of the critical role of the effective leadership team in building an organization's service culture that is inspiring and sustainable.
1. Set a Clear Vision and Purpose
Leaders must envision a service that is value adding to customers and employees. A service vision that is powerful will inspire the aspirations of your team as well as reflect on their service commitment.
Identify the reason you want to build a better service culture. Why do you think it is important to customers? What are the things your organization can accomplish if they strongly and creatively focus more on superior service delivery?
The service vision must explicitly address these concerns and should be meaningful to employees rendering service to customers, as well as to members of staff providing service to colleagues. If your desire is to get your frontline personnel to render exceptional service, you must build the world-class standard of service all through the organization.
2. Ensure Service Training which is to be followed by Constructive Action
As you introduce new customer service training programs in your organization, your staff will gain knowledge of new terms, differences, practices and basic principles to improve service delivery. However, it's only effective when the things learnt are implemented, and in turn, add new value to others.
At all times, pay attention to new actions and innovative ideas from your employees – the frontline team in particular since they interact more with your customers. Their suggestions on how service can be improved, and then be assessed by your leadership team, after which the required resources will be made available.
3. Be an Inspiration to your Entire Organization
Leadership must ensure that building a superior service culture is a continuum and a top priority for the organization. It has to be uplifting and inspiring. Leaders must lead by example – people must see that you are committed, by encouraging culture building activities throughout the organization.
The task to build a culture of exceptional service in an organization is neither the sole responsibility of the Human resource or Customer service department. It must be maintained by you as the leader and every member of that organization.
Your duty is to inspire every team member by clearly communicating the importance of service excellence to customers and colleagues. Following your leadership enables every employee to become conscious of their commitment, actions, and duty to add to the success of your organization.
4. Create an Environment that is Conducive for Service
When you introduce something new, expect that mistakes can be made. Your responsibility as a leader is to take, assess, and control these risks. Turn errors into learning occasions, convert “oops” into opportunities. Let it be an avenue to motivate every team member to keep learning, keep improving and keep growing.
It's easy to talk-the-talk but extremely challenging to follow through with actions. Leaders must be willing and ready to leave their comfort zones and genuinely get involved. When you embrace these four main steps of building a superior service culture, it will set you up or further take you along an established path to success.
See more under the courses on customer service provided by Atton Institute Dubai.