Providing excellent customer service is part of what makes your business great. You know how important your customers are, but did you know that creating better experience for your customers starts with creating a better experience for your employees? You can apply customer service fundamentals to internal employee interactions to better support your workforce. This can boost employee satisfaction, increase productivity, streamline processes, reduce acquisition costs, and improve external customer service. Here is how you can make internal customer service work for you and your team:
Foster an Environment of Mutual Accountability
At its core, exceptional customer service is about building trust. Just as your customers trust you to care for their needs, it is important that your employees can trust that their needs will be met as well. Supporting your employees in their roles and ensuring they understand their responsibilities empowers them to honor their commitments. This includes commitments to their team, to customers, and to the business as whole. When everyone is accountable, everyone can be counted on.
Foster an environment of mutual accountability by:
- Setting clear and realistic expectations
- Finding opportunities for employees to utilize their strengths
- Creating avenues for open and honest communication
- Rewarding employees when they hold themselves and their team accountable
Practice Active Listening
Research shows that over 60% of the time we spend communicating is spent either listening or reading[1]. With so much of our time devoted to interpreting information, it is important to remember that listening is a skill we can all practice and improve upon. Developing strong active listening skills can mitigate misunderstandings and help your customers feel valued and cared for. The same goes for your employees. Here’s how you can be an A+ active listener:
- Attention – Show the other person that they have your full attention by minimizing distractions, not interrupting, and using positive body language and tone to show your interest.
- Awareness – Be aware of the context of the situation. Are there other factors to take into consideration along with what the other person is telling you?
- Ask – Ask clarifying questions to ensure you have all the relevant information.
- Affirm – Paraphrase key ideas to confirm your understanding. Let them know that you understand how they feel.
- Absorb – Take the time to sit with the information and consider what the other person is trying to communicate before jumping to respond.
Follow Through
As the old adage goes, “actions speak louder than words”. The data supports this too, as shown in a study by the Center for Creative Leadership. In this study, employees were asked to reflect on two workplace incidents: one where they felt listened to and one where they did not. 85% of the ‘listened to’ incidents involved leaders taking action, whereas 98% of the ‘not listened to’ incidents suffered from no action from leaders.
When your customers come to you with feedback or concerns, you make sure they feel cared for by offering solutions and following through on your promises. Doing the same for your employees goes a long way when it comes to ensuring your workforce is happy and has the support they need to do their best work.
Key Takeaways
- Give your employees the same great service you give to customers
- Make sure your employees feel like they can speak up, feel heard, and find resolutions
- Remember that happier employees = a better experience for your customers
[1] Wilga M Rivers and Mary S Temperley, A Practical Guide to The Teaching of English As A Second Language (New York: Oxford University Press, 1978).