Why is it that some companies are able to provide great customer service while others can't? Your employees can be polite and courteous to customers but no matter how hard they try, there is always something standing in the way of your customers receiving a positive impression of your services.

Ask yourself if these barriers exist at your company. They could be responsible for preventing your employees from delivering the level of service you want.

1. Not listening to your employees--the ones that deal with your customers. Who knows best what is working or not working as far as your customer service policies are concerned? Who knows where the breakdowns in service are occurring? Your frontline people of course. Develop a system to listen to them on a regular basis. One company I'm working with has a brief staff meeting once a week to discuss, "What's dumb, what needs to be different?" They have been able to eliminate many customer service barriers this way.
2. You promise more than you can deliver, therefore setting demotivating goals for your employees. It usually is another division in the service chain that promises a little too much to get the business. Then customer service reps have to deliver it! I once worked with a medical clinic that wanted all of their employees to wear buttons proclaiming, "We never say no." "But can you always say, 'yes,' to a patient or their family?" I inquired. "Well, no. Sometimes we can't let them do something for government or health reasons," they replied. "Then don't promise it," I said. "It's a recipe for unhappy customers." Promise only what you are sure you can deliver.
3. Customer service representatives or sales clerks do not have the authority to solve most of the customer's problems. If your employees have to follow rigid guidelines in their handling of customer situations, and most of the decisions are made somewhere up the line, you might as well have a robot doing the work. You must give your people the power and authority to solve the customer's problems. Yes, you do need to set some boundaries. After all you can't let them "give away the store." But make those boundaries wide and long. Give them lots of options that they can satisfy the customer.

So, what about your organization? Are stupid policies, rules and regulations standing in the way of delivering exceptional customer service? Why not call a meeting right now to find out what you need to change?

Editor www.highako.com Highako.com is a video-first microlearning platform trusted by over 10,000+ Credit and Collections professionals. Drive skill growth with role-specific, expert video lessons. Measure practical expertise through hands-on assessments. Connect and collaborate with the largest credit community and get access to ready-to-use templates.

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