An observation: While employees consistently execute the mandatory job functions (duties/tasks) for which they are paid, they inconsistently demonstrate the voluntary job essence (service behaviors) for which there is little or no additional cost to the employer. Why do you suppose that is? Possibly it’s because their duties and tasks
This is the third post in a series that will explore a set of questions I received from participants during a recent webinar on the topic of customer service. Question: How can you incent or encourage voluntary behaviors that get to customer delight if it’s not part of the expected
If you want to find out just how bad customer service is, go buy something. It hardly even matters where you go, who you call, or which website you visit. Sure, there are exceptions—those fabled companies that spring to mind when one thinks about legendary customer service: Zappos, Disney, L.L.Bean,
This morning I stopped by my local King Soopers to pick up a few groceries. One of the items on my list was a pound of sliced turkey from the deli counter. Sometimes I pass on deli meat if there’s a wait but today I was in luck as there
Like many who read this blog, I am a student of customer service. I’m interested in books on the subject, discussing the topic with others, speaking and writing about it and, of course, critiquing the service I receive as a customer. One of the questions that’s often discussed and debated
In my seminars, I talk a lot about job function and job essence. To me, recognizing the difference between them is central to understanding why customer service delivery is so predictably poor. Awareness is key. People don’t know what they don’t know. The first thing I would do to increase
Last week, I worked in Freeport on the island of Grand Bahama for a client in the insurance industry. Over lunch she questioned whether or not the essence of an employee’s job could be captured in his job function. My reply was that job essence and job function were separate
Many companies use terms like “guest” and “partner” to convey the intimacy they have with their customers but the reality is that most employees, when given the opportunity, do not behave as though they are serving a valued guest. If you’d like to test this assertion, simply show up at
Earlier today I received this note from a friend, Evan Crist, and just had to share: We were traveling from Denver to Phoenix for some fun in the sun when Southwest Airlines lived up to their reputation for spontaneous entertainment and pleasing service. (I love the line, “If you are
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