Most people don’t choose to deliver poor customer service; they just don’t choose to deliver exceptional customer service. Most are content to simply occupy a customer service role and execute their job functions, blissfully unaware of the opportunities they forfeit daily to demonstrate exceptional customer service behaviors. Awareness is key.
Employees will only be aware of job purpose (as a relevant and credible dimension of their job role) if leadership and, in particular, their immediate supervisor, reinforces it by communicating it daily—in words and deeds. Most employees are unaware of their purpose—their highest priority—at work. If you were to ask,
Last fall I traveled to Philadelphia to meet up with several colleagues at a downtown hotel. At check-in, I received a room key emblazoned with the image of a specialty cocktail. After pocketing the key, I grabbed my bag, and headed toward the elevators. In the elevator lobby I noticed
My customer service philosophy is predicated on the truth that exceptional customer service is always voluntary. Employees don’t have to deliver it, and most don’t. But what do employees have to do? They have to execute mandatory, assigned job functions (duties and tasks associate with their job roles). Employees must
There is a phenomenon in the services industry (some might say, an affliction) that I’ll refer to as ‘casual indifference.’ Its occurrence is not rare. Casual indifference by uninspired employees toward the needs and expectations of customers is rampant. Casual indifference is demonstrated by retail employees who pass within five
When asked about his approach to work during an interview, the late J.W. Marriott, Sr. said, “There aren’t these two opposites, work and play, one bad and the other good. It’s having a vision of the way things ought to be, and then making them that way.” Keep in mind
This morning, my 9-year-old daughter asked me for a word that rhymes with “all.” She was writing a Mother’s Day poem and grappling with a verse to follow “Your love blooms for all.” The accompanying picture she had drawn contained a row of tall, colorful flowers, so I suggested, “Like
I’ve been a Tom Peters fan since being introduced to his teachings in my first management role at Marriott International more than 20 years ago. Frequently contrarian and counter-intuitive, Peters often says: “Soft is hard and hard is soft.” This applies to “soft skills” such as listening or customer service
This is the sixth 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: Is the ability to create delighted customers something that can be taught or something that is inherent in the employee’s
The Revelation Conversation is Here!
