Maximizing customer service efforts is not one-size-fits-all as consumers continue to evolve by the day. Figuring out how to best serve your customers may be the exact reason you’ve visited CustomerThink in the first place, to learn customer service strategies from other business leaders and professionals. One part of your company you may not think impacts customer service is company culture, but it actually can have a huge impact.
On the surface, customer experience and company culture might look like two separate entities, but an engaging company culture can enhance the experience for your customers in many ways. Below are two culture principles we have incorporated at TCC that have helped us hold best-in-class customer service scores among retailers nationwide.
Implement a culture of service
Effective customer service can be even more important than the products or services you sell when attracting loyal customers. In fact, 86% of buyers are willing to pay more for a better customer experience. Disengaged employees, however, are less likely to make their best effort when serving customers. This can be resolved by incorporating a culture of service for your employees.
Creating this type of culture can be done in a variety of ways, starting with keeping an open door policy from your leadership team that extends to every part of your workforce. Companies must look for ways to have constant lines of communication throughout their organization, ensuring transparency and consistency no matter the situation. Allowing employees to come to any part of the executive team with questions or concerns shows them their voices are heard and that they matter.
Implementing a culture of service will help employees take the same principles they’ve received from their leadership team and utilize them in their interactions with customers. At TCC we’ve seen our transparent culture of service provide our employees with optimal tools to properly interact with consumers, which has helped us consistently gain new and retain current customers.
Empower employees to give back to their community
Customers continue to evolve each day and more are looking for companies that are passionate about the communities they serve and share similar values with them. For millennial consumers specifically, 81% said they expect companies to be proper corporate citizens in their communities.
Giving back should be seen as a core business pillar this year for companies looking to grow their customer base. One way to do this is by leading philanthropic events that benefit the communities your companies serve. At TCC, we execute philanthropic community events each quarter. These initiatives range from donating backpacks filled with school supplies to students ahead of the school year to providing hygiene kits to foster care children in our communities. Companies should discover what their communities are most passionate about and look for innovative ways to benefit those causes.
Giving back is another way employees can be more engaged in the communities your company serves. Encourage your employees to take the lead in these programs, select the organizations where donations will go to and strategically execute each initiative. This will give employees the opportunity to positively contribute to their community themselves while connecting with customers on a more personal level. Your customers might just be your neighbors in the community, and many can benefit from your philanthropic efforts. Implementing initiatives like these can help employees be more engaged in their community and show customers that the organization as a whole prioritizes giving back.
When trying to improve customer experience in your business, it may be wise to first look internally and solve how you can best serve your employees. Serve your employees as well as you serve customers and give them opportunities to make lasting impacts on consumers beyond business transactions. In a time when personal connections and interactions are at a premium, it may make the difference in your overarching success.
