"Our Take" - Service Values

(Past Editions by: Date, Title, Topic)

 
About "Our Take" 
"Our Take" is a collection of daily vignettes covering a wide range of CRM topics. It's an attempt to add our own spin to the world of CRM. We will use the column to share our perspectives, opinions, epiphanies, web nuggets, or quite frankly anything that moves us. Get ready to expect the unexpected. And, don't be shy about sharing your thoughts.
 
 
6/26/06 - Thinking For Yourself
Ritz-Carlton has often been associated with a level of unwavering service. One key business tool for the hotel chain is a set of 20 rules referred to as "Ritz-Carlton Basics." For instance, guests are to be greeted with the more formal "Good Morning" rather than the relaxed "Hello."
 
But now the "Basics" are changing. Confronted with an evolving and more diverse clientele, the basic rules don't necessarily apply to everyone. So the 20 rules are becoming the 12 "service values" and employees are being asked to think for themselves.
 
These changes can help hotel employees add a bit more personality to the service experience. However, that puts a much heavier burden on the front line to think on their feet and use situational judgment. Regardless of how it turns out for Ritz-Carlton, let me ask you the following questions: 1) Could your front line employees recite your company's service values; 2) Are you training and empowering your front line employees to think on their feet to the diverse needs of your customers?
 
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
 
6/27/06 - Service Values
Yesterday, I shared the story about the "Ritz-Carlton Basics," a list of 20 service dos and don'ts, and how they are being reincarnated as 12 "service values." All employees are expected to execute their jobs within the framework of these service values but are still permitted to think outside the box to tailor the customer experience to the individual needs of each hotel guest.
 
Using Ritz-Carlton as an example, I challenged readers to evaluate whether their front line employees would know their organization's service values. That question prompted one reader to write, "Good start, Gary. Now if call center reps can recite some cute saying on demand but it is not reflected in what they do, then all that has been accomplished is to take the "Mission Statement Game" from a meaningless poster on the wall to a meaningless mantra."
 
This is a very valid perspective. So, let me re-phrase the question. "Can your front line employees recite your company's service values, and do their actions reflect the proper internalization of those service values?"
 
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
 
6/28/06 - Misdirected Question
Yesterday I posed a question about empowerment as it relates to servicing customers. The specific question was, "Can your front line employees recite your company's service values, and do their actions reflect the proper internalization of those service values?"
 
One reader responded by saying, "Your question is valid, but misdirected. Call center reps are being measured on numbers, not values. How many calls did you take, how fast did you pick up? How quickly did you address the issue?" He went on to say, "The question you asked should be asked of management, and how they empower their employees."
 
That is a fair response. However, if front line employees have embraced service values with their actions and their words, I think it would also be a fair assumption that it happened because of enlightened, empowered, and passionate management. Do you agree?
 
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)