Encyclopedia of Leadership

HOW TO USE THIS LEADERSHIP TOOL

“Good is not good where better is expected.”

—Thomas Fuller

Consider having each member of your workgroup or team complete this assessment indepen-

dently, then come together to review and discuss the ratings. Develop action plans to improve

upon your current level of customer service.

WEB WORKSHEET

As you set improvement targets, remember this: Measurable criteria that are common to a

production orientation (e.g., inventory turnover), although useful, may be insufficient mea-

sures of customer service. [☛2.8 Balanced Scorecard]

Given the customer service ratings you have provided, use this worksheet to describe how

well your workgroup or team is doing on each of the essentials of customer service. Use the

third column to plan future improvement.

388 SECTION 12 TOOLS FORLEADINGRELATIONSHIPS

Develop easy-to-

use services.

Make your

guarantee simple.

Train and

empower service

employees.

✔ Make it easy for customers to know where to go for help. Eliminate red tape. Develop unique,

flexible, and customized solutions for customers.

✔ Don’t force customers to run organizational mazes. The first person to talk with the customer

needs to take responsibility for helping that customer contact the right person in the

organization.

✔ Provide follow-up contact for major customers.

[☛2.1 Systems Thinking]

✔ Don’t force your customers to jump through hoops to complain. Evasion antagonizes people

more than simply saying, “We can’t do it.”

✔ Provide a small reward of some kind to the customer, to make up for the hassle factor (e.g.,

offering a free dessert if the service has been inadequate in a restaurant).

✔ Set high expectations for this service, and train employees to meet these expectations.

✔ Reward employees for meeting or exceeding customer service standards.

✔ Treat employees the way you want them to treat customers. In a way, they are your

customers!

✔ Ensure that employees know their authority and how to use it.

✔ Define clear service processes, like how to deal with a complaint, and remove organizational

barriers (e.g., cumbersome approvals) so employees can respond quickly to customer needs.

✔ A key service factor is the personal relationship between a customer and an individual service

provider. Consider assigning specific employees to handle major customers.

[☛14.3 Needs Analysis, 14.4 Adult Learning, 14.5 On-Job Training]

Responsiveness(“We are available when customers want us.”) 0 | | | | 5 | | | | 10

Service Processes and Equipment(e.g., billing, inventory control, training) 0 | | | | 5 | | | | 10

Assurance(“Our actions inspire trust and confidence.”) 0 | | | | 5 | | | | 10

Empathy(“We provide individualized attention.”) 0 | | | | 5 | | | | 10

Reliability(“We perform as promised.”) 0 | | | | 5 | | | | 10

Rate from 0 to 10

Service dimensions (0 = poor to 10 = great)