The Power of a Service Excellence Sustainability Plan

After attending our one-day session “The Leadership Toolkit for Creating and Sustaining a Culture of Service Excellence” most participants leave with a renewed sense of self-motivation and accountability for driving excellence.

However, without the proper tools and resources to elevate customer service to the next level many leaders allow their work environments to slowly revert back into the same old ineffective, non-customer centric mode.

Creating a Service Excellence Sustainability Plan not only helps leaders identify gaps that may be standing in the way of their team performing at optimal levels and providing exceptional customer service, but it also helps them put in proper perspective how they will overcome barriers to achieving and sustaining a high level of excellence.

A sound Service Excellence Sustainability Plan will assess whether or not the leader needs to refine the team’s: (1) Telephone Etiquette Standards to ensure the customer’s first impression when calling in is a positive one; (2) Grooming and Appearance Standards so that the first visual impression that a customer perceives is always a positive representation of the company; (3) Communication Processes so there is total alignment within the team and across departments; (4) Problem Resolution and Empowerment Processes so that if a customer experiences a problem it is dealt with effectively, with a sense of urgency that retains customer loyalty; and (5) Recognition Systems that reward team members who consistently go above and beyond to provide an exceptional experience for every customer.

Now you may be thinking to yourself, “Is that it?” Of course not, but it’s a great start. These are the building block of proper customer service and when consistently done can lead (over time) to a 20-30% increase in customer satisfaction and profit.  Remember, creating a culture of service excellence is a journey, not a destination – and soon after closing these simple customer service gaps the highly effective leader will quickly move on to overcoming more significant barriers.

If you have established that simple service basics like telephone etiquette, problem resolution and empowerment, grooming and appearance, and internal communications need to be addressed within your team – our Service Excellence Sustainability Toolkit is a comprehensive resource guide that will help you close these gaps in a matter of days, not months or years.

Click the link   http://tinyurl.com/49fqwxm  to learn more about the Service Excellence Sustainability Toolkit and how you can obtain a copy. We wish you the best in your endeavor to drive excellence!

The Ten Commandments of Leadership

Creating a work environment that fosters employee loyalty, trust and integrity doesn’t happen by chance. It starts with assessing your ability to govern yourself according to The Ten Commandments of Leadership. As you read them, I encourage you to assess your level of effectiveness in driving service, performance, and operational excellence in 2010.

THE TEN COMMANDMENTS...

1. PURPOSE - I will have purpose and passion in what I do, or I will not do it at all.

2. RESPECT - I will treat every employee, top-down, with dignity and respect.

3. EXCELLENCE - I will set the example of excellence through my actions and behaviors to ensure I have painted a clear picture for my team of what excellence looks and feels like.

4. TEAMWORK – I will cultivate a work environment where employees are encouraged to share ideas, participate in process and system improvements, and work synergistically to provide a better product or service for our customers.

5. ACCOUNTABILITY - I will hold my team accountable for driving and sustaining excellence.

6. CHARACTER - I will exemplify integrity, courage, competence and compassion when dealing with difficult workplace issues.

7. CHANGE - I will seek new ways to improve the work environment for my staff, the quality of products we provide, and the service experience of our customers.

8. COMMUNICATION - I will foster a work environment of open communication, and practice empathic listening to ensure clarity of issues before making decisions.

9. SELF-DEVELOPMENT – I will commit to lifelong learning, to continually increase my competence, business acumen and effectiveness in guiding my team.

10. VISION – I will set the vision for my team, continue to reinforce it and help each team member understand their role in achieving it.

In closing, while these ten personal commitments to higher leadership effectiveness are not all inclusive, I challenge you to consider what are your ten commandments for leadership success? And most of all I encourage you to commit to the leadership values and qualities established within your organization that are vital to creating a culture of service, performance, and operational excellence.