Why are we surprised when a salesperson knows her stuff? A contractor honors his promises? Or a company lives up to its claims? Isn’t that the way it should be? It’s unfortunate that we get excited when someone does his or her job properly. Are you doing a good job?
Think about it. Are we asking too much for an airplane to leave on time, a restaurant to be clean, or a company’s product literature to tell us the whole story? I don’t think so. How about a receptionist who doesn’t have attitude, a merchant who returns calls promptly, or a website that doesn’t contain typos? You get the point.
Of course, apathetic people, who simply don’t care, cause some of these issues. Other times, it’s due to management that tolerates mediocrity –– an organization that lowers the bar so low you can trip over it. The result, however, is still the same…they’re going nowhere fast. The fact is, it’s not enough just to come to work, it’s about getting the job done right.
Job #1: Create a Culture of Excellence
Since superior client service is as much a philosophy as an activity, it’s important to discover just what kind of culture produces the mind-set necessary to exceed customer expectations. Ask yourself, do we:
- Strive for excellence or settle for mediocrity?
- Treat customers differently now than when we were courting them?
- Focus on getting things right or consider inaccuracies to be a way of life?
- Build long-term relationships or promote short-term sales?
- Make policy changes to benefit customers or for employee convenience?
- Spend our time adding customer value or filling out internal paperwork?
- Anticipate customer needs or scramble when relationships are in jeopardy?
- Make ourselves accessible when customers need us or only when it’s convenient for us?
- Discipline unethical behavior or turn our back on disgraceful conduct?
- Promote employee continuity or look like a turnstile?
- Spend time in front of customers or in staff meetings?
- Provide exceptional value or compensate for inadequacies by trying to be friendly?
- Solicit customer feedback or think that we know it all?
- Promote clear and transparent communication or use confusing technical jargon?
- Benchmark against the best in class or sweep our inadequacies under the rug?
- Protect customer privacy before or after issues arise?
- Challenge the status quo or rest on our laurels?
- Stimulate trust by being dependable or lose faith by being unpredictable?
- Address customer issues promptly or respond when time permits?
- Build trust by following through on promises made or by “talking a good game”?
- Value trust as much as we cherish profitability?
It Comes with the Job
If your entire business were dependent on one customer, would you treat that one customer better than all your other customers? If so, ask yourself why. Shouldn’t every customer be special? Sure…it’s not possible to give every customer your undivided attention. But it’s more than reasonable to meet or exceed their expectations every day. If that’s not happening, shame on you. Excellence should be the rule, not the exception.
Doing a great job is as much an attitude as it is an activity. As Jonas Salk, the medical researcher, said, “The reward for work well done is the opportunity to do more.” So give it your best. Excellence is not a destination, but a way of life. Every time you hear “Thanks for doing a good job,” you’ll know you’re on the right course.
What Do You Think??
Additional Reading:
Norms — The Hidden Forces Shaping Your Life
A Promise Is a Promise
Are You Reliable or a Flake?
How to Prove That You’re Dependable
Why Do You Trust Some People and Mistrust Others?
Exceptional Performance: Is Too Good Ever Bad?
The Values on Which Trust Rests
How to Build a Great Reputation
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We are living in a society where people want to be praised for doing their job, or in a society where “it’s not part of my job description” is a perfectly acceptable excuse for not even trying our best at our jobs.
I seems like majority of people now days want to go to work, do the minimum, get a paycheck and get out of there as soon as possible. They don’t care for what else is going on around the company or the people around them. That is why it’s so surprising when a customer or a manager/boss comes up to someone and says “good job”. As companies grow, it seems like the personal touch or the employee morale goes down, when in contrary it should be more important to a company to keep up the good customer service, where companies should push their employees to strive for the best, and where companies should create a culture for excellence.
“Discipline unethical behavior or turn our back on disgraceful conduct?”
Companies now days need to strive for excellence and make it clear that unethical behavior will not be tolerated and such behavior will not be swept under the rag. Building that culture in companies will make it easier for employees to come forward when people within the company are involved in unethical behavior. This team players / whistleblowers that are looking to rectify certain issues or bring justice for the company, employees or customers will more likely feel empowered to come forward if they know the company will have their backs or even those who oversee the business of the company.
Being a good team player doesn’t only include doing the work or helping those in the team, it also means doing the hard and uncomfortable part where you come forward and bring issues to light. This is sometimes perceived as a whistleblower… also known as a team player willing to take the heat in hopes of rectifying certain situations.
You’re right, Araceli. There are things that management can do to promote honesty and excellence. I’ve listed some ways to do that, above.
That being said, it takes two to tango. It is important that we have enough pride that we want to do great work, not because we’re rewarded, but so that we can feel good about ourselves.
Thanks for taking the time to write.
Best,
Frank