All you have to do is search 'Customer Service' and you will see many articles and blogs that have covered the topic of customer service. Everyone is searching for the industry secret to good customer service. Accomplishing good customer service is not a secret. It does not take a genie in a bottle to find the answer to the question. It is not written in the stars and you do not have to pay $19.99 somewhere from a TV sales guru to know what is vital to grasp that golden ring. Anyone in sales know that good customer service can make your company and bad customer service can kill it deader than the Dodo bird. So what is the secret? Well, according to Homestead.com's CEO, Justin Kitch, it is that employees come first. “At Homestead, we've chosen instead to put employees first. Above profits, and above customers. It's not that those things aren't important, I just believe that great employees are the enablers that make everything else happen.“ Not customers?
According to his blog responses, this has not always been met with great enthusiasm from everyone. There are those who would say that the customer would come first. However, in Justin's blog, customer's come third. This is a rather bold statement. However, when you see the logic, it is difficult to argue with Justin. “Simply put, customers are the oxygen of any business. There's no denying that. Without revenue, even the most high-flying, venture-capital backed, red-hot, media-adored, brilliant business will eventually fail. And who provides that revenue? Customers, obviously.
That's why they don't come first. In fact, in my view of the world, they don't even come second. First come employees. See my post from last week for my philosophy on that. You need employees because they build the company's products and deliver the services. Without your people, you have nothing...“
Justin makes the point that employees are vital and no one can argue that point. Several ways that he has given appreciation to their positions is to offer weekly luncheons, annual retreats, an anniversary party and the newly added company talent show. All of these events geared to focus on employees feeling very plugged-in to the company and feeling as though they are vital to the goings-on within the company. This brings the employee to a place of personal pride for the job that they do and the way that they conduct themselves. This certainly does not take a genius to figure this one out. Employees that are informed on all facets of the company, know they are going to be heard if they have a grevance, and are compensated for their time are happy, productive employees. More importantly, they are loyal. Loyal employees are long-term employees. These happy, long-term, compensated, loyal employees are going to serve their company with pride and integrity. Every time an employee picks up the phone or personally addresses a customer, it is a direct reflection of the way the company is treating the employee.
If you are struggling with ways in which to make your employees feel important, you can start by getting their imput in regard to company matters. Give them an opportunity to voice their opinions in a structured manner. Make them feel important. Give them good, solid, competitive pay. And don't forget to give incentives: Trips, gift certificates or nice company tokens to display--Items for their desk i.e. clocks or pens. Maybe something for their family to enjoy too--like a cooler, picnic items, or mugs.
The important thing to remember is that without a healthy, well-adjusted employee base, a company will fail (or continually struggle). So, treat your employees well--Make them feel valued and vital to the life of the company, and in turn, they will pass on that vitality toward the customer. In the end, everyone wins.
LP