Policies VS. Customer Experience
Well-run companies depend on a strong foundation of policies and procedures to enable frontline employees to provide a consistent experience for customers. Good managers know that when a customer issue occurs they must solve the problem to retain the business and create loyalty; GREAT managers follow through with the communication necessary to create a policy or procedure to keep the same issue from continuing to create problems for customers and staff.
However, many businesses create a culture that relies too heavily on following the rules, and not enough emphasis on improving the customer experience.
Take, for example, a situation that came up at a business that uses our platform to allow their customers to send direct private messages to management. A customer sent a message complaining about being charged an additional fee for bringing a friend and their caregiver. This loyal customer had been visiting the business for years, purchasing yearly memberships that included a guest, and had NEVER been charged an extra fee for the caregiver. They were upset that the policy had changed.
In fact, the policy had not changed. It was simply interpreted differently by frontline staff members, who chose to allow a caregiver at no extra charge- sending a very positive message to the member. This is a prime opportunity for management to review the policy for potential changes, and to be sure that all staff are on the same page moving forward.
Take a good look at your customer-facing policies. Are they focused on providing an efficient and consistent experience for customers, or generating maximum short-term profits? Can you make adjustments that focus on benefiting your loyal customers rather than managing the few customers who try to take advantage of your business?
Most importantly, it is critical that all employees, especially customer-facing staff, know that the intent of the policies and procedures is to improve efficiency without diminishing the customer experience. At least some of your frontline staff should be empowered to bend or break a rule to avoid losing a loyal customer. They should feel like they are part of an organization that wants to treat customers like they would want to be treated themselves. Policies and procedures should be implemented fairly and with common sense.
Originally appeared in the December 2015 Current Business Leader.
Categorized in: Consumer Experience, Customer Service
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