Truth 19. Individual passion builds a passion-fueled customer service culture
You want your people to be passionate about their work. You definitely want them to be passionate about helping their customers. It would be nice if they were passionate about helping each other. Are you making it easy for your people to keep that passion engine fueled? If they’re the slightest bit shy about exuberantly expressing the joy of their work, you’ve got some work of your own to do.
A few years ago, I had a fantastic experience with a call center rep for a major financial services company. After going through the dreaded automated menu of multiple options, I heard a cheerful voice saying, “May I help you?”
What followed was a one-of-a-kind conversation. No script, just patient listening while I ranted in a somewhat disorganized way. After I slowed down, she gave me essential information that I didn’t even know I needed. When I thanked her lavishly for her wonderful service, she rhapsodized about how much she loves taking care of customers’ needs. Then suddenly she got shy.
She didn’t want anyone to know about what a great job she does. After I asked for her name (which she reluctantly gave me one piece at a time), I then asked, “Who do I talk to about how wonderful you are?” After putting me on hold for half a heartbeat, she came back with an audible sigh of relief to report that they have a “compliment line.” “Fantastic,” I said. “But it’s broken,” she said. Which was just fine by her, she said, because she feels really uncomfortable being in the limelight of praise.
So, I did what anyone would do: I took the bull by the horns (probably the only bull available on Wall Street these days) and wrote a letter directly to the company chairman. I’ve heard nothing in response. Seems that the compliment line might be broken in the C-suite as well.
When employees are reluctant to haul their lights out from under the proverbial bushel, more than just themselves and their careers suffer. The entire company culture suffers, and, by extension, perhaps its bottom line. Here we have an employee who is positively over the moon about her job. (It’s not hard to stand out from the crowd in a call center, but how many truly achieve that distinction?) And she does it so well that a fanatical customer writes to the chairman to rave. And still that spark of delight is allowed to peter out. Why not capture that spark, feed it some air, and let it spread throughout your entire culture?
How contagious could that enthusiasm be if she were encouraged to toot her horn—perhaps just a little bit beyond her own limits of what she would consider appropriate? (Sometime in her past, an influential person might have told her that it is unladylike to seek attention and claim credit for a job well done. Or maybe she was taught that being enthusiastic about getting joy from her work was undignified.)
Some people just don’t like to brag or rhapsodize. And it’s easy for managers to overlook those quiet people glowing in the corner. But a culture-wide emphasis on encouraging people to tell their stories of how they delivered over-the-top service to their customers will encourage these people to speak up. And when the chorus of joy grows and grows, so will the passion literacy of your company culture.
When you encourage your people to brag, you’re discovering which employees are high-potential talent who deserve to be cultivated. You will find out what specific skills and passions solidify that bond between your company and your customers. And you’ll create a positive culture that celebrates high service and high passion.
When you encourage your people to brag, you’re discovering which employees are high-potential talent who deserve to be cultivated.
Start building the passion-literate culture early in your employees’ tenure with their team. Ask candidates this question: What dream came true for you when you said yes to your last job offer? The question will surprise them, and will probably make them pause for a few seconds of reflection. But notice who answers most quickly and thoroughly. Those people are in touch with their individual sense of passion. And they’ll bring it to work to rejuvenate your team’s passion—especially around customer service.
Begin every meeting—preferably a weekly group meeting—with this question: What great thing happened in your job today or this week?
The change might be a little slow to take hold. But once people realize that it is not only safe to be exuberant about their jobs and customer service but also actually expected, you’ll have a passion-driven team eager to step up to help your customers, each other, and you.