Autonomy

Autonomy

How much greatness are you willing to bestow upon people?  Do you encourage or stifle autonomy?  Does your organization celebrate individual success?  Do you possess the capacity to bring your teammates out of a gravitational pull?  Do these questions make sense to you?

Let me explain.  Oftentimes there’s an imbalance between corporate policy and customer service.  In order to create an Above and Beyond Culture, you must be prepared to allow your team to make immediate decisions.  That is, decisions which leave your clients in a positive emotional state.  The only way to accomplish that is to encourage an atmosphere of autonomy.  Everyone in your organization should be looking for ways to exceed customer expectations.  This cannot be accomplished if corporate policy prevents your employees from delivering immediate solutions.  “Let me check with my supervisor,” is the last thing an irate customer wants to hear. 

I recently held a series of seminars for a mail order company that was re-engineering their Culture of Service.  The owner had expressed concern regarding his staff.  He felt that they were merely “going through the motions” and he suspected that the internal chain of command was responsible for this malaise.  During the course of the seminars it became apparent that most of the employees were frustrated by their inability to create instant client satisfaction.  Every complaint had to be reviewed by management before a solution could be provided.  Most of the employees dreaded a client complaint because of their inability to provide a solution without first going to their supervisor.  This delay often created frustration for the employees and the clients.  Asking for approval was corporate policy.

It soon became apparent that most of the front line employees knew how to turn a complaint into a WOW. Unfortunately, their lack of autonomy was creating a gravitational pull on them and the organization. Ownership agreed to a two month test period where the employees would be empowered to provide solutions without first seeking management approval.

This is what I found when I returned two months later: 

The entire team was upbeat and enthusiastic.  I discovered the call center had created their own contest; they were competing among themselves to see who could come up with the best customer service story.  One person stood up and told everyone how she used to dread client complaints, but now she looked forward to them.  She now identified a customer concern as an opportunity to exceed expectations.  Several employees indicated that their ability to provide immediate solutions had assisted them in strengthening client relationships. As a result the organization was experiencing sales growth.  The call center had become energized and exciting.

Take a look at some of the policies you currently have in place and ask the following: 

Can some policies be streamlined, or eliminated?  Do these policies hamstring your team and keep them from creating memorable customer experiences?  Are these policies in place to protect short-term profits?  Do they put client loyalty at risk? 

As you answer these questions, be sure to remember that excellent customer service is not about policy or procedure.  Excellent customer service is about excellent behavior.  Challenge yourself to bestow greatness on to your team and you will encourage excellent behavior.