A lot of companies talk about customer service and customer focus. Many of them keep driving the message of customer focus in company meetings, posters and all around. Yet, many of these companies are not able to create real customer joy and are happy if they can handle complaints and issues as they pop up in a reactive manner.
We have all heard – “Actions speak louder than words”. So why then do we spend so much effort on talking about how much we care and so little effort and energy in doing the things that need to be done to show that you really care? So what does it really mean and take to create real customer joy! It’s a lot less about talk and a lot more about the culture you create in your organization.
Process works best with an empowered team
At times, companies rely on elaborate processes to ensure that things don’t go wrong. While processes are an important tool, the application of processes can sometimes become mechanical and may lead to a situation where people make the process the ‘goal’ rather than the ‘end result’ for the customer. However, an empowered team would adhere to the processes while keeping the end result in mind.
Today what works is knowledge of the customer and the passion to solve their problems. In this scenario bosses who are removed away from the end customer may not be always right. So it becomes important to have an empowered team who is passionate about creating joy for the customer.
Passionate team is the key
While there are many definitions of passion and many confuse it with visible energy and excitement, for me – ‘Passion is the energy and wherewithal that comes from applying your talents and more of who you are to a purpose you believe in’. So why does a passionate team matter or make such a huge difference?
Daily motivation and motivation derived from self-talk such as ‘I have to do this’, ‘I should work hard’, ‘this is not right’ does not last long and is not powerful when problems and roadblocks appear. When one is passionate about the cause, problems don’t scare one and more than that, one is motivated to find creative solutions. People who are passionate never get bored because their eye is on the purpose and not on the mundane task that they may have to do then.
When one is passionate, one is not daunted by contrary opinions, having to restart, and any short term hurdles. A passionate person can see the larger picture and knows how the tasks they don’t like fit into the overall goal.
In the end, successful people (and companies) are those who bring passion to everything they do.
