Perception of Competence: The Key to Client Loyalty (Part 2)

One of the most important keys to motivating your employees to give excellent service is ensuring that they are organized into well-functioning teams. Excellent teamwork produces excellent customer service. But where does a leader begin? It's not as difficult as one may believe; following a few simple steps will get you where you want to be.

First it is important to assess how the employees perceive the current organizational culture as opposed to what they believe constitutes the "ideal" climate. If the leader is comfortable doing so, he or she can simply walk around and informally ask. This may produce valuable information although, depending upon the circumstances, employees may be less than forthcoming about their true feelings. Another, more formal method of assessing this cultural "gap" is through the use of a formal assessment instrument. I have found the latter method to be very useful because generally, employee anonymity is guaranteed and, I can interpret the data for the leader and design a course of action for the organization to take. Frequently, giving employees an opportunity to contribute ideas will produce improved teamwork. However, employees must believe that their ideas will be seriously considered or their motivation may suffer.

Well managed teams exist an atmosphere of trust where opinion are heard, considered and then acted upon (even if the decision is made not to move forward with an idea). Personality "conflicts" are left at the door and all communication is "win-win" because team members are not threatened by others success nor is that success perceived as a loss of control. Assertive communication is always present--team members are honest about issues.

Why are good management skills important to customer loyalty?

Customer loyalty plays a critical role in the success of many businesses and professional practices.  Employees are frequently sent to training classes designed to enhance these skills. While these classes may provide good information, long-term benefit is usually negligible.  Many companies use "scripting" which outlines just what employees are to say to customers or clients in any given situation.  Here again, while the script may be quite customer-friendly, employee attitudes or non-verbal messages may completely negate the spoken words. 

One crucial factor playing an enormous role in employee attitudes is leadership behavior.  Leader behavior is more important than any other single factor in determining how long employees will remain with the organization and how productive they will be while there.  If employees believe they are supported in their various roles within the company or practice, if teamwork is encouraged and nurtured  and if a sense of "we know where the organization is going and we embrace that mission" is created, that attitude is generally translated to customers and clients.  

This blog will explore both toxic and productive leadership behaviors.  I will discuss real issues experienced by the clients I serve (with names and identifying information omitted, of course) and outline solutions to those problems.  I welcome questions and input.