A service revolution is afoot in almost every industry. Starbucks changed the way people drink coffee; not just because of its product, but because of its baristas. Walmart changed retail by offering more merchandise at lower prices and by providing a “hometown” experience rather than a department store mentality. Amazon changed e-commerce by making ordering easy and by being trustworthy.
The message is clear: Today’s customer doesn’t want product without personalization. Maybe that’s because technology has drastically limited human interaction in the marketplace. Perhaps it is because the deep recession made spenders wary of price wars, but also more responsive to companies that resonate with their values.
At U.S. Lawns we’ve spent time studying this phenomenon, and we believe it’s time for the service revolution to take root in landscaping. That’s why we’re committed to offering national strength with local service. Plus, it’s hard to deny the impact that customer satisfaction has on your bottom line. Great service creates repeat customers and referrals. And, it’s the right thing to do. None of this should surprise you, but perhaps this statement will: Great customer service requires 100 percent employee satisfaction.
Is that more than a little unrealistic? At first thought you might think so, but after consideration you may come to the conclusion that it makes sense. No employee can deliver extraordinary customer service if he/she is unhappy at work. And great service companies like Amazon don’t just deliver extraordinary service some of the time. If you want to be known for your service as much as your product, it can’t be hit or miss. Only consistently good service will create a customer-driven culture.
One hundred percent employee satisfaction is actually an attainable goal. It happens when you consciously strive to make your business the best place to work. It happens when you care about retaining good employees as much as you do good customers.
Sometimes, in our industry, retention can be difficult. Everybody struggles with coming to work day after day, especially physical laborers who may be toiling in the heat or humidity. So if you want happy employees who care about serving others, it’s your job to make sure their needs are taken care of. And that can happen in several ways, from listening to people’s feedback to offering rewards and bonuses.
But we think the most important way to keep good employees happy, is to share your vision with them. That means you need to not only have a clear vision yourself; you need to live it, every day.
If you’d like to join the service revolution, talk to your team about it. Maybe create a game or reward system to help them achieve it. Without their participation, consistently good service will never happen.
If 100 percent of your employees are satisfied with their jobs, you can begin to build a strong customer relations initiative. If even one disgruntled team member interacts with a client, it can mean the difference between keeping an account and losing it. That’s why great customer service begins internally.
