I was wrong to assume that in this economy, with less money being spent and businesses going out of business, that the survivors would be incredibly focused on customer service.  My experience may be atypical, but I have found not only a decrease in attentiveness from vendors, but a decrease in their desire to make the customer incredibly happy.

I sense that many workers and leaders are tired, mentally exhausted and worried about their business and their job.  I have personally been disappointed by companies both large and small with the service they deliver, and their lack of concern about addressing or resolving issues.

What does this mean to you as a leader or owner?

1.      People are tired. Even in the businesses that are doing well, there is a general concern about their family and friends who may not be employed, there is a hope that things in general will get better, and yet despite the publicized numbers, the average person does not at all feel that the worst is over.  If your business is struggling, your employees know it, and they may even have had to take a pay cut or a cut in hours.  They may be asked to do more with less help or less resources.

2.      People may have lost focus. It’s tough to stay focused on work when life is tough, but one of the greatest things that you can do is provide your employees an environment where they work towards something important and can feel successful on a routine basis.

3.      Refocus yourself and your team on your goals, your mission and your way of doing business. Give them something to identify with, be proud of and work to achieve.  This means you have to set the destination and then hold them accountable to it.  Recognize their successes and push them to achieve their potential.  When you ask them to act more strategically, and focus on “how”, not “if”, you give them the opportunity to do more with less, in less time.  You are not necessarily asking them to work more hours.

4.      Define your customer service standards. There are extremes of customer service.  At the Audi dealership where I have my car serviced, Jeff in Service is fantastic, never says no, and always does just a bit more than he said he would.  Compare this to the post office where I was told that even though my mail was not being delivered properly, there was no one I could talk to, and when I found a customer service phone number on my own, she took my name and number, told me that if I did not get a call in 48 hours, to call back and then hung up before I could ask a question.

We all want to believe we look more like Jeff’s customer service than the USPS, but what are your specific standards?  How do your employees know what you expect?

This economy provides an opportunity, but you must provide concrete focus, direction and accountability to enable your employees to stay focused on the customer and the desired results, and work with you to make your business a success.