If you really want to refine customer service, use these questions and exercises as a discussion guide to brainstorm improved — and deliberate — ways to "wow" your customers and boost your service quotient.

Exercise: Role play

Ask employees to assume the roles of specific customers speaking with you honestly about your current project. With you playing the part of the project lead or point person, discuss with them the service, interactions, products, etc. that they perceive and receive. Afterwards, discuss what was said, asking pointed questions such as:

— How does our organization’s service fare under scrutiny?
— Where does our organization rate very highly?
— Where is improvement needed?
— Where are there missed opportunities to increase
the level of service on a regular basis?
— What will change — and how — to improve service levels?
— How will we feel as a group when we know we're delivering
this refined level of service?
— What do we want customers to be able to say about working with us, ideally?
— How does this differ from what they're able to say about working with us now?

Be as specific as possible, offering detailed examples of what "fair service" or "ideal service" look, sound and feel like — for both your group and your customers. Once you've done some role-playing as a group, outline a plan for discussing the questions with a selection of current and previous customers. Then come back together as a group to decide how to integrate the feedback in a way that refines your service practices.

Homework: Analyze your survey

If you’ve designed a customer service survey, ask your employees to independently analyze the questions (not the answers) and share their perspective on how to make the survey a more effective tool for your business and your customers. Have employees respond to the following questions anonymously, if necessary, to elicit honest responses (and if they don't feel able to share honest answers in the group, you might want to put that on your discussion list next!):

— In your opinion, what is the purpose and intended result of this survey?
— Does the language used represent the company’s personality, mission, and vision?
— If you were asked this question about a product- or service-provider that you use, would you be able to answer it accurately? (For example, a true/false question such as, "We delight you" may be too vague to answer true or false.)
— What is your opinion about how the survey was presented and framed to the reader?
— From the survey alone, what do you believe the company will be able to do with the information that it gathers?
— What needs to happen to convert this survey — and its benefit to customers and the company — from a ‘satisfactory’ rating to an ‘excellent’ rating in that the information it generates will be useful in taking real steps to refine service practices?

Reality check: Recap actions taken

Schedule a meeting with yourself to honestly assess how you and your group are serving customers. Once individual group members have reflected on these questions, add them to the group dialogue list for a spirited discussion. Consider:

— What is your rate of repeat and referral business?
— Which customers do or would you list as references, which you’d leave off that list, and why?
— How much do you know about what your customers want in terms of service? (Don’t make assumptions here; think about actual feedback that you’ve received.)
— What service standards have you "made public" (in marketing materials or conversations, for example), and how are you living up to those promises?
— How — on a day-to-day basis — do you and your team members demonstrate the level of service that you claim? Be very specific.
— How have you remedied an instance of poor service?
— What actions do you take to ensure that you’re not becoming complacent about the service that you deliver?
— How do you train new employees to meet or exceed your service standard? (Does this training work? How do you know that it works, or doesn’t?)
— Do all employees (including executive and management team members) demonstrate your desired level of service — regardless of the amount of contact they have with external clients?
— In what ways could you improve service in areas that you, and perhaps even your customers, currently rate as good or excellent? Identify at least two ways to boost it even higher for each category under discussion.

Brainstorm: Discover service boosters

Just as in the case of a vague survey, performing these exercises will not improve your service levels. The exercises will help you identify opportunities for providing extraordinary service — if you take action. With your employees, review the responses to the above exercises and launch into a brainstorming session geared toward developing approaches to improving service. Encourage employees to suggest new methods, shifted responsibilities and additional ‘tools.’ Communicate the agreed-upon actions internally so that your expectations are clear, and follow up with customers, indicating why you’ve made changes and what they can expect from you. You might even adopt an approach used for high performance by other people: Tell your customers about your vision for higher levels of service and let them know some of the actions you'll be taking to create real refinements in their experience with your company. Once it's "out there," you'll feel extra motivation to follow through!

Don't forget to check out "Can surveys help you "delight" your customers?"

Remember, this information is food-for-thought, not customized counsel. The most effective interpersonal and organizational communication program is one that's been tailored to meet the unique needs of your group. If you have questions, connect with a communication advisor or e-mail us at info@ivysea.com for suggestions.