You Have More Responsibility than the Job You Were Hired to Do

Take Care of the Customer

Whether you realize it or not, everyone has at least two jobs or responsibilities at work. The first is to do the job that they were hired to do. The second is to take care of the customer. Simple concept, but let’s elaborate.

The Job They Were Hired to Do

This is pretty obvious. If you were hired to be a salesperson, you sell. If you were hired to be an executive assistant, you assist. You might be in the manufacturing plant or the IT department. When you are hired, you know the role you play in your company.

Taking Care of the Customer

When someone applies for a job in sales, customer service, or any other customer-facing job, they understand that their responsibility is to take care of the customer. But, what about the people who have little or no contact? They may be in the finance department or the warehouse. It is just as important for them to recognize their role in this important responsibility. They may happen to answer the phone, or a call may be accidentally routed to them. How they handle that customer interaction is important to maintaining consistency in customer service and brand promise.

Any time your customers interact with anyone from your company, they form an impression. At that moment, the opinion that the customer has of your company may rest on that employee’s shoulders. It doesn’t matter if that employee is on the front line and supposed to have contact with the customer or the employee is behind the scenes and just happens to get a call. The customer is not only going to form an opinion of the company but potentially the other employees of the company as well.

A Third Responsibility

While this might not be as applicable to every company, it’s still worth considering. I’ve been fortunate to have attended a number of the Disney Institute programs. They have been practicing this concept since the first theme park was built, but with something extra. Walt Disney used to say that everyone had three jobs. You already know the first two. The third was to keep the park clean. In other words, just as it is everyone’s job to take care of the customer or guest, it is also everyone’s job to pick up any trash or clean up a mess they might spot. Or, at least arrange to have it done.

The bottom line: Everyone must realize that they have more responsibility than just the job they were hired to do.

Shep Hyken is a customer service/CX expert, award-winning keynote speaker, and New York Times bestselling author. Learn more about Shep’s customer service and customer experience keynote speeches and his customer service training workshops at www.Hyken.com. Connect with Shep on LinkedIn.

(Copyright © MMXV, Shep Hyken)