{"id":31460,"date":"2017-01-04T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2017-01-04T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/the-one-thing-we-must-do-to-create-a-customer-focused-culture\/"},"modified":"2023-09-08T17:42:05","modified_gmt":"2023-09-08T17:42:05","slug":"create-customer-focused-culture","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/customer-service-culture\/create-customer-focused-culture\/","title":{"rendered":"The One Thing We Must Do to Create a Customer Focused Culture"},"content":{"rendered":"\"create<\/a>\r\n

How to Create a Customer Focused Culture<\/h3>\r\nTo kick off the start of 2017 I could share my \u201cTop Seventeen Ways to Deliver Great Customer Service in 2017.\u201d I\u2019ve done something like that for most years. Instead, I\u2019d like to kick off with something a bit more manageable. Not seventeen ideas, but just one. Not only is the focus on one idea, but really it\u2019s just one word. And, that word is\u2026 alignment. \r\n\r\nOne of the most important ways to improve customer service is to make sure that everyone in an organization (company) is in alignment with the customer service and\/or experience vision. While the concept is just one word, there are several steps to achieving alignment.\r\n\r\nThe first step is to define that vision in simple and memorable terms. So, if you\u2019ve been following my work, go back a few weeks to the concept of creating your customer service mantra<\/a>, which is my fancy word to describe a customer service vision statement. Before you can get everyone into alignment, you must give them something to align with. I like a vision statement or mantra that is short and to the point. So, if you don\u2019t already have a vision for everyone to align to, you\u2019re going to need one.\r\n\r\nAssuming you have the customer service vision statement \u2013 or mantra, as I like to call it \u2013 the next step is to prove how everyone in the organization impacts that vision. And, I mean everyone!\u00a0 Start with your basic customer journey map<\/a> that shows all of the typical interactions \u2013 or touchpoints \u2013 that the customer has when doing business with you. And you may need more than one map.\u00a0 A customer\u2019s sales journey is different than a service or support journey. The interactions a customer has on your company\u2019s website will be different than over the phone or in person.\r\n\r\nThere is a second part of the journey map exercise, to show underneath each touchpoint how different departments and roles within those departments impact those touchpoints. If done correctly, you will eventually be able to show how each and every department \u2013 in other words, everyone \u2013 impacts the customer\u2019s experience.\r\n\r\nI know I\u2019m sounding redundant, but if you haven\u2019t already done the crucial steps of creating a vision and journey map – and I\u2019m surprised at the number of organizations who haven\u2019t yet done so – you have extra work to do before you can think about getting your employees into alignment.\r\n\r\nAnd, now it\u2019s time to get everyone into alignment. By getting everyone to know and understand your customer service vision, and showing on a journey map how everyone, even as individuals, impact the customer\u2019s experience, you can begin to train everyone to your vision. This is simple in concept, but not always easy to do. You must have an effective communication strategy. It can start with an announcement. It must be articulated as not just a vision, but also an expectation that everyone must keep in mind, regardless of their role and responsibility in the organization.\r\n\r\nAnd just announcing and communicating it is not enough. Each and every employee must be properly trained. It must constantly be reinforced. It must be obvious and almost overt. For employees to be in alignment, they must know it, understand it, and be able to execute it.\r\n\r\nCustomer service isn\u2019t just for the customer service department or the front line. It\u2019s everyone\u2019s job. So, if there is one thing that will make a difference in your customer service for 2017 (and every year thereafter), it is to get everyone in the organization in alignment with your customer service mantra.\r\n

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