What Outstanding Customer Service Leaders Do Differently
Truly outstanding customer service leaders — those who manage and supervise customer-facing teams — instantly stand out in the workplace. Their teams are cohesive, with engaged employees and a vibrant workplace atmosphere. Productivity is high and turnover is low.
I’ve been fortunate to have worked with a great many of these individuals in both my consulting and training roles, and have found that they all share two common and powerful practices. These practices are absolute must-haves for creating a high-functioning team that is inspired, engaged and absolutely focused on creating the best possible experience for your customers.
1. They are Relentless Champions of Their Teams
High-performing customer service leaders consistently and relentlessly champion their teams’ successes — but it’s more than that. What really sets them apart is the manner in which they do it.
Here are the four things they do and why they work:
a. They Champion Specific Accomplishments
While people appreciate knowing that you think they’re awesome, it has far greater meaning when they know your words have substance. This means making sure that your praise is not general, but instead tied to specific actions or outcomes.
So, for example, instead of saying, “Bob is awesome at dealing with upset customers,” identify a real situation and say something like, “Did you see how Bob dealt with that last angry customer? He actually had her laughing at the end! Bob, you rock!”
Taking this approach serves two purposes. It gives real meaning to your praise, and it also provides a real-life example for others to follow.
b. They Tell Everybody About Their Awesome Team
This is a practice all service leaders should embrace. Don’t just wait around hoping that others will notice how good your team is. Brag about them. Make sure everybody in earshot knows how absolutely amazing they are. This helps to instill confidence in your people, provides well-deserved recognition, and sets them up for future success.
When you’re doing this, make sure to use the approach described in (a.) above. This lets people know that you’re not just cheerleading for cheerleading’s sake.
c. They Give Their Teams ALL the credit
When things go right — even when you were orchestrating it, give your team all of the credit. They will appreciate it and you don’t really need it. As part of this, resist the temptation to imply that the reason your team is awesome is because you, of course, are its leader. It’s unnecessary, and every time you do this you will actually lose the very credibility you are hoping to achieve.
"Being told that you're great isn't nearly as meaningful as overhearing someone tell somebody else that you're great."
d. They Always Have Their Employees' Backs With Customers
This may be the most important of all. You should never, ever, ever throw a team member under the bus with a customer. Yes, we should admit to mistakes, and yes, we need to use them for teaching moments. But there is no payoff to telling a customer that you think one of your employees is an idiot.
For example, instead of simply saying to a customer, “Yes you’re right, Bob was wrong about that,” make the effort to acknowledge the error without compromising Bob’s credibility. You could instead say something like, “You’re right, this shouldn’t have happened. Bob is normally very diligent about these things, but in this case I think he missed something.” In this approach, you have owned the error and at the same time shown your support for a team member.
 When your employees know that you genuinely appreciate their efforts, know that you’re proud of their efforts, and trust that you are always there for them, you have the foundation for a truly outstanding customer service team.
Customer Service Leaders Teach, Coach and Mentor
Customer service is one of the most underrated occupations out there. It’s not simply ‘common sense’ as many believe. The customer is not ‘always right,’ and there’s a lot more to being good at it then just treating customers the way you would like to be treated. Customer service involves a significant skill set, and like all skills, mastering it requires a lot of effort, training and continuous development.
The leaders of high-performing customer service teams understand this, and, most importantly, they understand how much the traditional role of manager has changed.
Coaching and Mentoring is a Priority
When you watch the truly outstanding customer service leaders in action, you will see that most of their time is spent teaching, coaching and mentoring. They invest their time heavily in assisting and encouraging their employees to learn and master the skills for creating positive and memorable customer experiences.
"Great leaders make a positive difference in the lives of those they lead"
The Process is Simple
The most successful practice isn’t a blanket, one-size-fits-all approach. Work with employees one-on-one. Start by identifying specific new skills that might help each employee gain greater confidence and mastery — Then make it your mission to guide them to success. Don’t just tell them what needs to be improved, take a vested interest in helping them get there.
Everybody wins.
NOTE: For a great reference – take a look a the four leadership lessons from Avi’s Garden in The Journey to WOWÂ
