In previous blog posts, we’ve cautioned about the dangers of offering an above-and-beyond level of customer service. While that attitude can certainly delight your customers, the level of effort required becomes unsustainable; worse still, those customers may eventually take those efforts for granted. But there are situations when going above and beyond makes sense, right?
Before you can do that, customer-service specialist Shep Hyken recommends what he calls a Line in the Sand concept: “It is important to draw that line, which is the boundary that employees aren’t allowed to cross, but at the same time, teach them what they can do to get right up to the line.” The line, as Hyken defines it, could be summed up this way: when you “consider what you can do for a customer outside of the norm,” make sure it’s something “that doesn’t cost the company money, isn’t illegal or immoral, and won’t hurt ‘business as usual.’” Let’s break these concepts down:
Avoiding Undue Cost
When you train your employees about going above and beyond, you should reinforce the idea that they should be cognizant of what it will cost the company. For example, if a customer wants to exchange an item that’s past its return window, overriding that policy could mean not only eating the cost of the returned item, but also the opportunity cost of not being able to sell the replacement item being given away. Moreover, the employee is now tied up handling this exchange, unable to perform his or her other duties.
On the other hand, an exception might be made situationally, such as when no one is at fault. Let’s say the customer made a purchase and the item failed right away. But when he tried to call about the manufacturer’s warranty, the manufacturer never responded. Now he’s stuck with a faulty item that he can’t return to you because it’s past the return window, and he can’t get fixed or replaced because the manufacturer is MIA. This would be a good opportunity to take ownership of a bad situation, even though your company is technically not responsible.
Maintaining the Status Quo
In order for employees to make sure that their over-the-top efforts don’t disrupt “business as usual,” they have to weigh out how their actions will affect others. Will going above and beyond prevent them from performing their other duties in such a way that it sabotages the work of their teammates? Will these extra efforts inconvenience your other customers, spoiling their customer experience? For example, if an employee is tied up pursuing a past-date exchange, does that mean the only other person on shift is now responsible for a store full of increasingly impatient customers?
Sometimes problems like these can be mitigated by setting expectations for the customer who needs that special attention. He could be told that you’ll do him this favor, but that you’re going to need extra time. Maybe the required time investment might help the employee decide on the best course of action; the busyness level of the store might determine whether the employee tries to reach out to the manufacturer on the customer’s behalf, or whether he or she opts to simply make the exchange for expediency’s sake.
If you’d rather not leave such decisions up to your frontline employees, make your policies as clear as possible. Maybe that means even seeking permission from a higher-level employee—maybe even from you. Make sure those lines of communication are open and welcoming.
Remaining Ethical
Whatever the action, employees must remember to remain ethical. Choosing to do the right thing is what’s prompting this consideration in the first place. You want the employee to place him or herself in the customer’s shoes and to empathize with his situation. But it’s also important to avoid doing anything unethical. That includes making sure he or she doesn’t unjustly lose the company money, overburden teammates, or frustrate your other customers. Remember: In an employee’s quest to deliver a great customer experience, he or she must first do no harm.
Of course, it should go without saying that whatever the employee does, it should also be within the confines of the law. Otherwise, he or she is endangering the business itself. An employee might feel sympathetic towards a young man who forgot his identification when he came to purchase alcohol—but overriding the We Check ID policy means breaking the law. That could mean a fine or worse. If the employee wants to help, perhaps he or she could offer to reserve the item for the next hour to give the man time to go retrieve his ID.
Knowing how close you can get to that line in the sand without going over can be tough. That’s why training is so important, as is making sure communication is a two-way street. Do you feel like your staff is ready for just about anything that comes through your door? Conversely, how confident are you that if we asked them the same question, the answers would match?
If you’re interested in building a strong company culture on a foundation of great customer service, empowered employees, and healthy profits, consider reaching out to us at The Brandt Group. Allow us to aid you with our world-class mystery shopping services and leadership courses. Together, we can train and test your employees to ensure they always keeping the best interests of your business—and of your customers—at heart.
