Successful customer interaction starts with successful internal interaction

Do unto others as you would have done to you.

Many companies, small and large, are frustrated with how their employees treat their customers. It may be that response times are way too long, that employees consistently pass-the-buck to someone else, issues “get lost” and never taken care of, or an air of disrespect or treating the customer like they are not that important.

Where does this attitude come from? You may have hired the top talent with great personalities and work ethics, and yet developed this type of experience for your customers. It stems back to the corporate foundation of values. What are your company’s values? In some organizations, these are listed for display in the building, or each employee could recite them back to you. Values such as honesty, integrity, treating others as you would like to be treated help shape the interactions of people both within and without an organization.

If your company values honesty, are you honest with each and every employee within your company? If your company values respect, are your executives showing high levels of respect to those at the bottom of the ladder? You can define your company’s values, but in order for it to succeed, everyone -especially management, must uphold those values. If you say one thing but do another, your actions will speak louder than your words.

An exemplary example of corporate values comes from Zappo’s, easily found on their website:

“As we grow as a company, it has become more and more important to explicitly define the core values from which we develop our culture, our brand, and our business strategies. These are the ten core values that we live by:

Deliver WOW Through Service

Embrace and Drive Change

Create Fun and A Little Weirdness

Be Adventurous, Creative, and Open-Minded

Pursue Growth and Learning

Build Open and Honest Relationships With Communication

Build a Positive Team and Family Spirit

Do More With Less

Be Passionate and Determined

Be Humble“

If your company does not have any values, then start creating them now! Define 3-5 core values that you can support and live by within your organization. Ideally, get the input of your current employees to encourage them to take ownership and pride in your company and get the sense of being included and heard.

Reference

Six Key Principles to Set Your Startup Culture: http://bit.ly/gwYkgm

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