Just as an individual’s characteristics are influenced by his or her genes, so your company’s customer service culture is influenced by what I call your service DNA. It sets the tone for how you deal with customers and should be passed on to new employees to keep it strong. Here are some ways to perpetuate your service DNA:
Recruiting and hiring
Include service excellence as a topic in recruiting materials, whether online or print media is used to advertise the open position. Ask candidates to tell you about their best service experience and their worst as a consumer. This will reveal a good deal about their service expectations and attitudes. Describe one or more situations you’ve encountered with customers, then ask how the candidate would have handled them.
New employee orientation
Once you’ve filled the position, you’ll need to use a comprehensive orientation program to draw newcomers into the company culture and ensure that your service values are adhered to.
After a hiring decision is made, conduct an orientation with the new hire that includes a review of your company’s history. The information should capture the spirit of the company—its accomplishments, values, traditions, challenges. Legends, anecdotes, quotes, and so on make a company “real” to employees and make a desirable connection that will lead to genuine loyalty. Storytelling is a powerful tool for conveying your values. Introduce newcomers to fellow employees and provide an opportunity for them to spend some time in each department.
It’s important to review marketing materials with new employees. Look at sales brochures and product information. Visit houses under construction and point out features of import to customers. Give examples of the kinds of efforts you go to in communicating with buyers. Even office personnel who do not have direct home buyer contact should be aware of where you build and what your homes offer in design and quality.
Emphasize your internal service culture
Talk about how folks treat each other within the organization, from returning calls in a timely manner, to handling a disagreement, to being discreet with confidential company information. Explain that you start meetings on time, end on time, and set phones to silent during meetings. Then show how those same principles apply to interactions with home buyers and associates.
Include an overview of techniques used for gathering customer feedback. Explain how and when survey results are circulated and what actions are expected in response to customer complaints.
