Leadership in Customer Service PDF

Leadership in Customer Service 9 In this chapter, you will learn how to: 1. Define leadership. 2. Perform a self-appraisal of your own leadership abilities. 3. Differentiate between formal and informal leaders. 4. List characteristics of excellent leaders. 5. Demonstrate effecti...

Leadership in Customer Service 9 In this chapter, you will learn how to: 1. Define leadership. 2. Perform a self-appraisal of your own leadership abilities. 3. Differentiate between formal and informal leaders. 4. List characteristics of excellent leaders. 5. Demonstrate effective goal setting. 6. Create your own job aids. 7. Experiment with illustrating leadership without position in your own work setting. Leadership: Since 1961 research rejected the definition of leadership as the implementation of power and force or the control of extraordinary analytical skill. leadership: the accomplishment of a goal through the direction of human assistants. Leadership is not the automatic result of a title; it requires the development of effective leadership skills and practices implementing them. A successful leader: who can understand people’s motivations and ensure employee participation in a way that integrates individual needs and interests into the group’s purpose. The customer service industry is in great need of leadership. The customer service industry is in great need of leadership. Why? The customer service industry greatly needs leadership because strong leaders set the tone for a customer-centric culture, drive performance, and inspire teams to deliver exceptional service. Leaders provide clear direction, motivate staff, and handle challenges such as customer dissatisfaction, high employee turnover, and maintaining service quality standards. Effective leadership also helps implement innovative solutions and fosters continuous improvement, ensuring that the company adapts to customer needs and remains competitive in the market. Without strong leadership, customer service teams may struggle with consistency, engagement, and maintaining high levels of customer satisfaction. By demonstrating interdependency, a vision for the future, and empowerment, excellent leaders create a culture in which excellence in customer service is the standard. Explain?  1. Leaders must promote an interdependent environment No company can produce outstanding service unless the key managers are committed to a positive customer service philosophy. Leaders have a vision of what can be, and they share that vision with others around them. Excellent leaders serve as coaches, counselors, and positive examples. They have the skills to perform the work for which those they are leading are responsible. An interdependent environment reminds employees that no one individual is responsible for an organization’s success. The idea of interdependency means that no one individual should have to carry all of the responsibility, with others gaining the benefits but not pulling their weight. This philosophy is not automatically created. It must be created and continued by the leaders of an organization. Success comes as the result of the unified effort of all participants contributing to the whole.  2. Leaders Demonstrate Empowerment Excellent leaders train their employees to make decisions, which benefit both the customers and the company. Employees have confidence in their own abilities and are able to share passion and knowledge with customers without fear of making mistakes. By demonstrating interdependency, a vision for the future, and empowerment, excellent leaders create a culture in which excellence in customer service is the standard. 3. Creation of a Customer Service Culture As discussed previously, culture consists of the values, beliefs, and norms a group of people share. A customer service environment should have a customer service-oriented culture which is developed by the management. A part of the culture that the leadership of an organization can inspire positive attitudes even when the situation are down and things are not going as well as desired. This is the time when employees are really watching their leaders. If the leaders demonstrate that they are fearful and acting out of control, others around them will begin to feel the same way. Customer service requires much more than a positive attitude, because attitude is an integral part of the process. Too often, the leaders of an organization act as though they are the only ones who deserve respect. When this attitude and behavior are an accepted part of an organization’s culture, little respect will exist. Additionally, if the leadership provides a safe environment for taking risks, efficiency and creativity will probably be improved. A positive customer service culture should show respect and concern for employees, be helpful in assisting in the problem-solving process, and provide positive recognition whenever possible. Types of leaders Within any organization, several types of leaders exist. A common method of defining leaders is to categorize them according to the authority as either formal leaders or informal leaders. Formal Leaders: Have the authority and power of their official position. Formal leaders have been chosen by their organization to lead. leaders have the authority and power of their official decisions. They may have been given special training to better prepare them for their roles as leaders. Formal leaders have a high level of accountability. Because the organization has selected formal leaders and has given them specific responsibilities, they are accountable to their superiors. Informal Leaders: Informal leaders have no official authority but do have the ability to influence others. Informal leaders are not chosen by management to fulfill their roles as leaders. The people who interact with informal leaders have unofficially appointed them. Frequently, informal leadership is an assumed role. Either an individual has unofficially taken on the role of leader or others in a department, organization, or company have begun to think of and treat him or her as a leader. Informal leaders can either help or hurt the formal leadership of an organization. Informal leaders who do not support the goals of an organization or manager can undermine the efforts of the formal leadership. For example, they might use their influence to persuade other employees to be uncooperative or difficult. On the other hand, informal leaders who are supportive of the formal leadership and its goals can serve as motivating forces to encourage other employees to work together. Coach or Counselor Leaders serve as both coaches and counselors as they lead their employees. We are exposed to leaders early in life. The earliest leaders in a child’s life are his or her parents, teachers, and coaches. It is from that early exposure that many future leadership expectations develop. Coach or Counselor Leaders serve as both coaches and counselors for their employees. They must be available to train, correct, and encourage their teams. Leaders help employees overcome challenges that hinder their performance. Early exposure to leaders like parents, teachers, and coaches shapes future leadership expectations. Employees need leaders who consistently offer encouragement and support their success. Good leaders have high expectations, and employees are motivated to perform well. Coach or Counselor Good leaders have high expectations, and employees are motivated to perform well. Excellent leaders recognize and reward employee efforts, noticing both successes and struggles. Leaders value delegation, assigning responsibility, granting authority, and ensuring accountability. Confrontation, while difficult, is a key part of leadership and can provide growth opportunities. Leaders are observant of both positive and negative business aspects and reward good performance. As counselors, leaders listen without interruption and respect confidentiality. A combination of coaching and counseling helps leaders foster individual excellence. Characteristics of Excellent Leaders An excellent leader always strives to be as effective as possible. Not everyone who becomes a formal leader will Show care and respect. demonstrate the Practice what they preach. characteristics that describe an excellent Have expertise in the area which leader. they are working. These are the skills to be Practice consistency. developed and refined to Behave professionally. become an excellent leader. Allow employees to do what they At different times, while have been empowered to do. interacting with different Give support. people, leaders discover that some characteristics may be Demonstrate flexibility. easier to display than others. Make time for others. This is representative of the Are personable. diversity of people and situations. Characteristics of Excellent Leaders Studies have shown that workers with only average ability had an increase in their quality of work after their manager began a concentrated program of praising their performance and of giving constructive feedback to them in an encouraging manner. Author Joseph Klock of Selling Power magazine suggests the following guidelines for praising employees: 1.Praise in public at every opportunity. 2.Before you tell your people what you don’t like about what they have been doing, tell them what you do like. 3.Provide frequent feedback. Leadership and Goals Leadership requires finding the balance between what has to be done and who has to do it. This balance can be realized because of the establishment of well-defined goals. A goal is an identified result to strive to accomplish. Goals must be written down. Goals that are not recorded tend to become resolutions that are easily forgotten and are rarely accomplished. Goal setting is the process of establishing goals and evaluating their importance. To effectively determine goals, one must identify what needs to be accomplished. Goals can be established for small as well as large challenges. Leadership and Goals Just establishing goals is not sufficient. Goals must be constantly pursued so that they are accomplished. Some individuals find it helpful to record their goals on cards and to display them so that they are continually reminded of the goals that they are working to achieve. The establishment of goals can serve as a motivator. The reminder that a goal is close to being accomplished can be the driving force that encourages a department or individuals to continue their efforts. When establishing goals, it is helpful to begin with the end in mind. By recognizing the desired end result, individuals may be reminded of what is to come if the goal is achieved. In addition, their actions are more likely to stay on track, allowing them to be more productive. Goals are important in our professional and personal lives. Professionals should be familiar with the goals that their company has established for the organization. Professionals should also establish their own sets of personal goals. Personal goals should encourage personal growth, financial goals, and career advancement. Sometimes one individual’s goals can serve as an inspiration to others. To record a goal effectively, follow these three steps:  Steps for Effective Goal Setting 1. Write down the overall goal to be accomplished: Goals should be as specific as possible. 2. Identify how the goal may be accomplished: What has to happen for the goal to be successfully completed? 3. Include a date or time when the goal will be completed: A deadline gives a timetable during which the goal is to be accomplished. Job Aids: The creation of job aids requires a degree of creativity. Leaders must look for opportunities in their own environments that could be enhanced by the addition of a supplementary leadership tool to reinforce training. Benefits of Job Aids One of the common responsibilities of leaders is to provide training for their employees or coworkers. A well-trained workforce is one that is appropriately equipped to provide customers with excellent customer service. Unfortunately, one of the realities of training is that as time passes after the original training session, some of the knowledge may be forgotten. It is unreasonable to think that anyone could remember every detail of a training session, especially if he or she did not have the opportunity to use the knowledge frequently. Job aids are usually a combination of visual information and written information. Job aids can take a number of forms. They can be anything from a concise how-to-operate card posted on the fax machine to a list of “words to use” at every customer service provider’s workstation. Job Aids: Job aids are leadership tools to reinforce training. It serve as a mini training program. assist in circumventing this problem. help people do things correctly the first time. appropriate for both employees and for customers. help them to actively take advantage of the technological opportunities. remind users to use caution when operating dangerous equipment, and they can improve the safety of a work environment. Job aids are helpful in the recall of: Computer command and software usage Recommended telephone greetings How to operate copy machines, fax machines, modems, or specialized equipment Steps in a problem-solving process Telephone system usage Safety precautions How to file insurance claims Anything else that employees or customers have been trained or encouraged to do Leadership without Position Unfortunately, in customer service, management and staff sometimes have a conflict relationship. Those individuals who are supposed to act as leaders do not do so. In the area of customer service, some managers send their employees out to be trained in how to provide excellent customer service, while lacking the skills themselves. This can be discouraging for employees. In these instances, informal leaders appear to take leadership role. This means that those employees who are respected by their peers and thought of as informal leaders can help to create an environment that encourages customer service, an environment that their managers may not be creating. This can be referred to as leadership without position. Leadership without position may require a certain degree of assertiveness on the part of employees. Informal leaders or motivated employees can look for opportunities to share their leadership skills with others in an unofficial way. Any time that individuals interact in a positive manner, an environment begins to become more unified. If employees want to have a more positive influence in their workplaces, they can be the ones to get it started. Things you can do to show your leadership 1. Congratulate someone for handling a situation well. 2. Make suggestions to your supervisors of ways to help improve your efficiency. 3. Greet your coworkers with a smile. 4. Treat others as you would like to be treated. 5. Add your own positive method of showing leadership and encouragement. To meet or exceed your boss’ expectations… Your Boss Is Your Customer Too! One of the most challenging customers that you deal with each day may be your boss. Remember that your relationship with your internal customers is an important key to success in serving your external customers. Your relationship with your boss can make your professional life full of joy and reward or a daily- dreaded task. Successful customer service providers are already actively attempting to understand and to meet the needs of their other customers; why not include your boss in that group? To meet or exceed your boss’ expectations… Be a team player: By allowing your boss to be the coach of his or her own team, you give him or her the opportunity to lead you to accomplish organization or department goals. Find out what your boss considers to be important: By identifying your boss’s priorities, you develop an awareness of what he or she is striving to accomplish. You can then be of assistance in those specific areas. 1.Be a collaborator, not a complainer: Nobody wants to be around someone who is always complaining about something. If you disagree with how a project is being coordinated, share your ideas and take it in pace if your suggestions are not implemented. Never criticize, insult, or make fun of the boss to others. This is a reflection of your own bad attitude and others will recognize it. Being a part of the solution is much more positive than being a part of the problem. 2.Have reasonable expectations: Your boss can only do what is within his or her power and ability to perform. In most work environments, several people report to their supervisor; therefore, you are not the only person your boss must consider when making changes or assignments. 3.Go to work each day with a great attitude and the willingness to be a professional: Attitude plays an important role in how successful a person is in his or her professional life. Through excellent leadership, the management and employees of companies can more effectively serve both internal and external customers and can demonstrate that they are accomplishing the goal of providing excellent customer service. Know Thyself : A self-appraisal Leadership requires self-knowledge All individuals in an organization must work to  How effectively do I relate to others? develop their own leadership skills so that  Do I practice excellent time management? they can be as effective as possible in their  What are my values? roles as leaders.  Is my knowledge level what it should be? Leadership begins in our own minds.  Do I share my knowledge with others? We must first see ourselves as leaders, and then  Are my customers a priority to me? others will begin to see our leadership  Am I willing to take risks? abilities.  Do I establish measurable goals for myself? A self-appraisal can be performed simply.  Do I willingly work toward department and company Individuals must become aware of their own goals? strengths and weaknesses. After identifying  Do I play mind games with my coworkers and superiors? strengths and weaknesses, customer service providers can begin to overcome their  Do I allow negative thoughts to cloud my attitude? weaknesses and to refine their strengths.  Do I actively acknowledge accomplishments of others? By writing down strengths and weaknesses,  Am I likable? customer service providers can determine a  Do I willingly go above and beyond the call of duty? starting point. To know yourself as a leader, ask yourself the following questions: QUICK QUIZ 1. The most recognizably outstanding companies are known for their excellent leadership. T or F 2. Leaders must promote an independent environment. T or F 3. To be effective leaders, individuals must become aware of their own strengths and weaknesses. T or F 4. Formal leaders have neither authority nor power. T or F 5. Informal leaders have no real power, either official or unofficial. T or F 6. Excellent leaders are not afraid to praise the work of others. T or F 7. Goals that are not written down are usually achieved. T or F 8. The values, beliefs, and norms a group of people share are their culture. T or F 9. Job aids are mini training programs. T or F 10. By congratulating someone for handling a situation well, an employee is showing leadership without position. T or F