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The Customer Service
Manager's Challenge: Leveraging
the "Squeeze Play"
by Donna Earl
Most customer service managers are acutely
aware of being caught in the middle. We feel the pressure from upper
management and their goals, plans, and decisions. We also feel pressure
from our department - the needs of our employees for support,
information, resources, and often for explanation.
(What was management thinking?) If you've
ever felt the pressure from both sides and wondered how to cope, read on
for definition and awareness of your role plus some ideas to help cope
productively with the "squeeze play." From upper management's
perspective, the customer service department is sometimes viewed as the
"complaint department" - an organizational reform school for
transforming angry customers into quiet customers. Sometimes our
department is seen as a lower priority "step-child" behind
Sales, Marketing, R + D, and other departments vying for attention and
resources. As customer service managers, our primary role is to
represent the value of the customer service function. The customer
service department is the vanguard of our company's customer service
reputation. Our department is a powerful insurance policy in maintaining
a loyal customer base. Studies estimate it costs 5 to 17 times more to
generate a new customer than to keep the ones we have. Effective problem
resolution is a powerful way to generate customer loyalty and positive
word of mouth. Most people have either heard a positive customer service
story from Nordstrom, or have a personal experience of their own to
share. These shared stories are the most effective source of
advertising. Our company's reputation depends on positive customer
relations. As our department's function is no less important than the
sales or advertising department, we represent it thus. We negotiate from
a position of priority for resources (budget, training, tools,
recognition, etc.)
We also represent the best interests of
our department in management decisions. Most top managers have never had
direct customer service management experience, and don't know what makes
the department thrive. We are responsible for representing the customer
service function and its needs. The needs might include budget, tools,
personnel, training, recognition, and especially supportive
organizational policies and structures. On behalf of our employees and
our department, we represent their best interests to upper management
and affirm their value to the organization. Just as we serve as an
ombudsman for our employees to upper management, we are also responsible
for interpreting upper management's perspective to our people. Often
management decisions make sense only when viewed from a larger
perspective. We have access to the "big picture." In sharing
our interpretation we help people understand the company and the
importance of their contribution. They become more knowledgeable about
their role in the company. They gain a sense of purpose and commitment.
Customer service managers strengthen the role of the department by
implementing 9 key actions:
•Circulate results of customer
satisfaction surveys
•Publish customer service victories
•Reinforce value by researching how
much company spends to acquire a new customer
•Document cases of "valued
customers/business saved" and estimate dollar savings to the
company
•Promote alliances with other
departments and champion interdepartmental communication
•Document potential career paths for
CSRs so the job won't be perceived as "dead end" or "low
end"
•Manage positively and develop
"esprit de corp." Make your department the "in"
place to work
•Read current industry and customer
service publications to stay informed and motivated
•Encourage employees to develop
visibility and professionalism
•Train people thoroughly. If training
budget is limited, train them yourself.
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