All too frequently, poor customer service is written off as apathy, laziness or an unwillingness to conform. Which may or may not be correct, however, the truth is that these issues are typically signs of problems long ignored; a breakdown of empowerment. Your company depends on the strengths and passions, the creativity and purpose of employees emboldened with the wild-eyed results of self-leadership. If workers hired to interface directly with customers don’t have the authority or the ability to make certain a stellar customer experience is delivered every time, blame laced in good enough will be laid at the feet of the customer. Not what I can do to take ownership of this customer. Conversely, if an employee understands how they would like to be treated when they raise an issue with a business they can display empathy, which the customer interprets as a positive experience growing exponentially. (employee engagement and performance)

Every employee was and is an entrepreneur. They had big dreams of doing things and making a difference. Along the way, they were labeled "labor." This caused to view them as means to an end. Rather than people who want to be passionate about making a difference in a climate they can trust. HR and management tend to reduce them to a form of unanimity where they can't and shouldn't think. Innovation, new ideas of imporving service and rediucing costs wither under distrust. So, they unintentionally aimlessly sit through performance reviews with managers who haven't a clue as to how to achieve business outcomes. 

How does one empower their people so they deliver exceptional customer service? Customer service is actually nebulous. It’s a vague concept that varies based on your organization, product, enterprise, and culture. Many items make this up, yet there are some employee empowerment ideas that go beyond the organization. 

1. Examine to make sure customer satisfaction is achievable by engaging employees. That they have the skillsets and the autonomy to provide the absolute best service. 
2. You won’t provide the high-quality impactful experience to your clients if you haven’t supplied extraordinary training for your employee partners. 
3. If your people have a strong opinion of what the organization stands for, what its dreams are, and why it exists, they'll experience a greater sense of connectedness to the business, customer, and colleagues. 

People with a complete understanding of why customer rules and practices are in place, and who's in unison are empowered to be the first-rate advocates fully willing of delivering first-rate customer service. (employee engagement and customer satisfaction)

Organizations that exhibit the very best types of worker alignment and engagement additionally inspire their employees to speak up about strategies that disavow the desired customer experience. Their managers avoid groupthink. This is a protection to make sure strategies are not repetitive. This continuing engagement between employee and management will create proactive actions both the worker and customer can be pleased with. 

Employee self-leadership will achieve business outcomes by creating customer advocates. Your customers revel in the delivery of legendary service even as employees achieve job satisfaction, engagement, experience, and training avoiding the proclivity for groupthink. Allowing things to slide rather than having the self-leadership and empowerment to find better than good solutions serving the customer and business. And serving the customer will, in the end, serve the business.  

Here is my point: Never ever allow yourself to clip the wings of your employees so they are grounded increasing their dependency on you as manager. Your job is to create leaders who are passionate about the organization and the customers they serve. 

About Jim Woods

Jim Woods is a successful trainer and President of Woods Kovalova Group, a leading management consultancy serving Board and C-level executives, managers, and individuals by helping them create a culture of leadership. He is an author, a former fifth grade and university teacher with an impressive resume. He is beloved by audiences. To schedule a speaking engagement with Jim please schedule an engagement here. Go>. Connect with him on Twitter, Facebook, and Linkedin. Connect with Jim at jim@woodskovalovagroup.com.