Providing great customer service takes more than just flexible policies and adaptable procedures; you also need the right people to execute those smart policies and procedures. Otherwise you’re like a football coach with a great game plan and lousy players.
Many managers have little or no training in how to interview prospective employees. They typically ask applicants questions that yield little useful information about how the person will actually perform on the job. As a result, they end up making decisions based on little more than a gut feeling. Hiring is too important to be done so haphazardly. That’s why everyone involved in the employee selection process—not just the folks in human resources—should know how to conduct an interview that will help them select a candidate with a strong commitment to service. No matter what level you occupy in your organization, the better you are at interviewing and selecting employees, the easier your job as a manager will be and the better your customer service will be.
When I first entered management, I was about as good as most managers at hiring new employees. Translation: I didn’t really know what I was doing. My first lessons on hiring the right people came from the Gallup organization, which taught me how to determine the talents people had and the ones they didn’t have. Then I was introduced to Carol Quinn and her Motivation-Based Interviewing method (MBI, see www.hireauthority.com). It was a revelation. Quinn had designed the program to be able to distinguish the true A players from applicants who gave impressive interviews but ended up as disappointments on the job. Thanks to her, I changed the way I conducted interviews, and I hired outstanding people for the rest of my career.
One thing I learned is that some of the most frequently asked interview questions are counterproductive; they actually help applicants provide the kinds of overly positive responses that make them look better than they really are. For example: “Tell me about a time you went above and beyond to satisfy a customer.” Variations on that theme are common, because interviewers think it will reveal something about the prospective hire. The problem is, even the worst employees can come up with at least one time they did an exceptionally good job, and there is no way of knowing whether that impressive story they tell you is an example of their typical behavior or the one bright spot in a history of mediocrity. So I stopped asking that kind of question. Instead, I asked about their experience dealing with job challenges or obstacles. For example, I might ask, “Tell me about a specific time you had to deal with an irate customer.” Notice the difference. It’s a more open-ended invitation. People might respond with the one time they did something exceptional, but they might not. They might remember a time when they did just enough, or they might talk about a customer who was impossible to satisfy or even a time they messed up. They might tell you more than one story. The point is, if you ask questions that can elicit a range of responses, you’ll learn a lot more than you will if you ask for their career highlights.
One big mistake people make in staffing is assuming that skill level alone is enough to justify hiring someone. Of course, you need to take the applicant’s skills into account, but you should never stop there. You also need to assess two other vital ingredients of great service: attitude and passion.
You’ve probably heard the saying “Hire the attitude, teach the skill.” When I talk about attitude in the context of service, I mean the degree to which people believe they have the power to affect outcomes, even in the face of tough challenges. Stated simply, there are two types of people: those with an “I can” attitude, who believe they can overcome obstacles, and those with a predominant “I can’t” attitude, who believe that outcomes are determined mainly by external factors. That second group is likely to shrink in the face of a challenge; convinced that outcomes are out of their control, they see no reason to exert any meaningful effort. As a result, they fail to deliver top-notch performance. By contrast, “I can” individuals relentlessly put forth creative effort in pursuit of solutions, because they believe that success is simply a matter of time and steadfast determination. As Henry Ford, the innovative founder of the Ford Motor Company, once said, “Whether you think you can or you cannot, you’re right!” That’s why it’s crucial to hire people with the right attitude to deal directly with your customers.
But even people with the right skills and an “I can” attitude can come up short when it comes to service if they lack passion. Customers can sense a lack of passion from a mile away, and they’d rather do business with employees who seem motivated and energized than with those who act as if their job is killing them inside. Look for people who will love doing the job you’re hiring them to do. Passion for one’s work is a powerful motivator. And the best part is, you don’t have to light a fire under those who have it, because that fire comes from within. If you want employees who love their work, look for applicants who exude that kind of passion when they first walk in the door and introduce themselves.
When it comes to customer satisfaction, the single most effective strategy is to hire people who have what I call “the triple crown” of customer service—great skill, an “I can do whatever is needed” attitude, and tremendous passion for their work. Taken together, these three add up to the single most indispensable element of great customer service: commitment. This is true for every business or profession under the sun. Committed doctors have more satisfied patients. Committed teachers have more satisfied students. Whether you work in a school or a hospital, a retail chain or an airline, a grocery store or a manufacturing plant, if you want to deliver great service, you need to hire skilled, passionate, can-do people who are committed to giving each and every customer the best possible experience.