It remains increasingly important to create compelling experiences for customers and employees alike. Satisfied customers directly impact an organization’s bottom line in multiple ways, and creating a fulfilled employee pool has positive benefits far beyond their personal satisfaction. That said, challenges can arise when these same employees are dealing with customers that have unique or complex issues that fall outside the boundaries defined by the organization’s script or playbook. In these kinds of situations, service employees are faced with a dilemma. How can they provide first-class customer service – the kind expected of them by their employer – when doing so may require them to bend, break or deviate from an organizational rule or procedure?
These circumstances can arise frequently and can also put valuable service employees in a real bind. In order to truly serve their customer and ensure authentic and long-term loyalty, it may be necessary to engage in “pro-customer rule-breaking” – a practice that defies the prescribed rules set out by their employer. This might involve approving a return when it has slightly exceeded the prescribed return deadline or overlooking a warranty expiration in favor of repairing a product free of charge, or even assisting a frustrated traveler in ways that may challenge company rebooking policies when the circumstances seem to be unfairly penalizing the passenger. The list goes on.
The point is that these service agents need to inherently understand when the pros of pro-customer rule-breaking outweigh the cons, and act accordingly. In most circumstances, when a disgruntled or frustrated customer recognizes that a frontline rep has “gone the distance” on their behalf, or even risked their own security, it can ultimately be a key differentiator in generating customer loyalty. Or taking it a step further, this type of customer indebtedness leads to a dynamic called “service friendship” – a genuine and positive relationship between customer and provider, which generates a customer’s sense of obligation to further support the business by purchasing more services and products and making referrals to friends and family.
How do employers view employees that break rules in the quest for better service? It’s true that while employees can feel a sense of guilt, many feel more competent and connected to their customers while experiencing autonomy in their decision to pursue the greater good on behalf of their employer. It’s important for organizations to make certain observations and create guidelines when faced with these types of situations.
Service managers need to keep an open mind and exercise caution when evaluating employee rule-breaking behaviors, with the understanding that these are not necessarily negative actions. Soliciting customer feedback in relation to the situation can clarity, and in most cases, reinforce the notion that employees who have the ability to make real-time decisions while taking pros and cons into consideration (ultimately reinforcing true customer loyalty with little cost to the company) are valuable resources. This is particularly true in the case of frontline employees, who have the opportunity to observe customer trends and preferences and can detect flaws in outdated organizational rules and procedures.
Ultimately, however, organizations that utilize customer service outsourcing companies can further enrich their CX activities. A twenty-year veteran in the constantly evolving consumer-driven world, Anexa can provide specialized teams of customer service specialists who are adept at providing customized – and customerized – services to your audience, supporting your goal of supporting your customer in the most human and authentic way possible.
Call today – Anexa.