Many things contribute to creating the kind of organizational culture that gets a business recognized for great service. Companies such as Ritz Carlton and Disney who are known for their excellent customer service follow a program which touches all aspects of their business. It models great service at every level of management, recognizes and rewards great service throughout the organization, expects staff to treat each other as customers, redesigns systems and procedures to facilitate improved customer service, and views customer service “training” as an ongoing process that includes both formal and informal resources. Training is not the only piece of the puzzle, but it is a very important piece.

When is the right time to develop a customer service training program? The simple answer is: “before there’s a problem.” In a retail start-up, the organization’s culture is usually a direct reflection of the owner’s approach to customer service. If the owner works on the floor side-by-side with the staff, he or she is modeling how customers should be treated. If the owner’s service instincts are good (and they often are in people who enjoy retail), the organization becomes known for good service. When staff members do an especially good job, the owner notices and compliments them. If someone treats a customer poorly, the owner can step in, smooth things over, and discuss the problem with the offending staff member later.

However, as an organization grows, the owner usually doesn’t work in the store every day. Often, this is the time when organizations get indications — either through customer feedback or the owner’s instinct — that the level of service is no longer up to the original standard. Formalizing customer service training is very appropriate at this point.

Training Plan Questions

In developing training at Zingerman’s, we focus on answering four questions that all good training — including customer service training — should answer:

1) What is expected of the trainee, and by when?

2) How will the information be made available?

3) How will we know the expectations are or are not being met?

4) What are the rewards/consequences for meeting/not meeting the expectations?

We have found that by having our managers answer these four questions, the development of training within our organization has been simplified and our training has become more effective.

If you’ve documented your vision of what great service looks like (see last month’s column), you’re well on your way to answering Training Plan Question One. Being specific and clear about what is expected without assuming that your expectations are “obvious” is the foundation for effective training. For example, we expect staff to be polite to both customers and each other from the moment they begin working. Although what it means to “be polite” may seem obvious, we have found that it isn’t obvious to everyone. To help employees understand our definition of politeness, we use words such as “please,” “thank you,” and “you’re welcome.” In addition, if we don’t know someone’s name, we use “sir” or “ma’am,” not “hey you!”

In this month’s column, we are focusing on Training Plan Question Two, which deals with the training resources that you make available within your organization. In future columns, we’ll address Training Plan Questions Three and Four.

Training Plan Question Two: How will the information be made available?

Before you start developing completely new training resources, evaluate what is currently available in your organization. Do you have a new hire orientation class that could be modified to include a segment on customer service? One of the most effective training resources we have is an orientation class taught twice a month by CEO and cofounding partner Ari Weinzweig. In this class, new employees hear how Zingerman’s earned its reputation for great service and exactly how each staff person is expected to uphold it.

How about your staff handbook? Does it clearly document your vision of great service and what you expect from your staff? Too often, such handbooks get filled with tedious personnel policies and procedures, but fail to mention how we expect staff to treat customers and each other.

If you don’t already have a class that specifically addresses customer service, consider creating one. One of the best things about a classroom setting is that it offers the opportunity for role-playing. There is no better way to improve customer service skills than to practice them. And although practicing in a role-play situation can feel uncomfortable at first, it is much safer than practicing on live customers who are spending real money.

If you don’t have the time or inclination to design a class from scratch, you can build a class around one of the many videos that have been developed on this topic. Most videos can be prescreened at no charge, so make sure to find one that is consistent with your vision of service. Then add some role plays and discussion, and you’ve got a class that’s ready to go.

Educating your staff on customer service shouldn’t begin and end in a class. There is virtually no aspect of your business that isn’t an opportunity to provide information on how to give great service. Consider implementing some or all of these ideas:

• Include questions on customer service situations on your application.

• Practice excellent customer service when interviewing applicants; model how you want them to act once they’re hired.

• Incorporate customer complaint role plays into your interviews. The interviewee’s response will probably not be perfect, but it will give you a good idea about where they’re starting from: clued-in or clue-less.

• Add customer service stories as a regular agenda item for staff meetings. Spend 15 minutes at each meeting discussing a specific situation that came up during the past week and how it was handled.

• Recognize and acknowledge great customer service as it happens day-to-day. Point out the staff members who are role models of great service and encourage other staff members to learn from watching them.

• Formally reward the great service-givers in your organization through bonuses, raises, and promotions.

• Don’t let instances of poor service slip by unaddressed. Help staff explore more appropriate ways of handling similar situations in the future.

Take a few minutes to think about how staff get information on what it means to give great service in your organization. Once you get into the mind-set that every interaction is an opportunity to model, teach, and promote great customer service, you are on the right track.