Originally posted on Compass Consulting & Solutions – Paul Nottingham
I have seen many businesses start up in my 30+ years in Sales, and I don’t remember a single instance where the owner/operator purposely tried to provide a bad customer service experience. In fact, my experience was quite the opposite. But more often than not, somewhere along the way, most businesses manage to stumble and fall short of their intention to provide a great customer service experience for ALL of their customers. So, what can a company do to steer their business down the road to excellent customer service? Well one thing many successful businesses have learned is to provide a vision statement that evolves into a mission statement that sets the standard for a Companies culture.
A Mission Statement is just lip service unless the company makes a commitment to uphold that which is stated as a written promise! What I mean to say is this: You have to demonstrate a commitment to the words by taking the action steps to ensure you are living them every day. If not then they are worth less than the paper they are written upon. By writing them down and printing them for the public to see, your company has entered into a contract that is as good as a handshake with your customers.
Let’s look at a few Mission Statements from very successful companies that help to define their culture. You will probably recognize most for being leaders in their respective industries.
“We seek to be Earth’s most customer-centric company for four primary customer sets: consumers, sellers, enterprises, and content creators.” –Amazon
“To connect people with their world, everywhere they live and work, and do it better than anyone else.” –AT&T
“To make people’s lives better every day – naturally.” –Burt’s Bees
“To champion every client’s goals with passion and integrity.” –Charles Schwab
“To refresh the world; to inspire moments of optimism and happiness; to create value and make a difference.” –Coca-Cola
“To be the preferred provider of targeted financial service in our communities based on strong customer relationships.” –Commerce Bank
“Makes the world a more caring place by helping people laugh, love, heal, say thanks, reach out and make meaningful connections with others.” –Hallmark
“To be the preeminent global hospitality company – the first choice of guests, team members, and owners alike.” –Hilton Worldwide
“To provide superior service in every aspect of our customer’s air travel experience.” –Jet Blue Airways
“To help customers improve and maintain their biggest asset- their home.” –Lowe’s
These are just a few of the thousands of Mission statements found in the business world. Now I would never try to convince you that a Mission Statement alone should be a good reason to patronize any business. But when you look at the statements you get an idea of the culture and values these companies hold dear. For some as seen above, it is the importance of being chosen above all other competitors. For others it is about creating value in their product and making a difference in the world. For others still, it is about focusing on customers at all levels-be it internal, external, or contributors to the company’s overall mission. The bottom line in these companies is that they have created a vision and they passionately live this vision through creative engagement of their employees, vendors, and business partners. By sharing their vision with us, they are stating publicly what is important to them as a company and how they wish to make our lives better through the use of their products or services and the value they will provide if given the opportunity.
Each of these companies has determined that in order to fulfill their desire to provide a superior level of customer service and product value, they have committed fully to follow their mission statement to ensure they don’t lose their way. It has to be Understood and felt at levels of the business to be successful and as such needs to be understood and taken as a personal mission. Which leads to my conclusion: In order for your company to provide the best level of customer service, you as well as your employees have to be on the same page every day. By engaging your team in the creation of your company Mission Statement you invite buy-in and commitment. Collectively your team is creating the promise and making the handshake with your customers to walk the talk and deliver goods and services that you will be proud to put your name on.