Devoted to Managers and those that seek to improve their management skills

One of most talked about business issues that is repeated endlessly over and over again is the ubiquitous "poor customer service."

All the talk in the world will do nothing about this unless there is something very specific,  that is part of the very makeup of a company. In this post I want to talk about what is probably the greatest cause of poor customer service and how it can be remedied.

One of the great problems that arise is that businesses think that customer service is a training issue alone. Let's face it, everybody has their training program and then pushes the employees to get on board and implement it. Most businesses do fair at best with this method.

I've said this before but it bears repeating: hire for attitude and train for skills. Why? Isn't skill and talent what you're really hiring for? I want to burst that bubble right now, no it's not! You'd be surprized how "talented" someone is that has a good attitude and works hard at applying the known principles that will make them a success.

But where is the thing that determines how your customers will be served? It's related to one thing alone: what the company stands for! When you ask someone that loves their job where they work, they'll start talking with a gleam in their eye about their company, their boss and how they love what they do.

This comes from having a company that stands for something they believe in. There is a company "The Longaberger Company" that makes baskets (they've added other products lately) which has been featured over and over again as a great company by their customers, their community and their employees. Baskets. How can a company be great and stand for something that makes baskets?

Here in their own words are why they are great, but keep in mind that it is not a slogan but real; and permeates the whole company:

"When you purchase a Longaberger basket, you are sharing in the Longaberger story and family tradition. The Company’s mission statement — “To Stimulate A Better Quality Of Life” — reflects Longaberger’s commitment to the company’s founding philosophy that people are the key to our success. We are a family-owned company with a family-friendly environment."

You can read their mission statement and a brief history of the company here.

Their statement pretty much says it all.