Front End Alignment
http://www.refresher.com/mindfulnetwork/articlelive/articles/127/1/Front-End-Alignment/Page1.html
Shep Hyken
Shep Hyken, CSP is a professional speaker and author specializing in the areas of customer service, customer loyalty and internal service. For more information on Shep’s speaking programs, books and tapes visit http://www.hyken.com/ .By Shep Hyken
Published on 10/21/2008
If your car’s front end is out of alignment, then the entire car may shake. Not so different in business. If the front line doesn’t understand the value promise to the customer, the entire company can suffer. One of the crucial phases a company has to go through to create high levels of service is… alignment.
Alignment
If your car’s front end is out of alignment, then the entire car may shake. Not so different in business. If the front line doesn’t understand the value promise to the customer, the entire company can suffer. One of the crucial phases a company has to go through to create high levels of service is… alignment. This is where everyone in the company understands the vision, mission and, for lack of a better term, the mantra of the company.
In my book, “Moments of Magic,” I wrote about company credos. This is close to the same thing, but with this difference - length. This “mantra” is a key phrase that is extremely short, yet so simple that when employees and customers hear it, they know exactly what the company is about.
Examples in my past articles and books include what the Ritz Carlton preaches to their employees - and their guests - that, “We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.” And Outback Steakhouse, who wants to serve great food with “No Rules!” These are key phrases that make it crystal clear, for both the employees and their customers, what the company is trying to achieve.
One of my favorite mantras comes from the Beatles, who from the very beginning had a clear vision of what they wanted to achieve. Three words helped to define their career as a band… “Bigger than Elvis!” While this doesn’t have to do much with customer service, the lesson is the clarity and simplicity of the phrase.
So, here is an assignment. Come up with your corporate mantra, one sentence long. Making it simple is not simple at all. It will take effort; brainstorming, tweaking and more. You’ll come up with a phrase, live with it for a while, and end up changing it. It is a great process, but once you get through it, you will have a clear message about your company that both your customers and your employees understand. That is alignment!
In my book, “Moments of Magic,” I wrote about company credos. This is close to the same thing, but with this difference - length. This “mantra” is a key phrase that is extremely short, yet so simple that when employees and customers hear it, they know exactly what the company is about.
Examples in my past articles and books include what the Ritz Carlton preaches to their employees - and their guests - that, “We are ladies and gentlemen serving ladies and gentlemen.” And Outback Steakhouse, who wants to serve great food with “No Rules!” These are key phrases that make it crystal clear, for both the employees and their customers, what the company is trying to achieve.
One of my favorite mantras comes from the Beatles, who from the very beginning had a clear vision of what they wanted to achieve. Three words helped to define their career as a band… “Bigger than Elvis!” While this doesn’t have to do much with customer service, the lesson is the clarity and simplicity of the phrase.
So, here is an assignment. Come up with your corporate mantra, one sentence long. Making it simple is not simple at all. It will take effort; brainstorming, tweaking and more. You’ll come up with a phrase, live with it for a while, and end up changing it. It is a great process, but once you get through it, you will have a clear message about your company that both your customers and your employees understand. That is alignment!