This essential element to delivering an exceptional customer experience is often underappreciated and overlooked

Throughout my career, I have always felt passionate about recognizing customer service talent. Too frequently, these teams are not seen as the stars of an organization. Yet, in an era where customer experience is king, their contributions have never been more important.??

When consumers enjoy an exceptional experience, their loyalty grows. Conversely, studies prove that if customers expend significant effort to resolve the issue they are facing, a whopping 96% say that they become more disloyal to that company. ?

Northwestern Mutual was recently recognized by c|net for having the “best customer service” among life insurance companies, noting that, “If exceptional customer service is your priority, Northwestern is the best choice.” We have talented teams who serve our clients directly – but we also have teams of service advocates who are the concierges to our financial advisors. These advocates provide a one-stop, dedicated resource for advisors, helping them to process claims and payments, provide counsel, and make a human connection - reinforcing the high-quality customer experience we aspire to deliver every day. ?

Taken together, our customer and advisor service teams have 70+ million interactions with clients and advisors each year. Each one of these touchpoints is an opportunity to win or lose trust, reputation and loyalty. That’s why I am adamant about equipping them with the tools they need to succeed.?

Today, I would like to shine a spotlight on what service professionals need to thrive no matter what industry they are in.?

We must inspire and empower??

Great customer service starts with instilling passion. No matter where you work, when you are passionate about something and have a clear mission – you can overcome obstacles and adapt to scenarios faster. We are fortunate to work at a company like Northwestern Mutual that has such a profound purpose: to be there when people need us most. And when we do our jobs well, we know that our clients can worry less and live more. That is deeply meaningful work – that’s why we frequently and intentionally reflect on the impact we make on people’s lives. ?

Drive must be paired with development. Leaders must prioritize training and professional growth opportunities for their service advocates so they can deliver increasingly exceptional outcomes for their customers. That’s why we are so dedicated to career pathing across the organization from the entry-level to the executive level, especially for our service advocate teams. ?

We must pair passion with proactivity and productivity?

It is critical for organizations to evolve from transactional service to advocacy – helping customers address a vast range of concerns proactively. For example, at Northwestern Mutual, many of our service advocacy teams interact regularly with our financial advisors to understand their processes and pain points. They listen, document what they hear and track the data. And instead of addressing the squeakiest wheels, they follow the data and create recommendations to make their jobs easier. ?

It's also essential for leaders to provide service advocates with the tools they need to be successful. For our team, that’s meant investing in our technology. For example, a recent redesign of the dashboard our service professionals use to manage issues is enabling us to be more efficient and effective, reducing unneeded escalations and resolving issues during the first contact. ?

We must provide them with strategic clarity?

Leaders who create the correct metrics create predictability for their organizations – but the benefits do not stop there. Sound metrics also help to ensure an ideal result. That’s why leaders must carefully define the outcomes they aspire to reach, and then set success metrics that align. ?

I say metrics – plural – because it’s clear that the success of service advocates cannot be measured through just one lens. It is critical to develop a scorecard that balances speed with empathy and consultation. At Northwestern Mutual, we track a variety of outcomes including wait times, first contact resolution, advisor satisfaction, customer effort score and client satisfaction. ?

We must create a customer service ecosystem?

One of the most powerful ways to support service advocates is to elevate the importance of their work across an organization. Service advocates cannot always work alone to improve outcomes for customers. That is why leaders must create an environment in which everyone seeks to create service improvements. Working cross-functionally, our teams modify training modules, create resource materials, and update operations leaders without creating unintended impacts. ?

Service advocates are indeed heroes of our organizations who reduce the effort that our stakeholders expend while they interact with our brands. They build relationships, they build trust, and they deliver results. This is the time for organizations to prioritize support for the professionals who are so essential to our companies’ customer experiences. What are you doing to show respect and support for the service advocates in your organization? Let me know.??