Every Interaction Has the Power to Build or Break the Customer Experience

One of the things I love most about Willow North is our range of diverse clients, and the unique things they are excited to build along with us.?

In December 2020, we helped a client create a large-scale cultural initiative. As an industrial manufacturing company, they manage several brands.?

The overall goal communicated by each division was to build an environment where each employee would be hyper focused on creating a unique customer service experience through each and every conversation and business interaction. The client’s vision was to build a unique, impactful customer experience, while also supporting employees to make behavior changes that enabled them to be more mindful, present, and intuitively supportive in customer interactions.?

The most powerful part of our client’s intention was their desire to help employees to shift the way they viewed and dealt with conflict, while effectively communicating with customers about service challenges.?

They weren’t interested in following the traditional customer service education route of professional phone or group training. Our client’s goal was to help employees transform the way they manage themselves with both internal and external customers, so that whatever was happening internally, would positively impact the interactions with customers externally.?

We focused on three key elements: Emotional Intelligence, Leading with Service, and Conflict Reimagined?. This was not a typical training approach for us! As I pulled all the information together and my team facilitated the workshop, we realized several things that were also extremely impactful and eye opening for our own team.?

Key aspects included:?

1. Customer Service IS fun and exciting?
2. If you are open to learning, as you teach others, you will learn along with them
3. Creating a customer service based culture increases overall morale and job satisfaction?

As we worked with several of our client’s employees, we were inspired to make some changes to Willow North’s approach to customer service, too.?

Willow North clients appreciate our willingness to be flexible, focus on sustainability for their people, and help them solve the types of challenges that empower them to move toward their future desired state with clarity and purpose. And even though we already practice excellence within each client interaction, our team is excited to think about unique and even more powerful ways to enhance the level of customer service for each and every one of our clients.?

On a personal note, I love (and I’m inspired by) the quote by Shep Hyken - a customer service and experience expert. He states, “Make every interaction count, even the small ones. They are all relevant.”?

Reflecting on this recent client experience, I realized what we taught in this unique customer service workshop wasn’t ultimately just about customer service. It was about:

• Practicing consistent emotional behaviors when dealing with customers
• Assuming positive intent
• Practicing empathy
• Encouraging and influencing collaboration for a win-win outcome
• Creating a customer service vision statement to help guide them into behaving in the way they said they wanted to behave

Whether you are dealing with an internal or external customer, consider how you are making every interaction count, no matter how small. Each interaction adds up to stronger relationships, increased customer retention, as well as happy customers and employees - simply by considering the impact you want to create, facilitate or deliver, no matter the size. The internet makes it easier than ever to create a global influence in powerful ways, so why not use it to spread the power of collaboration and support while also growing your business!?

Willow North is excited to continually work on enhancing our customer’s experience in unique and powerful ways. What are you doing to enhance yours? Not sure how to move forward? Let us help!