Is Smiling a Good KPI?
Ron Kaufman
?? Helping Leaders & Organizations Build Winning Service Cultures | CEO at Uplifting Service | Keynote Speaker | NYT Bestselling Author | World’s #1 Customer Experience Guru 2018-2024
“Is smiling a good KPI?”
The Chief Strategy Officer of a leading bank leaned forward, lowered her voice, and asked me this sincerely. “We can see our bank tellers on video and observe them serving our customers. Should we set smiling as service standard? Is smiling a good Key Performance Indicator?”
I replied (with a smile), “Smiling is a great KPI. But your camera is turned the wrong way.”
Setting a smile standard for frontline employees distorts a spontaneous expression of happiness into a mandatory and mechanical act. The unfortunate consequence was discovered at a retail store soon after they required every employee to open and close every interaction with a smile.
To the company’s amazement, customer satisfaction scores went down! Complaints came pouring in that frontline staff were cold and uncaring, which contradicted evidence on video that opening and closing smiles were being provided.
Only when mystery shoppers investigated closely did they discover that the two-smile service requirement had been knicknamed “Bookend Smiles” by the staff; a mechanical revealing of teeth between open lips that was easy to see on video, but lacked authenticity and warmth in person.
What matters is not whether your employees smile, but whether the service they provide causes your customers to genuinely smile.
And in some cases, that means your employees should not smile.
For example, an upset customer may not want to see your frontliner’s toothy grin. He may want serious attention, speedy recovery, and genuine expressions of concern. But not a happy smile.
However, after your customer has been well served, if your employee politely asks, “Have we made your day just a little bit better?”, then the smile your customer provides is the achievement of the performance indicator that really matters. It’s what you and your customers both value.
Is smiling a useful indicator of great service? Yes, indeed. But keep your attention focused where it counts. In a world of uplifting service for customers and colleagues, “Your Smile Is Our Reward”.
Risk Analytics @ Tyger Capital | ProdMan | FinTech ★ MBA @ NMIMS ★ Ex-Deloitte
7 年Loved this Article , Thanks for sharing ,
Creative Strategist at Webmedia South Pacific - " To Observe Without Judgement Is The Highest Intelligence."
9 年Wow!...thanks for sharing.
Clinton Global Initiative Greenhouse 2024/ Obama Foundation APAC Leader 24-25/ Earthshot Prize 2024 Nominee |Prestige- Women of Power |Tatler Gen.T Leader of Tomorrow 2023 |Speaker- COP27, G20, AIS FORUM, UNDP,
9 年Nice one Ron! Would love to see you analyse customer service examples on Social Media.
Service & Process Quality Management Expert| Logistician| Operations Strategist| Communication Specialist| Process Reengineering & Digital Transformation Whiz| Customer Services & Sales Support Management Expert| Trainer
9 年Anything which is added in KPI, is followed like a formula by the staff. Even this term KPI is not much appreciated by the doers physiologically. Smile is an expression of happiness and smile without happiness is body without soul. Feelings can be felt!…. Cannot be calculated. Feelings cannot be expressed through the defined KPI and any such effort will surely procedure the negative results. Even a good comedian makes the people laugh and smile; instead of laughing or smiling by himself. Instead of focusing in giving fake smiles, the prime objective should be to make the customer smile.
Podiatric Medical Assistant Certified
9 年I loved this Article! I have always been a person that "smiles," and I feel that it speaks in volumes to anyone in both your Professional life and day to day life :o)