What does conformity have to do with Great Customer Service?

Conformity is one of The Six Crucial Customer Service Behaviors

The optimal degree of conformity for your customer-facing people really depends on your business. The key is understanding your customers' objectives and expectations, and then aligning your people with your customers' expectations.

The Ritz-Carlton is famous for hiring the front-line customer facing people with low levels of conformity and empowering them to make decisions that deliver exceptional experiences for their customers. This is probably a good thing given their ultra-luxury market segment.

People with low levels of conformity are often described as inventive, free-spirited or independent.

People with high levels of conformity have a strong tendency to comply with the rules and with those in authority. They are often described as traditional, compliant or conventional.

Some positions also require high conformity due to legal, regulatory and safety requirements. In this case, it is best to balance the need to conform with high empathy and tact since it is unlikely that the service provider will be able to bend the rules. Your customer-facing people should be aware of the stress this places on the customer, and they should let the customer know that they feel his or her pain.