PLAYING TO YOUR STRENGTHS

Omar Khan explains how organisations can take a lead in the service revolution

My article in the December 2019 edition of LMD argued that Sri Lanka, awash in natural warmth and mirth, appears to face difficulties when it comes to shining on the service front. This seems paradoxical until one realises that the issue is not unwillingness on the part of the front line but more often ineptitude of processes, leadership and policy.

Let us consider ways to help lead a service revolution by drawing on the abundant gifts of the Sri Lankan ethos.

EXCUSES MAKE NO SENSE When a mistake is made – whether it’s due to a meltdown, miscommunication, error or client irritation – never argue on behalf of dysfunctional policies, broken supply chains or otherwise.

Understand the issue and assess client value; and if the benefits outweigh the temporary costs, exercise leadership and get it done.

Following my article in LMD last month, which highlighted a pertinent concern, a pharmacy in one of the major superstores empowered its pharmacists to accept payments directly! So who says change is difficult?

I don’t mean to be glib but organisations tend to waste more money on maintaining fax machines that no one uses than remedying service failures or building leadership skills.

EMPLOYEE MOTIVATION Reward employees for behaviours that you truly want to see. The following are a few simple tests that can be applied…

Does everyone know what good performance in relation to their role should be like, and are the metrics clear and service friendly? A quick audit or review can help establish this.

Do you incentivise results that require teamwork rather than mindless showboating by charismatic ‘stars’ who rush to remedy that which should never have been broken?

And do you actively celebrate and reward team contributions as a performance management metric? Why on earth not?

On the other hand, where truly merited, do you make ‘hero stories’ of service successes – and share these achievements far and wide?

Are processes trainable, transparent and fair so that everyone has a chance to do a great job? Thereafter, if they don’t do so and coaching doesn’t help, you know they don’t want to and someone else needs to be brought in.

And last but not least, do you hire for attitude? If someone doesn’t gain joy from making others happy, keep them away from the service front lines – and management!

MOMENTS OF TRUTH These are the main perception points; moments when the brand promise lives or dies, and where credibility is established or destroyed.

Examples include websites; phone responsiveness; following up on requests and complaints; mystery shoppers (to experience the entire offering); service audits; bosses who man phone lines, checkout counters or service aisles, to see, hear or feel service and what their teams deal with all the time; and how you contract and follow up.

SERVICE IMPROVEMENTS Imagine raving fans as customers and wowed brand loyalists as clients – aficionados who cannot stop talking about you. How did you pull it off? Imagine that’s the case already – tangibly and viscerally – and brainstorm backwards from that point.

Where can high tech transform the speed of decision making, service provision and organisational agility? And where can ‘high touch’ create enduring relationships to offer insights that pure transactions cannot?

WORTH A PREMIUM In every sector and niche, there are ‘premiumised’ offerings – from burger joints and pizza parlours, to retailers, mechanics and tailors… anywhere and everywhere.

Can you provide great value by being worth the premium? Challenge yourself to ‘premiumise’ and then be worth it – you’ll have delighted clients lining up to pay a premium!

PROCESS EVOLUTION Strengthen, revisit and revise structures, to enable better and more productive service results. Refine, simplify and amplify the value addition of each process in the business. And enrol, engage, energise, focus and align your team of talent.

NATURAL STRENGTHS Returning to where I began, Sri Lanka is a treasure trove of natural warmth, native creativity, responsiveness and sheer friendliness. These are aspects that can’t be trained.

When German efficiency met Thai sensual charm, Mandarin Oriental in Bangkok became one of greatest hotels – and over the decades, it’s often been acknowledged as the world’s best.

It knew your profile: the lift service provider in the lobby hit the button for your floor by recognising you, your heart melted in the warm welcome and the smiles lingered as the hotel saw you off at checkout with the same graciousness as when you checked in.

The French cuisine was as profound as the Thai food, and some of the most finesse filled chefs and food and beverage operators were brought in to apply rigour while enabling you to rejoice in the local ingredients. It’s always both and/or. Bring out the best of the world and let your own native genius shine.

Sri Lanka is poised to do precisely this. If only leaders would get out of the way of their teams, become their mentors and champions, let natural passion meet reinforcing leadership and effective customer loving processes, a positive revolution can be afoot.

Indeed, that would be serendipity!