The High-Integrity Workplace: An essential for excellent customeer service
Every single employee at the front office knew the source of the problem. They all knew there could be only one reason why customers would complain about the service. It had to be that one particular individual—and her poor, condescending attitude towards customers.
However, no one was prepared to talk about the situation. She was a topic that was off-limits, an undiscussable subject matter.
A few brave souls who had attempted to address the situation in the early days of her arrival into the department had only realised she was not one to take advice. Additionally, the manager at the time did not stand up for those who had confronted the lady about her attitude. Those incidents had eventually set a wrong tone in that workplace—a situation that had persisted to the present.
It did not take long for me to sense that there was something amiss with the group. Though it was a relatively small team, I realised—on the very first day I was introduced to the team—that there were silos and sub-teams within the group. There were cliques everywhere I looked.
There were groups of twos and threes within the department, with each group holding taking up their own territories and defending them with all their strength. One clique would not even laugh at a joke told by members of another clique, no matter how hilarious the joke was.
However, the most striking thing I noticed about that particular team was the lack of openness within it. Communication within the group was restricted to just a few words among colleagues, and these interactions were strictly to do with the work and nothing more. It was quite easy to spot, even for a newcomer, that there was a problem with the team.
It was therefore not surprising that when the customer lodged a complaint against the lady from the opening vignette, nobody was prepared to bring the matter up for discussion. That group was the quintessential low-integrity work team. It displayed all the signs of the kind of team that fails to deliver the great service that customers want.
The opposite of that team is a high integrity team. In a high-integrity workplace, anything and everything can be discussed. No topic is off-limit. Employees are comfortable talking about any and everything. Within a service team, productive, high-integrity conversations are part of the make-up of the team. Meetings are open, characterised by an air of freedom. Everyone knows that each and every member of the team has the success of the team at heart. Therefore, any topic that is brought up is done without malice or ill-intentions.
It is the job of leaders of customer service teams, units, departments and organisations to ensure that the right culture is created and sustained within the group. The culture of great service teams is such that team members can always bring up a topic for discussion, especially if that topic has something to do with the quality of service being given to customers.
In such teams, individuals who raise issues that concern the quality of service, no matter how unpleasant the issues might seem, are not seen as being disloyal to the cause. This is why leadership is such an important factor when it comes to building the kind of work environment that promotes high integrity. It is the leader’s responsibility to ensure that uncomfortable are brought into, and discussed in, the open.
A good manager sets the tone for a high-integrity work environment. This, however, is easier said than done. Setting the tone for openness means that the manager must be “big” enough to put his or her integrity on the line. When he or she is wrong, a good manager will admit it. A good manager will not bully his or her ways out of situations when the fault lies at his or her doorstep.
A leader who wants to establish a high-integrity work environment will not sweep issues concerning him or her under the carpet while haranguing subordinates for their wrongs. When staff see the boss hide behind his or her position to shy away from sensitive issues, it sets the tone in the workplace—unfortunately, a wrong tone that leadership does not “walk the talk.”
A leader who really wants to build a high-integrity work environment will welcome divergent views. Such an individual would always want to hear from employees, especially front line staff, about how best to serve customers. Even if what he or she hears is contrary to his or her expectations, a good leader-manager will not react negatively.
When employees know that they will not be penalised when things do not go well, they do not hide their own faults. They are open about their mistakes. This can, however, only be achieved when leadership makes it clear to all team members that mistakes are opportunities for learning, not occasions for punishment. To get this message home, it is important that clear examples are set.
A staff who inadvertently does something to mar a customer’s experience is not berated in front of the customer and all colleagues. But is treated with respect even though the act might be frowned upon. Leaders of high integrity workplaces encourage—and even reward—staff who own up when they mess up. That is a very powerful message to send to everyone in the organisation.
When there is an atmosphere of openness and integrity in a workplace, employees are less able or likely to cut corners. Employees are also less likely to exhibit negative behaviours. Counterproductive work behaviours are less likely when employees know that their colleagues will tell on them, should they do anything untoward. It is when employees know that colleagues keep their views to themselves and would not dare speak out against wrong that negative incidents, including wrong treatment of customers, occur.
Another characteristic of a high-integrity workplace is that the Golden Rule is practised religiously. In a low-integrity workplace, like the one in the opening narration, people would not want to get involved in other people’s business. When someone gets into trouble, even if it is clear that the one is not at fault, colleagues will prefer to turn and look the other way. No one would be willing to speak up in defence of the one in trouble.
People do that with the excuse that they do not want to get into trouble. If the incident is between a superior and a subordinate, one might understand. But I have witnessed, on more than one occasion, when colleagues turn away when another colleague is having an altercation with a customer.
This is not what happens in a high-integrity workplace. In the latter case, colleagues speak up in defence of colleagues. Colleagues go further to lift a finger to help another colleague in need. The high-integrity workplace is not an “each-man-for-himself” kind of environment. It is more of an “all-for-one-and-one-for-all” kind of environment, where each is each other’s keeper.
A workplace that wants to be known as a place of high integrity must necessarily have a few non-conformists when it comes to internal communications. These are the individuals who speak the truth as it is, without mincing words. I once worked with one such individual. He told it as he saw it. There were many occasions when I personally felt he had gone overboard with the way he said something. There were many colleagues who did not want to deal with him and were very uncomfortable in his presence. On more than one occasion I have witnessed a few watery eyes after he had finished “dealing” with some individuals.
However, I felt his kind was also needed for the kind of work environment that would give customers the kind of quality service we wanted. I loved working with this chap because I knew that, deep down, he was not saying the things he said out of malice. He was not saying things just to hurt people. He said what he said because he really cared about the kind of service we were giving to customers.
When workplaces have high integrity atmospheres, it gets transmitted to customers. Customers know that they can come out and say what they want to, without being made to look like troublemakers. Sometimes, all the customer wants is a listening ear—someone who will listen without being judgmental. Customer-facing employees, who are properly trained and who know that they will not get into any trouble bringing up a customer’s view, will gladly listen to a customer with something to say.
It is one thing to talk about wanting to provide customers with great customer and it is a totally different thing to put in place the structures to ensure that quality service is delivered on a regular basis. Quality teams deliver quality service. Therefore, it is important that the right teams, imbibed with the right cultures, are put in place if an organisation wants to deliver quality service. There is no way around.
Technology, important as it might be, is not the cure-all for poor customer service. The best modern gadgets will only complement the efforts of a great team. The most advanced gizmo will not replace a great team. For great customer service—the kind that keeps customers coming back for more—a team in which integrity is integral is just what the doctor ordered.