There’s a small city in Michigan called Wixom. Wixom is home to 13,498 citizens, and the Wixom Public Library. The library is essentially a public service provided by the City, to its citizens. But you’d never know that, by reading its customer service policy:
“While at work, each staff member is a representative of the library. The impression we make profoundly affects the library’s image and ongoing support. Because every patron interaction is important, being helpful is our highest priority. All other library policies should be interpreted in light of the principles outlined below.
- Treat every patron with equal respect and every request with equal importance.
- Always be ready and willing to help, making patrons feel valued.
- Provide accurate, friendly and efficient service, and invite patrons to return.
- Do your best to meet patrons’ needs and exceed their expectations. Whenever possible, judgment calls should be made in the patron’s favor.
- If you are unable to comply with a request, offer an alternative.
- Be well-versed in library policies and be able to explain the rationale behind them.
- Always seek possible improvements to promote service excellence. “
How can this public library in a small town “get it” when large companies with multi-million-dollar customer service budgets seem to completely miss the mark on customer service as they train their employees to parrot company-centric policies?
“Getting it” means setting the customer-facing employees free to use their own judgement when it comes to serving the customer.
There’s another organization in Seattle that takes a similar view; just like the Wixom Public Library, it encourages its employees to use their own judgement when serving the customer. And just like the Wixom Public Library, this company – Nordstrom – has a dedicated and loyal customer base.
For years, Nordstrom’s entire Employee Manual was 75 words long. Not 75 pages, but 75 words. It was printed on a 5 x 8 inch gray card. The core of the card simply stated:
“Use best judgement in all situations. There will be no additional rules.”
The key point is this: Employees who are face-to-face and voice to voice with customers all day long have the best vantage point of the customer experience. They’re in the best position to determine what action or decision will best delight the customer.
Sure, there are concerns of “giving away the store,” but most employees are smarter than that, and most customers are more reasonable than that. Maybe that’s why Nordstrom has been able to grow to over 8 billion dollars since 1910, and why the Wixom Public Library continues to increase the number of patrons it serves, and the breadth of the services it provides.
The best customer service happens, when employees are free to deliver it through their own best judgement.