I was in a discussion with a business owner last week, he is in the asphalt driveway business. He was a bit disgruntled about a client who just finished a driveway with him. He made the comment that the client was lucky he was able to fit the project in at all, and why couldn't they be more appreciative.
For years I was proud of how our company kept dust to a bare minimum on our projects. Still, sometimes it wasn't enough until I realized that as a company we were focusing on what dust we didn't create - yet our homeowners only understood the dust we did create.
This sudden realization eventually led to our company’s culture of Uncommon Courtesy.
Uncommon courtesy is doing the little things that make a big difference. The key to implementing this into a company is first to look at all events as seen through the eyes of the client. The second key is to train all the people in the company to see things through the eyes of the customer.
This sort of culture doesn't happen overnight. It takes training and training and continual reinforcement.It also takes good processes in place that are customer centric.
Start by looking at all the details of how customers interact with your company. One woman got a funny smile on her face when the lead carpenter told her he was going to send a truck full of studs out. I think she was thinking of shirtless muscular guys, but he was talking about the boards that go perpendicular in a wall.
How do you create a culture of uncommon courtesy?
1. Look at all your company processes through the eyes of your clients.
2. Identify key areas in your process that affect your clients and make sure they are customer centric.
3. Develop training programs for your people on how to look for the little things that make a big difference.