publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/535467
ILTA WHITE PAPER: JUNE 2015 WWW.ILTANET.ORG 23 SUSTAINING A CUSTOMER SERVICE CULTURE OF YES BUILD "One of the things that bugged me … was that the phone in my room had nine — literally nine — different icons to call housekeeping, the valet, the bellman and doorman. As a guest, I just wanted one button. That one button is all we have now at Virgin Hotels." — Virgin Hotels CEO Raul Leal Customers want a simple solution that meets them where they are. They do not want to worry about misdirecting inquiries or having to frame their questions carefully. We keep this philosophy at the heart of our searches for new tools. During the recent ServiceNow Knowledge15 conference, the opening keynote illustrated how a simple request turned into dozens of email messages and days of frustration. This happened because the receiver of the request was not given the resources to respond and lacked the foresight to step outside a rigid process to do what was needed. Although having the right resources is critical to building a service catalog, we have learned that people matter most. We now hire for a spirit of yes. We look for resourceful top performers who understand service. The top hires do not rely on others to tell them how to work or what to do. They possess a deep sense of humility which leads to true servant leadership, and they do not ask what is or above or below their pay grades. While understanding the need for the hierarchy displayed in the organizational chart, we downplay its importance, conveying that C-suite tenants serve every employee of the firm. The chart does not communicate where our power is positioned. We work mostly with bubble charts of teams and product lines. No titles. No supervisors. We build teams according to what they can deliver. If someone does not contribute well on one team, we move them to another. We have high expectations; we're not looking for each individual to deliver the same things, but we expect the same level of effort and value. Team members must be entrepreneurial, operate from a customer service perspective and be able to assess risk, understand business objectives and know when projects must be re-evaluated or abandoned. Perhaps most important, we look for people of integrity who will become personally invested in the success of the firm. We want people who have the discipline to focus and work hard, but who will think outside or even ignore the box for the sake of the customer experience. As we build our culture of yes, it is important that people, process and technology are aligned in supporting that culture. We look for efficiencies in automation and devote local resources to provide support where needed. We hire for culture and bring our departments together to avoid creating silos. MONITOR To sustain our culture of yes, we must honestly answer questions like whether our customers follow the process we have defined when requesting assistance. If our process is not being Yes. Yes. Sure thing. I'm on it. Done. You bet. Let's go. Let's do it. Got it. For sure. We can. We can.