The Impact of Teamwork in Customer Experience Management

By Kristina Evey • April 12th, 2010

In your ideal customer centric culture, consider how are your teams and staff working together. They hand off the task with all of the necessary information for the next link in the chain. They cover each other’s responsibilities when necessary. They integrate the customer into the team feeling by letting them know that everyone in your company is working together to serve them.

The communication practices within the company go a long way toward creating a team oriented feeling. Top level decisions are quickly made known to the front line staff along with selected reasoning for decision. Communication within the different levels of the organization, along with management to front line staff, are open and work two ways.

Before decisions affecting workflow, production volume, processes, policies, or anything to do with the amount and quality of work being done by the front line are being made, it is important to have an open dialogue with all parties involved. Front line staff and managers will be able to give open, honest, and candid feedback about the proposed changes based on what they currently can and are doing in their responsibilities. They will know what is possible or not. They will be able to identify any changes that need to be made with the current situation before future changes can be made. They willing to give insight as to any other strategies or methods they see as being able to accomplish the objective of the leadership team.

Including the staff actually doing the job of the impacted area will engage them and deepen the relationship they feel with the leadership of the company. As your internal customers, when they feel appreciated and valued by being asked for their input, they will go to great lengths to make things happen in the best interest of the company and the customer.

Take this same principle and apply it to the external customer. When changes are being made to procedures, policies, products, or programs impacting the customer’s world, include them in the process. Get their opinions, ideas and suggestions. Ask what they would like to see more or less of. Identify changes they would like to see made. Again, like your internal customers, your external customers will feel valued and appreciated by the mere fact that you are asking for their opinions and ideas. Their perception of the relationship you want to deliver them will become that much stronger. The key here is to act on the information they provide.