As we know, trust is essential for organisations to succeed, thrive and deliver exceptional outcomes, while culture is played out by what people say and do every day and is therefore central to maximum productivity and success. Being really open to and aware of how people ‘are’ with each other in your organisation, taking a step back and objectively evaluating what you see can be a great trigger to making positive changes.

The definition of a high trust culture is when everybody is truly collaborative and respectful, sure and confident that each member of the team will do a superb job and there is no need to doubt or check on this. People have absolute faith in their colleagues’ ability to get the job done well in a timely manner to everyone’s satisfaction.  When you have great team spirit and can trust your co-workers, you promote feelings of safety and security that enables everyone to engage fully and encourage each other to reach their full potential and succeed. Trust in your fellow workers and a blame-free culture also leads to more open communication which then extends to an increased trust in the organisation and management, too.

This happens when the entire team is equipped with what we, at MGI, refer to as the Optimal Mindset, where everyone is equipped to willingly step up and take ownership and responsibility for their roles, they are optimistic that solutions, options and alternatives can always be found, they appreciate that all feedback is invaluable and have respect for each other’s point of view, alongside a firm belief that they really make a difference. When your people are equipped with the tools to ensure they have this Optimal Mindset, they can deal with anything that comes their way with confidence and capability – and it’s also a solid foundation to thrive through change and upheaval.

Four key building blocks

There are four key building blocks to create a high trust culture and promote better teamwork, stronger relationships and improved problem-solving skills.

1. Awareness – Having a strong sense of self-awareness and self-management of ourselves and everyone around us builds optimism, motivation and a sense of value and self-worth. Being able to recognise our strengths and weaknesses makes us more aware of our emotions, thoughts and behaviours and empowers us to recognise when we need to take a step back from challenging situations and consider our options. Having a real awareness of ourselves and others makes us more empathetic and appreciative of others’ perspectives and personalities, which in turn helps us to be more productive, confident, proactive and motivated. Leaders can use this awareness of themselves and the way people are interacting in the organisation to take stock and consider the positives and the opportunities for developing higher levels of trust.
2. Mindset – At the heart of everything we think, feel, say and do, our mindset impacts every aspect of our lives, shaping our response and reaction to every situation that comes our way, and driving our interactions and relationships with others. Highly productive and successful teams have a shared mindset of ownership and responsibility, optimism, respect and belief in their capability, so that they’re able to appreciate and act positively upon feedback. They can really listen and show respect by considering what others have to say, recognising the value of feedback and seeing setbacks as critical learning tools.
3. Collaboration – This is where we see a tightly knit workforce working well together with active involvement – questioning, challenging and supporting one another while truly respecting the value of each other’s viewpoints. Collaborative teams can happily pull together so that problems are solved, and barriers swiftly overcome as people are motivated by a sense of purpose and achievement. Being open and honest allows working relationships to flourish on a foundation of mutual respect and trust.
4. Communication – Positive, clear and engaging communication skills build two-way trust which leads to effective collaboration and stronger relationships. It’s always important to use positive, influential language and ensure that the first thing you say is constructive, empathetic, positive and solution focused as this demonstrates inclusion and respect and builds trust. Having the ability to communicate in a more confident, optimistic and capable way helps you to construct the right message for the most successful outcomes as well as more harmonious and healthy relationships, too.

When all four building blocks are firmly embedded in your teams and demonstrated through their everyday actions, it will be clear that everyone is working together effectively with the same aims to produce outstanding results and outcomes. People will have more insight into how they work and how best to work with others – they are empowered to communicate in a more collaborative and constructive way and ultimately build a productive and positive high trust culture.

Truly collaborative teams drive innovation and high levels of employee engagement, customer satisfaction and productivity. Ensuring your teams have the right tools and resources to hand will enable everyone to stay focused, overcome obstacles and excel in their roles with confidence and perspective, and a true commitment to excellence for the benefit of all.

To learn how MGI’s unique Positive High Trust Cultures Toolkit can provide your people with the self-management and communications tools, templates and strategies to consistently grow higher levels of positivity and trust, please get in touch here.

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“Everything you think, feel, say and do is either a service or a disservice to yourself and everyone around you.” Mary Gober

Findings from the UK Institute of Customer Service (ICS) confirm the underlying ethos of everything we deliver at MGI Learning; that consumer trust is key to providing exceptional service with responsiveness, empathy and understanding. We know that an open, honest and empathetic approach to any situation, however challenging, increases the likelihood of positive, beneficial interactions with our customers, resulting in more successful outcomes and overall customer satisfaction.

Customer service teams who are equipped with the ability to approach their interactions with empathy and a clear commitment to take ownership and responsibility for their customers’ needs are far more likely to build strong relationships and customer loyalty. With one-third of the customers polled by the ICS saying they are willing to pay more for a dependable service, equipping your teams with the necessary skills and resources makes powerful business sense alongside the obvious benefits of increased job satisfaction, wellbeing and resilience.

Starting with empathy

Whether responding to a complaint, managing long waiting times or challenging circumstances such as products or services being delayed or unavailable, as a first step it’s always important to consider and acknowledge the impact a situation may have on the customer and to incorporate this awareness into any options or solutions you present. Empathy needs to be genuine and relevant so that you are sincerely recognising the impact the issue may have on the customer rather than saying something for the sake of it or being patronising.

Having the right tools at your fingertips

An incredibly effective tool within MGI’s Mindset, Language & Actions Toolkit that really lends itself to empathy is Glad > Sure > Sorry, where each of the three components give you the opportunity to express empathy and demonstrate action when faced with feedback or a complaint. The Glad and Sure components are particularly important for making empathy more effective by moving straight on to the action you can take to help the customer move on from a challenging situation as quickly as possible.

“I’m pleased you have called us. I can hear the impact this has had on you all and I am certain we can work together to find a good way forward” is a strong example of responding with empathy and action when dealing with complaints or feedback.

Of course, there are many other situations where empathy is required, such as when a customer shares a situation that has a significant impact on them and requests our assistance and support. It is important to show empathy in this situation by demonstrating that you are listening carefully and respectfully and have heard the impact on the customer. After acknowledging that, your main priority should be to move quickly into action and clearly demonstrate how you can help, or how they can progress some positive next steps themselves.

Showing commitment and solution-focus

When dealing with any situation that requires us to empathise, especially in complex or challenging situations for our customers, demonstrating commitment and solution-focus by moving swiftly onto positive action is key to providing the highest level of service.

If what the customer wants is something you can do, seize the opportunity to show absolute commitment and responsibility and act immediately. If you are unable to fulfil the customer’s request, the appropriate response is to discuss the options and alternatives in a solution-focused way, presenting them in terms of benefits and considerations for the customer for each one, and then taking decisive action.

Act with confidence

When Customer Service teams are equipped and prepared to respond positively, constructively and with empathy to any situation, they will be able to act with confidence, making the customer feel valued, respected, and listened to. This is especially true during times of high demand and challenge, such as those we are experiencing now. This will ensure the best possible outcomes and increased levels of customer satisfaction, whatever comes their way.

How can we help?

Find out how our Mindset Language and Actions Toolkit can help your people to deliver consistent and excellent service experiences – book a chat with us today. 

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We know from working with multiple social housing customers that people working in the sector are facing high demands. Our experience is that they are motivated to make a significant contribution while facing an ever-challenging environment shaped by pressures on residents, the economy, market forces, delays, resource challenges and backlogs. Many report to us that they consider themselves to be coping or surviving, doing the best they can, rather than managing well or thriving at work as they should be.

Handling feedback and complaints can be a significant contributor to team members feeling under pressure. To help them excel in complaint handling, there are some specific questions you can consider to ensure everyone is well equipped to manage anything that comes their way at work.

The questions to ask

Consider a situation where a customer has a significant complaint that they need to raise with your company which will require a robust and focused response.

1 – As that complaint is received either by the contact centre, on social media or in a face-to-face situation, what do you believe would be the immediate reaction or response from your people, what do you think you would see or hear?

2 – Are they in a good place and strongly positioned to respond confidently and positively, or do you see stress or overwhelm as they encounter the feedback or complaint?  

3 – Do you witness hesitance and uncertainty in how to handle that complaint; what words do they use… are they asking the right questions… do you see or hear them express an ability to take ownership and responsibility, and are they able to respond with confidence?

4 – What do you hear them saying about customers who are giving feedback or complaining? Is it respectful and empathetic towards the customer and the situation, or do they view complaints as a nuisance, unjustified or even a threat?

5 – Do people in your organisation have confidence and know when to escalate issues or ask for help if they are unsure of the best way forward?

6 – When you review more complex or escalated complaints do you see points along the timeline where intervention could have been taken to address the issue if those dealing with the situation had more empowerment, confidence or skill?

7 – Do you see your people coming forward with ideas and solutions on how to fix challenges and problems, or do they seem powerless to do anything meaningful, or try to avoid the situation?

Understanding the current mindset of your people and their thoughts and feelings towards handling complaints as well as their skill level to do so, is important to identify the development and tools they need to excel in their service.

As we consider the self-talk of individual service-givers in the moment of receiving a complaint, it’s vital that each one can feel supported and certain that the organisation will do what is necessary to fix the situation. They need to be confident in their ability to respond straightaway with the right words and swift action to demonstrate to the customer that their feedback is being taken seriously.

One tool from MGI’s Customer Service Toolkit will immediately empower your people with greater confidence and capability to respond to any complaint, criticism or feedback. We call it Glad > Sure > Sorry. It is a simple and powerful tool that when used authentically truly empowers and increases a service provider’s ability to respond in any feedback situation.

Click here to download a copy of our 1-page summary of this go-to tool for complaints and emails.

Being equipped with the right skills and resources will result in a workforce that is empowered with confidence and capability, safe in the knowledge that they have what it takes to deliver a positive, solution-focused response every time.

Find out how our Customer Service Toolkit can equip your people with the tools they need to excel at handling feedback and complaints.

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Firstly, what do residents really want from customer service teams?

It’s clear that residents want their issue or repair resolved as quickly as possible, and properly. Excellent communication and being informed throughout the process will also be much appreciated, particularly as many residents understand that market forces, delays and backlogs are regular challenges for customer service teams.

The one key thing Customer Service teams can do is make sure that customers are kept regularly updated with progress updates and reports with realistic and achievable timeframes. This simple step can literally transform the ongoing pressures on your customer service teams, reduce complaints and increase resident satisfaction.

When looking to equip your people to confidently keep their customers up to date, even when things are taking longer, and they may need to find other options and solutions, it’s helpful to consider some important factors.

1 – Check the process is in place and is clear

The first step is to assess your current processes and determine whether they encourage, flag and track resident progress updates. Do these systems make it easy for your service providers to return to the customer on time with updates and alternative solutions if things don’t go as planned?

2 – Equip people with positive language skills

Secondly, consider how your people phrase a customer update. Do they use positive, solution-focused language even when delivering unexpected or disappointing news?

If they lack the skills and tools to deliver the messages effectively, their responses could lead to complaints, leaving residents confused and wondering what is going on and whether they will ever get good news.

Addressing this lack of skill and competence can give your people the confidence, systems and processes they need to provide a meaningful update and the polished ability to frame and communicate it in a positive, solution-focused manner.

A positive way to do it

Let’s look at a typical example of an effective way to deliver a progress report that may contain disappointing news:

“Hello, Mrs Smith. I’m calling to provide you with an update because I understand how important it is for you to be kept up to date on the steps we are taking to repair your bathroom. What I can tell you is that our team is still looking for the parts we require, and as promised, I will keep you updated on our progress. At this point, we haven’t been able to locate those parts and are considering all options to come up with a solution, so I will commit to calling you back on Friday before 3pm to let you know where we have got to.”

Contrast this positive and thoughtful response with the following options:

1. Silence – not telling the customer anything, leaving them to wonder what, if anything, is happening; or

2. “Unfortunately, Mrs Smith, we haven’t been able to get the parts for you. We don’t know when we’ll get them because everything is so difficult out there right now, but we’ll let you know when we do.” This response may well cause frustration and anxiety and is more likely to escalate the situation into a complaint because it gives the customer little hope of a resolution.

It’s important to note that we use specific, easy-to-remember timescales in the positive response above, as this added clarity allows the other person to know when the next action will be taken and removes doubt. Make sure that the times given are always realistic and achievable. Empathy should be used when appropriate before moving quickly on to the action you can commit to.

One other key question to ask…

In addition to regular progress reports and updates, there is another important aspect to consider, which is finding out what is most important to the customer, especially if you are working to resolve a complex situation. For example: “So that we’re working our way through this together, let me just check – what is most important to you about this situation?”

The customer’s response will give you something to build on and will show that you care, are taking ownership and responsibility and are optimistic that you can find the best way forward while meeting their most pressing needs.

We know through our ongoing work with multiple social housing customers that keeping customers informed and providing specific timeframes for next steps is a tipping point for reducing or managing complaints and keeping customers as satisfied as possible under the circumstances and challenges the sector is facing.

Get in touch to find out how our Mindset, Language & Actions Toolkit can equip your people with the skills and tools to deliver excellent customer service.

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1 – Awareness of oneself and others

A strong sense of self-awareness and of others helps us to build optimism and a sense of self-worth which are powerful components of a balanced and successful team that can relate to others and build strong relationships. Understanding our own strengths and opportunities for development makes us more aware of our emotions, thoughts and behaviours so that we can respond rather than react in any situation and, if necessary, recognise when to take a step back from challenging situations and consider our options.

Here are some things to think about when assessing your own levels of awareness. On a typical day at work, are you able to:

• Notice and manage your emotions – how they fluctuate throughout the day in relation to certain triggers and situations?

• Take a pause if you notice yourself slipping into a less productive state

• Give yourself time to reflect on the best course of action and to manage your emotions and response

• Have insight into how you are coming across to others in the workplace?

• Be aware of how your approach affects others positively and negatively

• Consider the situations and emotions of others around you, including customers and colleagues?

Being self-aware and appreciative of others and our impact on them makes us more productive, confident and motivated, especially when working in demanding, fast paced environments within a diverse team with many different personalities.

2 – A solution-focused Mindset

Our mindset influences everything we think, feel, say and do and affects every aspect of our lives. It can shape our reaction or response to any situation and drives our interaction and relationships with others.

When we have a healthy, resilient mindset, we can:

• Step up and take ownership and responsibility for our role, empowered by a desire for positive outcomes and a clear way forward whatever the challenges faced, confident we are doing everything we can to achieve the best solution for the customer.

• Be optimistic that we can find a solution and can help in any situation. Have a true determination to explore options, alternatives and be creative to achieve a good outcome even if it is not exactly what the customer asked for.

• Listen to others and respect their opinions. People who value feedback and view this as a learning opportunity will show customers they really listen and care about their needs. Respecting and valuing other people’s input shows we are committed to better solutions through increased understanding and openness.

• Believe we really do make a difference. This helps us to face challenges with confidence, knowing that we are a valued part of the service team.

3 – Collaboration for great teamwork

Positive, successful service teams are underpinned by a commitment to great teamwork and the ability to collaborate.

Excellent people skills increase our ability to collaborate effectively, helping us to think more creatively and ensure our relationships with colleagues can be meaningful and productive. Great people skills enable us to demonstrate empathy, patience, to communicate well and build a rapport with others. Teams that can collaborate, engage and connect positively with each other will increase the likelihood of excellent service and outcomes for themselves, their customers and colleagues.

4 – Positive communication underpins everything

Being able to communicate in a positive way increases our ability to show our solution-orientation, to collaborate effectively and reassure customers of our focus on their needs.

Whatever the situation, the first thing we say to a customer or colleague should be constructive, empathetic, positive, appreciative or solution-focused, as this builds trust and confidence in our capability. When we begin with the positive, we encourage the brain to be more receptive, open to solutions and willing to listen, essential to achieving collaborative outcomes.

Communicating optimistically and confidently demonstrates our composure under pressure. Whether responding to a request, gathering information to better understand a situation, communicating disappointing news, handling a complaint or explaining what you can do, having excellent, positive communication skills helps you craft the right message for the best results and more harmonious interactions.

Consider the power and results of a team where these characteristics shine through in everything your teams think, feel, say and do. Customers will be more satisfied and working together is a rewarding and successful experience. MGI’s Customer Service Excellence Toolkit explores and embeds every aspect of these important characteristics into any organisational culture so that everyone can excel in their roles, whatever comes their way.

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As we connect with our customers and talk to managers and people in general, we are aware of a significant sense of overwhelm, with teams feeling there is far too much to do in a working day. Time spent worrying about things that are outside our control and influence, whether short or long term, only adds to these feelings of pressure.

Prioritisation tools play an important role in dealing with overwhelm

In our experience, many organisations, individuals, and managers want to thrive more but are currently working hard to keep their heads above water. Soundly proven prioritisation tools can play an important role in relieving pressure so that we can focus on what we can control and influence, rather than expending precious time and energy on things that we cannot.

We are all aware that there are some situations where we have complete control, others that we can influence, and situations where we have neither. When we look at how much time people spend discussing things in the short to medium term over which they have no actual control or influence, it’s clear that this simply adds to the pressure with no real benefit to anyone.

Assessing whether you have control, influence or neither in a situation

It’s critical at these points to take a step back, apply appropriate tools from our skillsets and evaluate whether a particular situation should take priority. This will enable us to maximise our time in our extremely busy customer service environments and help and support ourselves and everyone around us.

Being able to critically evaluate and say that, for the time being, this is outside of my control or influence, either permanently or temporarily, is an extremely valuable skill.

In these situations, managers can ask themselves some important questions to become more effective, and to either re-categorise this as something they can influence or acknowledge that it’s outside of their control or influence and move on.

These questions can be broken down into two parts:

Firstly, ask yourself:

1. Is this a temporary situation?
2. Is any part of this situation influenceable for me or anybody else?

Something that is completely out of one person’s control could be something another person can influence or control. Being clear on this gives the ability to focus activity in a productive way.

If the answer is ‘no’ and no part of the situation can be influenced by you or the other person, then we move on to carefully consider the following six key questions:

1. How do I choose to feel and behave?
2. What else requires my time?
3. What can I let go of?
4. What can I help others to let go of?
5. What can I learn?
6. What can I be grateful for?

A key prioritisation skill is the ability to clearly categorise the things we should be focusing on and letting go of those that do not serve us or others. It enables us to actively and consciously let go, while also assisting our team members in letting go of things that need to be set aside so that we can move forward and achieve the things we can control and influence. This simple process will result in the best service and outcomes possible as we navigate our way through the current high levels of demand in many customer service environments.

How can we help?

Find out how our Mindset Language and Actions Toolkit can help your people to deliver consistent and excellent service experiences – book a chat with us today. 

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 The power of a positive first response in customer service

Believe it or not, attitude is contagious. A positive attitude uplifts those around you, whilst a negative one can drain the energy of whom ever you encounter. And so, incorporating this correctly into the working world is crucial for the successful performance of your company. Research recently undertaken by MGI in local shops demonstrates the importance of a positive response, especially when giving disappointing news to customers.

Having a good mindset

Before even beginning your response to a customer it is important you self-analyse to make sure you’re putting your best professional foot forward. Being in a positive frame of mind and having an optimal mindset allows for a positive attitude to work and shape your response. If your attitude and mindset is positive within your response to your colleague or customer, their reply should be consistent with your response due to the contagious factor of attitude, therefore creating a work environment where everyone can thrive.

What are your first words?

Starting every interaction with a positive will encourage people to listen, engage and be more open minded. MGI’s recent research clearly shows the impact the opposite, negative response can trigger in the customer. Having approached local shops and asking for products which were missing from the shelf, or where we could not see them in store, we were keen to experience how the customer service team members took action, looked for alternatives or gave disappointing news to their customers and, in particular, their immediate response.

 Some prime examples

 We asked a well-known gift shop whether they had any special educational magnetic calendars with days of the week, months and weather tracking. An employee answered with the blunt, short, and negative declarative “No, we don’t”. Having stated that, they then stood there looking rather embarrassed and giggling. No suggestions, solutions or other options were offered. Beginning their answer with a negative ‘no’ shuts the customer down straight away, leaving them deflated, unengaged and darting for the door. Therefore, no benefit can be gained by either party with other helpful suggestions such as alternative items or even helpful hints as to where else the customer might try. Also, a lack of positive professionalism within the first response will possibly leave the customer with a negative outlook on the overall shop meaning they are less likely to visit again. 

However, in another children’s stationary store we asked for the same Calendar. We were given the reply “No we don’t have anything like that. I don’t think you’ll get it in any shops here.” The employee then went on to suggest other online shops to try, explaining that she too had been looking for something similar. This employee was much chattier and more empathetic creating a personal feel granting a trustworthy and helpful relationship with the customer. Although starting with a negative ‘no’, empathy and additional solutions were given which was helpful. Embedding the ‘no’ with a positive in front and behind would be a much more effective response, as the first and last communication is positive.   

Later on, at a well-known chocolate shop, we asked a sales assistant whether they had any vegan white chocolate. Yet again the reply was a blunt and definitive “No”, shutting down the customer and finishing the conversation leading to no sale. Having prompted a little the sales assistant later admitted that “We do have a vegan milk chocolate made with nut milk that’s really lovely.” If they had not been prompted the employee would not have said this, demonstrating a missed opportunity to delight the customer with a viable and helpful alternative, that could have led to numerous sales further down the line while spreading awareness of a niche product.

Making the difference

Having an optimal mindset where solution-focus, optimism and taking responsibility for outcomes is key will make all the difference to the service you are able and keen to give, every time. The outcome of our retail research stressed just how few customer service givers know how to focus on alternatives first, and if they need to give uncomfortable or disappointing news are ill-equipped to do so in an effective or beneficial way for their company, leading to poor service, potential damage to their reputation and missed opportunities to really engage and empathise with the customer. Building strong relationships and reputations through everything we think, feel, say and do is a critical part of every business in thriving, growing, and overcoming obstacles. 

How can we help?

Find out how our Mindset Language and Actions Toolkit can help your people to deliver consistent and excellent service experiences – book a chat with us today. 

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When we talk to people at all levels in organisations about their company values, we find that almost all agree that they are a good description of how the organisation should be perceived both internally and externally. The challenge for leaders is that many frontline team members and managers alike say they are unsure how to apply them to everyday working practice.

Here are 3 steps you can use to bring the values to life through focused activities.

Step 1 – Take stock

A good starting point is to take stock and objectively evaluate whether the behaviours that you see every day in your organisation do reflect the values. You can consider how customers and stakeholders perceive your organisation when they look in and experience it; what emotions do they feel as they walk away, reflecting on what they heard and saw? Is their overall experience consistent with the company values you want to promote?

When values are successfully ingrained in a company’s culture, they should serve as a guiding light for how people behave, ensuring that every customer receives consistent service that reflects those values in a sincere and genuine way. Ultimately, the words you choose for your values are exactly how your people should wish their service and behaviour to be described. Listening and observing behaviours objectively against the values provides a good starting point for seeing whether you are satisfied that your team are living the values in their interactions with each other and customers.

Step 2 – Articulate the positives, and any gaps

When you have an objective view of how the values are being demonstrated, you can articulate the positives, what is working well and where you are seeing great demonstration that the leadership team agrees on how your values should be lived. Conversely, it is also important to articulate where you are not seeing or hearing the behaviours; what would you like to move from and to? By having this objective view, you can use it to take stock again in the future to evaluate the effectiveness of any training or other activities you do to embed the values into your culture.

Step 3 – Provide specific how-to tools and resources

When you have identified the gaps, providing some specific training and support to help people to demonstrate the values in a way that is authentic to them will create a momentum and fast track the organisation’s cultural development. Working with organisations across many sectors and cultures has made it very clear to us at MGI that there is, in fact, a mindset and approach to communication that can be used to demonstrate the values of any successfully functioning organisation. There are two important factors here – the fundamental mindset that each person has and the ability to positively communicate that mindset to others through language and actions.

Empowering everyone with a mindset of ownership and responsibility, optimism, respect for others and a belief in the value that each individual contributes to achieving organisational goals has been proven to be the foundation for living organisational values. This is complemented by having the ability to communicate positively with a solution-focus, whatever the situation, in order to consistently demonstrate the values. When we have reviewed our customers’ organisational values, we have been able to show the alignment of these two important factors to each set of values.

MGI’s Mindset, Language & Actions Toolkit can be aligned to any positive, responsible and professional set of values and can be used as the fast track to help everyone understand how to live organisational values through what they say and do. By giving people tools that equip them to demonstrate your values in their own authentic way, you will close the gap between understanding and buying into the values and actually feeling confident that they demonstrate them in all they say and do.

How can we help?

Find out how our Mindset Language and Actions Toolkit can be tailored to provide your people with a clear pathway to the guiding principles of your company’s values and purpose – book a chat with us today. 

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Happy customers can be eager to share compliments, too

Positive and appreciative feedback for helpful, uplifting and memorable customer service is just as important as providing details of a complaint or situation; both can be welcomed and valued as catalysts to help people and services improve and evolve. Our research shows that many companies focus on fielding complaints while passing over the many opportunities for happy customers to share compliments and stories to illustrate a great experience they have had in store or online.

We have reviewed a wide range of online services and websites from supermarkets, retail, pharmacies, utilities and holiday cottage agencies, and it’s amazing how many seem to lean towards the negative when providing ‘Contact us’ information!

Some prime examples…

One well-known grocery store invites its customers to ‘Contact us using our online form for comments or complaints about a store’. With one click, we’re taken to the form headed ‘Comments or complaints about a store’. So far so good, until we realise that the form only deals with Complaints, offering a drop-down menu of five different complaint types, as well as a request for ‘Time of incident’ and even ‘Colleague name’. There are no options to provide details of a positive experience.

In another example, on its ‘Contact us’ page, one of the major energy suppliers provides several ‘help’ options. On inviting feedback, the heading is a clear ‘Did we get something wrong? Tell us about it’, with a helpful ‘Ways to make a complaint’ link leading to a massive ‘We’re sorry you’re not happy. Get in touch and we’ll sort it out for you’, as well as a whole page detailing ways to make a complaint. Of course, all these processes and policies are extremely helpful and necessary should you need to make a complaint (full marks, in fact), but where is the opportunity to provide positive feedback and compliments for a great customer experience?

‘It’s always lovely to hear when one of our staff members has given great service’

In contrast, the options provided by another major grocery store on its ‘Contact us’ page are much more refreshing and well balanced, where you can easily select ‘Service from our Staff in Store’. This takes you to two more options, the first of which is to give ‘feedback about the service’ recently received, and the second is to ‘pass on a compliment about the service I have recently had’. While a simple change in the order of these two options would put the positive before the negative and make it even stronger, it’s wonderful to see the word ‘compliment’ and shows that the company has faith in its people to provide a consistently high level of service that would warrant positive feedback from customers. ‘It’s always lovely to hear when one of our staff members has given great service,’ they continue. ‘Please fill in our contact form so we can be sure to pass on your kind feedback.’

Positive reinforcement of great service given

Positive reinforcement of the good things we do as customer service providers is beneficial for customers and colleagues. Customers who want to provide this feedback should find it easy to do so, and the fact that a company website has a specific place to share it reinforces the impression that we believe in our service and that customers will want to endorse it. Also, by making it simple to provide feedback other than complaints, we are reinforcing the excellent work that most customer service teams deliver.

Making sure our teams understand that all feedback is invaluable and that there is a mechanism in place to capture it can lead to them actively encouraging customers to communicate valuable, informative insights into the service we provide.

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On the one hand, middle managers are extremely busy leading and motivating their teams as well as the many operational aspects of their role. This can cause them to believe they are too busy to prioritise and allocate adequate time to their own learning. On the other hand, discussions with senior leaders and HR managers reveal an opportunity to grow and enhance the capabilities of the management population through further structured development.

So, how do we bring these two things together for ultimate success? The solution should meet all the needs of skill development by making the process as enjoyable and productive as possible for managers to engage in, while remaining confident in their ability to fulfil their day-to-day activities.

Let’s look at the key factors we always advise our customers to think about before embarking on any management development training.

1.     Be clear on the value – personally and professionally

First and foremost, it is critical to understand the worth of the time investment. Participants will be motivated to engage fully if the training can be shown to be valuable and linked directly and specifically to the participants’ personal and business goals and objectives, as well as the corporate goals. In some cases, the training can be accredited by CPD, which provides another compelling reason for people to participate if CPD hours are important to those being trained.

2.     Make it easily accessible

Secondly, make the training easily accessible so that it appeals to a wide range of learning styles. In our experience, shorter Zoom or Teams-based sessions allow participants to more easily schedule their availability around the sessions, resulting in increased opportunities for valuable, uninterrupted learning sessions. While some people prefer in-person delivery in a block of training, such as two days together, we find that the majority of our management participants prefer the flexibility of virtual, shorter learning bites.

Anything that can be done outside of the session at the learner’s convenience for maximum efficiency can greatly enhance the learning experience. This includes directing participants to articles, videos and intervening activities. Intervening work spread out over time provides valuable opportunities for people to practise and reflect before returning to discuss at the following sessions.

3.     Provide opportunities for stimulating discussion

A powerful element is making the best use of the learning experience to actively engage managers and leaders in discussion and debate. Participants generally enjoy discussion because it allows them to bring the learning to life while applying or debating the tools in real-world situations. MGI’s management development programmes include Jamboards, menti.com, plenary discussions and breakout rooms, polls and chat which combine to keep people engaged and active.

4.     Ready access to supporting materials

It’s also important to make supporting materials such as checklists and short, refresher videos easily accessible to accommodate different learning styles; some people will enjoy dipping into these, while others may not use them at all. Knowing they are there for them if needed is reassuring, and participants should be reminded and directed back to them on a regular basis.

5.     Encourage long-term engagement

Finally, once the actual learning interventions have been completed, consider ways to keep participants engaged in their ongoing learning experience so that the new skills become fully embedded in their daily working lives and part of company culture.

At MGI, we set up a schedule in which participants are given a monthly deepening or embedding activity to refocus them for the first three months after the training, ranging from knowledge checkers and self-assessment to peer or manager discussions. We bring people back together within six months to reflect on their learnings and how they are applying them, and to revise and review the learning experience.

Having this orchestration of activities after the training programme interventions are completed provides opportunities to be more tactical and sharply focused. All are quick and straightforward to complete and enhance the overall learning experience, while respectful of the realities of each learner’s available time.

This focused and structured approach to management training will ensure that momentum is maintained, and new skills and learning become a way of life. In our experience, a practical, well-planned approach that is easy to understand, practise, and implement is the most effective and allows our customers to effect long-term change in their organisations, resulting in improvements in all the metrics they seek to refine, such as client satisfaction and employee engagement.

When planning to invest in equipping your people with excellent management skills, creating a solid plan of action to ensure the skills stick and deliver the long-term results you desire will lay the foundation for success.

How can we help?

Find out how MGI’s Management Development Training Programme can equip your teams to excel in their roles.

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The post Management Development – Five steps for maximum engagement in training appeared first on MGI Learning - Creating Better Service in Business.