This is an excerpt from the book, Customer Astonishment: 10 Secrets to World-Class Customer Care.

Secret #3 is “Get It Together.” As you set out to create a “Culture of Service Excellence” where you work, it is vital that you address the Systemic and Cultural (S&C) Factors that help or hinder progress. Systemic factors have to do with the processes and technologies you use to run your business. Cultural factors are about the principles that guide you (what you stand for) and how you interact with each other as teammates, which sets the pattern for how you are likely to treat your customers. 

Getting it together means your work team is committed to these two outcomes…

1. Process Simplicity: You are both efficient and effective. They say that efficient is “doing it right” while effective is “doing the right it.” 

2. Effective Communication: You communicate openly and constructively with each other to be sure that all members of the team are “in the know” so that customers (a) hear a consistent message from you and (b) see you as a unified team ready to serve them.

It is a great compliment when someone says to your team, “Wow, you’ve got your act together.”

Invitation: Tell us how you help your team “get it together.”