on to empower employees to make decisions. When your customers know that their issues are going to be dealt with quickly, they are going to be happier and more loyal.

3) It saves your company money. Most companies miss this by worrying that their employees will “give away the store”. Employees who use their best judgment tend to make reasonable decisions to deal with customer issues. Co

One of the lessons that are learned from the leaders in customer service is that employees who are empowered to make decisions on behalf of their customers provide the best service. This is reflected repeatedly by the companies with reputations for the best in service, but still practiced by too few.

The companies that have a “mystique” around their customer service reputations have empowered their employees to think “outside the box” when it comes to taking care of their customers. They combine a belief with their commitment to customer service with trust in the employees’ judgment and the results are quicker customer resolutions to problems. There are numerous reasons that empowered employees lead to better customer service. Here are a few.

1) Problems are solved quicker. Take an example of a non-empowered employee handling a customer complaint in person. If the customer asks for something which is non-standard, something as basic as a refund without a receipt, the employee typically gets a supervisor. The problem is usually explained again by the customer resulting in a possible request to a manager to get the issue resolved. Time is wasted that could be spent on other customers. Take the same instance with an employee empowered to make a decision. The customer is handled quickly, the manager never needs to be involved, and the customer is happy. Additionally, the happy customer probably tells a few people about the service, which is the best advertising a company can have.

2) Customers are happier. This should really be the number one reason to empower employees to make decisions. When your customers know that their issues are going to be dealt with quickly, they are going to be happier and more loyal.

3) It saves your company money. Most companies miss this by worrying that their employees will “give away the store”. Employees who use their best judgment tend to make reasonable decisions to deal with customer issues. Com

red their employees to think “outside the box” when it comes to taking care of their customers. They combine a belief with their commitment to customer service with trust in the employees’ judgment and the results are quicker customer resolutions to problems. There are numerous reasons that empowered employees lead to better customer service. Here are a few.

1) Problems are solved quicker. Take an example of a non-empowered employee handling a customer complaint in person. If the customer asks for something which is non-standard, something as basic as a refund without a receipt, the employee typically gets a supervisor. The problem is usually explained again by the customer resulting in a possible request to a manager to get the issue resolved. Time is wasted that could be spent on other customers. Take the same instance with an employee empowered to make a decision. The customer is handled quickly, the manager never needs to be involved, and the customer is happy. Additionally, the happy customer probably tells a few people about the service, which is the best advertising a company can have.

2) Customers are happier. This should really be the number one reason to empower employees to make decisions. When your customers know that their issues are going to be dealt with quickly, they are going to be happier and more loyal.

3) It saves your company money. Most companies miss this by worrying that their employees will “give away the store”. Employees who use their best judgment tend to make reasonable decisions to deal with customer issues. Co

. Take an example of a non-empowered employee handling a customer complaint in person. If the customer asks for something which is non-standard, something as basic as a refund without a receipt, the employee typically gets a supervisor. The problem is usually explained again by the customer resulting in a possible request to a manager to get the issue resolved. Time is wasted that could be spent on other customers. Take the same instance with an employee empowered to make a decision. The customer is handled quickly, the manager never needs to be involved, and the customer is happy. Additionally, the happy customer probably tells a few people about the service, which is the best advertising a company can have.

2) Customers are happier. This should really be the number one reason to empower employees to make decisions. When your customers know that their issues are going to be dealt with quickly, they are going to be happier and more loyal.

3) It saves your company money. Most companies miss this by worrying that their employees will “give away the store”. Employees who use their best judgment tend to make reasonable decisions to deal with customer issues. Co

nt on other customers. Take the same instance with an employee empowered to make a decision. The customer is handled quickly, the manager never needs to be involved, and the customer is happy. Additionally, the happy customer probably tells a few people about the service, which is the best advertising a company can have.

2) Customers are happier. This should really be the number one reason to empower employees to make decisions. When your customers know that their issues are going to be dealt with quickly, they are going to be happier and more loyal.

3) It saves your company money. Most companies miss this by worrying that their employees will “give away the store”. Employees who use their best judgment tend to make reasonable decisions to deal with customer issues. Co

on to empower employees to make decisions. When your customers know that their issues are going to be dealt with quickly, they are going to be happier and more loyal.

3) It saves your company money. Most companies miss this by worrying that their employees will “give away the store”. Employees who use their best judgment tend to make reasonable decisions to deal with customer issues. Compassionate coaching will help with the instances where another decision should have been made, but in the long run, studies support that fact that it usually costs five to ten times the cost to acquire a new customer than to save an existing one!

4) Your employees are happier. Empowered employees feel trusted. Who wouldn’t prefer to work for a company that puts trust in their employees?

Perhaps the best example of empowered employees is the retail chain Nordstrom. Nordstrom has an employee handbook that is given to each new employee upon their first day with the company. It is 75 WORDS long. The gist of the instructions is “use your best judgment in all situations. There are no more rules”. In other words, Nordstrom states that employees have been selected based in large part on their demonstrated ability to make good decisions to keep customers happy.

The result is a “mystique” of service unmatched in their industry, resulting in legendary (but true) stories such as the one of an elderly man who requested a refund for his tires, invoking the Nordstrom lifetime guarantee. The obviously confused man was refunded his money in spite of the fact that Nordstrom doesn’t sell tires!

Obviously, successfully empowering employees requires having the RIGHT employees…ones with values and attitudes that can be trusted. This can only come as a result of careful screening of attitudes over skills in the hiring process…Nordstrom refers to this as ”hiring the smile and teaching the skill”. They fell they can teach retail, not attitudes.

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