Better Customer Service | | Published April 07, 2017

The Link Between B2B Company Culture and Customer Service

Your customer service team is not only the first point of contact for your customers but also one of the heartbeats of your company culture. Their interactions with customers can often be representative of how a customer feels about your company and if they enjoy working with you. So what can you do to create a strong link between company culture and customer service? Here are a few ideas…

Clearly define your company culture – This may seem like an ambiguous statement but once you can correctly and clearly define your culture it makes complete sense. Simply put, you can’t ask your customer service team to represent your company culture if there is no clear definition on what exactly the culture is. You’ll also have a tough time hiring and retaining employees because you won’t be sure if they fit the team. Take a step back, look at your company, and use words or short phrases to define what the company stands for. For example, here at TeamSupport the acronym “DTRT” (Do The Right Thing) is one of our key phrases that defines our culture. It means we act with integrity and honesty both with each other as well as with our customers to get the job done.

Let customer service innovation evolve your culture – All too often, customer service is placed into a box with how they can work with customers to resolve issues. Be it having to follow a script or constantly passing a customer between agents, customer service teams can feel restrained from doing their job. Instead of having a singular focus on immediate efficiency, let customer service agents think outside the box from time to time to solve issues. Customer support software can help agents innovate by enabling agents to work together to find the best solutions for customers in a timely fashion. This type of collaboration can go a long way in improving your culture.

Want to learn more about how companies are ditching the script? Click here to download our whitepaper on killing the scripted customer service response.

Create an environment of open communication – A company culture of ideas and innovation needs open communication in order to thrive. Even the most brilliant minds sometimes have an idea that just doesn’t work – instead of reprimanding for a rare failure, create a dialogue just like if the idea was successful. Evaluate the idea in principle, look at what worked and what didn’t, and then determine next steps. You’ll get more open and transparent dialogues internally by having open communication with your customer service team and treating all ideas, successful or not, in a similar way. This level of communication will filter down internally and can reach your customers who will appreciate the candor of agents as they work together to solve issues in a timely fashion.

To summarize, the link between company culture and customer service can be strong and a core component of a business if it is created and maintained successfully. Make sure current and new employees know what your culture is and encourage them to collaborate, innovate, and be creative within your cultural structure. Don’t be too harsh on failure as you want the culture to remain positive and vibrant. Your customer service team will project your company culture to your most important asset – your customers – and it’s vital that this culture is worthy of being seen proudly by everyone.