327: Jeff Toister, Service Culture

Bestselling author and global speaker Jeff Toister returns to the show with amazing tips and actions for creating and executing on your vision for an outstanding service culture. What’s your vision for a solid customer service culture? If you want to deliver outstanding customer service that inspires loyalty and positive word-of-mouth, then you need a customer-focused service culture. But while many leaders think they provide excellent service, they have an unrealistic vision of what that means. As a result, business strategies continue to cause conflicts that make maintaining a customer-focused culture an uphill battle. “It’s a journey that takes long-term commitment.” -Jeff Toister That’s why we’re delighted to have Jeff Toister on the show! In fact, Jeff joined us in the early days of Crack the Customer Code for a great discussion around the root causes of customer service failures. But now he’s back to help us create and execute a vision for customer service excellence. “You can’t just declare ‘from now on we’re going to move from a toxic culture to a service culture…’” - Jeff Toister Jeff has helped many leaders create realistic, scalable service visions, so the wisdom he brings to this episode is priceless. Not only does he share where many great leaders go wrong, but through great examples and actions you can take today, he shows us some simple ways to get on the right track. Good things come in threes! Here are some of the core disciplines and exercises Jeff gives you in this episode: 3 characteristics of a good service vision 3 rules for leaders to shape a customer-focused service culture A 3-question assessment for your service training Jeff explains all of these in detail, so you’ll know exactly what to do next. And as a bonus, he tells you where to find additional free resources to power up your transformation. Are you ready to create a service vision that motivates employees, delights customers and brings measurable results? Then listen in! Interview Highlights There are many parts to a good service vision, but what are the 3 most important characteristics? [4:10] Why is it so important to balance aspiration with reality in your service vision? [9:10] There’s a popular belief that culture is built from the bottom up. However, Jeff has a different take on this. [13:20] Training plays a huge role, so Jeff shares how you can assess how well employees are aligned with your service vision. [17:00] Want to do better at creating a service vision? Then Jeff has vital tips and a free resource to get you started! [21:40] About our guest Jeff is the best selling author of The Service Culture Handbook: A Step-by-Step Guide to Getting Your Employees Obsessed with Customer Service. More than 140,000 people on six continents have taken one of his video-based training courses on LinkedIn Learning (a.k.a. Lynda.com). Jeff was named one of the Top 30 customer service professionals in the world by Global Gurus. He was also named one of the Top 50 Thought Leaders to Follow on Twitter by the International Customer Management Institute and Feedspot has named his Inside Customer Service blog one of the Top 50 customer service blogs on the planet. Jeff brings an adult learning background to his customer service work and holds a Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) certification from the Association for Talent Development. Connect with Jeff Twitter Sign up for Jeff’s Customer Service Tips of the Week Download Jeff’s Service Culture Handbook Toolkit Related Content 360Connext® post, How to Unlock Your Outstanding Service Culture for Good Customers That Stick® post, Creating a Customer Service Culture with Jeff Toister Episode 014:  Handling Pressure, Jeff Toister, and The Customer as Hero Episode 222: (Tip) Instilling Culture Throughout the Organization We’re on C-Suite Radio! Check it out for more great podcasts   Take care of yourself and take care of your customers.   Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices