MANAGEMENT SERIES
IN ASSOCIATION WITH
SHOW THEM YOU CARE
Chris Lane reports on the link between good management and customer care F
or the purposes of this article, let’s define customer service as meeting customers’ expectations, and customer care as exceeding them. Customer service, no matter how good it is, does not make you
money – largely because people expect it. Customer care, on the other hand, does make money. You’d think that at the heart of customer care you’d find,
well, the customer – and you’d be right. But it’s probably not the customer you’re thinking of. Counter-intuitive though it may seem, the external customer actually comes second in this process. It’s only by caring about your internal customers – ie your staff – that you will develop a culture that delivers customer care to your paying customers. Howard Shultz, CEO of Starbucks, summed it up when
he said: “You cannot expect your team to exceed the expectations of your customer if you do not exceed their expectations of how they should be managed.” Humans have two fundamental needs. Firstly, they need
to feel part of something bigger than themselves, something that adds to the meaning of their lives. Secondly, they need to be recognised and appreciated for their own contribution. An organisation that fulfils these needs in its people will invariably exceed the expectations of its customers. Anita Roddick, late founder of Body Shop, said: “l wanted
to work for a company that contributes to and is part of the community. I want something not just to invest in, but to believe in and give me a reason for getting out of bed.” So the message to managers is clear. Before you can
even begin to look after your customers, you must look after your staff: understanding their need to be individuals and giving them opportunity to be so; asking their opinion and acting on it; and recognising and rewarding the behaviours you want to cultivate.
Top down… In my experience, the way people are mostly managed in the health and fitness industry does not lead to, or support, a customer-focused culture. The million-dollar question is: What style of
Work out with a member at no charge during off-peak times
management ignites the service flame in people? Because whatever it is, it has to start at the top: every company that delivers great customer care must have a commitment to excellence from the CEO downwards. What chance does a caring culture have to grow if the CEO walks
56 Read Health Club Management online at
healthclubmanagement.co.uk/digital August 2014 © Cybertrek 2014
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