Spiritual Principles in Business: Customer Service | Part 4&5

As a conclusion to my series on Spiritual Principles in Business I want to talk a little about the business and conscious-minded business owners and customer service. 

Customer service has to do with the proper use of resources and how you deal with and speak to people. The golden rule of treating others as you'd want to be treated is the baseline of customer service. That means, being honest, integrous, keeping your word and at the same time not being a doormat and not letting others run over you. You are as valuable as your customer so treat them as fairly and respectfully as you deserve to be treated. 

The other day I saw a shirt that read, "You can have good service, be done quickly, or you can have quality. Pick one." It's a play on the basic business triangle with the three points being, 'time, money, quality'  and customers needing to choose which two they'd like and which one they're willing to forgo. Good quality means a slower service, quick service may mean less quality. A high level of customer service comes with a product that takes time. 

Customers will ask for something that can't be done and sometimes they don't realize what their request would require. It's okay to tell them what is possible and explain why what they want isn't. You don't have to be superhuman; treat customers with respect and be clear and an opportunity to truly service your customer will open the space for grace and give you a chance to help them. 

Team Management

Managing a team means being in charge of the people you hire. 'Be friendly, but not a friend' is my motto when dealing with those with whom you employ. Be the leader, be clear on what you're delivering to them. Integrate them into the vision and use their expertise, but be the person who makes the overall vision clear and moves the projects along. 

Your business needs the capacity to grow and revenue coming in for it to meet its expenses. How the revenue comes in is your leadership vision and the execution of that vision is where your team come in. You know when you have the budget to market or how many clients you can handle; you understand the dynamics of the business and your team understands their areas of expertise. 

Friendship is done on the level of currency. I help you move houses, you babysit my children when needed, I listen to an issue going on with you and your spouse, you offer me business advice- that's the currecny of friendship. Emotional or mental support and an exchange of time and help is how friendships function. An employee is paid in the currency of money; they give you their time, completed jobs and tasks, and they may create a sense of support for you, but they aren't your friend. If you start using the currency of friendship, they may begin to cross boundaries and leave early or come in late. 

Your business depends on the people you employ and therefore it's your job to ensure the friendship currency and the currency of actual money don't mix. You don't have to disregard the human aspect at all, employees are still people with lives and needs outside of work, but holding them accountable for what the business needs and their commitment to the job is your job.

An honest assestment of your skills and the capacities of those on your team allows for the team to work better. If you're not good at time management and they are so they schedule for you and you handle the customer service? This allows you to give to your team that with which they excel and allows them to fulfill their purpose. 

Servant Leadership

Servant Leadership- Clearing Up the Confusion by Hans Finzel addresses the point that as a servant leader you're to be a role model so that you can establish the culture of the company. Finzel focuses on serving your employees so they can serve the business. Supporting them while they support the business is a loop or a self-fulfilling cycle. You know the vision of the business and who supports them in fulfilling the vision and they fill in the space in the middle. 

Your power is in the vision, the delegation, and the follow-up. Being a team manager is about being a servant to the business and the business' team.