It’s More Than Just the Customer

After the conference, we asked franchisees what they’d learned. The diversity of answers surprised us. Very few of you focused solely on Customer Satisfaction, or Surveys, or service scores. Instead, you saw the bigger picture, choosing to make Employee Retention or Community Service your next big initiative.

This reminds us of a truth. Creating a service revolution in Grounds Care won’t happen just by improving our service.

Ken Hutcheson likes to talk about that big picture in terms of “widening our circles.” After the conference, he was very clear that our strategy needs to be well-rounded.

“Focus on your customer. Focus on your employees. Focus on your community,” he said. “The companies with the best customer satisfaction know it’s about all those circles.”

And it’s true.

• Customer Satisfaction is the basic foundation. It’s what we measure, and how we identify our success.

• Employee Retention is the starting point. By being the best place to work, you’ll attract happy employees who want your customers to be happy, too.

• Community Involvement is how you advertise. Build a reputation for service culture. This entices the best employees and the best customers.

For the rest of 2014, this blog will drill down on ways you can implement a service culture in your operation. Expect some robust, educational content. Think of it as an online follow-up to the conference, The Customer Connection.

And we’re widening our circles. We’re focusing on the customer; the employee; the community.

Starting a service revolution isn’t easy, and you’ve got to be thorough. The good news is, we’re all united with the Power of the Network behind us.

Let’s get ready to change an industry.