Living the Service Pyramid

Nice Enterprises
August 25, 2008 | COMMENTS

Service excellence is stated as the primary strategic advantage of most credit unions, but when was the last time you assessed your service delivery? Now is the time to evaluate, recommit to that ideal, and take action.

Start with Service Pyramid (at right), which shows the ascending levels of what members expect and desire in your service delivery.

Accuracy

At the most foundational level on the pyramid is accuracy. Accuracy is what consumers ask for most on satisfaction surveys, and includes:

• Consistently nailing the basics, like getting members' money into the right account when they expect it to be there
• Meeting “category expectations” consistently, such as being rapid in basic transactions and knowledgeable about offerings and procedures
• Not making mistakes like providing inaccurate information that is later refuted by another credit union representative

Accuracy is expected by members, so it is always negative and obvious when it is missing. For example, consumers seldom say, “I always shop at XYZ store because they get it right.” It's just like the foundation in a house: No one appreciates its accuracy when it's stable, but when a foundation has failings, it quickly becomes a worrisome problem.

Often organizations have worked to build some degree of good in-person “service experiences” but then reveal that they have a gaping hole at the base of the Service Pyramid. Their accuracy undermines the strong customer-focused interactions the organization provides.

Take a moment to assess your organization's service accuracy. Compile accurate measures, member input, and statistics. Is accuracy an area in which your credit union needs to make progress? If so, it will be one of the fastest ways to diminish member complaints, elevate employee productivity, and eliminate waste caused by “reworks.” Every moment spent redoing a task is inefficient, bad for service, and generates negative word-of-mouth. It is critical to fill any cracks that exist in accuracy, the foundation of your service delivery.

Care 

The next-higher level of the pyramid is care. Caring includes:

• Seeing things from members' points of view and understanding their deeper concerns or desires and communicating from that perspective
• Being warm in your interactions by doing the small things that convey you care about members (smiling, listening, then responding, etc.)
• Making basic connections with members, such as talking about something that matters to the member (ideally something you have in common)

Care for customers is conveyed through the small things that tellers, MSRs, and management do: Working extra-fast for a hurried member, cracking an appropriate, situational joke with a friendly patron, smiling and finding ways to enjoy the work. In fact, according to research from Bowling Green and Penn State universities, “The bigger the employee's smile, the happier the customer.” (But it must be a genuine smile, not one forced by their boss—because consumers know the difference.) The researcher's tip: Hire happy people. The care you convey to members will greatly improve their experience and promote positive attitudes toward your organization.

Magic/Compassion

At the highest level of the pyramid is magic/compassion. Delivering magic/compassion includes:

• Surprising members in positive ways, like washing the windshield on their car at your drive-through window
• Exceeding their expectations, like promising to handle an issue within 48 hours, then getting back with them in two hours
• Being a member's personal “champion on the inside” so the member knows you will make it work for their individual needs

Magic/compassion is the key driver of positive stories about the credit union. Members who give you 9s and 10s on surveys (e.g. the Net Promoters Score) usually have a great story about the credit union. The highest level of the pyramid can significantly and positively set you apart from your competitors. If magic/compassion is built on a strong foundation of accuracy and care, it can make your credit union truly unique.

Positive surprises come in many forms. They require compassion (a deep understanding of how your customers feel and an emotional connection to what they need) and creativity in providing positive action beyond or outside of the member's expectations. Ask each of your senior team members to tell a story about a great service experience they've had, and take notes on what made it memorable. Then, as a team, answer the question, “How can we employ and reward that sort of magic and compassion at our credit union?”

Nice Enterprises is a consulting firm that specializes in organizational and HR development. Contact author Rich Scholes at 303-980-8100 or rich.scholes@trynice.com.