Since the European Football Championships are currently taking place, I thought that an article with a footballing theme would be rather appropriate.
I took this photo at the National Football Museum in Manchester last week. It's a quote by Bill Shankly the legendary manager of Liverpool FC from 1959 to 1974, a period in which the club enjoyed massive success.
The quote brilliantly sums up one of the most important elements of achieving excellence in customer service: getting your staff on board, and making sure they share in the rewards.
Without getting ALL your staff on board, I can give a 100% guarantee that your customer service strategy will fail. Why? Simply because effective customer service can never work if it is just a bolt-on to a business plan. It has to be actually ingrained within your organisation. It has to be imprinted in the minds of every member of staff, every minute of every working day.
This article is shorter than usual because I am just about to dash off to my local boozer to watch England take on Wales in the European Championships. But I will return to this subject shortly, to discuss how academic research proves the importance of involving all your staff within an integrated customer service strategy, along with ensuring that they share in the rewards of your success.