Hello again, Service Stars!
Hope you’re enjoying the glorious weather at the moment. We’re a little later than usual with this months newsletter as I’ve just come back from a short break in Venice where the sunshine is also out for the crowds. Coming back to similar weather in the UK I find I’m not able to enjoy it so much when I’m suited and booted and delivering workshops ☹. Thank goodness for air-conditioned training rooms.
Weather aside it’s easy to forget that the most influential part of any brand isn’t the CEO, the marketing budget, or the snazzy website – it’s the frontline people who meet and greet the customer every day. They’re the voice, face, and heartbeat of your business. This month, we’re diving into five practical ways to empower, equip and energise your brand ambassadors—because when the frontline shines, the whole business wins (see what I did there 😊)
….or “Hire the smile, train the style.”
Technical know-how can be taught. What’s harder to instil is a genuine desire to serve – something that shows up in attitude, tone, and presence. That’s why the most customer-obsessed companies focus on emotional intelligence and values-based hiring.
Our top tips:
- Use behavioural interview questions (e.g. “Tell me about a time you went the extra mile for someone.”)
- Introduce short roleplays or simulations into the recruitment process
- Invite potential hires to spend an hour shadowing the team to assess their natural fit
- Use personality profiling tools to evaluate service-orientated traits like empathy, positivity, or adaptability (we love the DAFT model which is perfect for frontline teams – that’s Doer, Actor, Friend, Thinker).
Who Does It Well?: Premier Inn’s recruitment motto is “personality over polish.” They seek friendly, reliable individuals and then train them to operate their systems. It’s a winning formula that helps them top service satisfaction charts.
“Micromanagement kills momentum. Empowerment fuels it.”
Frontline agents should never feel like passengers waiting for permission. When they have clear boundaries, sensible autonomy and access to timely customer data, they become problem-solvers, not just order-takers.
Here’s some ideas;
- Create clear ‘freedom within a framework’ guidelines (e.g. up to £50 goodwill gesture without approval)
- Provide single-view customer dashboards with real-time context
- Regularly review common queries to update scripting and decision trees
- Train your people in service recovery strategies and escalate less
Who Does It Well?: At Metro Bank, staff can refund or resolve issues without managerial sign-off within agreed limits cutting red tape and raising first-contact resolution.
“Culture eats strategy for breakfast – so feed it daily.” (Peter Drucker)
Customer experience isn’t a quarterly KPI – it’s a daily discipline. When CX is baked into the rhythm of team meetings, inductions, and coaching conversations, it becomes second nature.
Food for thought:
- Start shift huddles with a 3-minute ‘Customer of the Day’ story
- Link individual and team targets to service metrics, not just volume
- Share mystery shopper or Trustpilot feedback weekly
- Celebrate NPS wins and discuss opportunities to improve low scores
Who Does It Well?: Virgin Atlantic runs ‘service storytelling’ circles every week, where crew members share standout passenger moments, reconnecting everyone with the purpose behind the process.
“Those closest to the customer often have the clearest view.”
When frontline voices are heard and heeded, they become champions for change. A culture of shared learning, collaboration and feedback is the secret to continuous improvement.
Swipe and deploy these ideas:
- Create “Ambassador Circles” or peer learning groups
- Launch a “One Thing We Could Fix” monthly feedback campaign
- Rotate team members into cross-departmental projects
- Let staff pitch small service enhancements with micro-grants or trial budgets
Who Does It Well?: John Lewis empowers floor staff to submit ‘service tweaks’ that are tested regionally, several of which have been rolled out chain-wide.
“People repeat what gets rewarded.”
Recognition is rocket fuel for morale. When staff feel seen, appreciated and celebrated, they go the extra mile not because they have to—but because they want to.
It’s easier than you might think:
- Introduce ‘WOW of the Week’ announcements in team meetings
- Share kudos, recognition and good news publicly via Slack, Yammer or wall displays
- Create a “Customer Hero” pin badge or mini-awards programme
- Involve customers by letting them nominate employees for standout service
Who Does It Well?: Specsavers runs a “Recognising Greatness” campaign where staff are nominated by both peers and customers, with winning stories shared in the internal newsletter and on social.
If it was easy they’d all be doing it…
Before I sign-off here’s a little customer service description that may resonate with you:
Customer Service – where you’re expected to be a mind-reader, peacekeeper, IT wizard, therapist, and part-time magician… all before your first tea break. But hey – who else gets to save the day with a smile and a Post-it note?
Keep doing what you do so brilliantly – you make a difference every single day.
Until next month take care and keep FIT!
Marie and the FIT team
