What does it mean to be a “company that cares”? Should we care? Why should we care?
Most organizations will tell you that they care about their customers. This is especially true in service organizations. Of course some are better at this than others.
The focus on customer satisfaction is a legacy of W. Edwards Deming the godfather of the Quality Movement. For many people CQI or QI (Continuous Quality Improvement or Quality Improvement) is about measuring quality outcomes. The emphasis here is on measurement!
In fact, this is only half the equation. The other half of the equation involves creating an organizational culture that recognizes and supports the “internal customers”…also known as the employees.
But what about the people who work in these organizations ensuring that goods and services are provided in such as way as to ensure customer satisfaction?
Some organizations are so focused on the external customer that they don’t give their employees a second thought.
But organizations that are truly committed to customer satisfaction know that it’s really about the workplace culture or environment, it’s about enlightened leadership, and it’s about how people are treated.
I recently came across an organization that is focused on creating companies that care about their “internal customers”.
This organization is called The Center for Companies that Care . Check out their website!
The Center’s Mission is to encourage and celebrate businesses that prize their employees and are are committed to community service.
On the website they provide the following list of 10 characteristics of a Company That Cares:
- Sustain a work environment founded on dignity and respect for all employees
- Make employees feel their jobs are important
- Cultivate the full potential of all employees
- Encourage individual pusuit of work/life balance
- Enable the well-being of individuals and their families through compensation, benefits, policies and practices
- Develop great bosses who excel at managing people as well as results
- Appreciate and recognize the contributions of people who work there
- Establish and communicate standards for ethical behavior and integrity
- Get involved in community endeavors and/or public policy
- Consider the human toll when making business decisions
The site is also full of ideas and resources to help companies incorporate these 10 characteristics into their culture.
All of these provide a strong foundation…ensuring that customer satisfaction is not a slogan.
Have a great week!
Lesley
