Last month we talked about outsourcing business services to an external provider. I want to address the flip side of that same coin, the part that happens internally: delegating. It isn’t an easy thing to do. It requires a lot of trust. And, when you get it right, it’s one of the biggest win/win scenarios possible.
I’ve talked a lot in this space about our Adventure Trek program. It’s a great example of delegation that’s working well for us at SOLV - I'm not a big part of putting the program together. I'm the instigator and I bring some high level ideas, but the execution of it is now in the hands of individuals who do a great job.
Customer care is one of the most essential responsibilities I delegate – having internal Account Managers help maintain customer accounts. For me that's as big a leap of faith as outsourcing our IT was. As critical as it is to have your systems up and running, it’s even more essential to trust that your customer relationships are in good hands. If you can't serve the customers in the best possible way, you're going to have a challenge with your company. It won’t survive without customers and the level of customer experience you want your customers to have. And, as CEO, I just can't be there managing every aspect of that experience. I have to be able to trust my team.
When I hand off aspects of maintaining those customer relationships, there are a lot of things to consider. Some customers I know a lot about personally, some I know more professionally than personally, but when a customer works with me, they can expect a high level of service. They can expect to have a good response time, understand when we're going to turn things, when we'll follow up, how we'll make sure they're satisfied. I'm going to report any issues that may be coming up. They trust me with their project. I want to be proactive. I want to be known as a solution provider. I want to be a resource for anything creative.
So when I delegate customer relationships, I want our account managers to be providing that same level - and at the same time, I don't expect it to be done the exact same way I do it. The key is, if you're crystal clear about the results, the milestones, and the check-ins, true delegating means letting them craft their relationship with the customer. The ingredients are the same and there are certain steps that need to be the same. But I think you can add a little extra spice, do a step a little differently, or take out a step. And that's the beauty of knowing that we have people who understand how important the customer experience is, and who rise to that occasion and hit those marks.
I have to be clear about what my customers expect as a whole. And that whole could be anything from the products they get, to why they need the products, to when they need the products, to how to attain the products. It could be the service that we offer. It could be the response time to the questions around the service.
Milestones should be agreed upon and clear. These are the expected results. These are the milestones I expect to be achieved, and you can definitely do it with the steps you believe are appropriate.
Delegating important responsibilities to your team is a big sign of trust. It takes a lot of ongoing work and communication to do it successfully. And, it's worth every bit of that effort. You get to see someone grow, learn, accomplish, and feel proud. That's brilliant.