GrubHub, Zappos, Google Talk Culture in Customer Service

The notion that "happy agents yield happy customers" might be trumpeted as a universal truth, but it is not one without the need for appropriate context.

Because no two businesses, no two agent pools and no two customer bases are precisely alike, the methods different organizations use to define and drive agent happiness must naturally differ as well.

One should feel free to reference a business like Disney's when discussing how an empowered agent culture can enhance the customer experience, but he should not mistake his reference for a declaration that all organizations must replicate the Disney culture.

All the Disney example proves is that workplace culture and customer satisfaction are connected.

Recognizing the justifiable variation in how different businesses approach the culture question, Call Center IQ asked several speakers from last year's Call Center Week to share their perspective on customer service culture. Pivotal to the customer experience, this topic will command even more spotlight at the 15th Annual Call Center Week, taking place this June in Las Vegas.

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"I learned this at Virgin, and I spent a lot of time at big companies, AT&T, KPMG, and if you don’t like coming to work, it just sucks.

I think if your company is going to take service seriously, you can’t just say it. It has to be bought in by the people at the top, number one. And surprisingly, by all of the employees, not just service. People in finance have to understand why service is important."

Todd Provino – VP of Customer Service - GrubHub

"No matter what business I pursued, I would put the fun back in it. I would connect with my customers and employees. I would offer a place that people would look forward to coming to, whether to work or to shop. I would give back to the associates, the guests, and the communities in which we operated. And these are what I like to call the "bear necessities" of any good business."

Maxine Clark – Founder & Chief Executive Bear – Build-a-Bear

"I don’t put a lot of stock on awards; what I put a lot of stock on is culture. And how you develop the right kind of culture can lead to employees really being engaged with you."
Steve Riddell – COO – Blinds.com

"If you’re really going to change your culture, it’s going to have to be from your top down. It has to be starting at your executive level."
Lisa Church – Chief Experience Officer - 1st Advantage Credit Union

"For us, culture is really a powerful management tool and a competitive advantage. So we believe that our culture drives engagement and that that engagement from employees is really what drives our business forward, in terms of better service and better solutions for our customers."
Marc Bernica – VP, Back-Up Care, Bright Horizons

"We have ten core values that we use to describe the culture, but really, I think its people. It’s paying attention to what people need. It’s giving people the freedom that they need to do their job well. So I would say that the culture really is about people."
Jon Wolske –Culture Evangelist - Zappos

"There’s no way a hierarchical, rigid, command-and-control management style will retain Googlers, even with great food and great facilities. We expect our Googlers to act independently and with little supervision. The only way to do this is through values. What values do you emphasize to retain the best people, and to provide them the space to contribute in a meaningful way?"
Peter Scocimara – Director, Enterprise Global Support - Google

"For us, from a marketing perspective, the call center really is the first point of contact with many of our guests. And so it was very important for us as an organization to help them understand our employees, particularly our call center people, how important diversity is, from a hospitality standpoint."
Patty Coaley – Executive Director of Diversity & Inclusion - MGM Resorts