Escalating a Request, Problem or Inquiry
There will be occasions where your coach or supervisor has to be drawn into the customer interaction because you are unable, or do not have the authority, to resolve the issue at hand. For example:
On these, hopefully infrequent, occasions, the call should escalate up the line for resolution. The procedure for these ‘last resort’ escalations may be something like this:
Empowerment
The following empowerment model, developed by Centre-ing Services, a South African organisation that specialises in improving customer service delivery, suggests that:
Implications for the boss
Those in authority need to let go. They need to let an employee tackle something that they may not do as well as the employee. There is risk attached, but holding on doesn’t earn the respect of your employees or give them a chance to learn and grow. Instead, it undermines, diminishes and de-motivates them, and gives you ulcers.
As a leader and manager, you need to let go of over-control and learn to trust, respect, teach, support and coach. You need to learn to let others take the credit. Research shows that organisations with an empowerment culture achieve greater employee satisfaction, better productivity, increased levels of customer satisfaction and loyalty.
Implications for the employee
Some employees who’ve lived in traditional hierarchies for years are in a comfort zone that they don’t want to leave. Not all employees welcome empowerment. Others need to be taught that it’s about assuming responsibility, ownership and commitment, as well as demanding rights. Generally, most employees are far more ready, willing and capable than managers realise. Of course, some might have to be nurtured quite carefully.
All of us carry baggage. But our confidence and our ability to learn is suppressed or stimulated by negative feedback or encouragement and praise. The same thing applies to our workplace experiences and conditioning. Do you blame others when things go wrong, or do you blame yourself, or are you balanced? It’s a letting go before taking responsibility, an un-learning before re-learning.