Form 10 Group missed a SLA this month for mailing out a replacement part to a customer. It was a simple mistake that occurred when a request arrived late on a Friday after the office was closed. There were a series of blunders and the ticket was missed on Monday due to other priorities. In my contract oversight role, it was a minor issue since it was the first missed ticket for that customer this month and the ticket was already resolved. Additionally, the team was already addressing how to better triage Friday evening tickets.
The story would end there if it was not for the reaction I saw from the service team. Each member was visibly upset that they let their fellow team members and the customer down. I had seen this reaction before on other tickets. However, I never really grasped that each member of the help desk, warehouse, and management team really cared this deeply about their role in supporting the customer.
I started to think about how this culture was created. I quickly realized that our managers care about the customer, Service Team, and company. The team members all see the management’s concern about service and they have embraced that. Caring is contagious. The team is excited when we have a flawless month with no tickets missing their SLA. A big joke is that the reward for a perfect service month is a Blizzard from Dairy Queen. The customer has even gotten in on the reward and wanting the team to get their Blizzard. Yes, there are financial bonuses attached to goals for each team member, but that Blizzard is the visible reward they all share as team. I am very proud of our Service Team and how much they care!
