Here is an idea that just about any organization can do: Write a book. But not just any book. Write a customer service book featuring great experiences provided by your agents, which can be used for both agent training and client prospecting.
One of the most popular exercises I share with the businesses I coach is called the ”Moments of Magic Card.” This is where every employee or agent writes an example on an index card of a moment where he or she created a great customer service experience. Typically, our clients would ask their teams do this once a week or every other week. However, for the purpose of this exercise, only one example is needed.
Provide every team member with a large index card and have him or her write down an example of when they created a great service experience. This should be the best experience from the past year. It can be for either a client or an inside customer — a staff member or agent at your brokerage. Try to limit the length of the story to about 200 words so that they’re easy to read with a quick takeaway.
Once the stories have been submitted, have your marketing staff or a freelancer do some design work and lay out the stories. Include a picture and a short one- or two-sentence bio on each of the agents or employees. Every submission gets its own page. If you have a larger organization, you can put two or three onto a page.
Once the interior of the book is designed, you or some other high-ranking member of your company’s leadership should write a forward. For testimonials, you can include some excerpts from customers’ accolade letters or just ask customers to write a sentence or two to endorse the book.
Next, design the cover. You might consider having a contest for your agents and staff to come up with a cover design. Or, maybe your brokerage has a marketing department or works with an agency that can help you design the cover. A very cost-effective and quick way to get a cover is through the website 99Designs.com. Or, check out the services offered from Amazon’s CreateSpace program, which include design, editing, and more.
Finally, choose a publishing platform. CreateSpace is also a great option for publishing your book. Go to CreateSpace and follow the instructions on how to upload your content and cover to begin the publishing process. In just a short time you’ll be holding on to the first copy of your company’s customer service book.
Zappos.com’s culture book was the impetus for this idea. They publish a new book every year, which can be purchased directly from Zappos.
Once your book is published, you can purchase copies for all of your agents, employees, and copies to pass on to past, present, and future customers. You can even make the book available to the general public, too.
