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Many organizations shy away from employee empowerment, fearing chaos and rule-breaking. This fear stems from a misunderstanding of what true empowerment entails.
Empowerment, strategically implemented, isn’t about unchecked freedom; it’s about providing employees with defined degrees of freedom to serve customers exceptionally well, directly supporting the organization’s strategic goals.
What Empowerment Is (and Isn’t)
Effective employee empowerment is a carefully planned initiative, not a haphazard approach. It’s about:
Targeted Flexibility — Bending the rules for specific customers in specific circumstances, not for everyone all the time.
This controlled rule-bending is a crucial element of a superior service strategy, fostering customer loyalty.
Defined Processes — Employees follow a predefined process with clear parameters and options, not making decisions solely on their immediate judgment.
This ensures consistency while still allowing for flexibility.
Selective Application — Empowerment is tailored to selected customers and situations, not applied universally.
This ensures resources are focused where they have the most impact.
Strategic Alignment — Empowered actions directly stem from the organization’s overall strategy, not spontaneous inventions.
This ensures all efforts contribute to the bigger picture.
Measurable Outcomes — The effectiveness of empowerment is rigorously tracked against pre-defined, measurable outcomes.
This ensures accountability and allows for continuous improvement.
Proactive, Not Reactive — Empowerment is a proactive initiative, integrated into daily operations, not a reactive response to problems.
This allows for proactive problem-solving and enhanced customer service.
Defined Boundaries — Empowerment operates within a clearly defined “box” with established parameters and expected employee behaviors.
This provides structure and prevents abuse.
Creating an Empowerment Plan
To successfully empower employees, follow these steps:
Strategic Alignment
Carefully examine your Strategic Game Plan and identify critical areas where employee empowerment could significantly improve results. Consider areas like service recovery, new customer sign-up, or complex problem resolution.
Develop a Detailed Plan
Define:
- Target Customers: Which customer segments will benefit most from this initiative?
- “Empowerable” Activities: Which specific operational activities will employees be empowered to handle differently?
- Measurable Outcomes: What specific, quantifiable results do you expect (e.g., increased customer satisfaction scores, reduced churn rates, faster resolution times)?
- Employee Behaviors: What specific behaviors and processes must employees follow when exercising their empowerment?
- Develop clear guidelines and training materials.
- Implementation and Monitoring: Implement the plan and consistently monitor its effectiveness against the pre-defined metrics.
- Regularly review and adjust the plan as needed.
- Recognize and Reward Success: Publicly acknowledge and reward employees who effectively utilize their empowerment, showcasing their successes as examples for others.
Sharing these stories reinforces the positive impact of empowerment and motivates further adoption.
By implementing a well-defined and strategically aligned empowerment plan, organizations can unlock the full potential of their employees, leading to breathtaking customer service and significant improvements in overall business performance.
The key is careful planning, clear communication, and consistent monitoring – transforming empowerment from a source of fear into a driver of exceptional customer experiences and business success.