How to create steps of service (and why you need them)

I love In-N-Out for its remarkable consistency.

The service is the same every time I go. There's a warm and friendly greeting. The cashier takes my order and confirms it. They conclude the transaction by handing me my receipt, telling me my guest number, and thanking me.

It always happens.

Each step has a purpose. The greeting establishes rapport and makes me feel welcome. Carefully walking through my order ensures they get it just right. The conclusion ends the transaction on a positive note.

The steps also promote quality. I've only experienced two errors over a lifetime of going to In-N-Out:

1. A stray piece of lettuce once landed on my burger.

2. I received a bonus order of fries.

Two minor mistakes. That's it. An error rate of less than .1 percent.

What's never happened is unfriendly service. In-N-Out employees are unfailingly friendly. How does In-N-Out do it?

They have clear steps of service.

In this article, we'll cover:

1. What are steps of service?

2. When do you need steps of service?

3. Can employees deviate from steps of service?

4. How can you create steps of service?

5. How do you make sure steps of service are followed?

What are steps of service?

Steps of service are a process for serving customers. Following them helps employees deliver more consistent customer service.

Some steps of service are very specific and detailed.

For example, In-N-Out cashiers are trained to ask each customer, "How are you?" If a customer asks "How are you?" in return, cashiers are trained to respond, "I'm good, thank you."

Other steps of service cover a broader set of interactions. Retail associates at the Apple Store follow five steps that spell out the word APPLE:

A = Approach, personalized, warm welcome
P = Probe (politely) to understand the customer's needs
P = Present a solution
L = Listen for (and resolve) any issues or concerns
E = End with a fond farewell and invitation to return

The three steps of service at The Ritz-Carlton are even more general:

1. A warm and sincere greeting. Use the guest’s name.

2. Anticipation and fulfillment of each guest’s needs.

3. Fond farewell. Give a warm good-bye and use the guest’s name.

When do you need steps of service?

Broad steps of service are helpful in almost any customer service situation. They guide employees' interactions with customers and ensure consistency.

There should be a minimum of three steps:

1. Rapport: make customers feel welcome.

2. Understand: learn what customers need.

3. Solve: help the customer have a better experience.

These are based on the three essential customer service skills.

It can be helpful to have more specific steps for employees who handle a high volume of similar transactions. This includes:

• Cashiers

• Restaurant servers

• Contact center agents

Caution: Service steps should be simple and easy to follow to avoid employees adopting a checklist mentality.

Can employees deviate from steps of service?

Generally speaking, steps of service should be followed each time an employee serves a customer. They represent your specific brand of service.

Following them allows companies like In-N-Out, the Apple Store, and The Ritz-Carlton a consistent customer experience across many locations.

There are exceptions to this rule.

Employees should be empowered to identify situations where deviating from normal steps of service makes more sense.

Technical support reps are often trained to ask customers to reboot their device as a first step to solving a problem. However, it should be okay to skip this step if the customer tells you they have already performed this step.

Sometimes, doggedly sticking to service steps can be absurd.

I once bought a single pack of gum at a grocery store. The store's steps of service required cashiers to ask each customer if they needed help carrying out their purchases. A single pack of gum should have been a clear exception, but the cashier dutifully asked, "Do you need help carrying that to your car?"

Bottom line: service steps should be the standard, but empower employees to make exceptions.

How can you create steps of service?

There are two routes you can go here: the basics or full custom.

The basic route is easy. There are four fundamental steps of service that work in nearly any situation. I call them the HELP steps.

1. Hello

2. Engage

3. Listen

4. Provide Solutions

Going full custom takes a bit more effort. The benefit is the steps will be tailored to your specific needs.

I recommend using the PDCA method to create customer steps of service and verify they work as intended.

PDCA is an acronym that stands for four steps:

1. Plan

2. Do (implement)

3. Check

4. Adjust

Step 1: Plan

Start by outlining the flow of an interaction. Identify key moments, such as the greeting, that take place every time. If you're focusing on an existing process, it might help to observe employees in action to see what already works best.

There are two principles to keep in mind:

1. Simplicity. Steps should be simple and easy to follow.

2. Alignment. The steps should align with your customer service vision.

Step 2: Do

Have your team do a test. Ask them to try following the draft steps of service and observe them to see what happens.

Step 3: Check

Evaluate the steps of service after observing them in action and getting feedback from employees. Look for steps that are awkward, confusing to employees, or don't seem to work well for customers.

Step 4: Adjust

Refine the steps of service based on feedback from both employees and customers.

You might need several iterations to get the steps of service just right. It's normal to repeat this process several times and make several changes.

How do you make sure steps of service are followed?

There's no substitute for hard work when it comes to making sure employees follow steps of service.

First, those steps need to be documented. An easy way to do this is to film them. Videos don't need to be pretty, they just need to communicate effectively.

Here's an easy way to that video into a document:

Next, the steps of service must be communicated. In particular, you need to verify three things:

1. Employees understand the steps of service.

2. Employees agree to follow them.

3. Employees are capable of following the steps of service.

Finally, its up to you as the leader to reinforce the steps of service.

I recently spent an hour watching a manager interact with employees at In-N-Out. He was constantly giving them feedback about the things they did well and reminding them about steps of service. The manager also demonstrated the steps of service with guests, so employees had a good role model to follow.

Additional Resources

Here are some additional resources to help you.

Steps of service are a type of customer service procedure. I've also written a more general guide on getting employee input.

You can incorporate steps of service into a customer experience guarantee. My book, The Guaranteed Customer Experience, will walk you through it.

Finally, my Managing a Customer Service Team course on LinkedIn Learning will help you with all the steps you need to lead your department.

Developing service standards from Managing a Customer Service Team by Jeff Toister

Why strict procedures are the key to a great customer experience

I've spent a lot of time at the post office lately and it's fascinating.

My latest book came out in March, which means I've sent a lot of books to people I interviewed or who endorsed the book. The books require a special type of discounted postage called media mail, so I have to go to the counter to buy it from a postal clerk.

There are three clerks who regularly work in my local post office. All three have a different way of processing a media mail postage request, yet all the books arrive safely to their destination.

Why does this matter?

One of the clerks processes the transaction much faster than the other two. This makes the line go faster. (There's always a line.)

Put another way, two of the clerks take too long. They add unnecessary steps to the procedure. Taking an extra minute per transaction makes the line grow. More people have to wait for more time as a result.

Each visit to the post office is a reminder of a customer experience lesson that's often overlooked. Strict procedures are essential to great experiences.

Here's why.

Great experiences are consistent

Customers trust brands, products, and services that they can count on. We tend to take consistency for granted, because it's a little boring, but we'd surely notice if it wasn't there.

Picture a contact center where luck of the draw determined which agent you got on the phone. One agent could solve your problem in just five minutes, while another agent would require 30 minutes to get to the bottom of the same issue.

Imagine going to a Starbucks where each barista made your latte "their way." Some would taste good, others wouldn't. No two would be the same.

What if warehouse workers each had their own method for packing fragile items? Some shipments would survive the journey, others wouldn't. Extra padding adds extra weight, which means some workers would unnecessarily increase shipping costs without preventing any more damage.

All of these scenarios create waste, unhappy customers, and inconsistent experiences.

Customer-focused companies are incredibly consistent. Their products unfailingly work. Their services are dependable.

Think about that the next time you order something from Amazon. The company can deliver a dizzying array of items to your doorstep with lightening speed because every employee is taught to follow a strict set of procedures.

Can employees ever improvise?

Absolutely! There are many situations where an employee should add their own flair, make an adjustment, or deviate from a procedure entirely.

The secret is knowing when to improvise.

Hotel housekeepers neatly fold towels as part of the room cleaning procedure. Some add their own flair by folding some of the towels into fun animals.

A procedure can sometimes be improved. That's what the fast postal clerk did. She identified an unnecessary step and eliminated it, saving several seconds per transaction.

There are a few cases when the normal procedure doesn’t apply.

A medical device manufacturer needed to get a specific item to a hospital for a patient having surgery the next day. The normal ordering procedure wouldn’t get the device to the hospital in time, so a customer service rep decided to improvise. She called a nearby competing hospital, located the correct device, and arranged to have it delivered just in time for the patient’s life-saving surgery.

Many customer-focused companies even have procedures for handling special requests or unusual situations. There's a strict latte recipe at Starbucks, but the barista will customize a drink to your liking. You can even make changes to a standard item when ordering via the Starbucks app.

(Side note: some customers have gone way too far with their customization requests. It’s become an issue.)

People mistakenly equate empowerment with giving employees the authority to do whatever they want. That's not really the definition.

The real definition of empowerment is enabling employees to deliver outstanding service to their customers. This includes:

• Resources necessary to get the job done.

• Procedures that represent best practices.

• Authority to do what’s right or deviate from procedures when needed.

How do you get employees to follow procedures?

Just having strict procedures isn't enough. All employees need to follow them to ensure consistency.

The first step is to make sure there is a documented procedure. You can use this guide to write procedures your employees will love.

Next, identify potential obstacles.

• Are employees aware of the procedure?

• Can they access the procedure quickly and easily?

• Do they have the necessary tools and resources?

A hotel received a number of complaints about room cleanliness. A quick investigation revealed that employees weren't following the standard cleaning procedure because they lacked the needed cleaning supplies.

Finally, monitor procedures to make sure they are being followed.

Major League Baseball recently investigated allegations that its baseballs are "juiced," meaning they fly farther than normal. It turned out to be true. The baseballs are hand-sewn, and the balls had abnormal variations in seam height, causing some baseballs to fly farther than others.

That meant a fan's chance of seeing a home run had just as much to do with who made the ball as who was pitching and who was batting.

It turned out the problem had been happening for several years. The investigation, while enlightening, should have happened far sooner.

Take Action

Procedures aren't a one-way street. Customer-focused leaders spend a lot of time talking about procedures with their team.

• Why is this procedure important?

• What are the consequences of not consistently following the procedure?

• What obstacles prevent procedures from being followed?

• When does it make sense to not follow the procedure?

• How can we do things even better?

You can learn more about creating a consistent customer experience from my book, The Guaranteed Customer Experience. Download the first chapter to learn about a gas station convenience store that dominates the competition because it does one simple thing consistently.

How to write customer service procedures your employees will love

Updated: July 3, 2023

Customer service managers write a lot of procedures.

The big challenge is getting employees to follow them. Employees forget. They get confused. Sometimes, they just don't wanna.

This creates consequences.

Customer experience becomes inconsistent. Service quality erodes. The manager has to spend extra time fixing problems.

There is a simple solution. Here's a five step process for writing customer service procedures your employees will love. (And actually follow.)

Step one: Clarify the goal

Start by making it clear why you want employees to follow a procedure. Help them understand the "why" behind it.

These questions can help:

• What are the benefits of following the procedure?

• What are the consequences of not following the procedure??

• How does the procedure connect to the bigger picture?

A hotel parking operator was in danger of losing its contract with the hotel because valet parking attendants failed to consistently follow service procedures. The hotel used mystery shoppers to evaluate its operations, and the valets had earned a string of poor reports.

The manager used a simple strategy to turn things around.

He called a team meeting and revealed that the contract was in jeopardy. The valets had not known the client was unhappy. Now they knew the stakes involved in following procedures.

Next, the manager started sharing each mystery shopper report with the team. He posted them on a bulletin board in the office so they could see exactly how they were performing.

The scores instantly improved and the contract was saved.

Step two: Get input

Procedures that are ineffective, confusing, or cumbersome can frustrate employees. Avoid this problem by involving employees in the development process.

Associates at one retailer struggled to follow procedures for building product displays. The procedures were written by employees at the corporate office who assembled the displays in a conference room rather than in a store. As a result, they often missed critical steps or underestimated how much time it would take to create a new display.

Micah Peterson, VP of Product Management at ProcedureFlow, recommends having key stakeholders walk through a procedure and record each step they take.

"Mapping out the experience of senior colleagues, trainers, and policy creators in a visual way gives new users immediate access to expert knowledge. It's like having them right beside you, guiding you along!"

For the retailer, that meant having store employees build an in-store display and documenting the actual steps they took.

PDCA is a tool that can help you create more effective procedures. It’s an acronym that outlines four steps:

1. Plan. Get employee input on an initial procedure.

2. Do. Test the procedure on a limited basis.

3. Check. Verify whether the procedure works as intended.

4. Adjust. Make changes to improve the procedure before sharing it with everyone.

Step three: Write clearly

Employees are often in a hurry when following a procedure, so it's important to make procedures easy to understand and follow.

"You must write them in plain language," says Leslie O'Flahavan, owner of E-WRITE.

"That means you have to use terms even new employees will understand and make the steps easy to see and follow. When it comes to procedures, plain language means answering employees’ questions: What should I do? In what order? And where do I get more help if I need it?"

Imagine a new customer service employee on the phone with a customer, trying to explain how to return an item. They find the return procedure to guide them.

This procedure would be hard to follow:

Ascertain the reason the customer wishes to make the return. Click on the drop-down menu and select the return code that most closely fits the customer's expressed reason for making the return. Verify that the customer's email address is accurate or otherwise enter their address in the email field and click on the button marked “RETURN.” Inform the customer that you will be emailing them instructions to facilitate the return. Explain that they should take the return to the nearest UPS store and show the clerk the return email, which can either be printed out or shown on their smartphone. Inform the customer that the UPS employee will package the return and ship it back to us.

Big words, long sentences, and a lack of formatting would make that procedure difficult to read. Here's the same procedure with a few improvements:

1. Ask the reason for the return.

2. Select the best return code from the drop-down menu.

3. Confirm or add the customer's email address.

4. Press the "RETURN" button.

5. Tell the customer a return email is on its way.

6. Ask the customer to bring their return and the email to the nearest UPS store. (They can print the email, or show it on their phone.)

7. Ask them to show the email to a UPS employee who will take care of the rest!

Get more writing tips from O'Flahavan's excellent LinkedIn Learning course, Writing in Plain Language.

Step four: Make it accessible

Procedures should be easy for employees to quickly access when they need them. They shouldn't have to search through endless email updates or decide which version of the procedure is the most accurate.

Tracy O'Rourke, Co-Founder of the Just-in-Time Cafe, suggests creating job aids.

"Job aids help make procedures accessible, simple, and easy to understand. A guideline for the job aids is to use as many pictures as possible. Pictures are easier to process than long text documents."

Employees in a small office had trouble remembering the procedure for greeting visitors when the receptionist was absent or on a break. The solution was putting a small job aid at the front counter that illustrated the three step procedure.

Some jobs require employees to be aware of multiple procedures.

A great option is to create a knowledge base that puts all procedures in one searchable directory. Knowledge bases work well in contact centers or other places where employees work from a computer.

One company sold products to local governments. Each government customer had a complex set of procedures for verifying, shipping, and billing orders. A knowledge base made it easy for employees to quickly access each customer's requirements without skipping a beat!

Step five: Reinforce procedures

It's easy to develop bad habits if good ones aren't reinforced. Review procedures with your team on a regular basis to make sure they are following them.

One hotel was getting a lot of guest complaints about room cleanliness.

An inspection revealed rooms weren’t being cleaned correctly. The hotel had a proven procedure, but housekeepers didn’t have the right cleaning supplies on their carts. This made it impossible for the procedure to be followed.

It was an easy fix. The right supplies were provided and the cleaning procedure was reviewed with the team. Cleanliness complaints dropped as housekeepers began following the correct procedure again.

Conclusion

Proven procedures allow you to provide a more consistent customer experience. You can take it to the next level by offering an experience guarantee.

Guarantees can help you:

1. Earn new business

2. Win repeat business

3. Prevent lost business

The Guaranteed Customer Experience provides a step-by-step guide.

Download the first chapter to learn how a convenience store chain earns four times as many customers per location than their competitors by promising clean restrooms.