Service And Safety - Are They Different? By Carmen Daecher

I am always amused at how safety has a special place in most organizations. There is a Safety Department; the Safety Director. When one talks about safety, one talks about hiring good drivers; having good work conditions; providing proper training.

Yet, most operators that I speak with tell me that customer service is one of the crucial elements in their business success. It is what differentiates them from others. It is critical in their continued success. Safety is not usually mentioned as "critical" to success.

Somehow, you get the sense that safety and service are 2 different things. What do you think?

Have you ever tried to put your arms around safety? Have you ever tried to embrace it; touch it? You can't. That's because safety is a result of the actions of individuals that collectively make up the organization. That's why safety is a result of good hiring, good training, good management. It's because safety is behavior and how one behaves on a daily basis is largely affected by their attitude. Hiring the right person, preparing them well, and keeping them positive about their contributions to the organization is important.

So what about service? How do you define it? You may measure it through customer satisfaction, repeat business, and referrals. But what is it?

Customer service is cheerful and helpful communication with passengers; driving smoothly, patiently, and defensively; assisting passengers with their trip needs and other issues; and responding to all situations, including unplanned events, with professionalism. To put it another way, service is hiring the right people; training them well; and providing them with the necessary tools and support to interact with customers on a daily basis. Excellent service and safe performance both flow from the same individual behaviors which are influenced by positive attitudes throughout your organization. While you may talk about them differently, the two are intertwined and cannot be separated.

Safety is caring - caring for fellow employees, other drivers on the road, your passengers, and yourself.

Service is a natural extension of this caring. It's attending to the needs of customers in a pleasant and attentive way. It's showing that you care with a smile and with an open ear to listen to their needs and concerns. It's going the extra mile, which should be a way of life; not what other people do. Service means giving.

Caring and giving go hand in hand.

Ultimately, safety and service are an extension of the individual. Their attitude and their behavior translate into the experience that the customer feels and which impacts the organization. Usually, the person that is willing to lend a helping hand and do it with a smile is also person that cares for themselves and others. They feel good about themselves; they are not perfect, but they have alot to be thankful for. And because of how they feel about themselves, they treat others with dignity and respect. They would seek no less for themselves. They are willing to listen to what others have to say; but are not afraid to offer their own opinions. They recognize that they may not always be "right"; but if they can contribute, they will. Practicing the 4 C's - Courtesy, Consideration, Comfort, and Cleanliness, defines the professionalism and the service given by that person who is proud of themselves and what they do.

Okay, this all sounds good. So what does it mean? From where I'm sitting, most organizations have not made this message clear to their employees. Safety and service are not connected as strongly as they should be.

In order to change this, I suggest the following:

• Try even harder to hire the right person. You can always teach them the skills that they need, but you can't teach them attitude and a good sense of self-worth.
• Communicate to all employees that safety and service start at home. In other words, contributing to problem solving and improving the products and services offered by the company is a collective responsibility; not just a responsibility of owners and managers. Every employee has a responsibility to act safely, provide service, and contribute to the good for all.
• Combine safety and service training. Strengthen the message that safety and service are intertwined and are not separate. This will help create a different thought process for drivers and other employees to make the best decisions for servicing customers with safety is an implicit part of the decision.
• Rethink your awards and incentive programs to combine safety performance with service performance. Simply to be accident free may not be good enough; if passengers are dissatisfied, you have not accomplished your goals.

Safety and customer service should be appreciated together. Collectively, they form the basis for your success. From where I'm sitting, safety and service may be two different words, but they are one way of life.

*** Click here to visit the NADME training web site ***