SPURspectives

Frontline associates are often the most frequent point of human contact provided by an organization. I’m talking about folks like the teller at your bank and the undergrad working the alumni association telethon. They’re the tip of the spear, yet they are also among the least empowered in the organization. Their roles are viewed as low level so they are trained to execute strategies developed by managers often without input from the frontline. They are treated as cogs, replaceable parts in the machine. The thinking is if we can get them to properly recite the script we will win. The thinking is wrong.

Frontline associates have social interaction with the most important people in your business, the customers. The operative word here is social. In the same way that organizations are pouring money on developing their social networks via social media, they also need to extend their social reach through their frontline. Conversations with bank tellers are nearly identical to Twitter tweets in length and depth. Alumni telethon conversations could fit right in on Facebook, stirring the flames of alma mater. But the frontline associates don’t use Facebook and Twitter, they interact directly with customers. Yet, the conversations in these direct human channels are often completely scripted and have dismal results.

To extend your social effort to the frontline, consider this:

Effectively communicate your mission and strategy.

Tell them why you do what you do as an organization. Help them to embrace the big picture and be a part of it. Help them understand how they fit in and the importance of their role.

Don’t tell them specifically what to say.

Be inclusive in planning your strategy. Include the frontline in developing your approach. Work with them to embrace the approach. Respect their feedback and pushback on what works and what fails — they live it every day. Let them use their own words to connect with your customers based on their understanding of the mission, the goal and their role.

Teach your culture and measure their behavior.

By openly communicating the mission, vision and values of your organization along with the immediate goal you can share your collectively story in the moment. Get all of your associates to join the tribe. Clearly communicate the desired behaviors and celebrate positive outcomes with stories that reinforce the mission, vision and values. The desired behaviors and results will soon become the social norm.

By doing this you will develop a richer culture that operates from understanding verses rote behavior. You may need to upgrade your frontline, but the changes will be worth the effort. Genuine social interaction with your customers will result in stronger relationships.

Image: Creative Commons Attribution/Share-Alike License.

Tags: marketing, relationship marketing, social media, social network