Creating a culture of taking ownership when something goes wrong can transform an organization in terms of customer experience. I’m referring to taking ownership in two different ways:

Taking ownership for mistakes as a company.

Taking ownership for fixing a problem as an individual.

Both are important separately but even more powerful together. And both start at the top. Executives and high-level managers need to ditch the blame game and begin instilling the value of ownership down through the ranks. So what is the value?

Sets the tone for the organization. If the company as a whole sends a message to customers that they are taking ownership to fix a driver of dissatisfaction, it paves the way for taking individual ownership of issues and can begin to transform the culture.

Empowers employees. When it comes to great customer service, the need for employee empowerment is real. If an employee can own an issue and see it through to resolution, your customers don’t have to wait for the inevitable ball drop while bouncing between departments.

Increases job satisfaction. Empowerment is proven to lead to improved job satisfaction (one study here), and happy employees are an important piece in creating happy customers.

Builds customer trust. Customers trust an organization that listens to their complaint, owns the issue, and fixes it. You are developing loyalty by implementing this strategic approach to problem solving.

Encourages customer participation in improving the business. When customers can see that their voice is heard and acted upon, you are giving them a vested interest in making things better. They become engaged and willing to offer their input to improve your organization.

Inspire others in your organization by taking ownership of customer problems. The risk of not fixing issues is too great to waste time pointing fingers. Customers today expect you to acknowledge a bad experience and make it right to earn their loyalty. And doing so can have exponential benefits.