The concept of accountability is often misunderstood. In its most real sense, it means holding people, particularly your employees, responsible for what they do. It is possible to hold an employee responsible for something they do well - deserving praise - or something they do poorly - needing correction. Accountability in your customer service practices ensures you give the appropriate attention to the appropriate employees.

For customer service oriented organizations, accountability starts at the bottom. Your front line of junior employees should be accountable, as should your most senior executives. A sense of accountability -the feeling of "If I do this really well, I'll be rewarded" or "If I do this really poorly, it won't be good" - should be present in whatever you do. Making accountability key throughout your company culture will ensure that it's taken seriously.

At the Ritz Carlton, when a customer has a question or complaint, the first employee to hear the complaint "owns" the issue. That employee can be a front-desk clerk or the hotel's general manager, but they're responsible for finding the answer and getting the issue resolved. If the employee cannot solve the problem himself, he is expected to find someone who can, and follow up until the issue is resolved. The Ritz Carlton, a company regarded as a customer service legend, puts accountability at the forefront of its customer service culture.

Training is a critical part of accountability. Dedicated server provider The Planet (theplanet.com) holds itself accountable first and employees accountable after that. The company works to ensure adequate training, tools and coaching is available to its employees. And it holds employees accountable for the service they provide.

"We have to give our people the opportunity to be successful," says Jim Picone, VP of Customer Care at The Planet. "When we give them that training and resources, we also form expectations."

It is possible to instill a culture of accountability in your company as well. Employees tend to use the word "we" as a replacement for "I." Have your employees say "I will follow up with you in a month" instead of "We'll follow up with you in a month." This naturally creates accountability, especially if your procedures and culture encourage the employee to actually follow up personally. Studies have shown that customers have more confidence in an employee who provides his first and last name (instead of just the first name) during the interaction. This little difference makes the customer feel that the employee is capable and won't hide behind a cloak of anonymity.

To encourage employees to make themselves accountable, reward them when they do a good job. With the Ritz Carlton's system, it is easy for the company to reward that first employee after the issue is resolved. If your company rewards employees who perform well, it will encourage other employees to do the same. With that information, you can keep and reward the best people and weed out the worst.

The Planet also rewards employees who do a great job. If a customer writes to say what a great experience they had, the company will reward the involved agents with gift certificates, "points" they can use to buy things, and more. For employees that don't do well, The Planet employs its "performance improvement plan." If the employee improves within a certain amount of time, great. If the employee cannot improve, they are fired from the company.

Accountability is a crucial element in a customer service culture. There is no better time to start making you and your employees accountable than the present. When your employees are accountable for the service they provide, you can make your entire company accountable to your customers.

Douglas Hanna is a writer and consultant. He writes a daily blog at www.serviceuntitled.com