Category Archives: Customers

Over-the-top service

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We all have customers, whether we characterize them that way or not. We serve our direct reports, boss and/or shareholders. We seek to meet the needs of family members, as a spouse, parent, sibling or child. In the same respect, we are served by others, and when we receive over-the-top customer service, we notice. Perhaps it stands out because it is a rarity in our hurried, overbooked culture.

A recent Brains on Fire blog post  focused on “above and beyond” customer service interaction. Rather than asking, “Can I get you something else? this person asked “Is there anything else you can think of that you need?”

It may seem like a subtle difference, but it conveys a true service mindset. Note that the question did not contain anything about the server, only the customer. This was stated as if the customer were the only priority. Hint: To this particular service provider, this was true. This service professional wasn’t just regurgitating a script.

“Is there anything you need?” How often do we ask this of our bosses? Our direct reports? Our loved ones?

(I definitely need to ask my hubby that question, as it seems that he ranks lower than all 3 kids, the dog and the cat. I bet he’s happy the fish died.)

Humanergy strives every day to provide our clients with “wow-I-never-expected-that” service. We also want our employees to feel that they couldn’t possibly find a better job. We aim to provide helpful insights to all of our blog followers each and every week. So, dear reader, please tell me; is there anything YOU need? Leave us a comment, and then go ask someone what you can do for them.

 

Have needs that Humanergy can fulfill? Contact us!

Photo courtesy of stock.xchg.


Performance is improving, but not fast enough

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You’re piloting an airplane. You take off from the airport and head west towards the mountains. Your altitude is gradually increasing, but not at a fast enough rate. Without the right maneuvers now, the plane will crash into the side of the mountain.

A nightmare, right? Yes, but it’s also a great analogy for a problem we’re seeing in many organizations. Teams and individuals are working hard and seeing improvements in their performance. However, the business realities require them to get better at their jobs faster. Without a steeper trajectory, individuals and the organization will crash.

As an individual performer, how can you maneuver quickly to amp up the rate of your performance improvement?

Prioritize. What are the highest value things you can  do to improve results and make a big impact? Not the good uses of your time – only the critical few. Make those your priorities. Keep them uppermost in your mind, on your calendar and in your daily activity. When you know where you’re going and what it will take to get there, communicate this widely so that others in the organization also redirect their efforts.

Focus. This can be hard, but something’s got to go. It takes courage to dump projects and readjust activity to align with just a few priorities. The key is to focus relentlessly on the drivers of success. Don’t do the other stuff.  If there is not a direct relationship between the project or initiative and your highest value priorities, stop!

Be consistent. One of the most maddening dynamics in organizations is when the boss says A, B and C are our only priorities. Then something cool – unrelated to A, B and C – comes along. When opportunity knocks, don’t waffle; figure out if it aligns with your top 1, 2 or 3. If not, just say no. A compelling distraction is still a distraction.

Many of the strategies above work for teams too. Also consider the following:

Assign sufficient resources. As James W. Frick said, “Don’t tell me where your priorities are. Show me where you  spend your money and I’ll tell you what they are.” Clearly articulate a business case for what you’re doing. Then negotiate with your superiors to assign more time or employ new technologies to get the job done.

Feed your people. You’re leading a team that’s failing. Your first impulse might be to point out all the things that are going wrong. Instead, identify what’s working (Feed) and reinforce those behaviors. Then decide what you must achieve (Need) and fill in the gaps with new actions (SEED) that need to happen. Only after Feed, Need and Seed do you eliminate practices that aren’t working (Weed).

Quit bickering. When the going gets rough, back-biting and blame find fertile ground. Model and enforce a climate of open communication and respect. Help people to say what they need to say in a factual manner. After the crisis has passed, there will be plenty of time to dissect what happened and how it might be prevented in the future.

A Chinese proverb states, “A crisis is an opportunity riding the dangerous wind.” Face the reality of your impending collision, so that you can maneuver to make the most of the opportunity.

Have a question or want some input from Humanergy about this topic? Contact us and we’ll get right back to you!


Is the customer really first on your list?

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customer1It’s ironic. Focusing on customers, as vital as they are to business success, can be lost in our quest for growth and high performance. It’s all too easy to focus on how we can get more customers, rather than what needs to be done to completely WOW the customers we have.

Jeff Bezos, CEO of Amazon, once said, “We see our customers as invited guests to a party, and we are the hosts.” Wait a minute. Doesn’t Amazon sell books (and nearly everything else) online? He’s not hosting parties.

We all should be thinking and acting like we’ve invited our customers to a party. And we should figure out how we can make their experience at our party the best they’ve ever had.  How?

Hire the right people. Every employee (not just those in customer service roles) must be passionate about customers and in business to serve the greater good. You can’t train a person who is driven by self-promotion to put customers first.

Think like your customer. Understand their reality – the challenges, opportunities, facts and figures they are dealing with and their mindsets, personalities and aspirations. Make sure all employees know about the customer’s world and how they can make it better.

Give the customer more than they ask for. Unexpected, above-and-beyond service and follow-up will be remembered and talked about with others. A customer recounted her experience when Zappos (an online shoe retailer) didn’t have the boots she wanted. The sales representative searched other online companies to find the boots for her, emailed her the link to the competitor’s site and gave the customer a $25 credit toward a future Zappos purchase. No wonder Zappos has such a loyal following.

Let your people please the customer. Make it easier by eliminating the rules and regulations that can bind an employee to standard procedures. (For example, Ritz Carlton hotels empower employees to spend money to fix customer problems on the spot. Zappos obviously does the same.) Give employees boundaries, but not rigid constraints. Reward them for customer-centric action that exceeds expectations.

Fess up when you make a mistake. Don’t try to hide mistakes or gloss over them. Own them, make amends and fix the problem. You may find that the way you handle errors will actually strengthen your customer’s loyalty to you.

Customer connections are not the result of a series of activities. They are built over time and are dependent upon the mindset and commitment within your organization. For more best practices, check out 1to1 Magazine, one of our favorite resources on managing customer relationships.

Have a question or want some input from Humanergy about this topic? Contact us and we’ll get right back to you!