Are your company’s processes designed for the convenience of the customer or for the convenience of the company? How would customers respond to that question?
Think about a process you can tweak (or overhaul) that will result in customers asking, “Why can’t other companies do it like yours?”
A few weeks back, I posted an article titled, Customer Service and Twitter, in which I focused on how our customers can instantly let people know about their experience with us.
A recent example of the power of social media is the popular YouTube video, “United Breaks Guitars.” If you don’t know the back story, here’s the condensed version:
Musician Dave Carroll was on a United flight and he, along with other passengers, watched as baggage handlers manhandled bags and threw Carroll’s $3,500 Taylor guitar on the ground causing about $1,200 in damage. United initially refused to pay for the repair, inspiring Carroll to compose a song about the experiece.
The video went viral and to date has been viewed 3,691,735 times.
United eventually handled Carroll’s claim, but look at the cost in bad press, mistrust, embarrassment, and increased scrutiny from passengers. What could’ve been handled quickly and professionally turned into a PR nightmare for United. For more on the story, check out an early article on the situation as it appeared in the Orlando Sentinel.
Similar to the way I ended the post about Twitter, it’s worth reflecting on this question in every contact we have with every customer: “How would I feel and how would my company feel if this interaction ended up on YouTube?”
By the way, United Airlines is now using the video in their customer service training!
As we come into the weekend, try giving your team this informal assignment. As they go about their weekend activities, ask them to to consciously notice the level of service they receive as they interact with companies and their employees. Ask them to look at the physical environment, observe employees as they serve them as well as other customers, and pay attention to the processes they experience during the interaction. What was good? What was not so good? What what was dismal? Ask them to mentally note as many details as possible.
At your next team meeting, request that members of your team share their observations and how the experiences make them feel. Did the experience make them definitely want to come back? definitely not want to come back? or just leave them neutral? Then ask the group how their observations relate to your organization and to their own jobs. This is a quick benchmarking experience that can pay great dividends.
When Walt Disney was planning Disneyland, he sent his “Imagineers” to visit amusement parks and carnivals, and to observe what customers liked and didn’t like. He used this knowledge (particularly the dislikes) in the design of Disneyland. Rather than a haphazard layout, everything would be organized and themed. Rather that surly “ride operators,” Disneyland would have “hosts and hostesses” who treated customers as “guests.” Much of what makes the Disney parks what they are today came from this simple strategy of observing competitors and putting the knowledge to work.
Why not send an email to your team today? Simply ask them to pay attention to their experiences over the weekend, note how those experiences made them feel, and be prepared to discuss it at your next team meeting. I’m convinced it will be an eye-opening and beneficial exercise for the entire team.
As a leader in the organization, remember that “everything speaks.” Your behavior in front of employees “speaks” about what you truly value, and when words and behaviors don’t align, behaviors will win out every time. Your employees judge your values by what you do.
Here’s an example of what I mean. I was conducting a customer service training program for a company in which every one of the company’s employees was attending. The CEO kicked off the session with a fine speech about the importance of customer service to the future success of the organization, and he then introduced me.
During the program, the CEO was constantly up and down taking phone calls, sometimes conducting calls right there in the room. When he wasn’t on the phone, his face was glued to his Blackberry, often showing a particular message to the executive sitting next to him.
Every single person in that room (including me) was fully aware of this leader’s behavior. And every single person in that room (including me) was making assumptions about how committed this leader really was to the customer service initiative. It doesn’t matter if our assumptions were right or wrong, the damage was done by what was observed.
No matter what initiative or project your company, division, or department is embarking upon, you should approach it with the mindset that no one will be more enthusiastic or engaged about it than you are. You set the bar. And everyone is closely watching your behaviors to see where exactly you are setting the bar.
When you’re interacting with employees in meetings, training programs, recognition events, etc, what would your employees decide is your priority? Would they say it’s the topic at hand, or would they say it’s your Blackberry?
You’re behavior will determine their decision. Because “everything speaks.”
