Recently I had an experience that made me wonder who was in charge of the customers’ experience at an establishment.
strategic customer service
Do you keep your customers in the loop?
Your staff could be the nicest, most caring reps on the planet. They could be the kind of folks everyone loves to work with. They are good listeners and respond to your customers questions quickly and accurately.
But what if after the sale there’s no follow up on promises? What if delivery times slip repeatedly and no one bothers to tell your customers?
What needs more rigor in your life?
Rigor is not a commonly used word nowadays. In this context, I mean diligence, precision, accuracy and meticulousness. The rigor I’m referring to means you are focusing on changing a behavior for the better. Typically starting or stopping a habit. Rigor takes extreme focus with a purpose.
PayPal paragon of service
I was having difficulty with one of my three PayPal accounts and couldn’t find the solution online. I clicked on the “contact” button and found their telephone number — always a relief to have the option to talk to a live person.
Against stereotype
No one likes to be stereotyped, yet nearly all of us do it.
When you think of a typical fast-food worker, do you think of someone enthusiastic, outgoing and friendly? If you worked in “quick service” (as the industry refers to itself) or have a loved one who did/does, you may have a different view of the typical behavior associated with these workers. And as more older people work in this business, there are pockets of exemplary behavior.
Wells Fargo’s odd process
Every so often I scratch my head at a large business’ practices. Today I did so about Wells Fargo’s credit card activation process.
I dutifully called the activation number on the new credit card. After entering the 16-digit number, the recorded voice said they couldn’t complete the process nor could I be connected to an agent. I was told to try again later.
Thirty minutes later, I did. Same recording.
Another hour, same thing.
Do you protest progress?
It’s no secret that change affects every industry, some more than others. You can protest that change, or you can look at the opportunities within it.
Recently, I was involved in a conference for travel executives, including hoteliers, destination management companies, and their clients. One panel addressed cutting edge technologies and how it is beginning to affect the industry. An example was how customers could check in to their hotel via their smart phone on the way to the hotel and get a bar code that would give them entry to their room. There would be no (or much reduced) need for front desk staff.
During Q&A, a young woman’s hand shot up — she protested this technology. She said it would eliminate jobs for young people who enter the industry through the front-desk. She asked the panelists not to support this technology.
The cost of not listening
Rarely do you get to watch firsthand the consequences of not listening. But in episode 3 of The Amazing Race, we got to witness such an event.
Your behavior with friends may influence your career
We usually give our friends some slack, letting them slide when if they were a co-worker we might not.
But how about friends who we could refer for a job or consulting project? Do you let them get by with being irresponsible or self-absorbed?
Are you squelching your staff’s creativity?
Business leaders complain that their staff members don’t come up with new ideas or creative solutions. Part of the problem can be there is no incentive to do so. But another reason is staff members are shot down when they do try something new.
This was the case recently during a volunteer experience.