ktoddstorch @ business thoughts

The Power of Blogs for/against businesses

Dana at ...Ideas from the Trenches rips Barnes and Noble's customer service.  Will B&N respond or do they even know this type of discussion is happening?

Companies need to make sure they won't end up like Kryptonite Locks.

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[read] the Business Thoughts feature, Customer Service:  How Can it Improve

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customer service | barnes and noble | blogs

Vote for a Change This manifesto: Slacker's Unite!

Kudos to Bren at Slacker Manager for taking the next step!  His post during the Customer Service:  How Can it Improve? feature was a work of art and now its a manifesto proposal at ChangeThis.

Go vote to have him write the manifesto. 

Haven't read his post yet?  Click here.

[vote]

Carnival of Capitalists: Business Thoughts is highlighted!

The new Carnival of Capitalists is up and ready!

The feature, Customer Service:  How Can it Improve, is one of the showcased entries.

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Customer Service: How Can it Improve? The Recap

First of all, thank you to the guest bloggers!  Jon, Bren, Rosa, Terry, Rosemary and Dave gave us all great examples and stories to better look and analyze this issue.

I think overall, all of us can come up with more examples of bad customer service vs. good (ie. human nature).

Jon's post brought up 4 problems and solutions.  I tend to agree and would say in a very broad sense, most companies have plans for good customer service, but poor tactics to implement the plan.  Communication all the way to hourly cash register employee and "buy-in" is needed.  As Jon, would say, push the right button!  Or, put incentives in for all to share in measurable goals.

Bren's post to me was the manifesto of a new book (come on Bren, you have it in you!).  Using the Beatitudes is a wonderful example of serving.  Serving the customer, serving the company and ultimately, serving ourselves. 

Rosa's post segues this servant discussion perfectly.  Think about it.  If all of us dropped "Customer Service" from our language and inserted "Hospitality" in its place, I believe it all would be much clearer from the start.

Terry's example specifically lays out a plan for each of us to implement.  He describes spending time at Fellowship Church as an experience; from the moment you pull into the parking lot until the time you leave.  Sounds like a good starting point for all businesses.

Rosemary and Dave give us touching examples of service and hospitality.  All of us need a "Jim's" at our companies and Dave challenges each of us by sharing an internal manifesto to live by.

I believe that if each of us is an example of service and hospitality in our own job and life, the cast can be set for everyone.  Yes, this is an very simplistic way to view this problem, but what function or process at your company do you control?  Whatever it is, be the best.  Be an example of hospitality. 

Serve.

 

Customer Service Week!

Wow!  What a week of great comment conversations!

I will post a recap later as I've got a very busy family weekend.

Huge thanks to the guest bloggers and you for reading and commenting.  Be sure to share with others that would like to join the conversation.

Customer Service: How Can it Improve? The Rothacker's, Part II

The last post for this week's feature, "Customer Service:  How Can it Improve?"

This writing is from Dave at Wiz Speak.  Please leave your comments below!

Welcome to all Wiz Speak readers!  If you are interested in subscribing to this blog, please help me out and use the Feedburner feed.  Enjoy!

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The Voluptuous Princess

The voluptuous princess’ most feared enemy was the evil demons. The demons terrorized in all shapes and sizes. Stealth was their key, for if you had seen them coming, escape was impossible and death assured. The princess’ safety was entrusted to the knights of the service roundtable. The brave warriors used steel and cunning to slay the demons. They were challenged daily but their skill and love of the princess kept the demons from over running the castle.

“Good morning Mrs. Jones! This is Jim from Kent Heating and Air Conditioning, Bob our service technician will be at your home in ten minutes. Please make sure to let Bob know if you have any areas in your home that never seem to heat or cool correctly. He’ll be glad to take a look for you.” The demons were in retreat.

At Kent Heating and Air Conditioning there was no doubt who was who. The princess was always the customer and the knights were always the employees. And although the demons came in all shapes and sizes, the very nastiest of all was called lack of follow up. If lack of follow up even got close to the princess she’d vanish in thin air.

The largest broadsword in Kent’s artillery was communication. When communication was deployed effectively, lack of follow up could not advance. But lack of follow up was cunning. It never used a direct frontal route for assault. It would nip away at the weak spots and when attention was elsewhere it would overtake an employee.

It was the keeper-of-the-castle’s job to maintain vigilance and ultimately protect the princess. At Kent, Jim’s boss Larry, along with sage advice from Collins, the great wizard of Boulder, perfected his duties to an art. Larry believed that in order to hone communication within the company and vaporize lack of follow up, he needed to make sure his knights were well fed, trained and cared for. The following are a few questions he asked (and continuously asks) his knights in order to craft an internal manifesto:

• Do you know what is expected of you at Kent?
• Do you have the materials and equipment you need to do your work correctly?
• At Kent, do you have the opportunity to do what you do best everyday?
• In the last seven days, have you received recognition or praise for doing well at work?
• Does your supervisor, or someone here at Kent, seem to care about you as a person?
• Is there someone at Kent who encourages your development?

Customer Service: How Can it Improve? The Rothacker's, Part I

Today's writing comes from Rosemary (Dave's wife!) at Wiz Speak.  Please leave your comments below!

Welcome to all from Wiz Speak!  If you are interested in subscribing to this blog, please help me out and use the Feedburner feed!  Thank you and enjoy!

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Customer Service: Jim

I have been in customer service all my working life- some 30 years
now. I've learned over the years that good customer service is not
complicated. There is only one rule- look at the customer standing in
front of you as a person, not a sale or number. To help understand
that concept- I need to tell you the story of Jim.

I met Jim 17 years ago as a New Accounts Rep for a local bank. One day
while sitting at my desk, I heard a commotion coming from a Teller
window. I walked over to see if I could help. The Teller was very
frustrated and getting angrier by the minute. Standing in front of her
was Jim, a deaf-mute who also had crippling cerebral palsy. He was
moaning and gesturing to her, but she did not understand him. He
looked at me, pointed to his check and held up 5 fingers. I knew
immediately he wanted his cash back in fives. I held up a $5.00 bill
and he began blowing me kisses. I passed him a note and told him to
come to my desk the next time he came in, and I would take care of his
banking.

For the next 4 years, I took care of Jim every week. He is an
intelligent, caring man who had the unbelievable misfortune to be born
with severe handicaps too hard to comprehend. He walked with a severe
side ways limp and only had the use of one arm. Yet Jim worked a
full-time job, did his own shopping and banking. He was very
independent and proud of it. I remember the day he came in and dragged
me outside to see his new Cadillac fitted for a handicap driver. He
paid for it in cash, with money he had saved from working.

During these years, we passed notes back and forth. When he left my
desk- he would put his hand over his heart and blow me kisses. I
always gave him a hug goodbye.

Then it was time for me to leave and make my way into management at
another branch. When I told Jim I was leaving, he sat at my desk and
cried. I promised the staff at the branch would take care of him and
that we would meet again someday.

Over the years I thought about Jim off and on. Then finally 6 years
after I left, I returned to the branch as the Manager and asked one of
the employees (still there from those days) about Jim. She hadn't seen
him in over a year and thought he was in a nursing home. My heart
sank.

A few days later, I heard a huge ruckus coming from the lobby and my
name being called. I came around a corner and there was one of our
employees hanging on to Jim's arm while he was moaning and trying to
pull away. She then pointed to me and he screamed. The bank went
silent as Jim and I ran to each other. I don't think there was one dry
eye in the place, including mine. It was like I had never left. He was
so happy to see me- blowing me kiss after kiss, with his hand over his
heart.

Although my job responsibilities had changed- I tried to take care of
his banking whenever he came in. If I couldn't- I always made sure the
staff did. Over the next 7 years, we watched his health deteriorate.
Often- two of us would have to help him walk to his car. He ended up
in a wheelchair, his body finally giving out on him. He still had
someone bring him into the bank every week, but the loss of his true
independence was awful to watch.

In 2003, Jim was placed in a nursing home for deaf-mutes. It was far
away from his family and he was devastated. I've sent him cards and
e-mails, along with pictures of myself and the staff to remind him who
we are and that he is deeply missed. I know he is on the road to end
of his life, where he will finally be free of the bonds he was born
with. I think of him every day.

Meeting Jim was the best customer service experience of my life. He
taught me the true meaning of determination and spirit. Take a real
good look at the customer standing in front of you. They can give you
so much more than a sale. If you just let them…………

Customer Service: How Can it Improve? Terry Storch

Today's writing is from my brother Terry at Fellowship Church.  Please leave your comments below!

Welcome, Terry readers!  If you would like to subscribe to my blog, please help me out and use the Feedburner feed!

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Customer Service Fellowship Church style!

“We are not a large church…we are a small town.”

A “small town feel” in a worship center that seats over 4000 people? That’s the goal! With Fellowship Church’s growth to over eighteen thousand worshipers and seekers every weekend, plus the expansion to two new campuses that started this past weekend, it is not only a goal, but a MUST. And excellent customer service is one of the keys.

Over the years we have developed innovative ways to serve our members and visitors. By the time our guests pull into our parking lots till the moment they are seated in the

Worship Center, they will have been personally greeted 3-5 times.

Our Parking Volunteers direct traffic into the parking lots and to the nearest parking spots. Our Greeting Ministry Volunteers hold open every door to the Church as our guests come inside, they smile and welcome all that walk in. At that point our Hospitality Volunteers can be found located at various points in the Atrium to serve coffee, OJ, bagels and cookies. Our Ushers help visitors to find a seat and answer questions about the service before it starts. After the service at the Information Kiosk we have volunteers and staff members available to answer any questions or to pray with them. The experience of being in such a large building, surrounded by thousands of people can be a little intimidating and even overwhelming at times. Our volunteers stand ready to make all visitors feel completely at home, and most of all, welcomed.

Our customer service only begins on the weekends….our Information Services staff processes every new visitor card into our database and all new visitors receive a personal phone call from a pastor on staff to thank them for coming and to answer any questions they may have. If they’ve indicated that they’d like to receive further information about a specific ministry, a letter and a phone call is placed in attempt to get them more involved in the life of Fellowship Church.

Striving for the most excellent customer service, we have also listened to suggestions from our members and have created some really cool perks. One would be our free wireless Internet in The Source, our Bookstore and Café. Another would be the opportunity to “build your own worship service” when we released our “Total Request Wednesday” idea, where FC Members could go to the FC website and vote for their favorite songs. The Top 10 songs were performed at our following First Wednesday service.

We want to make “Plugging in” as easy as possible. We provide Internet kiosks located in the Atrium for easy access to the FC website to register for any upcoming event. We provide event registration on-line, by phone or by Registration forms turned in to the church.

Other examples of leveraging customer service:

• Birthday Cards personally signed to every child (K-5^th grade)

• Volunteer appreciation

• Youth Strikeforce (new visitors to Jr. High get a strikeforce sign in their front yard the next morning thanking them for attending the youth service)

So you might be asking, why do you go to all that expense and trouble for church? Well, we believe that there is nothing greater and more important than the local church. And because of that, we will stop at nothing to make your “experience” at Fellowship excellent. It’s quite simple; we want nothing more than your experience at Fellowship to lead you to a life long relationship with Christ. That’s customer service!

Customer Service: How Can it Improve? Rosa Say

Day 3 of the "Customer Service:  How Can it Improve" feature!

Today's writing comes from Rosa at Talking Story.  It is an adaptation from Chapter 6 in her book named  Managing with Aloha.  Please leave your comments below!

Please note:  Rosa is 4 hours behind Central Standard Time and will only be on-line today from 9a - 11a CST and then after 11p CST.  She does promise to answer all comments and knowing Rosa, even her replies will be a work of art!

Aloha! and hello to Talking Story fans and new readers!  If you would like to subscribe to this blog, please help me out and use the Feedburner feed!

Sometimes we make things much more difficult than they need to be. So I propose a one-word answer to Todd’s question: Ho‘okipa.

In my mind it’s simple; however I am so glad Todd thought of this forum so we could shine a brighter light on our need, and encourage it more. We do need to raise the bar of customer service, and not only for the health of business, but perhaps more importantly to perpetuate the aloha between us.

If you can weave Ho‘okipa into the very fabric your business, you will cultivate an atmosphere of aloha and graciousness in every customer touch point. Achieve this, and your business will flourish.

Ho‘okipa is the Hawaiian value of hospitality.  

Business 101 teaches us to give customers what they want: Choose the right product or service, one that the market demands with enough regularity to reward you with profits if you become the supplier of choice. Assuming you’ve lined up the strategic factors, what’s next? Weaving Ho‘okipa into the fabric of your company as the way everyone is treated - customers, employees, suppliers. When you weave a value into your company culture it permeates everything and everyone, there is never a double standard. What is expected becomes habit; it becomes pono: good and instinctively right. In doing so, you will achieve a service and product delivery that is unparalleled in the dreams of your customers, turning them into loyal customers for life. When people feel they have experienced the ultimate in good service, they return for more of it time and again. Business flourishes.

Too simple? Perhaps I should explain the kaona, the “hidden meaning” behind what we in Hawaii know as Ho‘okipa to better reveal the abundance within it. And we certainly are not perfect: in today’s Hawaii, we too are feeling we must bring the true Ho‘okipa back to our islands. Mediocrity in customer service is much too prevalent.

If you were called Mea Ho‘okipa in old Hawaii, it was a compliment of the highest possible caliber. It meant that the person who accorded you that recognition felt you embodied a nature of absolute unselfishness. With the compliment they were also saying “Mahalo” (thank you), appreciative of the hospitality you extended to them with complete and unconditional Aloha (the outpouring of your inner spirit). In acknowledging you as “Mea Ho‘okipa” they were actually saying, “Your arms of Aloha have embraced me; I accept your graciousness, and I am exceptionally thankful for the outpouring of your generous spirit.”

The Mea Ho‘okipa were those who always seemed to radiate well-being, with an inner peace and joy that came from the total satisfaction they received from their acts of giving. They were those who truly gave of themselves freely, and gave often, never trading favors or silently hoping for anything in return. Their own pleasure and satisfaction came from the act of giving itself. Giving was their inner source of joy and contentment. To have another accept ho‘okipa from them meant their very existence was worthwhile. 

“Mahalo, Mea Ho‘okipa.”

Now wouldn’t that be a compliment you’d like to receive from someone, especially from your customer? Isn’t that a feeling you’d want to experience, as the employee giving someone such an incredible gift?  

I wrote down this quote from a Successories poster I had seen once:

“Never underestimate the power of giving.

It shines like a beacon throughout humanity.

It cuts through the oceans that divide us and brightens the lives of all it touches.

One of life’s greatest laws is that you cannot hold a torch to light another’s path without brightening your own as well.”

They were referring to Ho‘okipa.

As a businesswoman, and as a management coach, I offer you this very teachable point of view: Ho‘okipa defines the art of true service. Mea Ho‘okipa - your staff, can experience the inner peace and joy from giving unselfishly to another person - your customer and guest. Their spirit will be nurtured and conveyed through the equation of warm and beneficial human interaction, and as a result, a ripple effect will be created in every single aspect of their job performance. To your customer, Ho‘okipa will be unparalleled service—it will be the epitome of service! —for it will be given to them completely unconditionally and intentionally, something that is exceptionally rare.

So just one word. Ho‘okipa. It is something you know, though you may have your own word for it. Use “hospitality” if you wish, however bring it to life. Demonstrate it. Talk about it often. Build your company culture around it. Live it.

I am sure you extend your unselfish hospitality to every guest who enters your home. Create an environment where every customer who enters your business is greeted by that same degree of hospitality, and your staff reaches out their arms to say, “E komo mai, please, come in, and allow me to be your Mea Ho‘okipa.”

Customer Service: How Can it Improve? Brendon Connelly

Day 2 of the "Customer Service:  How Can it Improve?" feature!

Today's writing is from Bren at Slacker Manager.  Please leave your comments below!

I really love it when my faith and my work converge.  My faith is always there, of course, but it's nice when my work allows a specific outlet for my faith.  Despite working at a Christian university, I don't find occasion to contemplate my faith much at work.  Slicing and dicing data seems kinda removed from spiritual introspection.  There is, however, one area of work that I've often tied directly to my own faith--customer service.  What follows, I think, not only speaks to customer service specifically, but also more broadly to servant leadership.  This post is gonna be a stretch for me, but I hope I am able to shine some light on new ways to consider your customers.

Regardless of your own spiritual outlook, it's safe to say that the account of Jesus' "Sermon on the Mount" fully qualifies, at the very least, among the best of so called wisdom literature.  If you aren't familiar with it, the sermon is in the Christian bible, in the book of Matthew.  The contents of that particular sermon have been dubbed "The Beatitudes."  There are eight bits to the beatitudes and I believe that, taken as a whole, they are probably the best guidance ever given for customer service.  I say "taken as a whole" because each of the beatitudes can be overwrought and misapplied when taken out of the context of the whole.  The idea here is to view your customers through this lens of the beatitudes.  Once you're able to see your customers through this lens, the next step is to view oneself through the same lens.  The inevitable result is a deeper understanding of the common threads of humanity.

Here's the quick version of the eight beatitudes (if you want to check it out yourself, the full version of the sermon on the mount begins in the 5th chapter of Matthew and continues throught 7th chapter):

1. Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
2. Blessed are the meek: for they shall posses the land.
3. Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted.
4. Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill.
5. Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy.
6. Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God.
7. Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God.
8. Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.

I think the guts of this post is probably book fodder for somebody, since I couldn't find a single reference to the beatitudes as a model for customer service.  Actually, the really interesting book would be the whole Sermon on the Mount as a model for customer service.  But the Beatitudes work for a post like this because it's a list and easily digested.  The meat of this post has already been stated, but to be clear I'll say it again: taken as a whole, the beatitudes are a great roadmap to excellent customer service. 

Now I admit, if you aren't familiar with them, at first glance the beatitudes make it seem like Jesus is advising milquetoast as a way of life.  Upon further reflection and context, however, quite the opposite is true.  In fact, what's being laid out with the beatitudes is a philosophy of other-centered attention.  It's really just the golden rule, expanded. 

The "for what it's worth disclaimer": I have no idea how theologically correct the following thoughts are, and frankly, I don't much care.  What follows here are just my own reflections on a powerful bit of wisdom, and how I personally can apply it to work.  What I do care about is treating customers with dignity and respect, and these eight beatitudes pave the way.  So let's run through 'em.

Blessed are the poor in spirit: for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
My take on this first beatitude is that we're all in the same boat. Though we gain varying degrees of mastery of our jobs, at some level, if we're honest, we remain beginners--"poor in spirit".  We're always conscious of the fact that the more knowledge we have, the less we actually know. I think the first beatitude speaks pretty well to this sense of begninner-ness.  Further, acknowledging this helps bring us to level ground with our customers.  We know that, despite the imbalance of product knowledge, we are ultimately equals.  And transactions between equals are way more likely to culminate in mutually agreeable results.

Blessed are the meek: for they shall posses the land
The best thing about the beatitudes is how well they dovetail each other.  If "poor in spirit" is akin to beginner-ness, then seeing the "meek" in our customers (and selves) is akin to recognizing their (our) sense of humility.  Put another way, our customers see us as the experts in our fields, and too often they're blinded by our brilliance and knowledge.  We ought to learn to better recognize our meek customers.  When we do, we need to set aside our pride and set aside all our notions of salesmanship.  We ought to really try to remember what it's like to not know the answers.  We should be meeting our customers with a shared sense of humility toward the learning curve ahead.  If you've got "the land" and you want to sell it to your meek customers, then you need to become meek yourself.

Blessed are they who mourn: for they shall be comforted
This is a funky one.  I mean, who's mourning anyway?  From a customer service perspective, I think the mourners are those customers who have given up on the possibility that they won't be taken advantage of.  They've been around the block with  used car salesmen and they're tired of being on guard.  Their comfort is you--your ability to be authentic and honest.  Will you betray the trust of a mourner?  Or will you comfort them with your authenticity and warmth of soul?

Blessed are they that hunger and thirst after justice: for they shall have their fill
What's it mean for a customer to hunger and thirst after justice?  I say it means they deeply desire congruency between what you say and what you do.  If those two actions are out of whack, the customers will seek out your competitors.  If your competitors are out of whack too, your customers are likely to create a company that fills their need.  Customers hunger for companies that deliver what they say they'll deliver, and customers will get their fill, one way or another.  Why not serve it up to them?

Blessed are the merciful: for they shall obtain mercy
This has got to be the easiest of the customer service beatitudes to understand.  It's the Golden Rule, rephrased.  Show some compassion to your customers and they'll give it back to you when you need it.  In "Love is the Killer App", Tim Sanders mentions how his favorite dry cleaner lost one of his shirts.  He showed them mercy by continuing to give them business.  Later, when he needed a suit pressed in an hour, they took care of him without complaint.  This beatitude, and the Golden Rule, can help create a virtuous cycle that keeps your customers coming back, even when you blow it.  And you will blow it sometimes.

Blessed are the clean of heart: for they shall see God
To be clean of heart is to be open, honest and authentic (that word again!).  To be clean of heart is to enter into our transactions with pure motives--and not necessarily pure profit motives!  To have a clean heart is to operate from a place of potential vulnerability and risk.  Despite the damage that can be done to a clean heart person, more often than not you'll find a quiet respect for your point of view.  To be sure, some will try to take advantage of the clean of heart, but that's where the next beatitude comes in handy.

Blessed are the peacemakers: for they shall be called the children of God
Well, the peacemaker business sits pretty well with this pacifist Quaker, but beyond the obvious, having the heart of a peacemaker means having a willingness to sacrifice our own convenience for the benefit of others.  Being a peacemaker doesn't mean rolling over for your customer when there's a problem.  Rather, it means hearing their concerns in an 'active listening' kind of way, and having a response that is custom made for them.  Being a peacemaker means we'll take the high road and believe in the honesty of the customer, and at the same time we'll work toward a mutual understanding of our shared needs.

Blessed are they that suffer persecution for justice' sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven
There must be a reason this beatitude is last.  It seems difficult to understand, let alone apply to customer service.  My take here is that this is a reminder to all of us about the sanctity of our customers.  They suffer and yet their suffering doesn't eliminate their constant search for the justice mentioned above.  Like the poor, who are always with us, so are the customers.  But, despite (or maybe because of) their suffering and searching, the market will reward them.  They'll find what they're looking for, if not from you, then from elsewhere.  Customers aren't going away, but they might go away from you if you don't pay attention to the beatitudess of customer service.

So that's it.  I have an odd mixture of smugness and dissatisfaction about these ideas.  On one hand, I'm kinda happy about the mental gymnastics that generated this post.  On the other hand, I don't think this is complete.  It's just a corner of a larger picture that's presented across the whole Sermon on the Mount.  The beatitudes were relatively easier to work with, strictly in terms of length and soundbite-ness.  But the larger Sermon is the true meat of customer service.  Maybe I'll continue this thinking another day.  In the meantime, I hope this offered a new perspective for you...