Failure to Act Leads to a Slow Death

It’s a recession! It’s Official. It’s also a fact! Now is the time to be productive and prosper or wither on the vine.

The question for now - what are we prepared to do in response to the challenging times we live in. From the wisdom of the caveman, our conventional productivity response would be to hunker down in our cave and wait out the storm. Sharpen tools, grind corn, whatever.

The financial implication of this thinking today would be putting our money in safe investments like government bonds. Later we might discover that the low yields on these safe investments are only slightly better than putting our hard-earned money under our mattresses.

So perhaps it is a good time to look at the times we’re in from the viewpoint of personal productivity and see what options we might want to pursue. Also, what can we learn on what has traditionally been the benefit of similar economic times like these?

What our survey shows us is that deep recessions always open the doors to deep changes in our culture. Let’s look at a few.

You can’t think the recession of the 30’s without the iconic images of the dustbowl refugees heading to California with all they have lashed to their model T’s. Tough times can often be a springboard for creativity; when no one's job is safe, no one's house is secure and no one knows exactly what to do about it, artists get to work. NPR did a feature on the impact of hard economic times and their results.

"That kind of stress often results [in] the need to scream, and art is a way of screaming," says Miles Orvell, an English and American studies professor at Temple University. "Difficult times like the one we are experiencing today can really bring out a kind of expressive culture in an interesting way."

This was certainly true in the 1930s during the Great Depression, when artists, actors, writers and filmmakers — some funded by the government — combined curiosity with creativity to find and tell the stories of people affected by the era's economic hardship.

It was the arrival of so many new residents into California during that period that paved the way for the new thinking, new fashions, new housing models and even new ways of living without the restrictions of where they came from that marked the new California.

As always, we have choices. Retreat into the caves (i.e. stay in jobs that don’t fit) or decide that this is a good time to make your moves.

U.S. billionaire investor Warren Buffett wrote his investors in between the news of Berkshire's sharply lower profit and a thorough explanation of its largely unrealized $7.5 billion investment and derivative losses, he still offered a hopeful view of the nation's future. He said America has faced bigger economic challenges in the past, including two World Wars and the Great Depression. He used his Geico Insurance Firm as an example of where to find success. "As we view Geico's current opportunities, Tony and I feel like two hungry mosquitoes in a nudist camp. Juicy targets are everywhere."

"Though the path has not been smooth, our economic system has worked extraordinarily well over time," Buffett wrote. "It has unleashed human potential as no other system has, and it will continue to do so. America's best days lie ahead."

It may be time for each of us to unleash our own human potential to find our best days dead ahead. Go Gettem.

Is Business Recession an Excuse for Bad Customer Service?

I understand that the recession and layoffs may be cause for concern for employees at any company. So I would think this would mean employees and managers should be concerned with holding onto as many customers as possible. Customers mean sales, sales mean work, work means workers are needed, being needed means keeping your job.

So why are people still not getting this message? I recently posted on a bad customer experience of a friend. Now I want to share one of my own. I placed an order in early November that should have arrived around Christmas. The order did not arrive but my check for its purchase cleared the bank 2 weeks after it was mailed. So in January, I found the website for the company and sent customer service an email inquiring about my order. A week later I got an email reply saying they could not find my order, could I email them the specifics. I had already put the order specifics in my first email, but I repeated them again this time with more details on the payment as well. I did this on the same day as their reply. Another week later, I got an email telling me to call their customer service line since they could not find the order.

I called their phone line, which was not a toll-free number, and it said they were backed up from the holidays so please be patient. I waited on the line until I got a service rep, who again told me they could not find my order and recommended I call back in 2-3 days to give it time to be entered into their system. I asked to speak to the supervisor because they should not have cashed my check without entering the order into their system. I was told the supervisor was not available and that they could have him call me if I left my phone number. I gave the rep my phone number for the third time during a less than 10 minute call. I waited a few hours for a call from the day supervisor. (I realize Time Management etiquette says to return calls and correspondence within 24 hours – however with email and cell phones many now say by the end of business day should be the new rule).

No call came, so I sent a 3rd email to customer service only this time it was addressed to the supervisor. In the email I repeated my order, mentioned my earlier call, attached all preceding emails, and a copy of the canceled check. I asked that my order to be sent immediately or the money returned. I repeated my address and my phone number as well. What do you think happened next? For 2 weeks, absolutely nothing!

I called their non-800 number again at the beginning of February to request my refund if nothing was shipped. I was told that I must fax in copies of my checks because they are not equipped to process emailed copies. Their technology must be way behind if they can print a fax but not an attachment! I sent the fax demanding my money be refunded or I would submit a BBB complaint. In that same fax I requested a call or email when the refund was mailed. I called the next day and asked for the person who I sent the fax to verify they got it. She was conveniently not available but they took a message to have her return my call.

Exactly one week after the fax was received by them I had gotten no call. So once again I called their non-800 number this time to try to find out about my check. I was told that my order (which no one could find before) had been put into the system as a replacement shipping that morning and could not be stopped. I was now supposed to get the package in 7-14 business days. At the time of this post, the package is still not here.

What is the final outcome? I am unlikely to ever order from this company again because of mistakes made in the order processing, accounting, and customer service departments. I am not the only customer this cost that company because when I was on their website I checked their other products. I saw other items I might want and some I was going to tell others about. But NOT NOW - as I do not recommend places that do not take care of their customers.

Does my experience above sound like any customer service you have experienced? Does this sound like something you would not want your customers to experience? What recourse do your customers have to take for solving problems? What can you do to improve the customer service experience?

NOTE: For another perspective on bad customer service, see Customer Think’s post on Attitude and Empathy = Good Customer Service.

Training on a Tight Budget

Does this situation sound familiar? Trina is a Leadership Development Director, she just received word that her 2009 Leadership Development Plan has been approved except for her budget, which was cut by 50%. Trina is looking for creative ideas on how she will accomplish her training objectives with a lot less money.

How about you? Are you looking for creative ideas to make the most of your tight training budget this year? During this down economy employers are struggling not only with financial challenges but also employee motivation issues. Employees are fearful right now…about their jobs, the jobs of their friends and relatives, and the health of their country and company. One way to improve morale is to continue to invest in the growth of your employees. Employees, who feel they are still learning and growing, develop hope for the future. Providing leadership training is essential during this challenging time, because it is your managers who interact with your employees on a daily basis and directly influence morale.

So what do you do if your budget is tight or almost non-existent? Here are a few ideas to get you started:

1. Determine the top three priorities for your company: Priorities change all the time especially during tough economic times. The training you planned in January 2008 may not fit the current reality. Determine the top training topics that will contribute to the current priorities and postpone or eliminate other topics. For example in 2009, a workshop on Managing Change may be more important than Employee Retention.

2. Analyze where you have spent your training dollars: Make a chart with all your expenditures. For example how much did you spend on outside facilitators, public workshops, travel and living expenses, training materials, etc. Determine areas that can be reduced this year or look for alternative methods.

3. Look for alternative training methods: ELearning can be substituted for some classroom training or combined in a blended approach for less time in the classroom and less facilitator paid time. Internal Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) can be trained to deliver training instead of hiring outside experts. Packaged, off-the-shelf facilitator kits can be purchased to reduce the cost of outside facilitation. Self study “book clubs” can be started where managers read the latest leadership books and exchange ideas on how to use the content in their jobs. Discussion boards on leadership topics can be created on company intranet sites.

With a little creativity you can continue to offer training and grow your employees. Involving all stakeholders in the planning process will ensure you are choosing the right topics and methods to fit your audience and increase their commitment to your organization.

Looking For an Example of Great Customer Service?

In a previous post and in my next post on customer service, I give bad examples. Those show you what not to do. In this post, let’s look for a way to improve customer service. Are you looking for a way to improve but don’t know how to approach the subject with your employees? Instead of promising rewards or offering threats, consider using an example we can all relate to – the wait staff at a favorite restaurant. We all know what we consider good, bad, and great customer service when we are the one being served. Ask your employees to think about the last time they were at a restaurant. Then ask them to describe how they felt about the food service their waiter or waitress offered them.

You will get some good reports on standard expectations such as kept my glass full and took my order promptly. Then you will get some bad reports that seemed to leave a bad taste in the customer’s mouth which you can sense from the angered emotion they may display when they talk about how their food was delivered cold, their bill was wrong, they never got a drink refill, etc. Then there will be a few reports of great service where they were greeted with a continuous smile, friendly but not overbearing conversation, prompt service, always asked it they needed anything, and more.

Then ask your employees if their customers were looking at them as wait staff for the service your company provides, how do they think they would be rated? Would they be good enough, somewhat bad, or really great? If they have a problem deciding, then ask how they tip the good, bad, or great wait staff. Once they reply with “better than normal” or “give them zero”, ask if their work with the customer was a tipping situation, would the customer feel they deserve a tip? In most areas of customer service, a simple “thank you” by the satisfied customer is your standard tipper. An angry or dissatisfied customer is definitely a no tipper and possibly an upward complainer to management. A customer who is very satisfied with their service offers a better tip in their continued patronage and if they feel they were given above and beyond the call service, they may send a letter or email commending their server.

So which type of staff do you want your customers to experience? How can you promote a great service attitude? How can you teach your staff to listen better or answer the phone? Please share any new ideas or existing ideas you use to promote customer service in your company.

NOTE: For more examples of customer service, see The Institute for Management Excellence’s Good Customer Service Tips - It all starts with Attitude.

What Elevates Leaders from the Crowd? The Right Mindset for Workplace Success

We live in times of fear. It permeates the news, the media, the mindsets of most of our culture and the world we live in. You can literally sense it, see it and feel it in those places where the rumors of lay offs, downsizings and mergers are the water cooler topics of the day. Fear of the impending doom and gloom is the greatest enemy of engagement and productivity in America’s workforce today. What about you? How is it impacting you, today, right now at this moment?

Fear is the enemy of all forward movement, all achievement and all productivity. When and where there is fear there is no confidence, no trust and no real belief for a good today and a better tomorrow. Right now in America, in your workplace and in your life it is that insidious, often times invisible feeling of fear that is gripping people (that means you) by the throat and crippling the life force of your forward momentum. You know deep inside that is the case, yet what are you doing about it?

What is the Elevator?

So what is it that elevates leaders from the crowd? What will build your leadership mindset no matter what the economy, your company or your industry is doing? Confidence. Plain and simple. Can it really be that simple? Yes, but you didn’t read easy. It’s not brain surgery or rocket science. But developing deep levels of confidence, the kind of confidence that it takes to truly rise above the crowd isn’t done overnight. It is usually the reward of years of work, discipline and lots of trial and error. But it needn’t be that way if you understand and apply the bedrock principles behind building confidence.

Begin at the Beginning

Before we actually engage in the practical and simple process of building unshakeable confidence you might want to know why this mindset is so crucial. Why is confidence the vital underpinnings of both workplace and life success.

The enemy of confidence is fear and you’ll never conquer fear if you don’t have confidence and belief that you can. It’s that simple. You’ve seen the limits that fear puts on you as well as on others. But when you or anyone else has a true, deep and abiding confidence you can stare fear in the face and take decisive, deliberate, even bold action.

Then you’ll rise above the crowd as all leaders eventually do. Then that same confidence bolsters your ability and the natural thing that follows is the confidence of others being placed in you. This is a natural progression and one of the primary reasons you want to gain and maintain confidence. The rewards are great both in a tangible and intangible way.

Here are just a few more benefits that go hand in hand with greater confidence.

• You’ll enjoy higher levels of respect and admiration from your boss, peers and those you manage
• You’ll be ready to take on more challenging projects and assignments that could lead to job advancement, pay raises and career recognition
• You’ll feel more secure in your current position and your ability to find a new and better job when you want it

There are many more rewards tied to greater confidence but these are a good start and make the decision to work on this attribute easier to begin.

Is Good Customer Service Dead?

Recently a friend of mine encountered bad service, which left him feeling less loyal to this supplier of products and services. What happened? My friend (MF) needed to have some repairs made to his new car. MF believed the dealership where he bought the car would be the best place to go to get an excellent job. MF called the service department and was assigned a service representative (SR), who told him a time to bring in the car. During this time the SR would look at the car to check the part numbers and order them before the car is put into service area to speed the process. So MF drove the hour to the dealership only to be told after he got there they would not order the parts unless he left the car. Also, MF got there at near the appointed time, but his SR was at lunch so he had to wait about an hour for him to return. Maybe MF should have seen this as some sort of warning, but instead he arranged to bring the car back the following week and get a rental car to drive to work as the fix was supposed to be about 3 days after the parts arrived.

MF takes his car into the service department the start of the next week and is picked-up by the rental car agency. MF is told he will be called in a day or two about with the repair status by SR. MF never gets a call and begins calling his SR the day before his rental car is to be returned. The SR never answers the phone so messages are left on voicemail and with the dealership’s receptionist. MF knows his SR is getting his messages because he saw the receptionist hand the SR several phone messages after lunch on the day he first met the SR. However, no calls are returned. So MF has to call the rental car agency and extend his rental. At close of the week, MF finally talks to his SR and finds out that the parts were just ordered and he should be able to pick up his car the following week since they don’t work weekends.

The next week comes and goes with MF calling his SR a few times each day trying to get some information on his car. Again the rental car time is extended. MF is feeling stressed and angry so he begins to ask for the service supervisor instead of his SR. Instead of getting the supervisor though the receptionist puts him directly to his SR. Why the SR is immediately able to answer the phone when the supervisor is asked for is suspicious. Finally, after actually talking to the supervisor (by not telling receptionist why), MF begins to get his calls returned by his SR. As a result, their customer service was very disappointing for MF as he was without his car for 2 full weeks plus 3 days. If the SR had just been courteous enough to answer the phone calls, then MF could accept some excuses, which seem to change each time he got through. By the end of everything, MF felt betrayed by the dealership and lied to by his SR.

MF often ignores customer surveys he gets from the dealership and car manufacturer, but now he is hoping to get one. MF plans to rate them badly where appropriate and if given space to write why, he will. Not only did this service disappoint him, but it lost a loyal customer for the dealership. MF will now take most of his service elsewhere when he has that option. MF also will not buy another car from this dealer as he feels how he was treated is a reflection on how much that company values his business.

Is there someone in your company that is delivering bad customer service and costing you future business? What can you do about it? Tell me your suggestions and come back to this blog for my next post on improving customer service.