Your Job: Customer Service

When service at a restaurant isn’t quite what we expect it to be, the general tendency is to blame the server. The wait staff is the restaurant’s front line and that is where we gain our perspective. However, if the kitchen is slow, the chef does not cook the food as instructed or management has not scheduled enough bus boys, the dining experience is going to be less than it otherwise could be. We express our discontent with the service through lowering the gratuity, focusing our consternation on the wait staff. Finally, we do not return to the establishment.

The restaurant is not unlike any other industry in this aspect. The customer service representative or field sales representative is the face the customer is going to see or the voice on the phone but the service and goods for which they are paying is affected by everyone at the company. Customer service is everyone’s responsibility. From the building engineer and maintenance crew to the CEO, the work each individual does has some affect on the customer’s perspective and feelings toward the company.

Customer service guru, Ken Blanchard asserts, “Customer service should not be a department, customer service is everyone's job.”

Yes, customer service is everyone’s job. Yes, we all serve customers of one sort or another. The customer we serve may be internal (IT services the needs of the company’s infrastructure and thus most of the employees are their customers) or the more traditional external customers and service partners who use the company’s products or services.

Ken Blanchard’s company conducted a study on customer service and customer loyalty, surveying nearly a thousand line managers, human resources and training executives:

“Blanchard research over the past five years places customer loyalty as the
fourth most important management challenge. In the same studies, customer
relationship skills were cited as the second most important employee development
skill, ranking just behind managerial skills.

“Most participating organizations agree that customer loyalty is a powerful driver of organizational success and one that ties directly to the bottom line. Statistics show that it can cost six to seven times more to gain a new customer than to retain an existing one. Expenses related to customer losses cause many companies to recognize the need to channel resources toward retention.”

The research showed four skills that were in the most need of improvement:

1. Developing systems and processes that make it easy to do business with the organization


2. Improving the skills of customer-facing employees to diagnose the customer issue


3. Improving problem solving skills


4. Empowering people to utilize their scope of authority

This is a start. The customer is going to make their decision about a company after taking the entire experience into account. A good customer service representative cannot make up for problems in production and errors in deliverables. Every member of the staff must understand their role in making the customer feel loyalty for the organization.

The Blanchard survey further noted, “The findings from the customer loyalty survey support earlier Blanchard research which documented that there is a direct connection between leadership, employee passion, and customer devotion.”

Ian Miller, editor of CustomerServiceManager.com, sat down with Ken Blanchard for a lunch interview. During the interview a couple points were made about how true leaders put others before themselves.

“What needs to happen is for the pyramid to be flipped over, so that frontline
people - the people who are closest to the customers - are at the top. Leaders
become servant leaders and are responsive to employee's needs and allow them to
accomplish the company’s goals and create Raving Fans.

“... I had one final question for Ken: “I understand you deliver a voicemail each morning to every one of your three hundred employees. If I asked you to send a voicemail to the readers of this article, what would it say?” Ken thought for a moment, then left me with this message: “You become an adult when you learn to serve others not yourself. Look at the job you do and think, who can I serve today?”

Every employee affects the customer’s experience. Every employee has responsibility for how loyal a customer is to the company. The leadership has the responsibility to help the employees service the customers’ needs well. Through proper leadership and employee actions, the customers will continue to feel that strong loyalty and return to do more business.

Additional Link (Blanchard White Paper): “The Leadership-Profit Chain” outlines the close relationship leadership skills have to an organization’s P&L: “The key to organizational vitality is creating an environment that allows employees to win and be passionate about what they do. By taking care of employees, leaders establish an environment in which the employees take care of the customers at a level that causes the customer to want to return year after year.”

Remember Who Actually Makes the Money

I like to remind myself that a manager doesn’t do the work. It is the work of the people that get things done. Most managers are simply overhead and are only worth their wage if they are able to make a good team work better, more efficiently, and faster – whatever it takes to make the cost lower and the profits higher.

“I believe in the honest craft of workmen. Take a look around you. There never
were enough bosses to check up on all that work. From Independence Hall to the
Grand Coulee Dam, these things were built level and square by craftsmen who were
honest in their bones.” – Robert A. Heinlein

Mr. Heinlein wrote these words in 1952. He delivered them to a national radio adience in a broadcast interview by Edward R. Murrow. Later, Virginia Heinlein read them when she accepted NASA’s Distinguished Public Service Medal on Robert Heinlein’s behalf on 6 October, 1988. The award was awarded posthumously. The rest of his statement about humanity and this great nation is posted here.

Ten New Year Resolutions

A change in the calendar year seems to be a good place to start with some new goals; personal as well as professional. There’s also a good chance some of the old dreams will make a come back with renewed vigor. Whether the New Year is bringing on new goals, new plans and new dreams or a reemphasis on some important old ones, here are ten resolutions for the professional side of life.

1. Do something just for you every single day. Seriously. People tend to get caught up in doing for others every minute of the day. If its not at work, there’s home life and other responsibilities keeping that focus shifted away from you. Resolve to set some time aside for self every single day. Exercise, relaxing, reflecting, eat an ice cream, write in a journal, garden, walk a pet. Anything that is for yourself. Make sure, however, that you’re doing something that is different than what you’re already doing all day long. This will help you feel a renewal.
   
   
2. Learn something new every day. People can get bogged down in the same old pattern of waking up, going to work, coming home, going to sleep. We get into a comfort zone and tend to forget the excitement of something new. Read an article; talk with someone about a new process; look into what others in your industry (or outside your industry) are doing differently. The opportunities for learning are grandly available due to the internet and other sources in this information age.
   
   
3. Listen. Do it more than you talk. Interesting how others will offer you “penny for your thoughts” but when unsolicited advice is offered, you’re throwing in unsolicited advice we often value it at “two cents”. That old adage about one mouth and two ears is generally true. Plan to listen more this year. Listen to all your coworkers are saying. Most of the time, people are seeking a sounding board, not advice or problem solving. When people feel completely heard out, they really feel like someone has listened to them, they’re more likely to realize action rather than feeling stuck.
   
   
4. Do something you love to do, that you do best, every day. Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman of the Gallup organization explain how important this is in their book, First, Break All the Rule: What the World’s Greatest Managers Do Differently. The intereviewed 80,000 managers, narrowing down the questions asked to the twelve most clearly defined happy, motivating, productive workplaces.
   
   The first three were this:
   1) Do I know what is expected of me at work?
   2) Do I have the materials and equipment I need to do my work right?
   3) At work, do I hav ethe opportunity to do what I do best every day?
   
   Those who could answer these questions positively were more likely to be happy and productive. This is a good sign of the benefits of being passionate about your work and doing something you do best everyday.
   
   
5. Don’t be so self-important. Striving for success can cause us to get bogged down in the serious, leaving no room for levity. Take the time to laugh. One of my best mentors taught me the importance of having passion for something other than work. Find pleasure in the little things. Smile when you hear stories about what all your crazy employees are doing – we don’t have to be the work-police all the time. Enjoy their little quirks and differences. That mentor once told me, “it’s all about the food.” We didn’t have to eat at the more expensive and “nicer” places. He would look for opportunities to eat at “good food” restaurants. Where the locals ate.
   
   
6. Give yourself credit and a pat on the back when you deserve it. In the Gallup study cited in #4, this was one of the questions that defined the most productive workplaces. People who had received praise or recognition for their work in the past seven days were more happy and productive.
   Employee empowerment is the mantra of our age. It seems odd, however, how infrequently employees are actually recognized for the work they do. In Benefits of Employee Recognition I talked about the importance of recognition. One way to help yourself with this recognition is to open a file of positive notes, thank you letters and reminders of success. I have one. I call it, “life’s bonus”. OK, that’s pretty weird but it is a good place for me to go to remind myself of the things I’ve done well. Assess your success after each project is completed.
   
   
7. Step out of your comfort zone. We all know when we’re in our comfort zone. We also know when something is happening that makes us a little less than comfortable. When you start making those excuses about “why” you don’t need to speak, or “why” taking a stand on an issue will just cause “trouble”, that’s when you need to find a way to step outside the comfortable box. Start by just once stating what you are really thinking. After the shock wears off, you’ll find people will admire you for doing it. Honest feedback is very important for your organization, your products, your customers.
   
   Added bonus: once you’ve started to break through these self-imposed barriers, it gets easier to do it again. You might find your carrier thriving because you left your comfort zone and made a move toward positive change.
   
   
8. Read! Reading is the key to learning and growing. Staying ahead of the curve doesn’t come through osmosis or by just doing what has always been done. Learn what is working in other places. Learn how to implement that in your workplace. Try to read widely and broadly. Learn about other things than just business too. Interestingly, reading on other subjects will many times enhance your ability in business too.
   


9. A new hobby. Doing something that intrigues or piques your interest adds a whole new dimension to your world. Maybe this is the year of a new train collection? My wife enjoys scrap booking. I enjoy writing.
   
   
   OK, this is so very important. It’s so important that I had to make it last:
   
   
10. Develop a method to track your goals. Use a planner. It can be electronic, on your computer or phone, or it can be the traditional calendar. Tracking your goals, daily engagements and to do lists will help you make them happen. So many people start out a new year with great ideas for improvement. Most fail because they do nothing to track their success. Using tools to track your goals provides the opportunity for your mind to do other more important thinking. It’s tool to help you get things done.
    

I wish you a most successful new year – happy, healthy, prosperous and outstanding. Make it happen, though, through your own actions. Don’t rely on luck or others to do it for you.

Change Management: Fear Management

Change is natural and good. Reaction to change can be unpredictable.

One very important aspect of managing change is managing people’s fear. Since change is natural and good, why is it so difficult for so many people? Many respond to change unpredictably and irrationally. However, it can be managed.

Change

Little is as upsetting to your people as change. Change has great potential to cause failures, loss of production, or falling quality. Still, nothing is nearly as important for an organization’s survival as change. A cursory search will find many examples of organizations, now extinct, that have failed to change. There’s a secret to successfully managing employees deal with change. That secret is definition and understanding. Resistance to change of any kind is based in fear of the unknown. There might also be an expectation of loss.

The degree to which an individual will resist change is determined by how they perceive the change. Is it good or is it bad? How severe is the personal impact? Personal acceptance of the change is based ultimately on how much resistance the person has and the quality of their coping skills and their support system.

As a leader, it is the manager’s job to address the resistance. Help the employee reduce their resistance to a minimal and manageable level. Do not bulldoze over the resistance.

Perception, it matters a lot

Moving an employee’s desk six inches may not even be noticed or a cause for concern. However, if the reason for moving the desk was to make room for another worker in an adjacent desk, that same employee might respond with significant resistance. It all depends on whether the employee feels the new employee is a threat to his job, or if the help is additional welcomed.

Most of the time we consider a promotion a good change. However, an employee who is uncomfortable with his ability to handle the new job might strongly resist the promotion. The employee might go to extremes to give excuses for not wanting the promotion but will never reveal the real reason.

Although you might expect a higher-level employee to be less concerned about being laid off since they have savings and investments that should support them during the subsequent job search, they may feel over extended. They might be concerned about an extended or complicated job search. Conversely, any concern for a low-income employee may be unfounded because of a nest egg they stashed away in anticipation of the cut.

Bulldozing your way through this resistance will result in failure. The employee whose desk you had to move will develop production problems. The top worker who keeps declining the promotion might quit rather than have to continue making up excuses for turning down the promotion. Overcoming the resistance by understanding the real issues, defining the change is key to success.

Definition

To begin with, you need to define the change in as much detail and as early in the process as you can. Give updates as things develop and as they become more clear. Before moving that employee’s desk, tell them what is going on. Don’t be afraid of sharing information. Information empowers the employee and helps them understand the need for the change. “We need to bring in more workers to help since our sales have increased by 40%.” One possible strategy for helping the employee deal with the change might be to get them involved. Seek out suggestions for how the space should be rearranged. Additionally, you need to get the employees to define the reasons behind their resistance.

Understanding

Understanding is also a two-way street. It’s important for the employees to understand what is changing and why but you also need to understand the basis for their reluctance.
You have to help them understand. The employees will want to know what the change will be and when it will happen, but they will also want to know why. Why is it happening now? Why do they have to change? Why does it have to affect me? As important as understanding the change, they have to understand what isn’t going to change. This provides one less thing to make them worry. It also gives them an anchor, something to grasp as they face the troubled waters of change and uncertainty.

You need to understand their fears so you can help them overcome them. What are they concerned about? How strongly do they feel about those concerns? Is the change perceived as good or bad?

Manage The Issue

Do not rationalize things. Do not waste time wishing people were different or more predictable. Focus, instead, on opening and maintaining clear channels of communication with all your employees. Help them understand what is coming and what it means to them. They will appreciate you for your candor. The will be more productive before and after the change. The change will be more of an improvement rather than just change for change’s sake.

All You Have is Your Integrity (Part 2)

Developing a Code of Business Ethics

A large part of the value of initiatives such as developing a code of business ethics comes from employees talking about and identifying how to address key issues related to customers, fellow employees, and the organization. Upon completion, the final document is just the cherry on top of the policy sundae.

The processes involved in developing a code of ethics are, in fact, common to developing other products or courses of action that may require widespread support and ownership from employees. The Code of Business Ethics is based on values the corporate entity will embrace.

The Values Identification Process

Prior to identifying the organizational values, the executive group must complete the following:

• Learn about and discuss the power of shared values.
• Obtain consensus and commitment to creating a value-based workplace.
• Define the role of the executives in leading this process
• Provide written material the executives can share with their staff

Design and schedule a series of values alignment sessions in which all members of the organization will participate. A trained facilitator or internal facilitators who lead one session and participate in another can lead the sessions.

Prior to the values identification and alignment sessions, the leaders must do the following:

• Share written materials as well as the spirit and context of the executives’ values discussion
• Promote the rationale for, need for, and desired organizational impact of the process.
• Ensure reporting staff members understand the importance of participation.
• Answer questions and provide feedback about staff concerns to the rest of the executive group

Values Identification Workshop Overview

Each session begins with a brief overview exploring key concepts. These concepts are as follows:

٠ Each person brings his or her own set of values to the workplace.

٠ Sharing similar or agreed upon values at work helps clarify:

• expected behavior and actions to each other and customers,
• how decisions are made
• exactly what is important in the organization.
  
  Steps in Workplace Values Identification

The workplace values identification session begins as participants identify their own individual values. Restrict these individual lists to the five to ten most important values individual staff members bring to the workplace everyday. It is through melding all of the values of the members of the organization that forms the current work environment.

This is a marvelous learning opportunity that can provide significant insight into the beliefs and desires of co-workers. Allow for a time that the staff can talk about their value list with another member.

Organize the participants into smaller groups of people from across the organization to identify which personal values are the most important for creating the desired work environment. These are then prioritized and shared as lists of five to six most desired values. Generally some values will be common to each group’s list.

Value Statements

Discuss how these values are currently operational in the workplace. Through this process have people define each value by describing what is seen in behaviors and actions when a value is truly incorporated into the organizations belief system. Graphic statements are stronger and better for producing an understanding of shared meaning. Here are a few examples of value statements:

Integrity: We maintain credibility by making certain our actions always match our words.

Respect: We respect each patient's right to be involved, to the greatest extent possible or desired, in making informed decisions about his or her health and plan of care.

Accountability: We accept personal responsibility to efficiently use organization resources, improve our systems, and help others improve their effectiveness.

Follow-up Process for Values Identification

Using the work and insights from the values identification session, volunteers meet to reach consensus on values; develop value statements for each of the prioritized values; and, share the value statements with all staff for feedback and refinement. The staff will discuss the draft value statements during organization-wide meetings, when possible. The total group adopts the values by voting when the organization believes the value statements are complete.

The Leaders' Role Following the Workplace Values Process

Once the values identification and alignment sessions have completed, the leaders will:

• communicate and discuss the mission and organizational values frequently with staff members;
• establish organizational goals that are grounded in the identified values;
• model personal work behaviors, decision making, contribution, and interpersonal interaction that reflect the values;
• translate the values into expectations, priorities, and behaviors with colleagues, reporting staff, and self;
• link participation in the adoption of the values and the behaviors that result, to regular performance feedback and the performance development process;
• reward and recognize staff members whose actions and accomplishments reflect the values in action within the organization;
• hire and promote individuals whose outlook and actions are congruent with these values;
• and meet periodically to talk about how the group is doing via living the identified values.

Make This Workplace Values Process Not Just Another Exercise

Be careful not to oversell the process, making sure to always anchor the values to real world problems. Encourage staff to identify where there are gaps between values, or beliefs, and behavior. Remember talking about values and beliefs will not alter how another person believes. These are opportunities to share, not change. To ensure the investment in workplace values identification is not lost, leadership and individual follow-up is critical.

The organizational commitment to change, to enhance work behaviors, actions and interactions must be real. Recognition systems and performance management systems must align with, support and reward the new behaviors. Additionally, consequences for behaviors that undermine the agreed upon values must be enforced. If the commitment is not there, do not even start the process. Doing so will create a group of very unhappy people who will feel misled and betrayed. The staff will hardly jump to embrace the next initiative. They certainly would have a right to feel disassociated.

Institutionalize Your Code of Business Ethics

Once developed, the critical component to making it an effective tool is using the code daily, if possible.

Carter McNamara has an excellent resource for business ethics at Managementhelp.org (http://www.managementhelp.org/ethics/ethxgde.htm).

Organize your own challenge sessions and use the business code of ethics document to measure or guide all business actions and decisions. Reputation and integrity are just too important to leave to chance.

All You Have Is Your Integrity

Why Business Ethics Matter

When it comes down to right and wrong, everyone knows, right? Wrong. People disagree about what is right and what is wrong all the time. Ethics is always making a come back in the news. According to recent reports by the Washington Post, leaked papers describe over 30 ongoing ethics probes being conducted by the House Ethics Committee and the new ethics office. If everyone knew right from wrong, this just would not be happening.

The business world is not very different from the political world. Recent events have hit the headlines describing the next Enron, Arthur Anderson, or WorldCom. This is just too much to ignore. Business ethics is an issue. Even more fog covers the issue when the right answers – those that meet the needs of the most stakeholders: employees, customers, potential employees, shareholders, and board members – lie somewhere between the whitest white and darkest black. As much as we would like it to be different, this is not a world of black and white.

Challenges to Ethics in the Business World

Think about the following scenarios that happen every single day.

• An accountant tells a supplier that their “check is in the mail” while he hasn’t even written the check.
• A store misrepresents the quality of functionality of an advertised item.
• A salesman marks parts as “sold” in the company database denying others the opportunity to sell the parts, even though his sale is not certain.
• An employee surfs the Internet shopping for personal items on company time.
• A plant manager decides to ship product to a customer regardless of known quality problems, which the customer probably will not notice.
• An employee spends several hours a week on her cell phone talking with her children and their associated caregivers, schools, and friends while on company time.
• A manager shares important company information with a competitor for his potential gain.
• An employee takes office supplies home to stock his home office.
• A finance officer accounts questionably for purchases and expenditures.

This kind of stuff happens everyday in the business world and no one seems to take a second look. These aren’t the only things that happen either. Are the people doing these things “bad” or are they “good people” making questionable ethical choices?

Are they even considering whether these choices are ethical? Certainly the plant manager may think the most important issue is on-time delivery. An employee might rationalize surfing the web on business time because of all the over-time and time spent outside work hours thinking about the job.

Let’s consider the potential positive affect a working code of business ethics might have on an organization. It’s not about the subjective fields of philosophy, religion or academia either.

Developing a written code of business ethics will guide the decision making and actions of all stakeholders. Trust will build on a foundation of ethical behavior and integrity – a very good place for establishing successful relationships with customers, employees, the community and stock holders.

Certainly a code of business ethics will not stop unethical behavior but it will give people something to measure against, something on which to assess personal behavior.
The foundation for a functioning code of ethics is in the hands of the organization’s executive leaders. It is these people who must commit to developing the business code and leading its implementation. They must continuously emphasize the use of the code as a measurement or guideline.

Next week, I'll touch on the process of developing a code of business ethics.

De-motivating Employees

Most managers really do know the importance of motivating their employees. Although the effort is exceptional, the results can sometimes be much less than expected. Why? Well, one reason may be the manager is still doing things that de-motivate the employee. Although unintentional, these de-motivators are still very effective.

Managing can be a very difficult job. There is a lot to remember to do. There are also a lot of things we should remember NOT to do. Here is a list of Manager Mistakes we should all avoid.

Top 10 New Manager Mistakes

You Know Everything. Many managers are managers because they were very good operators. You might know a lot about the product, processes and policies but you do not know everything. Managing is more than process and equipment knowledge. The most important aspect of managing is the people. Listen to the people around you. Seek their input when appropriate and keep an open mind.

Show Everyone You’re In Charge. Interestingly, there is little argument about who is the manager. There is no reason to prove it. There is no reason to make a big show about being “the boss”. You do have to demonstrate you are making a positive difference.

Change Everything. Do not re-invent the wheel. Processes and procedures someone else put into place may not be exactly as you would have done them but that does not mean they are wrong. Different does not mean wrong – learn the difference between “different” and “wrong”.

Afraid to Do Anything. Maybe you didn’t ask for the promotion, you’re not sure you can do the job. Do not let fear prevent you from doing the best you can. You would not have been promoted if upper management didn’t have confidence in your ability to step up to the plate. You can do it.

Do Not Spend Time Getting to Know Your People. Although you may have worked alongside these people for years, that doesn’t mean you know them. Learning what makes people exited, how to motivate and what fears or worries they have, provides a foundation for more effectively leading them to greater hights. Get to know them as individuals. The people are what makes or breaks a good manager. Give them your attention and time.

Don’t Waste Time With Boss. Your job as a manger, just like an operator’s, is to help your boss. Make sure to budget enough time to meet with your supervisor to both give information and receive guidance and training.

Do Not Worry About Problems or Problem Employees. Don’t avoid problems or expect them to work themselves out. When something comes up, it is the manager’s job to figure out the best solution and get it done. This doesn’t mean you cannot ask for assistance or advice, it does mean it is your responsibility to make sure it is addressed.

Not Being Human. Bosses are humans too. Being the boss doesn’t mean you can’t laugh, show emotion, or make an occasional mistake.

Throw Them Under the Bus. Your employees are under pressure from all directions. Blame for failure comes flying in from other departments. Your boss may want to dump on your department. HR may determine the employees in your department are overpaid. It is the manager’s job to stand up for his or her employees, making sure they are treated as fairly as possible. That loyalty will be returned to you.

Avoiding Responsibility for Anything. As the manager you are responsible for everything that happens in your group. Everything. You may have not done it, or even knew about it. What your group does, or does not do, reflects on you and is your responsibility. Build appropriate communications to avoid surprises and be prepared to should the responsibility.