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Thursday, April 30, 2009

The Silent Disappearing Act

The following was submitted as a comment by Justin Baillie (a fellow crusader of the service quality cause) in response to one of my earlier articles entitled ' The Company You Keep.' Given Justin's words spoke to more than just the core theme of that effort, I decided that rather than post it as a comment, I'd put it up as a whole new article. Thanks Justin!

I am probably the worst kind of dissatisfied customer. When something goes wrong, I just walk away. You'll not hear another thing about it from me (did I hear you breathe a sigh of relief?), I'll never again do business with you and, being human, I'll tell all of my family and friends not to either.

You have just lost a customer and you don’t even have a clue why. And you can’t win me back, because I’m gone. Like magic, I just disappeared and all your companies expensive MI will show is attrition, with no attributable or tangible explanation.

If management is clever, when they see a lot of attrition, they may try to find the cause. But don't worry; that takes a lot of time and how will they know it's linked to the poor customer service you provided?

Let's be realistic. Customers come and go, and we all generally spend a lot more time trying to get new ones than focusing on the existing, or exiting ones.

And besides, so what if I have left, what’s the big deal, who cares?

But, just in case you are interested, here's the ironic bit: the reason I am walking away is trivial and you could so easily have done the right thing in the first place, or put it right after the fact, if only you'd picked up on my rather obvious signs of displeasure.

Now I'm thinking that you and your organization don’t really care about service, or my business. Fair enough, you are a big corporate, you make millions, so why should you care about my few hundred or maybe few thousand dollars of revenue? I bet your motto is “There are plenty of other fish in the sea.” Right?

Fortunately for me, that works both ways. What you offer is available in many different places, maybe even for less money. I’ll just take my business elsewhere; thank you very much.

Justin

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Wednesday, April 15, 2009

In Good Times and Bad

To be productive, there are only two things you can do in business:

1-add value

2-save costs


Now then - which are you doing right now?

The above words of wisdom were sent to me by a good friend and X boss. While I love the simplicity and see no need to mess with them, I would like to suggest there is something to be said for the order in which they are presented, especially given the times.

While all for running a tight ship, I am more than a little concerned for those companies focusing first and foremost on cutting costs, but giving little or no thought to adding value.

Particularly disconcerting is the all to common practice of cutting programs aimed at improving the skills and knowledge of long standing employees, or worse yet cutting the people themselves.

I suspect most, if not all of these these companies are going to find themselves behind the eight ball when the markets turns, if not before. And, when it comes to time to staff back up, the cost of regaining, or retraining the skills and knowledge lost may be more than many can bare.

So if your response to the question posed above is simply "I'm cutting costs" and you haven't already developed and implemented a plan for adding value, you might want to rethink your approach.

What is the best, and likely the least expensive way to add value, regardless of the times?

We would suggest the answer lies in retaining and further developing your best people so your company can deliver a superior customer experience that differentiates you from your competitors, both today and in the future - a logical strategy for both good times and bad!

To comment on this blog click on 'comments' below. To read previous articles, see the Blog Archive (lower right) and to become a Wavemaker Blogs follower, click on 'Follow' (just above Archive).

If you would like to know more about how Wavemaker Consulting can help your company improve the customer experience you provide, visit our Website, or email us at wmconsulting@live.com

Thursday, April 2, 2009

Change



While some would say it comes in waves and others suggest it rides an expediential curve; I believe that change may well prove to be the last remaining constant.


What with everything going on in the world these days, you have to admit, these are certainly interesting and ever-changing times!

For the most part, change is a good thing as without it, there can be no improvement. But significant and rapid change does have its down sides, one of which is the risk that faced with the uncertainty, confusion and fear typically associated with change, we may occasionally lose sight of what matters most.

In business, there is no doubt that it is the customer that matters most. After all, if not for customers, we wouldn’t have our businesses.

Unfortunately, as evidenced by the general decline in service quality of late, it would appear that at least some, likely distracted by recent events, may have lost sight of this fact. Perhaps it would help to remind ourselves (and others) that even inturbulent times, service quality is one of the things we still have complete control over.

So enough of being distracted by things outside our control; isn’t it time we all returned our attentions to what matters most?

No matter if you believe that change comes in waves, is expediential in nature, or is the last remaining constant; during turbulent times it is wise to remember that you can only manage those things within your control. Among these are operational efficiency, sales effectiveness, cost containment and above all else, service quality!

In the face of a storm, these are your anchors and if you give them your undivided attention and manage them well, they will keep you from being washed off course and onto the rocks.

To comment on this blog click on 'comments' below. To read previous articles, see the Blog Archive (lower right) and to become a Wavemaker Blogs follower, click on 'Follow' (just above Archive).

If you would like to know more about how Wavemaker Consulting can help your company improve the customer experience you provide, visit our Website, or email us at wmconsulting@live.com