Posts tagged ‘Customer Service’

Purpose minded not process minded

By David Horne, 12 July, 2010, 6 Comments

Be purpose minded not process minded. That statement will help you immensely.

I work with companies sometimes that are focused on the process. Which isn’t horrible unless you focus only on the process. How do we find customers and get them to do something? What constraints can we eliminate to be more productive? These are all decent questions but they are not the root of the problem. Organizations fall into short term thinking that could lead to trouble when they only work at the mechanics. David, what does this have to do with marketing? Everything. Purpose minded companies have great marketing strategies.

Last week I spoke with Clay Moseley at Blue Sky Factory. They are an email service provider that has a great product and Clay was showing me some of their new features. BSF is a company that is purpose driven. Their purpose is to help organizations succeed by providing the best email services and products for their clients. The purpose is their focus. Their purpose has produced amazing customer service, smart and passionate ambassadors like DJ Waldow, Chris Penn, and Greg Cangialosi, and innovative products like SocialSync.

Process mind organizations get caught up in X’s and O’s and become disconnected from the intangibles (like relationships and a good story ) that make businesses grow and build community. I worked at a golf retail store one time that fell into this. We started out providing great value to our customers because our purpose was to provide the right equipment to help golfers play better. Clients used to drive across town because they knew the support they would receive from us would be in their best interest. Then one day the management lost its focus. They began trying to achieve their goals by cutting corners and selling specific products with higher margins instead of meeting customer needs. They became process minded. They went out of business.

Purpose minded is long term. Process minded is short term.

Purpose minded enhances every other part of your business. Process minded stifles the greatness of your business.

I encourage you to look at yourself (since we can apply this to our own lives) and your business. Changing a mindset is usually the answer to increasing leads, sales, customer loyalty, etc.

What is your purpose?

Three words we should never say

By David Horne, 25 March, 2010, 5 Comments

“It was nothing.” The three words we should never say.

This week I was working through a customer experience where I was on the customer end. Oddly enough, I had a snake in my house. You mean on your property in the yard. NO. I mean in my kitchen. Imagine, coming downstairs for some breakfast, you turn the corner with visions of your favorite AM fare, and out from the oven is a four foot reptilian house guest. Now imagine working diligently in your office and hearing a scream from downstairs followed up with SNAKE! When I arrived on the scene, the snake had retreated under the stove. What do I do? Who should I call? Samuel L. Jackson?

I called our city’s animal control, they came out to the house and left within three minutes since they weren’t allowed to remove it unless the snake was out in the open. My tax dollars at work. Anyway, I had to call a professional service. I spoke with a gentleman named David (I like him already). He told me to “catch a snake, we have to think like a snake.” I knew this was going to be good. He showed up and took care of the problem like a pro. He told some great stories of his adventures and I could tell he took pride in his work. When he left I knew he had given me his best. I like that. If I ever have a need for his services again, I know he will show up with his A game.

This was refreshing. How many times do we get a “It was nothing” when involved with a customer service interaction? Does that sound like the person is giving you their best or just enough to get by? The fact is, it may be nothing to them but it is everything to the customer at that moment. I have been guilty of this in the past. I might say something like “no problem” or “it’s no big deal.” That is wrong. It is a big deal to them. Don’t be afraid to let people know that you gave them your all. Don’t be a whiner or martyr and don’t waste their time going through all of the details but let them know it took effort. People love that. This is marketing. This is customer service.

Let’s rethink how we interact with prospects and customers. Are we putting the best into our blog content and social media conversations? Are we bringing our A game to every area our business?

Your thoughts?

Movie Lessons: Ocean’s Eleven on the importance of listening

By David Horne, 19 March, 2010, 1 Comment

It is time for another round of movie lessons. This week I will draw from Ocean’s Eleven. There are many things to learn from this movie about putting together the right team (which I may come back to later), but I wanted to focus on listening. I love the scene when Rusty (Brad Pitt) is teaching the celebs how to play cards- “ALL REDS”. He then goes to the bar and the bartender asks “How’s the game going?” The next exchange reminds us of the importance of listening. Check it out below at the 1:38 mark.

If trouble with the video click here. (no affilation to casinobrowser.co.uk)

This art/skill has always been paramount to communication. We are in a war for our attention and sometimes it is difficult to hear because of all the noise. To grow your business and any other relationship we must get better at listening. When we listen to what our customers and prospects say and don’t say (sometimes more important) we can then create great client experiences. Zappos and Apple have done a great job of this. GM didn’t.

Here are a few tips on better listening that I’ve learned.

1. Listening is active. Don’t just sit there. Ask questions. This lets people know you are engaged. I heard the stories of Chevy Volt at SXSW having great conversations with folks, asking and answering questions.

2. Lean in. When face to face it is always best to lean towards the person speaking. This is a sign of attention. Digitally, I think this accomplished by going to where the conversations are. It could be Twitter, Facebook, Yelp, Youtube, Blog comments, or any number of locations your audience hangs out.

3. Don’t wait to talk. I’ve been guilty of this. Instead of taking in what the speaker was saying I wanted to chime in with my two cents. Let’s not shove our agenda down someone’s throat in response to what they say. If we absorb what we hear and respond in a way that focuses on them we will build trust.

On a Third Tribe (affiliate link) call today, I listened to Sonia Simone talk about knowing your customer. Grow Bigger Ears by Chris Brogan & The Five Ws of Social Media Listening by Chuck Hemann (Social Media Explorer) are two great resources on how to know your customer. If we focus on “knowing” we can turn our interactions into connections. When we make real connections with others that want what we have there is conversion

Listening is not a talent. It can be learned. What are you doing to filter the noise and skillfully listen?

Customer Service: Travel Agents vs. Tour Guides

By David Horne, 8 June, 2009, No Comment

The other day I was in a clothing store, whose name I will keep anonymous (hint: named after Monica Geller’s brother). I needed to pick up some socks, of all things, and was in a little bit of a hurry. I stood in line for over ten minutes behind ONE other person as the clerk carried on a gossip discussion with the manager. Yep, the manager. Keep in mind, I saw three other blue vested employees drop by and chime in on the conversation to add their two cents but only one register open.

The experience left a bad taste in my mouth. Needless to say, no recommendations will be made to my sphere of influence endorsing that proprietor. “Where did it all go wrong?”, I asked myself. The company does not intend to fail miserably in creating a negative experience. The company surely doesn’t mean to miss the mark in regards to customer acquisition and retention.

We all know customer service is an integral part to a companies success and should be a priority marketing function. Why then does it provide some of the lowest paying wages and usually attract applicants that do not the reflect the audience the business is trying to reach? To fix this, business leaders need to hire and develop “tour guides” not “travel agents”.

Earlier in the year when we were in Swaziland, our family went on Safari. I remember the process of booking the safari at the adventure travel place. The agent was pleasant but had never been to this park nor had any stories of the game she saw there. She had a brochure and a rate sheet. Sensing we were less than impressed, the marketing manager in the office piped up from the office next door. Mike came to the rescue. He was dressed in guide attire down to the boots and brown socks. He had been to the game reserve, slept in the huts, and traveled with each of the guides on various drives. Mike knew what we were getting into and transferred the joy of his experience to us.

A “travel agent” is a person who has read the brochure. They may have knowledge of where you are going but have rarely been there themselves. The “travel agent” can only tell you what they think you want to hear. Most companies hire “travel agents” believing they are meeting the expectations of their patrons. Wrong. We want more than a two dimensional image and fact sheet.

A “tour guide” is an expert. They have a story to tell and an experience to share. They are fans. Apple stores employ tour guides. They are almost all mac owners and can take the customer on a personal journey. They care about the environment they create because they are customers too.

Happy customers make great “tour guides” too. Does your company have “travel agents” or “tour guides?”

photo credit: garryknight