Discover Theirs

Sometimes a cluttered desk leads to mass cleaning, which leads to things being put in a file, never to be found again. Other times when those files are reopened, serendipity happens. Such is the case today.



(By the way, one of the advantages of writing a blog is that I can keep a file called "Blog ideas" which will likely lead to more serendipity in the future!)



I found a comment in the Reader Feedback section of the April 2003 issue of Fast Company. It was written by a student named Rich Reed who wrote,

"When I've been an assistant for someone, my goal has been to learn how that person thinks and then try to flow with her. The same has proven true when I have helped a guest or a Customer with his or her situation or concerns. So don't bring Customers into your reality: Discover theirs."

This is one of the most profound thoughts I have ever read about Customer Service, or service in general. When people say "the Customer is always right," this is what they are really saying. In the Customer's mind they are right. When we can do more than put ourselves in the Customer's shoes, but put ourselves in their reality, we will know how to satisfy, delight and WOW them.



Your task today is to figure out how to get into your Customer's reality.

Great Questions

Yesterday's Wall Street Journal (April 13, 2004) had a headline "The Best Innovations Are Those That Come From Smart Questions." The article talks about Dr. William Hunter, President and CEO of Angiotech Pharmaceuticals (www.angiotech.com) and how the questions he asked both to start his business and now to grow it very rapidly are literally the core of the business.



Angiotech's business is to add drugs to medical devices to increase their effectiveness. Hunter is quoted as saying, "Medical equipment makers typically ask surgeons, 'How can we build a better stent?' and then you get the answer, 'You should make it more flexible, easier to see and stronger.' But we've been asking 'What does the body do to these stents and why do they fail?'"



Without reading the rest of the article you get the major point. The better questions get us more valuable answers.



So the next time you are trying to solve a vexing problem, satisfy a customer, create a new marketing strategy, or coach an employee, start by crafting the questions you want to ask of this situation. Then craft a few more, coming at the situation from a fresh perspective. The time spent in this sort of planning is well worth it.