I've always kept a list of favorite words in my mind. Some, because I like the way they sound, and some because of their meanings. One of my all time favorties - for both reasons (especially the meaning) is serendipity (click HERE for a definition).
Imagine my surprise and delight today when I found a list of favorite words for the year, and that serendipity was #2! Check out the list and the definitions. Clearly some very cool words. Any of them on your list?
Serendipity is a great word and something I love in my life, but too often organizations assume good Customer Service will happen, due to , well, serendipity! This of course isn't true - good Customer Service comes from clear focus, consistent hiring and training and a myriad of other processes.
We can't leave it to chance.
Monday, August 16, 2004
Friday, July 30, 2004
Above My Desk
Above my desk is a bulletin board. I won't tell you everything that is on it - I'm not sure I want the whole world doing a psychological evaluation of me based on the contents of the board!
There is something there though that I think is instructive and worth writing about - my buttons. I have several buttons on my bulletin board. They read:
What do these buttons have in common (other than a very large percentage of them having exclamation points?) They are all positive, empowering messages that I read every day that I am at my desk.
Why should this matter to you?
Because it is a good practice to fill our minds with positive, affirming messages! Try it for yourself. Put a quotation, saying or other positive message in your work environment. Post similiar things in the environment where others work. Want people to keep their Customers in Focus? Choose messages that help reinforce the Customer Serice focus that you are creating. Use the bulletin board, your office doors, or a space in your break room to share those messages with others.
If you need ideas or quotations, check out my two quotation services, Powerquotes and Powerquotes Plus. These are two of many sources you could go to to stock your work area with positive messages.
There is something there though that I think is instructive and worth writing about - my buttons. I have several buttons on my bulletin board. They read:
- Dream Bigger! (the button we produce)
- Just DO It!
- Who are "They" Anyway?
- Go For It!
- I'Mpossible
- Blazingly good
- Ingeniuous
- Ask!
- Bring Your Brain
What do these buttons have in common (other than a very large percentage of them having exclamation points?) They are all positive, empowering messages that I read every day that I am at my desk.
Why should this matter to you?
Because it is a good practice to fill our minds with positive, affirming messages! Try it for yourself. Put a quotation, saying or other positive message in your work environment. Post similiar things in the environment where others work. Want people to keep their Customers in Focus? Choose messages that help reinforce the Customer Serice focus that you are creating. Use the bulletin board, your office doors, or a space in your break room to share those messages with others.
If you need ideas or quotations, check out my two quotation services, Powerquotes and Powerquotes Plus. These are two of many sources you could go to to stock your work area with positive messages.
Monday, June 28, 2004
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,
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.
(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.
Wednesday, April 14, 2004
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.
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.
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