Weekend at Bernie’s

Providing great customer service is important even if you’re not in a retail industry.  Become a Wily Manager member and you’ll get instant access to Bob and Jed’s discussion about good and bad customer service practices you can apply to any business.

Recently there was a story in the news about two women who were arrested in the UK for allegedly trying to get a dead person aboard a plane.  The deceased was propped up in a wheelchair with sunglasses on, and passed off as “sleeping”.  Of course, this is both hilarious and troubling on a variety of levels.

One of the questions few seem to be asking about this bizarre case is, “what would compel someone to attempt such an outlandish feat?”  My own theory is that they needed the departed’s mortal remains to be somewhere else, and the red tape and bureaucracy involved in making the transfer was only slightly less complicated than bringing back the dead to make the move, and then returning him to the hereafter.

This case was both amusing and personal for me as I dealt with a death in my own family.  My dad was a client of a mobile phone carrier that shall remain nameless (Bell Mobility).  About a month after his passing, I called to cancel his mobile telephone.  I can only conclude that my father was the first one of Bell’s customers ever to have died.  Perhaps we should all be advised to become a Bell customer to enjoy the benefits of immortality.

The condensed version of the story is that after four calls to their call center (each lasting over 30 minutes each), and five requests from the agents to speak with the account holder (apparently the off-shore call centre folks had never heard the English words “dead”, “deceased”, “expired”, or “passed away”), I was given a fax number to put my request in writing, along with a Death Certificate to have the phone discontinued.  Of course, the fax number was wrong.

I tried a retail location for Bell, but was told that it was their job to sell the phones and the plans, and for all other “services”, I needed to contact the call center.

This a great example of how many companies conduct their customer “service”.  I know that if Bell can’t get this right, that I could never trust them to do anything complicated.

Organizations end up in this unfortunate space because they are not willing to hire or develop employees capable of consistently making good decisions.  Instead, they have thousands of rules and regulations that they think will protect the company from losses, when in fact they make those losses worse.

I have no doubt that the decision makers in this organization will point to how much money they save by off-shoring their call centers, and how they monitor calls to ensure quality.

I hope they’re saving a whole lot of money – they’re going to need it.

Providing great customer service is important even if you’re not in a retail industry.  Become a Wily Manager member and you’ll get instant access to Bob and Jed’s discussion about good and bad customer service practices you can apply to any business.

Great Customer Service

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Below, we talk about the following aspects of providing Great Customer Service:

  • What is Great Customer Service
  • The Good, the Bad and the Ugly
  • Good and Bad Customer Service Practices

What is Great Customer Service?

“When the service delivered exceeds the customers’ expectations.”

A 2012 JZ Analytics survey of over 1500 companies based in the United States produced this list of great customer service experiences and poor customer service experiences.  Note that the same industries are represented on both lists, reinforcing the viewpoint that customer service is more a function of the management of a business rather than the conditions or environment a business finds itself in.
 The Good

  • Amazon
  • Google
  • Apple
  • UPS
  • Hilton
  • Sony
  • FedEx
  • Marriott
  • Amex
  • Southwest
  The Bad

  • City Group
  • Time Warner
  • Comcast
  • Sprint Nextel
  • Days Inn
  • Dish Network
  • Super 8
  • Quality Inn
  • US Airways
  • 7-11

Good Customer Service Practices

Customer service is highly situational, but there are some practices that transcend industry and geography:

  • Know your customer and act accordingly.  In some parts of the world, for example, using a customer’s name might be a welcome, personal touch.  In other places, it would be the height of rudeness to be so familiar.  Know your customer, and don’t make global service standards without considering differences.
  • Offer money-back guarantees, and make it easy to execute.  A guarantee is a great way to win a customer.  A great way to lose one is to offer a guarantee, and then make it difficult to collect on.
  • Talk directly to your customers.  Market research firms have their place, but as the leader of a business, or a department in a business, you need to talk directly to your customers.  Some businesses such as Disney and Kroger require their senior leaders to work on the frontlines a certain number of days per year so they can interface directly with customers.
  • Train and retain your staff.  Some people treat customer service jobs as entry-level or unimportant roles.  When you consider that that whoever has the contact with the customer is the face of the company, it may add a level of importance to such a role.  This is true whether providing internal or retail customer service.
  • Fix mistakes.  Just about everyone will forgive a mistake.  What is not forgivable is failing to correct that mistake quickly and properly.

Bad Customer Service Practices

  • Outsourcing Customer Service.  Only the most routine transactions should be outsourced.  Anything that requires discretion or judgment must be maintained close to the organization where it can be proactively managed.  Any money saved by outsourcing customer service is usually lost several times over when things start to go wrong.  The cost to obtain a new customer is generally recognized at being ten times greater than the cost to maintain a current customer – a consideration often forgotten.
  • Not being able to talk to a real person.  A certain amount of customer interface can probably safely be automated.  Anything complicated or sensitive needs to be handled by a real person.  You also need to provide access to a real person quickly, and not send people through 30 minutes of automated voice response.
  • Employee turnover.  Businesses need to find a way to hang on to those employees that are good a interfacing with customers.  The cost of employee turnover is particularly high if new or inexperienced employees are driving away customers.
  • Over selling.  You need to carefully manage customer expectations regardless of what industry you are in.  The old adage of “under-promise; over-deliver” will serve you well.
  • Deliver.  Make sure your business infrastructure is able to deliver on the promises being made to you customers.  Don’t allow your sales people to promise things the business will never be able to execute.

3 Things to Remember About Providing Great Customer Service

  1. Know your customers’ expectations and plan to exceed them.
  2. All businesses are contact sports – do not build barriers with customers.
  3. Train and retain good people.

Watch the ‘3-Minute Crash Course’ about providing Great Customer Service (CLICK THE ARROW TO START THE VIDEO):

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Dealing With Bullies

Dealing with a Bully at work can often take us by surprise.  Join Jed and Bob as they discuss the four steps you need to take when dealing with a Bully in the workplace.

Watch the ‘Bullies at Work’ Video (17 mins 06 sec):


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Dealing With Bullies at Work

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Bullies at Work are common occurrence that can be easily handles with a few simple techniques.  Below we discuss:

  • Defining Bullies at Work
  • Is your Bully “Fire” or “Ice”?
  • How to Deal with Bullies at Work

Defining Bullies at Work

Bullying is more than just not getting along with another person.  A Bully is:

  • Someone who wants to win at any cost.
  • Aggressive and hostile.
  • Motivated by power, control or fear.
  • A repeated pattern of inappropriate behavior.
  • Verbal or physical action that is intended to isolate or mentally hurt another person.
  • Action taken to intentionally degrade, offend or humiliate another person.

Bullying is NOT:

  • Someone who disagrees with you.
  • Someone who is trying to hold you accountable.

Defining Bullies at Work: Fire or Ice?

People will recognize Bullies at Work when it is most obvious, but there is more than one type of Bully:

Fire

  • Will explode when s/he is threatened.
  • Tantrums, threats, shouting, anger and intimidation
  • Highly emotional and uncomfortable for others.

Ice

  • Far less emotional or confrontational than the fire.
  • Sarcastic comments, sabotaging a meeting or interaction, belittling of others
  • Deliver their abuse with a smile

How to Deal with Bullies at Work

Step 1. Determine if it is bullying

It is important to delineate Bullying from other forms of confrontation or negative human interactions that may occur in the workplace.  Sometimes people claim to have been bullied by their boss, when their boss is merely holding them accountable.  When determining if bullying has occurred consider the following:

  • Often not what is said, but rather how it is said.  If specific words or phrases are chosen to belittle or intimidate, it is likely the work of Bullies at Work
  • Make sure it is not harassment or violence in the workplace.  If there is inappropriate physical contact, it has gone beyond bullying, and you must involve someone else.  The exact definitions will vary by jurisdiction, but it is worth knowing the definition of harassment or violence in the workplace in your jurisdiction.
  • If it includes threats, physical breach of space, or inappropriate language, do not attempt to solve the problem, but terminate the meeting immediately.

Step 2. Suppress Your Emotions

Strong emotions can compromise your ability to adequately react to Bullies at Work.  You must do your best to suppress your emotions and (re)act as rationally as possible.

  • The bully wants you to react – often Bullies at Work take pleasure in watching other squirm.
  • Detach yourself – don’t take it personally.  In many cases, Bullies at Work are not going after you individually, but rather the person in your position.
  • Be self-aware of the impact the situation is having on you.  Know when you are becoming angry or otherwise emotionally compromised, and how that might impact your response to the situation.

Step 3. Redirect

Bullies at Work want you to absorb the negative energy they are projecting.  The best thing you can do is redirect that energy:

  • Take out of a public space, if necessary.
  • Acknowledge their point(s) without ceding ground.  To acquiesce to the demands of Bullies at Work is to invite more of their poor behavior.
  • Restate their position in neutral language so you can indicate that you have understood their point.
  • Ask clarifying and confirming questions.
  • Ask them for a solution.  Bullies at Work often have no interest in solutions, because they would rather bully and intimidate.  An easy way to disarm them is to ask them for their ideas towards a solution.

Step 4. Adjourn if Necessary

Sometimes it is a completely legitimate course of action to adjourn your meeting with Bullies at Work.  Of course, if you do not follow up afterwards, you will be seen as avoiding or yielding to the bully which will invite more of the same behavior.  Reasons to adjourn:

  • If you are emotionally compromised
  • If you have any fear for your safety
  • To take time to gather information or facts
  • To allow all parties to cool off.

3 Things to Remember About dealing with Bullies at Work

  1. The Bully may just enjoy being a Bully, and any attempt to solve a problem will be met with more hostility.
  2. You need to take a stand or the Bullying behavior will continue.
  3. Being Bullied is not the same as just not getting along with others.

Watch the ‘3-Minute Crash Course’ about Bullies at Work (CLICK THE ARROW TO START THE VIDEO):

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Bullied at Work? Hug It Out!

Bullies don’t disappear when they become adults.  They just move to a new playground.

You’d think in an era as political correct and risk sensitive as ours, that bullying in the workplace would be a more distant memory than a stadium full of screaming fans for Huey Lewis and the News.  However, it still exists for a variety of reasons – not the least of which is that bullying tactics often work.  Ask anyone who has ever worked in retail, and they’ll tell you that the people that most often get what they want are those that are the rudest and the nastiest.

There is only one way to deal a bully, and it requires taking him or her out at the knees before they get entirely worked up and out of control.  When confronted by a bully it is good to have some ready-to-go responses that will make the bully more confused than your dog when you pretend to throw the ball, but hide it behind your back.

Here are some suggestions:

  1. “Have you had your rabies shot, because that foam coming out of your mouth is bad sign.”
  2. “If I was as (short/fat/bald/ugly) as you, I’d probably be angry too”
  3. “Does someone need a hug?  Come on over here, you big lug.”
  4.  “And that’s what happens when we don’t get our meds adjusted right.”
  5. “My best suggestion would be that you move to a jurisdiction where marijuana is legal, and you keep a 3-finger baggy available for times like this.”
  6. “If you’re happy and you know it, clap your hands!” (clap, clap)
  7.  “Mama always said, ‘Stupid is as stupid does’”
  8. “Let’s use our words in a way that people will want to listen to us.”
  9. “The anger-management class is two floors down, and doesn’t start for another hour.”
  10. “I’m telling my mom”

In the best case scenario, such a comment should shut the bully down.  But even in the worst case scenario, it will put them off guard long enough for you to call security.

We’re joking here, of course.  A bully in the workplace is a serious issue that causes havoc and stress for everyone involved.  However, a skilled manager can successfully gain the upper hand and take control of the situation.

The Dealing With Bullies at Work Video and Cheat Sheet combo was just added to the Wily Manager membership area, and it’s one of over 90 topics available now.  

In it, we explain how to deal with the two radically different types of bullies you’ll encounter on the job.  Armed with this insight, you’ll be able to shut down a bully’s attack and restore peace at work.

Become a member and get 8 free bonus gifts worth $187, plus instant access to all the existing tools and advice already available in the members-only area.   It’s jam-packed with Videos, Cheat Sheets, and other tools…and new content is added each and every week.

Next week we’ll be talking about Career Transitions, and you’ll get the advice you need to ensure you don’t compromise your success by fumbling through critical career changes.  You won’t want to miss out – become a Wily Manager Member today. 

Why Socrates Drank the Hemlock

About 2500 years ago, Socrates lamented the work ethic of the younger generation.  Apparently, on the way to his day-job as a stand-up philosopher, he’d stop at the Athens Starbucks and wait in line far too long, while the kid working the La Marzucco machine (who looks like he fell down the stairs with a tackle-box given the number of piercings and jewelry he’s wearing) would casually froth one latte at time.  No wonder he drank the hemlock – he was thirsty.

Fast forward in time a couple of millennia, and not much has changed.  Anyone over 40 has at least a mild annoyance with those under 30 and how they work.  The problem is, the bulk of the population is hurling towards retirement faster than Lindsay Lohan is to rehab, and there aren’t many people in their 30s and 40s to replace them.  This means the 20-somethings will be taking over the world in short order – probably well before they are equipped to do so.

Unless organizations get their heads around this, and act soon, our whole society will be immersed in the whims and fancies of people who think popcorn was actually meant to be cooked in a microwave.  Here’s what you can expect:

  • Recognition certificates for anyone who shows up on time for work five consecutive times.
  • Job title inflation – the barista I mentioned above will hence be called the Vice-President of Local Product Production and Distribution.
  • Not wanting to work on sunny days will be classified as a disability.
  • If you ask someone for the 2nd time to get something done, you will be subject to a harassment suit.

Of course, I might be the wrong guy to comment on this – I spent my whole first day at my first real job walking around with my fly open.

The Bureaucratic Decoder — Unveiled

Several years ago I did some work for a large, bureaucratic utility that had only recently been privatized from being a governmental organization.  In some ways, they made the transition to a private enterprise well, but many old bad habits from a public sector culture refused to die.

Perhaps most obvious to those of us from outside the culture was the quantity and poor quality of the meetings.  It is not an exaggeration to say that many managers spent every day listlessly drifting from meeting to meeting, and occasionally answered an email in between.  This was loosely described as “work”.

Most often, when a meeting was scheduled for 10:00, I would be the only one in the room, causing me to behave like Dustin Hoffman’s Rainman, checking my calendar to make sure I had the right time and place, and repeating the meeting request over and over to myself.  I quickly discovered that I needed to run all appointments through the special Bureaucratic Decoder.  Here’s the formula:

  • Meetings that start before 9am are entirely contingent upon traffic and weather.  If either one is not cooperating, the meeting will start at 9.30 at the earliest, and perhaps won’t occur at all if conditions are adverse.
  • Normally scheduled meetings between 10am and 3pm will start at fifteen minutes past the scheduled time to allow people time to use the bathroom, get coffee, and arrive at the meeting.  There may be some stragglers, so time was allocated to bring all people up to speed as they drifted into the meeting.  For those there on time, they may have to listen to the recap four times before everyone is there, so it was generally agreed that showing up on time was a bad idea.
  • If anyone had a meeting scheduled prior to your scheduled meeting, they would be at least 30 minutes late, because the previous meeting would never end on time, and they need their fifteen minute “transition buffer” (see bullet above).
  • If you scheduled a meeting for after 3.00pm, it was considered optional.  This is because all meetings started late, and ended late, and there was no guarantee that this meeting would be over by quitting time, which was the only appointment that was regularly respected in the organization.

It sounds frustrating, but the spotty attendance at meetings actually worked out well.  Rarely were decisions made, and there certainly was no collaboration.  The most important thing was maintaining the status quo, and any attempt at the smallest change was put down faster than rabid Rottweiler next door to a daycare.

If this sounds like your organization, then you better hope you don’t have to compete in the open market.  You’ll be put out of your misery faster than the dog I mentioned above.  In many cases, meetings are a necessary evil at best, and don’t do anything to move the business forward.

Governmental organizations and big utilities may be able to afford such excess… your organization probably can’t.

 

Conducting Effective Meetings

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How much time do you waste in meetings every week? Conducting effective meetings is a critical leadership skill that needs improvement in just about all organizations.

Conducting effective meetings is easy with a few guidelines:
  • Have a defined purpose and clear objectives with a written agenda
  • Members have prepared in advance and are engaged
  • Balance of discipline, flexibility, diplomacy and determination
  • Members have defined roles and respect established ground rules
  • Efficient, result focused, and ultimately save time and effort
  • Result in a series of tangible action items
  • Capture insights and enthusiasm
  • Motivate people to specific action
  • Efficient and result focused
  • Are documented and summarized with commitments well understood

On the other hand, not everyone is good at conducting effective meetings.  Many meetings:

  • Lack participation
  • Dominating leader or member, unbalanced involvement
  • People don’t listen to each other
  • Stays off track too long
  • Inefficient, results unclear
  • Ideas and different views are criticized or squelched
  • Action assignments and outcomes are not clear

There are four steps you need to follow when conducting effective meetings. Here’s a brief introduction to the four steps:

Step 1 – Prepare When Conducting Effective Meetings

  • Ensure the purpose of the meeting is well understood. Ask what would happen if this meeting did not take place.
  • Prepare the agenda in advance.
  • Ensure that the desired outcomes of the meeting are articulated in advance.
  • Make sure all the participants are prepared in advance.

Step 2 – Communicate When Conducting Effective Meetings

  • Inform all participants well in advance of the details of the meeting; the purpose and outcomes; and, preparation required.
  • Circulate agenda in advance, as well as any other reading material

Step 3 – Control When Conducting Effective Meetings

  • Start on time
  • Review ground rules and assign roles
  • Use a “Parking Lot” to keep on the agenda

Step 4 – Document and Follow-up When Conducting Effective Meetings

  • Record main discussion points and decisions for future reference. This list becomes your meeting minutes.
  • Clarify actions and assign names and deadlines to them.

Watch the ‘3-Minute Crash Course’ about Conducting Effective Meetings (CLICK THE ARROW TO START THE VIDEO):

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The ‘Conducting Effective Meetings’ topic bundle includes:

  • Effective Meetings Cheat Sheet (pdf)
  • Effective Meetings Booklet (pdf) containing:
    • In-Depth Topic Overview
    • How to Get a Meeting Back on Track
    • Role Definitions for Effective Meetings
    • Effective Meeting Preparation Checklist
    • Worksheet for Effective Meetings
    • Meeting Rating Form
    • Types of Meetings and Tips for Success
    • Recommended Resources – where to find out even more about Effective Meetings
  • Easy-print versions of the tools contained in the Effective Meetings Booklet (pdf)
  • Effective Meetings Video (mp3)
  • Effective Meetings Powerpoint Slides (pdf)
Get instant access to the complete ‘Conducting Effective Meetings’ Topic Bundle…

 

The Triangle of Satisfaction: Negotiation Tactics That Lead to Lasting Agreements

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Many people don’t have Negotiation Tactics, but rather improvise their way through negotiations of any sort.  Below we talk about the following aspects of Negotiation Tactics.

  • The Wily Manager Model of Negotiation Tactics
  • Why You Should use Negotiation Tactics
  • How You Should use Negotiation Tactics

The Wily Manager Model of Negotiation Tactics

When involved negotiations, mediation, or conflict resolution, people have three interdependent needs that must be carefully considered in order to achieve agreements and decisions that will last:

  • Substantive Needs:
    • the material things and issues people are negotiating about.
  • Emotional Needs:
    • personal and emotional aspects people bring to the negotiating table.
    • how people feel about what is being negotiated for.
    •  how people feel about themselves during and after the negotiations
  • Procedural Needs:
    • the opportunity to have a “fair go”.
    • the process and procedures of Negotiation must be understood and agreed to.

Why You Should Use Negotiation Tactics

People often become overly-focused on what they are trying to negotiate, and forget they need to consider how negotiations are conducted.

  • When we are trying to negotiate or mediate some kind of disagreement we are very often just focused on the solution … negotiating some kind of agreement.
  • Yet if the party’s emotional and procedural needs aren’t dealt with, agreements will break down, or in many instances won’t be achieved.
  • As the boss making a decision is relatively easy – getting decisions to last and work hinges on addressing all needs.  Hence Negotiation Tactics are required.

Negotiation Tactics

How You Should Use Negotiation Tactics

Whether in structured negotiations, or just trying to impact some behavior change, managers need to look at all three aspects of Negotiation Tactics.

Start by asking the following questions:

  • What are the procedural needs?
  •  What are the emotional needs?
  • How are these needs impacting the substantive discussions?
  • How can these needs best be addressed?
  • How well are the ways in which these needs are being addressed, meeting the needs of the people involved?
  • What more would be helpful?

Three Things to Remember about Negotiation Tactics:

  1. How people perceive things to be, is often more important, than how things actually are.
  2. Use all three perspectives of the Negotiation Tactics to diagnose and work through negotiations of any sort.
  3. Often you don’t solve a problem once and for all.  Managers need to continually review and reflect upon the procedural and emotional needs that are raised.

Watch the ‘3-Minute Crash Course’ about Negotiation Tactics (CLICK THE ARROW TO START THE VIDEO):

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The Scarecrow and Labor Negotiations

The Rolling Stones were right – You Can’t Always Get What You Want.  But that doesn’t stop many people from trying.

I’ve been watching media reports lately of some Labor-Management issues for the same reason you might slow down to get a quick glimpse of a horrible traffic accident – to witness destruction, pain, and suffering from the air-conditioned comfort of your own space.

People tend to entrench themselves along ideological lines very quickly in labour-management disputes.  Without knowing any of the details, or even any of the issues, people somehow feel they are entitled to an opinion.  This works well for the people whose views of the world are shaped by their favorite TV show, and who name their children after movie stars.  However, people with a brain (with apologies to the Scarecrow from the Wizard of Oz) need to dig a bit deeper before jumping on any particular bandwagon.

It is very rarely that a labor-management dispute has much to do at all with the substantive issues that each side articulates.  More often the disputes are perpetuated by politics, emotional considerations, and issues of procedure that make the Department of Motor Vehicles look like a positively high performing organization.

Perhaps most unfortunately, such negotiations take place on the premise of dividing up a fixed pie.  If one side gets more, the other gets less.  If both sides could get past the crap, they might figure out a way to bake a bigger pie.  But that would require trust, innovation, and initiative — elements in critically short supply in organized labour, and in almost all large corporations.

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