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Everyone Makes a Difference

January 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment
typewriter

Everyone Makes a Difference

by Cindy Stradling CSP, CPC

typewriterIn addition to sales and presentation skills programs, I periodically deliver programs that are designed to support employees with the tools to deliver exceptional customer service.  It is surprising to me sometimes how little it takes sometimes to make a difference for people.  I usually include a exercise that includes the following paragraph that I found in the book “Inside the Magic Kingdom” by Tom Connellan:

XVXRYONX MAKXS A DIFFXRXNCX

Somxtimxs I gxt to thinking that what I do doxsn’t mattxr.  But whxn I start thinking that way, I rxmxmbxr my old typxwritxr.  Most of thx kxys workxd finx most of thx timx.  But onx day, onx of the kxys stoppxd working althogxthxr.  And that rxally mxssxd xvxrything up.  So whxn I’m txmptxd to say I’m only onx pxrson, it won’t makx a diffxrxncx if I don’t do this quitx right, I rxmxmbxr my old typxwritxr.  Thxn I say to mysxlf “I am a kxy pxrson and nxxdxd vxry much.

Often after we read this paragraph I ask everyone what it means to them.  I get varied responses and they all agree with the message that everyone makes a difference.  Usually the groups are small enough to have everyone go around the room and tell each other why they are important and what they appreciate most about each other.  In many instances I can see that people are moved by what they are acknowledged for.  I have had people come up to me after the program is over and say they were surprised (and delighted) to know they were appreciated.

We will debrief this session with some creative ways that people can acknowledge each other on an ongoing basis, and these are some of the suggestions:

  • Thank you notes when someone does something special
  • Buy a coffee (or tea, soft drink) for someone who has helped you
  • Have candy or treats available for spontaneous acts of kindness
  • Compliment when you see someone doing something great
  • Send an email to a person’s boss telling them of something special colleague did
  • Have a mascot (appropriate to the organization and culture) that is awarded weekly to the person who went the extra mile the most

The take away from this short exercise is to acknowledge each other for even the small things and this will go a long way to building a supportive team culture.  I encourage everyone to look for ways to acknowledge each other everyday.

Filed Under: Blog, Customer Service Tagged With: , , , , , , , , , ,

Integrity

January 10, 2011 By Leave a Comment

One of the most exciting aspects of my role is when I get feedback on the integrity of our alliance members.  In a recent situation I introduced an alliance partner to a client for a harassment program to be delivered to mid level managers.  This alliance partner had some additional questions that needed to be answered above what I had provided in my assessment.  One of the things that needed to be determined was how the senior management would support the learning.

After several discussions, this alliance partner said they could not deliver the program as the senior team was not in alignment with what was to be covered in the program.  This client was very appreciative of the ethics of this alliance partner and has scheduled a training program with the senior team as the initial steps.  Once the senior team is aligned,  the implementation of the required changes will happen at the top, then appropriately filtered down through the rest of the organization.  We often hear that “it starts at the top” in reference to corporate culture and practices and this was certainly the case here.

Filed Under: Customer Service, Leadership, Miscellaneous

Is This the Real Need?

September 27, 2010 By Leave a Comment

I met with two members of an executive team recently to discuss customer service training.  As this client was answering my questions it became clear to everyone that before any training took place, they needed to make sure it was built on a strong, shared foundation.  The senior team had recently returned from an offsite where they identified the core values of the organization.  Other than having their statements printed and posted on the wall, nothing had been done about plans to integrate these values into the everyday activities of the employees.  I have seen this situation in many organizations where there has not been a process to have these values translated throughout the organization.

In this particular situation I have connected them with alliance partners who can facilitate this process and make sure there is solid foundation before any training is delivered.  We can then move forward and ensure their values are built into every program.

Filed Under: Customer Service, Miscellaneous

Private or Public Programs?

August 30, 2010 By Leave a Comment

Occasionally I get calls from organizations that only have a need for a few employees to attend a training session.  We usually first explore if there are other people within the organization that could also benefit from the training.  Most recently we were approached for supervisory training for three shop floor supervisors.  After a few conversations with other departments (accounting, customer service and logistics) it was apparent that all of the supervisors could benefit from a program.  My alliance partner then designed an appropriate program to address the similar and diverse needs of this group.

We had another similar situation and after a careful assessment determined the best approach for this company was to send their three supervisors to our alliance partner’s public program.  In both cases the clients were thrilled at the results.

Filed Under: Customer Service, Leadership, Miscellaneous, Specialty Topics

Lunch & Learns Made Easy

July 12, 2010 By Leave a Comment

A legal firm approached me after our initial introduction meeting to inquire about running lunch and learns for their admin staff.  They had an approved budget and were excited to get started.  We sat down and looked at all of their options and after a one hour meeting we walked away with a tentative schedule for 15 lunch and learns.  These programs were to run throughout the year.  They chose programs such as: Leadership, Communication Skills, Wellness, True Colors, Personal Branding, Goal Setting, Delegation and more.  I arranged for each of the facilitators to meet with the two young ladies who were managing this project.

One of the young ladies said it would have taken weeks to search the internet and find programs for the variety of programs they wanted to offer, not to mention interviewing the various companies. The customer was so impressed at the calibre of the trainers and their programs and commented more than once how easy I was to work with the Athena Alliance.

Filed Under: Customer Service, Leadership, Miscellaneous, Sales, Specialty Topics, Team Development, Wellness, Health & Safety

Internal Customer Service

June 14, 2010 By Leave a Comment

I thought this was a great story to share because often when we think of Customer Service, we think of providing service for external people only.  One of our clients in the communications and marketing industry called to ask if I could suggest some ideas to address an internal concern they were experiencing.  The employees in the finance department were in constant conflict with the other departments within the organization.  There was a lot of frustration with the way the finance folks were being received.  After doing a little research, I learned that there was a need to provide the finance department with some new tools by which to deal with their day to day situations.  The finance department lacked both the customer service skills and the understanding that the other employees they were dealing with were actually their internal customers.

I connected this client with our Alliance partner who is highly skilled at customizing customer service solutions.  The initial program helped shift the perception of the finance department to create a customer service attitude toward everyone they dealt with.   The subsequent program provided them with the tools to respond consistently in a professional manner to both internal and external people.

I recently spoke with one of the participants and she shared with me how much more pleasant it was to work in their department now.

Filed Under: Customer Service, Leadership

Handling Upset Customers Effectively

May 17, 2010 By Leave a Comment

2009 was a challenging year for a lot of the organizations we work with.  One in particular was presented with the challenge of keeping their client services staff motivated. The company was an investment firm and with all the fluctuations in the market, the staff in this particular organization had to deal with an unusual amount of upset and frustrated customers.   What I thought was so great about this situation was the approach of senior management. They recognized the signs of stress right away and contacted me to ask for assistance to connect them with one of my alliance member.  After several discussions we agreed the best approach was a motivational message that was prefaced by a powerful communication from the President.  We chose to do a lunch and learn so we could minimize the amount to time away from the phones.  It was important that they all be in the same room together so they could create a new united energy to take back to their desks.

I chose an experienced speaker who was able to deliver a motivating message and also provide them with some practical tools to skillfully handle an upset customer and tools to cope with their own inner anxiety and stress.  During my last conversation with this client she said the staff still talk about how much they appreciated the organization recognizing their need and addressing it right away.  It clearly communicated that the company cares about the well-being of their employees.

Filed Under: Customer Service, Specialty Topics

Customer Service – Going Beyond Expectations

April 5, 2010 By Leave a Comment

How do get a good fit to become a perfect fit?

Customer Service – Going Beyond Expectations

I was called into a meeting with a new client.  The industry of this client is highly emotional and required a special skill set to interact effectively with their customers.  My client was interested in providing some of their staff with customer service training.  I met with both the Director and Manager of Human Resources.  They were both very clear as to the outcomes they wanted to achieve as a result of the training.  They wanted the experience of their customers to be one of compassion, empathy and professional.  Given the very sensitive nature of their business I could see there were two members of our alliance that would be able to provide them with the customized solution they were looking for.  Both these alliance members had extensive experience with this type of training and they both had very different approaches.  I thought either of them would do a great job and recommended that the client meet with both of them.

I met with the client to discuss next steps after they had met with both alliance partners.  The client loved them both and I suggested we combine the programs of the two alliance partners to create a totally unique and customized program.  They were thrilled with the suggestion and my alliance partners were eager to collaborate.  Once the final program was approved the client concluded this program would be so impactful they wanted the entire company to take the program.   In the month that followed small groups were taken through this highly engaging course and the feedback from the participants was fantastic. Three years later the client is still pleased with the difference this training made in the way their employees interact with their customers.

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