Customer Service

How Many Tries?


For over a year my wireless provider has sent me a text saying they cannot reach me at my billing address. I changed my billing address over a year ago but the wireless company has a glitch in their computer system and it reverts my records to my old address. Every couple months I call customer service and update the billing address again. The representative assures me that the changes are confirmed by the computer. By the end of the month I am receiving the same text message.

My contract ends soon and I am ready to switch providers just to have a company who can keep my information correctly. It is a basic expectation and should be a simple process. If the fundamentals do not work then why should I consider investing more of my time and energy? Do you execute on the basics?

Mis-Communication


Went running earlier this week in western Colorado. I followed the road into a beautiful canyon that turns into a dirt road. To drop off the plateau and into a completely different world below the canyon rim is a favorite moment of mine. As I adventured along the county road locals were driving to town mostly in pick-up trucks. They stared out their windshields at me or gave a little nod but continued forward at a high rate of speed. What they did not consider was that their trucks were spraying gravel in a rooster tail which descended on me as I ran in the other direction. I started covering my face with my hands when they approached. What clearly appeared as the start of a friendly wave on my part was actually a self-defense mechanism. It took me a moment to realize that if I had been riding a horse down the road the drivers would have been more courteous but they were not thinking about the impact of their on a runner.

Are you on the same page with your clients and customers? Do you both realize the consequences of your actions?

Fear Announcements


Flying home on United Airlines from Denver yesterday afternoon and the gate agent made the following announcement: “The captain wants to weather warn you that due to severe thunderstorms this flight may be diverted to Idaho Falls, Idaho or Spokane, Washington (both of which are a four hour drive or more from Boise, Idaho). The announcement complete the agent asked for Zone 1 to begin boarding. The hesitation to board was obvious. Should I get on? What are the chances of the plane diverting? Is the Boise airport open right now? Have planes been landing during the day? What happens to me if the airline deplanes me in a town so far away from my destination?

Passengers started asking questions and got no answers. Then the great mobile phone game began. Passengers called anyone who might be effected by a major shift to their itinerary. I overhear calls where people were forecasting not being able to arrive in Boise until noon the following day. I called my wife and she quickly emailed me the following photo from her phone

A quick check of Flightaware.com and I saw that the airport was seeing normal departure and arrival activity. My potential panic subsided with this information. I tried to share my ‘local’ knowledge of the situation but those around me continued to make a flurry of calls and emails before we departed.

From the moment the plane door closed until we arrived in Boise there was not a single announcement about our intended plan. The pilot and co-pilot or flight attendant never acknowledged the weather warning or calmed the frenzy by announcing that we were planning to fly direct to Boise. People discussed the potential diversion and their plans until it became evident that we were descending through the storm to the airport.

This was a great reminder that you need to remain cognisant of your message. You may have clarity about your strategy internally but have you fully communicated it to your customers and constituents? Do your customers think you are on a diversion when you are actually planning to proceed as planned? A lot of energy is used and mistrust developed when you are not transparent in these situations.

Another Survey?

While on the theme of surveys from yesterday, I recently had the chance to participate in a focus group for a major hotel chain. Very interesting and appreciated the chance to provide feedback. One of my observations (and I know many of you have the same):

Why does the more economical property in your hotel chain provide the following free or complimentary amenities when I stay: wifi, breakfast, recently upgraded room, fitness center access, parking, shuttle, business center? All for usually half what I play for the flagship hotel.

Why does your flagship property charge me extra for: wifi, breakfast, parking, resort fees, smaller room, fitness center access, parking, business center?

Does this model make sense? I have stayed in cities where if I travel one more exit down the highway I can stay in the same hotel family but get a whole lot more for my money.

Do we have our organizations arranged so the services are aligned for what you charge? Do we send mixed messages with our fees? Do customers and donors shake their heads in disbelief at our model or do they approve?

Crazy Survey

I just received a JD Power survey about a vehicle I own. I started answering the questions on the survey because I am always interested in how they design customer surveys. I made it about a page before I began to laugh. and tossed the survey into the shredder. What made me laugh? I could only imagine the scenarios where I did either of these actions in an after-market:

Does your car have tires/rims? Were they installed by the dealer or after-market?

Does your vehicle have keys? Were they installed by the dealer or after-market?

I know the intention of these questions was to gain data on upgrades or changes to the vehicle but since brevity was clearly the theme of all the questions they make no sense. Did I carry my car off the lot? Did I have it taken by flatbed and have tires and rims added and while you are at could you call the locksmith and have a set of keys made-up so I can drive this thing?

What questions are we asking our customers that make no sense? Do we allow for feedback so we can uncover objections to inappropriate questions? Have you accounted for how many customer feedback forms went to the shredder because the questions could not be answered?

Meeting Emotional Needs






Did you have a different split-second reaction to each of the previous photos?

Do you understand the emotions of your clients, donors, volunteers, board members, staff? The Gallup Organization created a measurement tool to determine if an employee was engaged in the a job that best supported their individual talents. In the book First, Break All The Rules by Marcus Buckingham and Curt Coffman they outline the Measuring Stick instrument that was developed by Gallup. At least three questions relate directly to emotional investment at work:

  1. In the last seven days, have I received recognition or praise for doing good work?
  2. Does my supervisor, or someone at work, seem to care about me as a person?
  3. Do I have a best friend at work?


Just thinking about all those individuals you interact with both within and outside of your enterprise? Think about the role that emotions play. What does your organization do to recognize and support the emotions of your key constituents? How do you measure success and emotional engagement?

House Rules

Have you ever been in a casino? Had thoughts of taking a few chips from a unsuspecting table mate and cashing them in for quick profit (the plot of many Vegas movies it seems)? I suspect most of you don’t act on this impulse. Why? The ‘rules of the house’ are understood. The casino retains the right to refuse service to anyone not meeting its guidelines, apparently this includes winning too frequently so I have heard. Have you ever checked to see where the rules of the house are posted? Are they prominently displayed on the gaming table, wall, backside of the playing cards? I have never seen them. Yet somehow we all know that there is a basic standard that we must meet in order to gamble. In my estimation, casinos do a fantastic job of establishing expectations and a culture without telling. There is no orientation, handbook, consent form to sign. How often do you enter an environment where the front-line employees are actually encouraged to dispense advice on how to beat the ‘house’? Entertainment is encouraged, especially as you place more chips on the table. But how do we know the rules? I may fly on the airlines weekly but I am certain we are not taking-off until somebody announces the rules and safety procedures. I cannot update my computer software without agreeing to a lengthy end user agreement. The local Shakespeare company cannot start a production without reminding me to silence my cellphone, not to record the performance, and clear the aisles.

How do you establish a customer experience that passively sets guidelines while focusing on your mission? Would this be helpful to your organization? Imagine an environment where clients, board members and volunteers can intuitively grasp the rules of the house? How would that change the culture of your enterprise?

It Does Not Matter How Comfortable the Cabin is…

A strategic planning client recently received the results of their on-line strategic planning survey. One message throughout the results was clear- STOP. Stop adding new programs, stop expanding the services, stop moving forward at 75 MPH. It was a kind message with a simple request. Take time to do the current programs better. Sure-up the current services. Focus on the basics.

To put it in terms many of us can understand, make sure the luggage is on the plane before you take-off. I do not care if I have a flat-bed seat, a 17″ personal monitor, great food, 500 thread count sheets, and noise canceling headphones. If my bags are not on the plane then the journey is going to get off to a rough start and I am going to be dissatisfied when is disembark. So before you pour an estate Reserve wine and give me access to the lounge make sure you have mastered the fundamentals, then we can talk about the on-board massage.

Has your organization mastered the basic steps? Are you concerned about the core service or the extras?

How Many Letters Does It Take?


Waiting for a flight late last night and I am playing Hangman on my iPhone. I began to wonder how many letters do I need in place before I know definitively solve the puzzle? When does strategic guessing turn into certain selection of the remiaing letters. I am struck by the psychological shift that takes place the moment I ‘get’ the word and then type of the missing letters versus the ‘still guessing’ moments.

What can we do in our organizations and enterprises to help our customers complete enough of the word (or service) that their success is almost certain? What shifts can we make to increase their enjoyment and reward them? Think of websites that you visit, manuals that come with new equipment, airline limitation policies. Which ones make sense and which ones befuddle us and leave us more confused? If the customer ‘gets’ it right away they remember the name of the company. If the customer is frustrated they remember the story and share it with their friends and associates as a reminder of what does not work.

Are we supplying enough letters for the clients to win?