Why Are So Many Organisations Procrastinating With Their Customer Experience Training?
“ You’ve got to start with the customer experience and work back toward the technology – not the other way around.” Quote from Steve Jobs in May 1997 at a Disney World Wide Development Conference
Procrastination refers to the act of replacing high-priority actions with tasks of lower priority, or doing something from which one derives enjoyment, and thus putting off important tasks to a later time.
I guess in some organisations people procrastinate because they are perfectionists and fear failure. If a project they are working on never gets off the ground, then the chance of error or rejection is eliminated but so is the opportunity for success.
We have come across so many procrastinators over the years in our business that we could write a book on the subject, and it is possibly one of the most frustrating and irritating aspects of our work
The scenario goes a bit like this… management have a meeting and discuss that Customer Experience training should be implemented as a matter of up most importance and urgency. The company has been under performing, sales are down, targets are not being met, and everybody else is undergoing some kind of ‘experience’ training for their management and staff. It seems flavour of the month!
So… with the above in mind, emails are fired off, ideas are bounced around, and contractors called in for first meetings. With no particular goal; the organisation just knows or feels that it is in need of training.
How many times have we seen companies all fired up to start on that journey of the having the greatest of all in Customer experience the meetings go ahead the agencies are called in their droves to meetings where every morsel is chewed over. The team is bombarded with ideas and things to change the organisation.
Several weeks or months down the line, everything is in place and then the bomb shell…. you haven’t actually got a budget put aside, or another department is responsible for the budget and loosely it has been agreed that a budget is available! ‘What not actually committed!!’ Then why are you looking for training, if you clearly have no budget, no idea of budget or more importantly not been given the go ahead from Senior Management. Why are you wasting your time!
You might be surprised to know we have seen some of the most influential organisations in the UK have no idea of their budget at this stage way down the line on their journey. They might as well have run the training in house on their months before and not wasted everyone’s time!
How can your organisation become the best in customer experience if you cannot even focus on getting organised on being the best yourself? Great customer experience can only work if the momentum for it cascades from the top down. You must make careful detailed preparation in advance, including having the budget clearly in mind that you can use quickly and not procrastinate!
Where do you go wrong, why do you run before you can walk?
Did you do your homework? Did you research exactly what you needed and how you were going to implement the changes? Did you have a set goal in mind? Everyone in the team must know the goal inside and out, have you communicated it properly to everyone involved? Are you living and breathing the dream? Without this firm in place you will have no absolutely no chance of being better than your competition!
But do you know the most important and crucial act of all is ‘do it now! Act now! Do not delay!
Action expresses priorities. – Mahatma Gandhi
“There are only two options regarding commitment. You’re either IN or you’re OUT. There is no such thing as life in-between.” Are you in or are you out?
- At August 26, 2013
- By Cheryl Gregory
- In Blog
0
Meetings planned and in the diary, emails sent and phone calls made. You have just completed that hour-long awaited presentation to senior management emphasizing the great importance of implementing a customer experience strategy. Everyone agrees, no protests yet you still don’t get the ‘buy-in’. You seem to have made that ‘wow’ affect during the meeting, at times your management team were on the edge of their seats taking notes, nodding and listening to supporting evidence and quotes you have found from renowned customer experience gurus.
Senior management continue to nod in support as you went through the obligatory PowerPoint presentation, there were no thumbs down or shaking heads of disapproval. Everyone appeared to have agreed to this exciting plan of action.
You really felt that nothing could have gone better? So now with the managements approval; – the customer journey had begun? The management were ‘IN’!
In most cases within our organisations we decide we ‘need’ change when things actually go wrong and we need to find a solution to a problem. How Many times do we come up with great solutions only to find that senior management put the brakes on the idea and stop it in its tracks?
Surely one of the main problems and greatest challenges of all to customer service leaders is not deciding that they need to improve and that they can improve, it is having the support to make this customer experience a reality to live and breathe the dream to be ‘IN’
So many organisations think it is “just one more thing to do.”
Do your team prove that training should be integrated into their current processes and drive improvements in customer interactions that would make everyone’s job easier, not harder? Cheaper, not more expensive?
Do you find the ability to really find the difference in the customer experience process is constantly held back by the decision makers higher up the chain of command?
What are your views on breaking down the barriers of red tape, policies, politics and rules in your organisation so that you can see the clear gain in your customer experience, measurements, feedback strategy, alignment and much more?
Take a Leaf Out Of My 12 Year Old Daughter’s Blog and Send Your Customer Experience Soaring!
- At August 15, 2013
- By Cheryl Gregory
- In Blog, Customer Experiences
- 0
My 12 year old daughter Tolmeia – alias ‘Tolly Dolly Posh’ is a Fashion Blogger. Yes she is only 12, and yes she blogs a lot and it is her own work! Check it out here.
Today the fruits of her success are written in an article in the Daily Telegraph dated 16th March 2013. ‘Wow’ at this young age that is pretty amazing and cool too!
You may ask why I am writing about her under the guise of Customer Experience, well I have realised that everything she talks about and everything she does in life is towards one goal; to be the best, the very best, to create a ‘wow’ and ‘rule the world’.
Since an early age, I have inspired my children to take every idea no matter how impossible they might seem and ‘dream’. The greatest ideas and success on business as in life can come from reaching out to the places where our conscious minds tell us things ‘can’t be done’.
Hear Radio 4’s PM programme interview Tolly on 23 March.
I have given my children the attitude to believe that nothing is impossible.
It is for this reason I am writing to share with you some really useful ideas and tips that if taken on board with send your Customer Experience not only soaring but to a new level that will surpass even your most ferocious rivals.
- Be Passionate – ‘TollyDollyPosh’ has a passion for everything she does, she is completely 100% committed to everything. Customers can tell a fake a mile off. If you do not have that real passion and commitment for your business, they won’t either – for sure.
- Celebrate success and loyalty big time. Tolly celebrates every win-win situation; she congratulates others and herself with great panache. Will your Customer’s still love you tomorrow? Loyalty demands consistency and participation at every level of your company.
- Accept Responsibility – Tolly has an intense love, and takes the responsibly of her blog seriously. Her readers are her responsibly and as such she cares for all of them. Customers need to feel loved and cherished; does your business have the commitment and responsibly to really care?
- Search, Tell and Publish Great Stories – Tolly is continually and consistently recalling her adventures in her blog. If you retell the great adventures in your business, tell consumers of your great products and story-tell your successes; you will open the gate for new connections and customers who will follow you to discover the next instalment.
- Involve your Customers and followers – Tolly has a constant following and truly involves them, asking for feedback and ideas that she can use to her benefit and those of her followers. Get your customers involved in new products and initiatives. Do not just reflect back the feedback they give afterwards. Involve them at every stage of the journey. Be creative in the ways you involve your customers.
- Think outside the box – Tolly is never afraid to think outside the realms of the norm. Whether it is in an outfit she creates or a company she decides to approach. She has the ‘guts’ to go ahead. Do the unusual with your Customers; do not be afraid to push the boundaries of what should be done. Go ahead and try it anyway!
And what you may ask is the purpose of sharing with you my daughter’s experiences? Well, I have the believe that the most important thing any adult can do for their child, or any leader or manager can do for his/her employees, any event can do for its audience is to inspire them; to share their passion and demonstrate how you can use it to create the greatest Customer Experience they can muster! Are you passing on this passion?
If you would like help to get your Customer Experience ‘soaring’, email me at cheryl.gregory@thecustomersshoes.com
How To Deliver That Perfect Phone Experience….
- At August 15, 2013
- By Cheryl Gregory
- In Blog
- 0
“The purpose of coaching is to produce behavioural change and growth in the coachee for the economic benefit of the client.” – Harvard Business School
The future of phone coaching is considerably bigger than you imagine. Like everything in our lives, along with the incredible changes in technology distance learning opportunities are becoming increasingly vast! You may be surprised to realise that nearly all business coaching is in fact done over the phone.
Phone coaching is often more efficient than face-to-face support; your staff need not take any time out of the office or away from their own desk for that matter. They need not be stuck in traffic on the motorway, late for the telephone skills course that actually they were a little reluctant to get up early for and attend.
Phone coaching can be less expensive, as its reach to clients is as infinite as the internet itself; phone coaching has few barriers either by organisation or country. We are as at home coaching a client in New York City as we are speaking with employees in Australia.
Just as a sports coach trains an individual in physical activity, phone coaches play a significant role in the mental activity of your team; enter http://www.myphonecoach.co.uk
Whenever the phone rings in your organisation are your staff eager to diligently offer information about your company, service or product? To answer any questions with ease and provide the simple extra touches that show your customer that they care?
The way you answer your calls sets the stage for your customer’s experience with you. Often it can seem like a chore just being nice in your ever over scheduled day, but effective coaching can help you discover how easy it really is to apply effective skills and techniques.
It makes no difference who the phone caller is, in the first instance this communication tool is your showcase, it is essential to know how to perform efficiently, effectively, immediately. The minute the call is answered the curtain is up, the stage set and the act begins.
To reinforce your brand through this vital customer touch point and provide that all important repetition necessary to inspire repeat purchasing decisions or return customers visit our new service at http://www.myphonecoach.co.uk
If You Aren’t Totally Bananas About Tumblr – Don’t Bother Working For Them!
- At August 12, 2013
- By Cheryl Gregory
- In Blog, Culture
- 0
This is surely one of those ‘ Fabulous’ companies that really seem to have got the Customer and Employee Experience right – more than right; great, innovative, fun to work for, exciting – from the time you walk through the door to the time you leave at the end of each day, a dream job!
‘Tumblr ‘is a household name with a well-loved product, recognised worldwide. The amount of people who use Tumblr is rapidly growing and the company is ever ready to take on the challenge of ‘massive’.
Tumblr has really taken on a role that is quite unique in order to improve the Customer Experience – ‘Evangelism’. They take on employees that will follow them to share, promote, live and breathe the wonders of Tumblr. You have to be completely passionate about Tumblr, even to the extent that at interview the candidates are asked to do a presentation pitching Tumblr in front of the interviewers.
What this customer focussed brand is looking for is the unique passion and slightly weird unusualness of the prospective employee, a zest for life and love of the product. This uniqueness makes a person a fit for Tumblr.
The employees are treated second to none and the perks are over and way beyond the call of duty. From the refrigerator covered in art work in the office, to the corporate healthcare, to the away days of fun. Trust and loyalty play an integral and critical part in the company’s agenda and approach to their staff, and staff training in order to deliver a great employee experience.
The difference between organisations who live and breathe employee and customer experience excellence, and those who are indifferent, bland and portray mediocrity really lies in one critical distinction – the willingness, drive and passion to always go that extra mile and exceed all expectations in everything they do.
Organisations must take that step forward and be ‘extraordinary’. After all, ordinary efforts produce ordinary results. Whether you are the managing director, director, team leader or a team player, those that achieve sustainable success, do everything humanly possible to continually offer more and a better employee and customer experience, increasing value and a exceptional ‘stage performance, to exceed all expectations.
Take a few minutes to reconsider how you can redeliver a fun, enjoyable and engaging experience in your organisation, it will be a fantastic and rewarding experience not only for your employees but your customer loyalty too!