All of us have had the experience of 'stony-faced' customer service at some time or another - the kind of service where you feel you are doing them a favour rather than the other way around.
We tend to view such experiences as negative for us, the consumer, and they are - such experiences could easily influence our purchasing or customer loyalty habits in a negative way. The impact of this alone on the business in question could be enormous - but on closer inspection the overall cost could be even higher than at first thought.
The power of a smile extends beyond the customer service experience offering of an individual - in fact it influences their all round performance, as well as the attitude and performance of those around them. Smiling in front of customers will enhance the value of each customer experience transaction, but smiling in general will create a deeper cultural benefit throughout a team and business environment.
It pays for managers to monitor not only the customer facing "smile index" across their team - but also the number of times they smile themselves, the number of times they make their team smile, and the number of smiles that are exchanged between team members.
We may spend hours and hours researching ways to improve performance by just 1 or 2 per cent - but have we overlooked the power of a smile and the positive impact on performance that can be delivered by a happy team? The benefits are obvious when we start to think about it, for example, people who smile are viewed as more approachable and as a result both their customers & their colleagues will be drawn to them. Also, when we smile it puts us (and those around us) in a better mood because smiling is contagious and can relieve tension. And an added benefit is that people who smile a lot are seen as positive, confident, successful people who are often mistaken for being much younger than they actually are!
So next time we review our business plans for 2011 we should remember to include the power of a smile - it could be a key ingredient of our success.
Wednesday 29 December 2010
Tuesday 28 December 2010
Is There Enough Fuel in the Tank?
I remember my dad teaching me an acronym which he used to prepare our family car for any long journey we were about to make - POWER. It stood for Petrol, Oil, Water, Electrics & Rubber - and he would take time to faithfully check each of these areas on the vehicle to ensure we had a hassle free trip.
Cars have changed a lot in the last few decades, in general they are far safer and much more reliable, so nowadays all we tend to concern ourselves with before we embark upon a journey is whether there is enough fuel in the tank to get us to the nearest filling station!
This 'instant' approach to motoring is replicated in many other walks of life. For example, we never worry any more whether restaurants will be open - most of them serve food all day long; we no longer panic about getting to the shops before they close - many are open 24 hours a day. These developments have eased our stress in some ways - but maybe the mindset generated as a result has increased stress & pressure in other areas of our life.
As we embark upon the 'journey' ahead of us in 2011, are we as well prepared as my dad used to be for our family holiday? Have we taken time to check all the component parts of the 'vehicle' that will get us to our destination, or are we setting off in the hope that there is a filling station just around the corner?
Now is a good time to consider our performance checklist to make sure we POWER to success in 2011.
Personal development
Ownership
Will to succeed
Energy & enthusiasm
Relationships
Is there enough 'fuel in the tank' to get where we want to go, and to achieve our goals in 2011? We may need to spend a lot of time, effort & energy re-fueling others as we progress through the year - but have we got a strong, dependable & effective plan for re-fueling ourselves? It could be a very short trip if we don't!
Cars have changed a lot in the last few decades, in general they are far safer and much more reliable, so nowadays all we tend to concern ourselves with before we embark upon a journey is whether there is enough fuel in the tank to get us to the nearest filling station!
This 'instant' approach to motoring is replicated in many other walks of life. For example, we never worry any more whether restaurants will be open - most of them serve food all day long; we no longer panic about getting to the shops before they close - many are open 24 hours a day. These developments have eased our stress in some ways - but maybe the mindset generated as a result has increased stress & pressure in other areas of our life.
As we embark upon the 'journey' ahead of us in 2011, are we as well prepared as my dad used to be for our family holiday? Have we taken time to check all the component parts of the 'vehicle' that will get us to our destination, or are we setting off in the hope that there is a filling station just around the corner?
Now is a good time to consider our performance checklist to make sure we POWER to success in 2011.
Personal development
Ownership
Will to succeed
Energy & enthusiasm
Relationships
Is there enough 'fuel in the tank' to get where we want to go, and to achieve our goals in 2011? We may need to spend a lot of time, effort & energy re-fueling others as we progress through the year - but have we got a strong, dependable & effective plan for re-fueling ourselves? It could be a very short trip if we don't!
"Straight Down the Fairway"
Any golfers out there will immediately recognise this phrase as the words they focus on as they prepare to tee off. It is an obvious goal - but it is not always easy to achieve!
Even the smallest deviation of the golf club at point it makes impact with the golf ball will send the ball anywhere but straight down the fairway. A fraction of a millimetre at point of contact could become 20 or 30 yards to either the left or the right by the time the ball has finished its journey. After that the next shot becomes more difficult - and if a good recovery cannot be achieved - the one after is more difficult still, and so it goes on.
Before all you amateur golfers begin re-living that worst ever round of your life, and you non-golfers begin to lose interest, allow me to make application of this analogy to performance management in the workplace.
Traditionally at this time of year many new plans are unveiled and communicated down from senior managers, through the hierarchy, and on towards the front line staff. Similar to that initial tee shot on the golf course, this communication needs to be hit 'straight down the fairway' to have the best chance of success as the year rolls on. Even the slightest deviation at this early stage will lead to a much bigger margin of error later on - and a very difficult recovery plan may be required which will put more pressure on the business than would have been the case had the initial communication been delivered more successfully.
To lay the best possible foundation for success it is imperative that every manager in an organisation provides a consistent, coherent and crystal clear message, that does not deviate from the strategy, goals and aims that underpin the original plan.
How confident are we that everyone in our management structure will communicate in this way to their teams? As our plans for 2011 are cascaded, either over recent weeks or in the coming weeks, can we be absolutely certain that every 'tee shot' in our business travels 'straight down the fairway'?
Even the smallest deviation of the golf club at point it makes impact with the golf ball will send the ball anywhere but straight down the fairway. A fraction of a millimetre at point of contact could become 20 or 30 yards to either the left or the right by the time the ball has finished its journey. After that the next shot becomes more difficult - and if a good recovery cannot be achieved - the one after is more difficult still, and so it goes on.
Before all you amateur golfers begin re-living that worst ever round of your life, and you non-golfers begin to lose interest, allow me to make application of this analogy to performance management in the workplace.
Traditionally at this time of year many new plans are unveiled and communicated down from senior managers, through the hierarchy, and on towards the front line staff. Similar to that initial tee shot on the golf course, this communication needs to be hit 'straight down the fairway' to have the best chance of success as the year rolls on. Even the slightest deviation at this early stage will lead to a much bigger margin of error later on - and a very difficult recovery plan may be required which will put more pressure on the business than would have been the case had the initial communication been delivered more successfully.
To lay the best possible foundation for success it is imperative that every manager in an organisation provides a consistent, coherent and crystal clear message, that does not deviate from the strategy, goals and aims that underpin the original plan.
How confident are we that everyone in our management structure will communicate in this way to their teams? As our plans for 2011 are cascaded, either over recent weeks or in the coming weeks, can we be absolutely certain that every 'tee shot' in our business travels 'straight down the fairway'?
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)