Friday, April 12, 2013

Reverse Networking

One of the things I'm pretty good at is people watching.  I do it constantly - not in a creepy way - but because it can very interesting, comical, and teach me about the differences in people and how to better read, get along, and work with them.

My biggest "pet peeve" in people watching, comes from the people that aren't consistent in their greetings.  It's most prevalent in the work setting.  These people are very approachable and attentive when it comes to their bosses or their bosses bosses.  But they pay virtually no attention to the people "below" them or the people they don't know.  This is what I call reverse networking.

When we network, we're trying to build our contacts, often not knowing how we'll relate with a person in the future.  So think about it.  How do you know if the next person you pass is going to end up being your next boss or not?  And you didn't even take a moment - a second - to acknowledge them.  Hmmm . . . too bad for you.  Reverse networking.

It doesn't take much energy to say, "good morning".  It doesn't take much energy to smile.  In fact, it takes less energy to smile then it does to frown.  True fact.  And not to mention, it's just plain common courtesy.

Problem is nowadays, courtesy is just not that common anymore.  But you know what?  Smiles are contagious.  If more people start with just a simple smile, before we know it, it's going to become common again.

Thursday, April 4, 2013

Baby Service Steps

Simple question . . . How many successful organizations do you know of that
don't have some kind of customer service program for their employee's?  I'd be willing to guess, not many.

Take a look at such company's as, Disney, Zappo's, FedEx, and Wegmans (grocery chain).  These organizations are ranked at or near the top in customer service every year.  They all have customer service programs of some form.

We often hear the same things, "We already give good service", "We don't get many complaints".  Well why wouldn't you want to give "extraordinary" service or get even less complaints?

If nothing else, a CS program serves as a reminder to employee's to do even better than they are already.  It provides people with reminders and fresh ideas.  It turns those little light bulbs on . . . or back on.

Start thinking about it today.  Start small and grow from there.  It doesn't need to be extravagant - email reminders/ideas, newsletters, pre-work meetings, shared stories of "wow" service.  Do any of this and you're well on your way to better service.