Meanwhile back at the woodshed…He got his comeuppins…

I was taken back the other day when a client called my boss and reported that I was short with her and she felt I was talking down to her. Now I am one to call a spade a spade (only if it is a card) and a shovel a shovel. Needless to say this has prompted me to re-think some practices and how to develop, a more sincere and empathetic approach to callers. I am adding improved customer satisfaction to my anual goals and hope I can get the "Right Feedback" from this and other clients. I have been keen to point out problems with calls and take little notice of my own ( even my ego gets in the way) I am not that great negative feed back) and really take it to heart when someone becomes upset over the way things are. I am Blunt, honest and straight forward in dealing with customers. I want the same from anyone I deal with, but I should go easy on BLUNT. So what have I learned? That feedback is good, Opinion matters (see my previous posts!)
My point is that collecting customer feedback isn’t just about finding out what your customers are unhappy about–instead, it’s about gaining a better understanding of what your customers want, need and care about most in order to create more and lasting value for them.

And, if you do happen to receive some negative comments along the way, don’t take them personally. Instead, view that feedback as an opportunity to improve. As Bill Gates, chairman and founder of Microsoft, once said, “Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning”. And he’s right. Talking to your customers and listening to their feedback is the only means through which you can gain clarity about what’s most important to them. Plus, if you listen closely, it may even show you where and how to gain a competitive advantage and retain that customer and more.

Thanks to http://blog.allegiance.com/ for a few words and inspiration.

Garage Wars.. The Saga Continues!

We last left our hero battling the insurance company with nothing more than this blog and a sharp whit.
They caved in and sent a paltry sum for the items that burnt up and let me start with the contractor selection. We found the one we wanted and with all the paper work submitted I am Pleased to announce the demolition started this morning. I can’t wait to see what else will happen. There is much planning in the works and some cash to take care of it plus I squeezed a little more out of the evil dominion of the insurance company.
I know that there will be more excitement when they take their time to pay out but waiting is becoming commonplace with us. I don’t like being a pain in the ass but having all this customer service experience is paying off handsomely, you see I can be a good customer that rolls over when the cheats say so or be as stubborn as hell when I desire. I desire a lot. I demand a lot too. When you are met with someone like myself what do you do? If you have been following the story here I hope that you have learned a thing or two about the customer experience. How we treat them is as important as how we face their issue.
If you greet them with contempt they hate you from the first words and there is no recovery from that. If they become annoyed with the process (just not moving as fast as they like) and it is within your control to stick a fire under the department that is handling the issue do it and make a star out of yourself. We do this at home, so why not at work?
Whining won’t help! We have some clients that call in , they have an issue that requires special assistance, they get upset that it cannot be resolved over the phone and will have to wait (sound familiar?) you handle the call then dispatch the issue to where they will get the assistance they need. They in turn call the person responsible for the product and tell them “I don’t think they (us) are taking my problem seriously and the are blowing me off. The fact of the matter is you are doing exactly what you are supposed to do and everything that can be done is being done…just not right now. As they demand. I worry about these people! They can make life difficult, but the are at the same time making the problem more difficult for themselves by saying to their supervisor I don’t feel important enough. When they find out the solution is a whole system wide detail and involve more than their issue and would be best served in a complete solution (not a partial one) they have just placed egg on their faces and feel the fool. Now they really hate you for doing your job. I go home each day confident that I have done all I can do to please these people, that is all I can do. They go out of their way to make it harder to do what you do, in the long run have made them selves tired by making more work causing trouble for everyone involved. My recent experience is no exception, I am tired of the fighting but in order for my family to get what was ours back in good working order and as nice as it once was. I have to fight and yell to the windmills in order to accomplish what I need done. So have I walked in these customers shoes? Do I know their frustration? Can I be of better service to them? Yes!

To be Committed or be Committed

Often I wonder about commitment and duty and why we do things as we do?
Me, I work all hours and from getting up in the morning to just before going to bed and that work place comes to mind. I dread (sometimes) getting up at 2:50 am. Waiting for the phone call "that" never comes until I decide it is safe to hit the snooze button. But I do it anyway.
I do it because the job demands it and it pays me well enough so only my wife would complain about the hours.
When I was in the auto industry I started down the” he needs to be committed” path, I would get to work at six to be open at seven, work until break time (about 10 or so) Then work through lunch because no one was there to answer the phone. My shop always had coffee, a clean desk someone to make appointments and take customers cars earlier than before. I would get a snack for lunch and back at it. I stayed late to detail cars or sound guard them (paid extra) and had time to work on my own car. Little wonder why I do hours no lunches and stay later than I should to this day.
I work with great people who aren’t old enough to remember desperate times. When they were in diapers I was washing cars in the cold and getting scared when they announced another lay-off at the local steel mill.
With the economy being what it is there are some lessons to be learned. Lessons I was taught a long time ago and have made me the raving lunatic you see before you today.
Lesson one. You have a job, better do it, or some other person will and then you don’t have one
Lesson two. You need to be good at what you do or you will learn lesson one.
Lesson three. Just because you have a job does not mean you won’t keep it. A better opportunity may arise, but don’t ever count on what you haven’t got .
Lesson four. If you are not a Doctor, Lawyer or Mortician you might get to learn lessons 1,2 and 3 as they are never out of work!

My Father always said ”Hard work was it’s own reward” I guess it paid off because he started his career digging ditches, he retired from his company selling the very ditches he dug so many years before.
Me I thought I started servicing cars I found out that I service people instead. I get up to work with some of the best people on the planet (no wait… I mean our customers) and to that extent the staff here as well.
We may have different views on work and life, how it is done and how it should be done. Don’t learn the lessons I learned the same way. I do things the hard way because that is how they should be done. I do things the long way as it gives me stability, step by step along the way the job gets done and when it is done right I feel good about what I have done.
Crazy? You bet! Committed? Yes! Should I be? YES!! I love what I do and as My Grandfather said “If you love what you do, Then you will never work a day in your life”.