Tilting Towards Windmills!

"The Quixotes of this Age fight with the Wind-mills of their owne Heads."
John Cleveland

Just then they came in sight of thirty or forty windmills that rise from that plain. And no sooner did Don Quixote see them that he said to his squire, "Fortune is guiding our affairs better than we ourselves could have wished. Do you see over yonder, friend Sancho, and thirty or forty hulking giants? I intend to do battle with them and slay them. With their spoils we shall begin to be rich for this is a righteous war and the removal of so foul a brood from off the face of the earth is a service God will bless."

"What giants?" asked Sancho Panza.

"Those you see over there," replied his master, "with their long arms. Some of them have arms well nigh two leagues in length."

"Take care, sir," cried Sancho. "Those over there are not giants but windmills. Those things that seem to be their arms are sails which, when they are whirled around by the wind, turn the millstone."
Cervantes' Don Quixote

In this “automated world” There are some things that have to be done by hand. I like things that are hand crafted not matter if it is new or old as I know it has that Human touch. With all of its beauty and “Craftsmanship” there are things, flaws and imperfections that make it that way.
Take a task I must run each day. I understand that it is supposed to be scheduled and run automatically but things being what they are, I must do this one myself.
If I can I run it from home (on my way out the door) and off to work I go! Some times this cannot be done and is the first thing I do each day.
The Customer, Jorge (not his name) sends an e-mail upset that the “temporary fix just does not work and we are not doing anything about it!” HAHAHA! I am the fix for now (can I go home since I do not work?)
I work! I am getting e-mails now after I run the task, saying it doesn’t work and I send Jorge the e-mail telling him to check the process.
Oh how I want to send this instead.
Hey how is it you , you missed me running this thing? Go look it is there! So calls us and be rude again, I really like it when you attempt to have each of us feel small and cheap. But being a professional I don’t
Dealing with rudeness is difficult at best. But once something goes wrong or not done right on time (Stuff happens) This, they do not want to hear.
I had a Death in my family not too long ago. I missed some time from work and a project I was working on was left to sit for 3 days. I was the owner of the ticket and management would not allow the job to someone else.
I got back to work and contacted my customer (a man much like Jorge) and explained the situation. He did not acknowledge why I was not right on the task, just that the task was not completed. This taught me not to go fishing for empathy and makes for akwardness when haveing to dispence some when needed.
We get calls from clients that have the same situation and Empathy flows like water. We train on it we practice it. We do our level best to identify with our customer so they feel better about the product and us as technicians ( note that I did not say individuals).
We do it because it is the Human thing to do! It helps to alleviate stress on the caller’s part. Helps them learn to look at a situation before calling it a problem. We feel better in the process.
Then there is Jorge! We all have one. That one customer devoid of empathy, or any concept of understanding.
The problem is "The Quixotes of this Age fight with the Wind-mills of their owne Heads." By Hollering at technology Created by Humans yelling at machines doing things for Humans that get yelled at by humans for being Humans.
I love irony!

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.

Hey, It's not my job!

This is a story about four people named Everybody, Somebody, Anybody, and Nobody.

There was an important job to be done and Everybody was asked to do it. Everybody was sure Somebody would do it. Anybody could have done it, but Nobody did it.

Somebody got angry about that, because it was Everybody's job. Everybody thought Anybody could do it but Nobody realized that Everybody wouldn't do it.

It ended up that Everybody blamed Somebody when Nobody did what Anybody could have done.
Source: www.comedy-zone.net

Who’s job is it? All of ours. When we need to get to the bottom of an issue, it is not abnormal to go to Client services or sales to get an answer and communicate the information you received back to the customer. I have led Sales to new clients or added services to a customers program. This is not unusual, as this is how teams work together. The 4 people in the above story remind me of places I have worked at in the past. Where everyone knew it wasn’t their job.

From Frankenstein to customers with smiles

One of the ways you can get a better reaction from an upset or unreasonable customer is to smile, When you smile it can and is translated over the phone. When I answer I always ask, “how are you today?” They in turn out of courtesy ask how are you? I replay in general “Just right” which is to say I am the best that I am no matter how I feel because the powers that be will me that way. I am always just right. This takes some back and gives the smile half a chance. When I then smile (sometimes explaining what I meant) they lighten up. I may have explained this before but it is worth repeating.
If we are all serious and not in a receptive mood they are less likely to open up with the details of a problem. If we treat them the way they want to treat us we will all be out of a job. They have the right to be upset. We have the duty to offset that feeling. I am pleased to announce most of the time it works.
With those who don’t react to the smile? I suggest reason, Tact and possibly a good laxative. Because if they are sour to you after all that? they are that way to everyone. We have only one chance to make the first impression. We have a lifetime to pay for a bad one. I HAVE PISSED OFF SOME OF THE BEST!
BUT, I have made welcome some of the hardest to please.
Can we make customers get better service? When they call and wait for a solution, do you really have the time to look at the issue? Weather you want to or not you should. If it will be long and protracted I would say let me look this over and call you right back to let you know what I found. If you work on their schedule they like that. Only the really Died in the wool Hardnose will insist on waiting for you to track a long protracted issue down (there are a few of those around but not many).
Can we build a better customer? Yes we can. By giving enough vent time, by being polite and giving alternatives when faced with how it can be done. Always be a point of authority (expert in your field)
But most of all listen. Most of the time they have a question the answer is within that question.
There is never a stupid question, They are not illiterate (some say that they are) I tell them we know they are not and just haven’t been informed of the nuances of the program yet. This is a big help to those who struggle.
Here is a checklist
Let the customer help you provide the best possible service
Teach them how to get it by letting them know when is the best time to call (Don’t make them rehash a problem until they get mad) and what to describe when the get that error.
If you smile they smile back and if you are polite they in turn will be too (a common courtesy) Treat them like you would your parents. This will make it a lot easier to get the work done.
Explain how we do things. (We do not have the best system of getting the work done but we are making adjustments all the time.) If they don’t understand how we get it done they become confused and frustrated at best and angry at the very worst. Once they understand that we have a method of getting things don and that those methods work. The better they will think of us and the process works for them too.

For more read Customers for life by Carl Sewll