Improve My Business

I recently had a very productive call with a client - they wanted to let me know, mid-project, that they would like to see a few things changed.  I was happy to receive the call, and happy to commit to make the changes.  Happy to receive, because the client cared enough about the project and our professional relationship to make it and let me know what was less than perfect to date; and happy to commit to changes because my job, aside from the technical deliverables, is to listen to the client and respond when I can.

When I talked to my team about the changes, one of them took offense that I didn’t defend our actions more strongly, stand up for us more, etc.  He ranted and raved (literally) that the client was [also] in the wrong.  I don’t think he understood the purpose of the call.  The purpose of the call was to let us know how we could serve the client better.  It was NOT to place blame or defend our position.  Let’s look at a restaurant equivalent:

ME:  “Waiter, this soup is a bit cold…”

and the response we want (and what I hope I gave the client) was

WAITER: “Sir/Ma’am, I am so sorry about that - let me fix that right away!”

what my team member seemed to want me to say was

WAITER:  “Sir/Ma’am, you’re mistaken.  Our soup chef monitors the temperature of the soup with a calibrated thermometer and assures me that it was served at the correct temperature per the International Soup Federation’s guidelines.  If you were better educated on the ISF procedures, you’d know that you received it at the correct temperature and adjust your expectations accordingly.”

Now, while the waiter in the second scenario may be technically correct [and our waiter is welcome to privately think these thoughts all they want], his tip is going to be vanishing until he can paste a sincere-looking smile on his face and ’sell’ the first scenario.

Because sometimes, it’s not about being right; it’s about being heard as a customer.

Technorati Tags: customer service

I’ve heard two different stories lately - both of which had me disappointed in the “Top Gun” in the story.

Story 1:  Two departments decide to meet informally to discuss how to deliver a message to their constituents.  Dept #1 invites Dept #2 to “stop by” and have a donut, then discuss the issue.  Dept #2’s new manager, Top Gun, also stops by - and notes who showed up and who didn’t.  TG then confronts an employee who didn’t choose to ’stop by’ in the hallway publicly, literally getting in his face to demand why he didn’t show up for the meeting, and ending with “If I invite you to a meeting, you had BETTER show up next time”.  Employee didn’t even know which meeting TG was referring to, since the invitation was phrased as a ‘drop in’ rather than a mandatory formal meeting…

Story 2:  Top Gun is expecting paperwork from a contractor, and doesn’t get it.  Instead of calling up the contractor and asking where the paperwork is, TG calls the contractor’s head honcho, saying “I’m NOT happy!” and making a huge fuss over the missing paperwork (which had been sent, but not received - email trail shows it had been sent).  Head honcho then reams out contractor, who now has to go work with TG.

In both stories, if the TG had ASKED what is going on, instead of throwing their weight around, the situation would have been SO much better:

#1: “Hey, I noticed  you weren’t at the get together - it was really informative - why did you decide not to attend?”

#2:  “Hey contractor, I haven’t gotten my paperwork - did you send it?  I haven’t received it - could you please resend?”

In both cases, resentment against TG would be non-existent… as opposed to now, when the ‘wronged’ party feels that TG’s reaction was WAY out of proportion, and therefore un-needed, un-wanted, and un-warranted.

Moral of the story?  Ask rather than assume that people are flaunting your authority.  ASK!  Really!  It’ll save a lot of headaches for all concerned…

Technorati Tags: management bully