The Magic of World Class Service
September 13, 2007
“It’s all in the details” is such a true statement, especially when it comes to events.
And one of the most important details, when it comes to customer service, the deal maker or breaker, is a great attitude. And let me just say, the staff at the hotel for the event I’m helping run this week have really turned on the magic of great customer service. So, I thought now would be a great time to share are a few ideas on how to really wow your customers or clients ala our fabulous experience so far:
1) VIP treatment. Not only are the other three event staff members and I privy to free Starbuck’s at a moment’s notice this week, we’ve been pinned – literally, with gold lapel pins – the mark of the really important people this week. Even though our event is only for about 150 people. But it’s great – for us and for the hotel staff – because it keeps us from complaining even though we are schlepping boxes up and down elevators and throughout a hotel all day and will be running around like chickens with our heads cut off tomorrow. The little things count. Give your clients and customers VIP treatment, and you’ll create customers for life and set yourself apart from the competition.
2) Time. I can’t even begin to tell you how much the gift of time means on a day like today. Rooms that were promised to us by 6 a.m. tomorrow were ready at noon today. A whole 18 hours before contracted, before we’re even paying for them. That means basically everything I needed to do tomorrow is essentially done today. Now instead of a 5:30 wake up call, I can actually sleep tonight. Which goes right back around to them, because I won’t have any excuse for being cranky at them tomorrow. The one thing everyone wants more of is time. Make your products, services, call systems, websites, paperwork - everything - more time-friendly, and your clients and customers will sing your praises.
3) The extra mile. My AV guys stayed long past their regular hours to help me fix a bug (that we had created, no less) on a presenter’s PowerPoint, for one. When I accidentally spilled my first free venti latte all over myself first thing this morning, I barely had to blink and the mess had been cleaned up around me. And a new latte arrived shortly thereafter. An unexpected free lunch was catered to our storage room while we unpacked boxes. The extra mile not just once, but repeatedly and not just from one person, is the sign of a world class organizational culture. One that won’t be quickly forgotten, by me, anyway.
It may sound simple, but in a self-serve, super-center world, excellent customer service is hard to come by. And it makes a difference, not just for clients and customers, but for employees and companies, too. Everyone here seems to like each other. Things seem to work smoothly. It’s like our little four person event staff is just a new member of their team, working to get this event done. It’s not them helping us. It’s all of us working together to pull this off. And that’s really a magical thing to experience.
The Secret to Engaging Your Brain
September 5, 2007
Recently, a nifty little gadget called the Nintendo DS was introduced into my life. I was skeptical at first, I must say. Like many in my generation, I grew up with Mario, Duck Hunt, Zelda, you know, the original Nintendo gang. I had my ventures into PC games, starting with Ski and evolving into hours spent on SimCity, Myst, etc. My dad was an early adopter on most any technology, so it’s always been around. My mom used to have to almost literally pry me away from the computer or gaming system. But somewhere between Excite Bike and now, save the occasional Saturday afternoon with Guitar Hero or SSX, I lost that gaming urge.
Until DS and a neat little game called Brain Age entered into the picture. I will say, it was a not-too-hidden attempt by my boyfriend to seek my approval of the device when we sauntered into the local game shop to pick up the game. But now, here I am again, waiting for my turn spending every spare moment I can testing my prowess on skill tests like Sign Finder (a simple math drill where you have to see how quickly you can give the correct sign in a given equation to a series of problems) and Piano Player (essentially what it sounds like). I even joined the Sudoku obsession with its easy to learn tutorials. The game even offers daily “Brain Age” checks where it gives you an approximation of your brain’s age. And since I’m a total geek, I totally dig it. I try to play every day. So much I’ve logged more hours than my boyfriend (on his own device!) Now, I’m even considering branching out to more play oriented games. I seriously love it. It’s refreshing and exhiliraing to do something for the pure fun of it.
So, what does all this have to do with anything I usually blog about? A lot, it turns out. In grad school, I’ve run across a concept called play theory. Essentially, it looks at the activity and rites that make up play in a lot of different and interesting ways. And there’s a lot of interesting research on the concept.
An organization called the National Institute for Play defines play as: “a state of being that is intensely pleasurable. It energizes and enlivens us. It eases our burdens, renews a natural sense of optimism and opens us up to new possibilities. These wonderful, valuable qualities are just the beginning of what play is.” Peppy though the definition is, they are serious about play, outlining eight patterns of play. Their research is fascinating. They offer interesting perspectives into cases such as that of Charles Whitman, suicidal mass murderer, whose life was has been classified as play deprived - which a committee found to be the leading cause of his eventual horrendous acts. A worst case scenario that illustrates the importance of play in normal human development.
Turns out, play is vital to health, relationships and education according to the institute. And interestingly enough, they also emphasize the value of play in corporate life.
So there you have it. Play. It’s important - for creativity, innovation, ideation, complex thinking, for our brains. It’s more than just taking a break or enjoying a minute of relaxation. It’s an active, conscious, enjoyable process. And it’s healthy - even vital. So go ahead. Play. Don’t feel guilty about picking up the Xbox or digging out your kid’s Lego’s for a half hour or so. You deserve it. And if you just take a few minutes each day for guilt-free, all holds barred play time, your blog, co-workers, work product, family and body will thank you.
Give yourself permission to play.
Does your boss know what you do?
August 28, 2007
As a professional, you should be able to talk about what you do. You should have an elevator speech ready to go, a 15 second sound byte that succinctly summarizes your work and its value. And you should be able to get into cohesive detail and give a full-blown 10 minutes if need be. Knowing how to speak about what you do is an important skill if you want to build your business, land more clients or increase sales.
But it’s also critical if you want to get beyond what you do and enhance your career. Why? Because you need to be able to communicate what you do not just to potential clients or customers. You need to be able to communicate the full scope of your work to your boss (and the people he answers to) as well.
I started thinking about this today when our department was audited. We’re an ISO certified organization, so each year, we have a review of our processes. In the middle of the audit, my boss gave me a call to ask me a question about a project I handle for the department. It was an easy enough answer. But it tuned me in to the open-door conversation going on mere feet away from me about all the projects and tasks and processes that make up the work we do every day.
He was getting barraged by questions that were pretty basic, but listening to my boss talk about my work and that of my co-workers made me realize that he knows a lot about much of what we do. And about other stuff, he’s clueless. I suspect that this is probably the case for a lot of workers. That’s because for many of us, we’re hired to fill a job description, are assigned certain tasks and projects. After time, we take on new tasks, come up with new ideas, evolve the way things are done. So unless your boss is standing over your shoulder to make sure you follow everything the way it was prescribed (hopefully, this isn’t the case), chances are, they don’t know exactly what your job looks like after you’ve been working for a while. Which, if you’re an evolving employee, isn’t really a good thing.
Here’s a few things you’ll have a shot at if you fall into the evolving employee camp and your boss really understands all you do:
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Less work. If your boss sees that you’re drowning in too many projects or tasks but giving it your full effort, they might be able to take things off of your plate or help you prioritize. If you don’t tell them what all you do, chances are, you’ll keep drowning.
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More work. If they see that your plate is too empty, they might be open to you developing new projects or ideas to keep you from floundering. If you never check in, chances are, you’ll be telling everyone that you don’t have enough to do - except the one person who can help you change that.
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Star status. If you’re surrounded by co-workers who acclimate to their tasks and settle down there and choose not evolve their roles, there is a “standard” (be it a poor one) you can set yourself above. So, if your boss knows what you do and doesn’t know what your mediocre co-workers do, you’ll stand out in their mind even more.
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A raise or promotion. If you’ve taken initiative and taken on new things, you’re more likely to receive recognition, perhaps in the form of a raise or promotion, if your boss fully understands the ins and outs of your job beyond what’s written on paper along with the value you add and how much your role has evolved.
For most all of us, this means there’s an unwritten duty in everyone’s job description, and that’s being able to sell yourself and your job to your boss. If you don’t communicate with your boss, chances are, they’re not going to know what your job really is. And before you tell me that paying attention to the work of their employees is a primary function of a manager and you shouldn’t have to bother, I’ll remind you that the best employees aren’t afraid of managing up. If you care about your career, you’ll take responsibility for it. In the end, being proactive and communicating your job to your boss - though it’s not something most of us learn in college - is one of the most valuable skills you can develop.
