BizCustoms.com » Contributors

Unintended Effects on Customer Service

Posted by Barbara Jones on July 30, 2008 – 10:01 am -

BizCustoms views customer service as one of the ways a business practices business etiquette. BizCustoms recently asked to customer service experts, Bob Hettel and Danny O’Malia to describe for us the unintended effects short term planning can have on customer service.

by Bob Hettel, Owner, Searchlight Solutions:

Short term planning almost always has long term implications. Take the cuts that many companies are currently making. Companies are looking to cut staff and improve the bottom line. Many of these cuts are being made in so called “administrative” positions. While this may look good to a company’s bottom line today what impact will this have on your customers? What impact will it have on the remaining staff? Often this impact will take months to become evident. It can show up in decreased morale, increased turnover and ultimately in decreased business.

Take Circuit City as an example, in order to cut costs they decided to let go 3,400 of their highest paid staff. This looked great on paper – these people were doing the same job as their lower paid counterparts. In reality they let go some of their most experience and best trained staff. As a result, customers did not receive the service they need. Customers began defecting to the competition who had better trained staff who could better serve their customers needs. As a result sales dropped and the financial picture got worse, not better, not to mention the PR nightmare this created.

As Circuit City has shown, the long term implications of short term planning can dramatically affect your business in many ways but none is more critical then how your customers are affected.

by Danny O’Malia, Chief Customer Service Officer, Trustpointe

Short term planning is almost always disastrous when it comes to Customer Service. Giving good service requires CONSTANT attention and emphasis to the topic of customer service. When companies think in the short term, customer service gets short shrift. It’s not part of the company’s culture—it’s a mere afterthought or platitude.

Want a specific? Let’s talk about product availability in the grocery business. Short term thinking (prevalent in larger, publicly traded companies) demands strict attention to keeping inventory levels at the lowest possible level—especially when that dreaded quarterly inventory comes around. So pressure is brought to bear on Store Managers and Department Heads to lower inventory to levels that will cause excessive (and maddening) out of stock conditions.

The short term result FOR THE COMPANY? Because inventory levels are temporarily low, profits look good. Shareholders are happy (for now).

The short term result FOR THE CUSTOMER? He/she must go to another store to find the product(s). He/ she is probably angry. He/ she is likely to buy more than that one product at the new store. And, since the new store HAD the product, he/ she is more likely to switch his/ her shopping pattern.

The long term result for the company? Likely a loss of a CURRENT customer. Since, to quote Dick Shcaaf, “The best customer is the one you already have,” short term thinking and planning and policy are anathema to Customer Service. And very damaging to the long term BOTTOM LINE as well! And that will lead, in the long term, do dissatisfied shareholders.

A Simple Handshake Isn’t Simple

Posted by Barbara Jones on June 23, 2008 – 6:35 am -

An interview with Mary Starvaggi, The Etiquette Advantage

Mary Starvaggi (The Etiquette Advantage) has been an etiquette consultant for 17 years. BizCustoms sought her advice on the subject of handshake etiquette.

BC: Mary, why are handshakes such a concern in business situations?

MS: For a simple gesture, handshakes can be very confusing. I get a great many questions from both men and women about when handshakes are appropriate. In fact, handshake etiquette has changed over time as more women have entered the professional workforce. In business, a handshake is always appropriate and necessary for both men and women.

We are equally at fault in creating this confusion through differences in our behavior in business and social situations. Men do not make a distinction between business and social situations when shaking hands. They are more apt to extend their hand and give a firm handshake in every situation than women are. Socially, however, men rarely extend their hand to a woman first. They wait for her to make the first move and respond accordingly.

Women do make a distinction between business and social situations when shaking hands, but they shouldn’t. In their personal lives, women usually don’t shake hands automatically, if at all. When a woman is introduced to another woman in a social situation there is often no handshake. When I am with my husband and we are introduced to another couple it often happens that both the men will shake his hands, but not the women. However, I always shake both of their hands. This carries over into business situations where women sometimes shake hands and sometimes don’t.

BC: What sorts of questions do you get on this subject in your workshops?

MS: In one of my recent programs, a young professional woman said she had experienced a situation in which a male corporate manager shook the hands of male colleagues but not hers. She wasn’t sure how to interpret this or what to do. It is always appropriate for a young professional woman (or man for that matter) to shake hands. Often men, especially those of an older generation, are confused by the changes in the corporate culture that they have witnessed during their careers. This man may not be sure he still knows what is appropriate. He may wish to avoid giving offense or he may have concerns about sexual harassment.

“The essence of etiquette is to put others at ease” so I advised her, “You make the first move. Extend your hand because you are a professional and you know it is the right thing to do. He will probably shake your hand graciously in response.”

As soon as I finished this response a senior executive in his mid 50s spoke up to say he appreciated having all of this clarified. He said he was just not sure what the appropriate protocol was because so many things including laws have changed. In his position he wants and needs to make the right choices regarding professionalism.

BC: How do you recommend handshakes be done?

MS: Handshake must be firm; if the hand you are offered is not firm push your hand in further and lock thumbs to create a firm grip. Avoid “vice” grips or overly firm handshakes. These as well as a handshake that covers the top of the hand may be an attempt to dominate. Gentlemen, do not grab fingertips, grasp the entire hand. Ladies, return a handshake firmly rather than offering a limp one.

Handshakes have other uses as well. For instance, someone is walking toward you. You have no clue about the name but remember the face. Just extend your hand, say your own name, and wait expectantly, basically reintroducing yourself. (“Hello, Mary Starvaggi…” with outstretched hand.) Yes, they might think you can’t recall their name but it is a graceful way out of an awkward situation and usually they state their name in return.

Talking about handshakes always brings up the subject of hugs. Handshakes work better than hugs in professional situations, even with close friends. A hug is for personal relationships or strong connections. If you see a hug approaching and want to deflect it extend your hand for a handshake. A warm greeting is still possible without hugging.

BC: Any closing words of advice?

MS: A firm handshake does nothing but say “Confidence!” A weak or limp handshake says “I am not professionally confident” or “I have a weak self-image.” A good firm handshake is appropriate for both men and women in every business and social situation. It is also one of the three main parts of an introduction as well as vital in creating a positive first impression.

BC: Thank you for this excellent advice. Where can people reach you with questions?

MS: Questions are always welcome. Write to me at mlstarvaggi@fuse.net.

Do the Right Thing - Return That Call! NOW!

Posted by Barbara Jones on May 27, 2008 – 12:32 pm -

by Danny O’Malia, Chief Customer Service Officer, Trustpointe

To give great customer service, a company must build a CULTURE OF SERVICE. That’s what the late Joe O’Malia did at O’Malia’s. That culture of service must permeate everything throughout the company. And IT STARTS AT THE TOP. If the boss sets the tone, everyone else will follow. If not, you know how that turns out!

And one of the basic tenets of building a great customer service culture is to teach everyone to return every phone call or e-mail. Not just to return it but to return it UNBELIEVABLY FAST. Because it’s the right thing to do. And because you’ll be one of the few companies doing it, which is truly sad. I don’t know how often I returned a call from a customer in my days at O’Malia’s and the first reaction was, “I can’t believe you actually called me back!” or “Thanks for calling back so quickly!”

How many times have you, as a customer, been ignored when you called a business? What has your reaction been? I get angry and then I tell lots of other people, “Brighthouse failed to return my call!” See? I just did it again!

When a business returns a call in a timely and helpful manner, it’s done the right thing. It can learn a great deal about how it’s doing for its customers. If the call is a complaint, it’s an OPPORTUNITY to “make lemonade out of lemons;” that increases customer loyalty. And it enhances its CULTURE OF SERVICE. How’s your business at making sure EVERYONE returns EVERY call? If you don’t know, you’d better find out!

Want to find out more? Call Danny at 317-845-0041!

What is “Business Casual?”

Posted by Barbara Jones on May 15, 2008 – 10:32 am -

by Amy Woodall, owner of Image Savvy and Professional Image Consultant.

That is probably the most common question I am asked as an Image Consultant. I hate the term. No wonder everyone is so confused. On one hand we have “business” which most people understand quite well. It usually consists of a suit and tie for men and a suit or skirt/blazer combo for women. Then we have “casual” and that is where we get into trouble. Everyone has a different idea about what “casual” actually is. My idea is jeans and a nice shirt with heels, other people thinks it’s a t-shirt and jeans with sneakers and some believe “casual” to be pajama pants and an oversized sweatshirt. So we combine the two words “business” and “casual” and we have a crazy combination. Let me clarify how we should address this issue. First examine your profession. What does a look like? Next think of your clients. What do they look like? Now how about the company you work for? What is their image? Then dress accordingly.

When it comes to “business casual” just remember less casual and almost all business. So men lose the tie and keep the suit. You can even mix and match jackets and pants but please NO GOLF SHIRTS! For us women it doesn’t change much. Play with color and mixing and matching while still looking professional. Wardrobe can be quite hard to figure out and that is why I stay in business. Never under estimate the power of dress. We wear who we are on the outside……..so what is your clothing saying about you?

Amy Woodall can be reached at amy@imagesavvyindy.com

Facing an Angry Mob

Posted by Barbara Jones on April 25, 2008 – 4:13 pm -

Sometimes the news is bad. The ability to give bad news with grace and dignity is among the most valuable communication skills anyone can acquire. It is the ultimate expression of respect for others and respect for others is the driving force behind etiquette.

by Peggy West, CEBS, Director of Compensation and Benefits, Formica Corporation

FACING AN ANGRY MOB Delivering bad news without getting your tires slashed

I will never forget the day that my VP sent out a revised vacation policy to the leadership staff at the hospital. Nurses can roll with the punches most days, but DO NOT mess with their time off! The buildup to the next day’s emergency leadership meeting was like a tidal wave growing in angry, destructive power as it roared toward the beach – and when it was 15 minutes from striking my boss called in sick. Guess who got to facilitate the meeting?

I had little time to panic before I faced the mob. My mouth was dry, stomach queasy, more than a little shaky in the knees as I walked to the conference room. But I was able to hear an inner voice telling me:

Don’t Let Them See You Sweat

I decided that my best approach would be to stay calm, stay focused, and control my emotions in the face of the crowd’s fury. I walked in, went directly to the front of the room, stood and faced them, and launched the meeting with my authoritative speaking voice. You may not feel confident but you have to sound like you are. And remember that’s confident, not cocky.

Acknowledge Their Pain – Avoid Sugarcoating It

That meeting did not end with “and they all lived happily ever after”. The supervisors were still ticked off, but not as ready to tar and feather me at the end as they were at the start. It helped that I acknowledged their pain. After all, in their eyes I was the cause of it!

I incorporated that lesson into a recent meeting with union retirees about the steep increase in their medical coverage cost. Your audience will never believe that you fully understand the impact of the bad news you are delivering. You can’t – you are not one of them. Still, if it’s bad news don’t beat around the bush. State the situation and the facts that led up to it as plainly as possible. Tell them that you know it is not pleasant for them and that they may have a hard time with it. Allow them to ask questions. Commit to getting back to them with answers you don’t have at the time, and then honor your commitment. Be honest – do not promise anything you cannot or will not deliver.

Stay Focused on the Message

A bad news meeting will turn into a free-for-all if you let it. Keep your message focused and use your best meeting management skills to keep the audience on track. Anticipate some likely questions and prepare concise answers to them. Don’t hesitate to defer questions that are off topic to the end of the session or to a future meeting. Encourage general questions but defer questions about individual issues to the end of the meeting or to a one-on-one session afterward. Do not allow more than one question at a time. Speak loudly and clearly – use a microphone if you need it. This is no time for a mousy attitude! Stand your ground. If audience members begin shouting, ask them in your firm voice to calm down so that you can continue the meeting, or to kindly leave so that you can proceed. I have never had to walk out of a meeting that I was facilitating – but would not hesitate to do so if I felt it necessary.

What are They Going to do – Cook You and Eat You?

A couple of years ago I was preparing to facilitate an intense series of employee benefits meetings at which I was introducing a new, radically different benefits program to an employee audience that had not seen any benefit changes for about 20 years. There had been prior written communication, I felt very prepared, and had solid support from the executive team. The boat started rocking when I was asked to have the first meetings at the plant where employees were notorious for being “difficult”. For several days before the meetings, people stopped me in the halls of the corporate office just to say “I can’t believe you are going to ___ for the first meeting! Are you crazy?” “Good luck – you’ll need it!” “Where should we send your remains – if there are any?”

I laughed it off until I found out that the business unit President and ALL of the VPs were planning to attend the meeting – at 5:30 a.m.! Panic started to set in. I barely slept the night before. I reviewed my notes obsessively. I wrote my will. When I arrived for the meeting – 30 minutes early – all of the execs were lined up at the back of the room staring at me. Now I knew what it was like to face a firing squad.

The meeting started and – everything was fine. The pre-meeting preparation boosted my confidence and the employees, while not thoroughly delighted with the entire message, were very receptive. The President and VPs were shaking my hand and patting me on the back. I lost all that sleep for nothing!

The moral of the story is, do not assume that a “bad news meeting” will result in your public execution. After all, the audience will not cook you and eat you!

New Addiction for a Networking Junkie

Posted by Barbara Jones on February 4, 2008 – 3:43 pm -

Lorraine Ball As a confirmed networking junkie, I am always looking for my next fix. This month my new fix is LinkedIn. An

on-line social network, Linkedin is often described as FaceBook for professionals.With an emphasis on career history, educational background and association membership, Linkedin has millions of members, with thousands more joining each day.How does it work? Once you register (basic membership is free) you can invite people to Linkin (connect to you through the online tool). You can search the Linkedin data base for people you know or upload your email address book. Either way, anyone who accepts your invitation is considered a Level 1 connection.People in their contact circles are considered your Level 2 connections. This is where the real power of LinkedIn comes in. While you may have only 100 people in your circle, if each one of them knows 100 different people, you are only two steps away from 10,000 business professionals. To expand your reach, expand your connections. The more people to whom you connect directly, the larger your total circle grows.These same

connections exist in the off line world. Your friends know people you want to meet, and sooner or later they may get around to introducing you. With Linkedin you can accelerate the process by requesting invitations. You can search by skills, type of company, jobs held, geographic regions, and common interests. If you find someone who fits your search criteria, LinkedIn will tell you how you are connected, who you know in common, and you can request an invitation.

LinkedIn actually tracks connections 3 steps away. So assuming the 10,000 people in your tier 2 circles also know 100 people each, your outer circle can easily be upwards of 1 million people. Although the connections are not as tight in this outer circle, using LinkedIn you can find someone, who knows someone, who knows the person you want to meet.

I am on LinkedIn - Now What? Here are just a few of the ways you can use LinkedIn

LinkedIN as a job hunting tool - If you are looking for a job try searching the LinkedIn data base. Heavily used by recruiters and hiring managers, many jobs are listed exclusively on LinkedIN. Not only will you see the job, but a list of people in your circle who can make a connection to the hiring manger.
LinkedIn as a hiring tool - While not free, listing job openings on LinkedIn will produce responses from candidates who come complete with referrals, reducing some of the uncertainty of the hiring experience.
Eliminate cold calls with LinkedIn - Having trouble getting in front of the hard to reach CEO or purchasing manager. Look for them on LinkedIn and see who you know in common. Then ask for an introduction.
Expand your visibility and contacts by asking and answering questions. You can connect directly or indirectly with your circles by asking a question. For example, recently I sent a request to my contacts for a list of business professionals in Ft. Wayne. This one questions generated more than 40 contacts in that community. It might have taken months to reach out to connect with that many professionals using traditional mediums.
Check your homepage for questions posed to your circles and answer a few from time to time. Always include a link to your website or blog. These postings are a great way to build traffic to your core site, or simply improve your standing in search engine rankings.

LinkedIN will never replace the face-to-face interaction, but it can give your traditional networking an extra buzz.

Lorraine Ball - Your Front Row

Posted by Barbara Jones on February 1, 2008 – 11:05 am -

Lorraine Ball - Crazy People: Play Now | Play in Popup | Download (222)

Lorraine Ball, President of Roundpeg and Rainmakers talks about the value of having your friends near by when you need them. Visit Lorraine’s websites at www.Roundpeg.biz and her blog at www.LorraineBall.com.

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