"Our Take" - Words of Wisdom

(Past Editions by: Date, Title, Topic)

 
About "Our Take" 
"Our Take" is a collection of daily vignettes covering a wide range of CRM topics. It's an attempt to add our own spin to the world of CRM. We will use the column to share our perspectives, opinions, epiphanies, web nuggets, or quite frankly anything that moves us. Get ready to expect the unexpected. And, don't be shy about sharing your thoughts.
 
 
11/30/06 - Words of Wisdom
Sir Colin Marshall was president and chief executive of Avis before he become chief executive at British Airways helping the then ailing airline become a major world carrier. Although he had no experience in running an airline, he was skilled in managing a service business.
 
He once said, "The customer doesn't expect everything will go right all the time; the big test is what you do when things go wrong."
 
The statement speaks for itself and is self-evident to all who work in the service industry. In one way or another, who doesn't work in the service industry? Lord Marshall was knighted in 1987. Does your diligence to the customer experience qualify you for knighthood?
 
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
 
12/1/06 - More Words of Wisdom
Yesterday, I shared wisdom from Sir Colin Marshall who eloquently stated that customers don't always expect things to go right. Rather, it is what we do to correct the matter that really matters.
 
Indeed, research presented by John Goodman of TARP confirms that a company can actually create higher levels of loyalty if it rectifies an error in a satisfactory manner than if the problem had never happened. Each instance of "something going wrong" is a chance to build loyalty but it also a chance to become better.
 
"Customer complaints are the schoolbooks from which we learn" (Unknown). Or as Bill Gates wrote "Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning." What are you doing to systematically learn from unhappy customers?
 
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
 
12/4/06 - Learning from Unhappy Customers
In the last issue, I shared with you words of wisdom that "Customer complaints are the schoolbooks from which we learn. Indeed, many business leaders have talked about the importance of learning from unhappy customers.
 
It is safe to assume that most people buy in to the importance of customer feedback as a source for learning to do better. But do we spend as much time harvesting and analyzing customer information from our CRM systems as we spend inputting the information? In addition, does your organization have a healthy balance of resources between reporting and learning?
 
It has been my experience that many organizations work quite well when it comes to capturing customer input and reporting on it. However, doing something about it often means change and change is something that we often resist or fear. Why do we fear change when we know it will improve the customer experience?
 
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
 
12/5/06 - Learning from Unhappy Customers - Part II
Yesterday, we talked about why people spend some much resource learning what to change but do not always make the same investment to affect change. A few of you offered reasons why we avoid, fear, or delay change that might otherwise improve the customer experience. Here are a few:
 
First, there may be an unwillingness to invest in change - infrastructure, people, training, etc. A corollary is that change can be difficult. Another associated roadblock to change is the fear that the effort may not be work the investment. And lastly, some fear that a change might have unexpected results that actually have the opposite affect and degrade the overall customer experience. Lastly, it's sometimes simply viewed as too much work.
 
Let me leave you with two quotes from author Marlene Blaszczyk. First, "If you don't care, your customer never will." And, "Look through your customer's eyes. Are you the solution provider or part of the problem?"
 
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
 
12/6/06 - Benchmarking That Matters
As we approach 500 editions of this column, I often think of our most popular topic - benchmarking. It seems we have a fascination with measuring our performance against others. Benchmarking is often done in the spirit of making the customer experience better. However, comparing yourself to others is not the benchmark.
 
Mark Cuban once said, "Make your product easier to buy than your competition, or you will find your customers buying from them, not you." Now that is the benchmark. Rather than comparing operational metrics with competitors, consider more focus on the benchmarks set by your customers.
 
Perfect is the goal, but outrunning the competition is also a winning strategy. Consider this: a company with a higher hold time in their call center might actually win if they provide a better customer experience when they do get to the caller. Let customers set the benchmark.
 
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
 
12/7/06 - Even More Words of Wisdom
This week, I have shared words of wisdom from people like Sir Colin Marshall, Bill Gates, Marlene Blaszczyk, and Mark Cuban. Many of you have commented that you enjoy these pearls and some of you have even contributed other quotes. Let's keep the thread going with a few more.
 
Sometimes, we complicate business unnecessarily. Laura Ashley once said, "We don't want to push our ideas on to customers, we simply want to make what they want." How many businesses do we see that seem to forget that?
 
And, to continue on with statements of the obvious that need to be repeated, Ross Perot offers, "Spend a lot of time talking to customers face to face. You'd be amazed how many companies don't listen to their customers."
 
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)
 
12/8/06 - Bigger versus Better
In 1962, Gary Comer started a mail-order sailing equipment business, distributing sailing gear, rain suits, and sweaters. The first location for the company was in an apartment and later he moved to a rent-free basement office. By 1965, he had begun to make a small profit and printed his first catalogue.
 
Mr. Comer once said, "Worry about being better; bigger will take care of itself. Think one customer at a time and take care of each one the best way you can." This advise served him well. His business became an industry legend for its clever catalogs and, in 1986, the company went public.
 
Today Lands' End is the second largest apparel-only mail-order business and the world's largest clothing Web site. In 2002, Sears purchased Lands' End for $1.9 billion. Mr. Comer passed away this fall. "Being better" is not only a good legacy, it's a great customer strategy.
 
Gary Lemke, Publisher
(Share your thoughts)