Susan Hoekstra

"The person who says it cannot be done should not interrupt the person doing it." - Chinese Proverb

In order to resolve client issues, do your employees need to jump through hoops?  Are your best client-focused employees also successful within the firm? 

Employee sample profile:  An employee, when seeking a resolution for a client issue would relentlessly call the area within the firm that would be able to correct the issue.  If she didn't receive an acceptable resolution, she would physically sit outside that individual's office until she received a resolution.  Clients loved her.  Within the organization, she had moderate success, at best.  Her reviews said people within the firm, those who weren't responsive, complained.

Employee sample profile:  Two account managers, one competent and client-focused, the other not.  The account manager who was competent was turned down for promotion after promotion...

Very often managers who give negative feedback will sandwich it between positive news.  An example of this tactic may sound something like the following:  

        "You're always on time for work.  You really handled that call poorly.  You greeted the caller correctly."

So perhaps I'm exaggerating a little, but the point is the positive feedback is supposed to make the recipient feel better about receiving the negative feedback.  The problem with using this tactic is everyone knows what is coming, making the positive feedback feel artificial.  Solidifying that feeling is the fact the recipient walks away from the meeting with a list of tactics and promises to improve the negative feedback, but no action items are necessary for what is done well.

What if that were to change, however?  What if employees had action items not only for what they needed to improve, but also what they did well?   Making this change could revolutionize the morale of your employees and...

Have you noticed that computer passcodes are getting longer and more complex lately?  Capital- and lower-case letters, numbers, and even symbols are a frequent requirement now.  I understand that it's done in an effort to ensure privacy and protect individuals from identity theft, but honestly, the complexity of the passwords are making it so it's difficult for me to remember who I am.  In addition, I probably have 20 - 30 sites I need passcodes for, making it nearly impossible for me to remember them.

From a customer service perspective, this can be a nightmare, because when clients have difficulty accessing accounts, a layer of annoyance is added to the transaction, making their first experience an unpleasant one.  Although I do not have experience with privacy and security, may I suggest that there may be a few things that can be done from a client experience perspective, however, to help mitigate a clients'...

"I don't know ..." was the response I received to my question about whether or not it was supposed to rain a few years ago.  My kids and I went to the roller coaster mecca of the United States:  Cedar Point, the tourist attraction in Sandusky Ohio.  If you're familiar with the location you know a strip of hotels is located on the road right outside of Cedar Point; the hotels' entire business is dependent upon the traffic brought in by the amusement park.  Weather is of utmost importance to their guests, and yet the hotel employee who worked at the front desk not only didn't know what the weather forecast was, she didn't seem to believe she should know. 

If you don't want this to be the experience of your clients, you need to take a multi-pronged approach to customer service, and realize great customer service is really about changing and influencing...