Blog — Page 4

Customers are the boss: 4 ways to WOW them

By Michele McGovern • August 29, 2012

Adapted from The Customer Service Advantage.

Most customers will remember how you made them feel as much as what you actually did for them. It’s proof the entire experience matters. That’s why it’s important to try to improve every customer interaction, so that overall experience is outstanding.

Here is an approach known as ICE, or the Ideal Customer Experience, developed and used by the folks at ING Direct USA. ICE can benefit any employee who deals directly with customers, from marketing to sales to service.

A personality gauge

To understand customers better – and thus meet or exceed their needs – “personality gauging” is essential.

Most customers fall into one of four categories, based on what they want from a company and its customer service professionals: Controller, Thinker, Feeler and Entertainer.

It’s pays to try to identify these customer types early in the process so you can try to tailor style to best meet their needs.

Controllers – They cut to the chase, explaining their issue or asking their question quickly and precisely. They often explain exactly what they want. Controllers want a quick and timely response. If an answer isn’t immediately available, be sure to let them know you will contact them ASAP with accurate answers.

Thinkers – They want to know and understand the process, usually asking a lot of detailed questions. Be sure to walk Thinkers through the details of what they do, what will happen next and offer to follow up.

Feelers – They need to know everything will be all right. They ask about outcomes and often sound concerned. Make these people feel comfortable by getting them focused quickly on identifying solutions and outcomes, continually using reassuring language.

Entertainers – They’re usually less businesslike and have a carefree attitude about solutions, but they still want results! For them, stay on task but don’t be afraid to engage in some small talk and amusement.

What everyone wants

Despite their differences in personalities, all customers still want the same things – solutions and timely, accurate, positive answers.

Front line folks should:

Use positive language. Avoid “no” and “not.” Say things such as, “What I can do …?”
Be advocates. Tell customers, “I will take care of this for you.”
Anchor. Give customers an alternative when what they want isn’t possible.

On Leading: Keep productivity up when staffing is down

By April Solla • August 22, 2012

Adapted from What's Working in Credit & Collection.

If you had everything you wanted, you'd have twice as many people and everyone would agree with you all the time, right?

Nice.

But most managers are scrambling to make do with fewer hands on deck, and working hard to communicate their own ideas. So whether you’re a department of one, five or 50, you can boost productivity – and support – by following this advice.

Managing time effectively

It's basic, but it's proven. One of the trickiest parts of doing more is developing – and sticking to – a good plan.

Make a list, but be prepared for last-minute changes. No matter how detailed the plan, something could crop up. Whatever the priority, always strive to build some flexibility into the day.
Meet with other departments first thing in the morning. Remember, everybody is their own No. 1 priority, so let them know if they want to get stuff done, the should see your early in the day

Partner with your in-house adversaries

At the end of the day, you're all in it together no matter how competitive you may be with other departments head to head. Don't overlook the bigger goal:

Keep people informed on all major goings, especially new projects or staff changes. Others will be more likely to keep you in the loop if you already make this a habit. Try sending regular reports and start expecting them in return.
Ask for help or insights when you’re experiencing a particularly difficult challenge, or maybe getting mixed messages from on high. You might be surprised how willing you in-house adversaries are to help in these kinds of situations.

Know your customer

This is the most critical to business success – understanding who your customers are and how the are doing.

When you know what’s going on with your customer and your industry, you’ll be able to spot red flags and the trends much sooner – and ultimately spend less time and money chasing after business that isn't there.

It always pays to:

Makes visits. You can't say enough about the value of visiting customers. Take advantage of opportunities to build relationships and of course, to look for signs of trouble. Try to offer your own expertise and find out if customers are having any problems you can help with.

Stay involved with industry or trade groups. This can be the best source of info about the customers you depend on most.

Filed Under: What's Working in Credit & Collection Tagged With: leadership, productivity

3 common pitfalls of leadership

By Bob Hill • August 15, 2012

Adapted from What's Working in Sales Management.

More than a third of employees feel their manager is largely ineffective, according to a new study by Development Dimensions International.

What’s more, 37% claim they’re rarely motivated to do their best as a result of this ineffectiveness. Where do leaders fall short? And what are the best managers doing to overcome the most common obstacles?

Here are the top three pitfalls, as revealed by DDI’s study, along with key strategies for overcoming each of them to achieve breakthrough success.

1. It’s business, not personal

Three in four employees said their manager fails to remain calm and/or provide constructive criticism when a performance issue arises.

It takes practice to keep your emotions in check, so remember:

Praise in public, criticize in private. In a lot of cases, it’s not so much what the manager says, but when and where it’s said that makes the difference.
Lead with recognition. This lets people know you’re in their corner, and you appreciate all the hard work they’re doing.
Empower people by enlisting his/her help. It’s an age-old tactic that never fails to let people know they are valued.

2. Feedback is a two-way street

More than half of employees say their manager didn't understand their needs or didn't seek the kind of feedback that might help them do their jobs better.

An equal number felt management made little or no effort to provide consistent feedback about where they saw areas of opportunity. Leaders can avoid this problem through regular coaching sessions and reviews that create an atmosphere of constant professional improvement.

3. Avoid playing favorites

The third major obstacle cited in DDI’s study was management catering to a few marquee players, while ignoring the rest of the pack.

A real leader's daily goal should be to help each employee reach the next level. Consider it this way: If every employee improves his or her performance by as little as 5%, you’ll have a happier, more driven team, and your organization will reap the results.

Filed Under: What's Working in Sales Management

Spot the gold-medal members of your organization

By Jennifer Azara • August 15, 2012

Adapted from CFO & Controller Alert.

There were plenty of examples of excellence during the Olympic games in London this summer.

Which has to make you wonder: Are certain people simply wired for that level of extraordinary achievement?

Turns out they just might be – and perhaps some of your own staff have similar potential.

A recent study of all 114 British Olympic gold medalists in history uncovered these four common traits:

intelligent
driven
single-minded, and
admittedly even bit a selfish.

Sound like a few top-performing members of your team fit that profile? Not so fast – there’s one other trait that just may be most important of all.

Don’t overlook humility

In analyzing interviews and footage of these champions, one other characteristic rose to the top: Above all, the gold medalists were humble.

There was a lack of arrogance across the board that even surprised researchers considering how much these people achieved.

That’s insight worth applying to your own team.

In business, we often accept the super-egos that come with the star performers. But look a little deeper at your more quiet leaders – those may be your true gold-medal winners who can take your department to new heights.

Filed Under: CFO & Controller Alert Tagged With: leadership, Olympics

Communication: A skill all managers must master

By Maureen Gorman • August 8, 2012

Adapted from Communication Bulletin for Managers & Supervisors.

Communication is at the heart of everything a manager touches – and it’s what separates the average manager from the truly effective one. Any manager can do the basics, like schedule, organize or measure.

But only those who practice good communication can motivate, inspire and develop people … and that’s how the best work gets done.

Thankfully, good communication is a skill that anyone can master with some practice. Here are six essential communication skills you can work on each day. In the end, you’ll be much more effective.

Listen more than you talk. Possibly the most important communication skill of all is the ability to listen. Avoid letting your thoughts wander: Focus on what the other person is saying. Not sure what they mean? Say, “Let me make sure I have this right. Are you saying …?”
Keep your promises. Lead by example and be sure to keep your promises. For example, if you’ve been pushing your staff to raise their level of customer service, don’t contradict yourself by being rude to one of them. It’s the old “walk the walk, and talk the talk.” Another golden mantra: Follow through.
Say it like it is. You know you can’t always tell everyone everything. But too much sugar-coating often obscures the truth, and too little information leaves things open to the wrong interpretations. Be straightforward and tell your employees when there are kinks that need to be worked out. If you made a mistake, admit it. If the company made a wrong turn, be honest and discuss how you’re planning to get back on track.
Don’t react … respond. Everyone has buttons that, when pushed, evoke an emotional reaction. But reacting isn’t responding. Be mindful of situations when this arises, and practice being thoughtful first before taking action. Know your buttons and train yourself to respond rather than react when they’re pushed.
Make it personal. Make it a point to have regular one-on-one conversations with some of your staff. Create time in your schedule each week to meet individually with people – and not just key staffers. Your involvement and interest in each employee will boost workplace morale and productivity.
Give specifics. Managers give feedback throughout the day – sometimes without even realizing that’s what they’re doing. So it pays to be specific. The more you can fine-tune the feedback, the clearer the picture for the employee. Is it more helpful if someone tells you, “You need to give better customer service” or if he or she says, “Make a point of smiling and making eye contact with our customers, instead of typing on your computer while talking to them”? If your feedback contains specific action steps, your employees will understand exactly what you want them to do.

Filed Under: Communications Bulletin for Managers & Supervisors

Onboarding for new hires: The best approaches

By Jim Giuliano • August 7, 2012

Adapted from Supervisor Legal Update.

Research shows that strong orientation – or “onboarding” – programs for new employees are best conducted by first-line supervisors, and are a key in developing loyal, long-term, productive workers.

To test your knowledge of the best approaches to orientation, respond True or False to the following:

(Answers below)

1. It’s best to avoid presenting job expectations to new employees early on, since doing so will only put pressure on and overload them too soon.

2. A good orientation program lasts at least six months.

3. One successful approach involves presenting new employees with a “test,” by giving assignments accompanied by little or no direction. The results will show the degree of independence you can grant to the employee in the future.

Answers

1. False. New employees tend to succeed more when they immediately understand the job expectations. For best results, provide expectations at three-month increments, to allow yourself chances to adjust to changes.

2. True. Most of the studies on the subject indicate that some sort of orientation should last at least six months. Of course, you’ll probably give out less and different kinds of orientation information as the program progresses, but still, some onboarding should continue for at least 180 days.

3. False. A lack of early direction leads to frustration for new employees, and is a quick path to early failure – and quitting.

Filed Under: Supervisors Legal Update

Two steps to a motivated – and productive – workforce

By Christian Schappel • August 6, 2012

Adapted from What’s New in Benefits & Compensation.

Good managers are always looking for new and creative ways to keep employee morale and productivity high.

The key to motivating without money is getting people to feel a sense of accomplishment and fulfillment from the project or job they’re currently involved in.When the budget is tight, that’s no easy task.

Here are two proven ways to do it – courtesy of the Harvard Business Review:

1. Get managers more involved

Many firms rely on surveys to get the pulse of employees – and keep track of their engagement levels.

HR and benefits is usually charged with analyzing the survey results and then distributing the results, usually to upper managers.

What works better is distributing the employee survey results right to front-line managers who can directly influence staff and help them make key changes.

Plus, front-line manages will take ownership in terms of helping employees achieve the changes they listed in the survey.

2. Offer shorter, more frequent surveys

Some firms offer giant annual surveys that take workers a considerable amount of time to complete and ask about almost everything under the sun.

The problem with this is many employees rush through the survey just to get it done.

What works better: Sending out shorter surveys (one to two questions on a specific subject) more frequently.

Filed Under: What's New in Benefits and Compensation

Employees happy with health benefits despite costs

By Christian Schappel • August 2, 2012

Adapted from What’s New in Benefits & Compensation.

If employees feel they’re getting good value for their healthcare benefits, they’ll be OK with taking on a bit more of the costs.

That’s one of the key takeaways from a recent Perceptions of Health Benefits in a Recovering Economy study, by the National Business Group on Health (NBGH).

The study found that 63% of employees were very satisfied with their current healthcare coverage, even though the vast majority of them saw increased premiums and out-of-pocket costs over the past three years.

Some of the other highlights:

Approximately 33% of employees were more satisfied with their health coverage than they were three years ago; 12% were less satisfied; and 53% said satisfaction was the same, and
87% of workers said health benefits were very important when it came to making a decision about a new job or staying with their employer.

The study also found that the majority of workers (71%) didn’t think employers should charge people more for health care if they didn’t reach health goals.

Filed Under: What's New in Benefits and Compensation

How to overcome your biggest competitor – the status quo

By Ken Dooley • August 2, 2012

Adapted from The Selling Advantage.

A horse is placed in a stable between two pails of oats. He stands there reviewing and contemplating his options, is paralyzed by indecision and starves rather than eats.

This same principle can apply to business and operations. If a person is faced with two similar options and lacks the decision-making skills necessary they will simply wait until it’s clear which decision is better for them.

Indecision, or worse no decision – maintaining the status quo, is a major cause of inanimate or stalled organizations. To overcome the status quo you have to push your employees out of their comfort zone.

Two ways to push a decision:

Redefine and restate the issue in a way that is a clear contrast to the employee’s current perception of the issue.
Articulate the issue so it is essential to the employee’s position and success that a credible solution is developed.

Filed Under: The Selling Advantage