In Stanley Kubrick’s 2001 A Space Odyssey, the nemesis of the movie was a computer called HAL. Its voice sounded exceptionally friendly and it made all the right noises and if it had possessed a face it would have been smiling inanely. Yet all the time it was trying to kill the humans it was meant to serve.

Call me cynical, maybe even a conspiracy theorist, but it seems that some companies have been able to replicate the essence of HAL and insert it into their “Customer Service Specialists”.

These people are not literally trying to kill you, of course, merely destroy your will to live whilst dealing with the company they represent. They speak in reassuring tones, nodding and smiling at everything you say, and then they hit you with their pre-programmed responses defined by the system within which they have been ordered to operate.

I think customers become annoyed because they believe the descriptions pinned to the lapels of these people. If you went into the bank with an enquiry and the counter clerk said to you: “Yes, you need to go and talk to the robot over there,” you would have little expectation of a favourable outcome because you would know the robot’s parameters were limited. Instead, you are actually informed that you should speak to the “customer service specialist”, and herein lies the misconception.

“Customer” – You

“Service” – Providing appropriate assistance

“Specialist” – Highly trained

Put all those together and you naturally believe that this person will be able to listen to your particular request or gripe and then use their knowledge and most importantly, their discretion, to tailor a personalised solution.

A human should be able to do this, but not when they are working within strictly imposed company guidelines. When you remove the option of discretion, you often also remove the entire concept of customer service and you effectively end up with a robot. You can almost see the confusion behind their smiling eyes.

We are not talking about complex customer requests here. The other day, I asked my bank (the Commonwealth) if they could split my personal credit card limit, and allot one half to a new business credit card.

Apparently this was impossible!

The only solution was that I would have to stand around and wait for someone to carry out the necessary paperwork to apply for a new card.  And I mean stand around, as there were no chairs.

I asked why this person couldn’t just take all the details the bank already had about me, complete the form and send it to me for signing, but this data option was not pre-programmed into my CBA “customer service specialist”. I left!

Later when I called to offer feedback, I was informed that what I had asked could have been carried out, but that it wasn’t company policy. This person further admitted that it would have been within the realms of possibility to direct my backside towards a chair whilst I waited. Obviously, because robots do not have muscles that tire, they cannot grasp the human need to take the weight off.

In reality, to blame the individual “customer service specialist” is a little harsh. The real problem is with the management who do not allow the human factor to come into play with their customer-facing staff. The only genuine reason why this might be good business practice is if the people they are employing are not very bright and cannot be trusted to think for themselves lest they make a reckless decision that triggers a whole host of problems.

If this fear is preponderant, then they should pay higher wages to attract brighter employees. The payoff would be a much happier clientele, and increased revenue through an enhanced customer service reputation.

Fortunately, some companies do get the point. I have experienced quality customer service on a couple of occasions recently, where the specialist really deserved their title. Then again, all they had to do was listen to what was being said, and possess the freedom to act unilaterally to resolve the issue.

It is a sad reflection of the state of play, however, that when you have such a positive experience with customer service personnel, you’re left feeling that something strange has just happened.

Companies need to give their employees the opportunity to provide the best customer service where it matters – on the ground with the customer. They have to be given the go-ahead to become human again, and to stop behaving like robots.

PS The partly completed form arrived in the mail a couple of days after my “feedback” and after I had arranged a business card somewhere else!

There is no better marketing tool to prove your value than a customer reference.

Getting a Reference

Many business people think that a reference discussion begins after a deal is closed, you’ve completed the work and everyone is happy.  Actually, that is when the conversation ends.

The first time to talk to a customer about becoming a referee is when you start your selling process.  “I know I am the best partner for your growth and fully expect you to be so happy with my work that you will become one of our best referees.”  Each time you meet with the customer, talk about the reference process.  The client will be thrilled at all of the free publicity they will get and happy to promote your services if they think you did a good job.  By the time you have finished your work with the customer, asking them to be a reference will be an easy conversation.

Creating a Reference

Everyone expounds on the importance of customer references, but no tells you how to create them in a manner that will capture interest and attention.  The first tip is to keep them short.  Describe the customer in a brief sentence and succinctly state their problem. Immediately follow it with the solution you provided and the results that were achieved.  Each reference should have a quote.  The more specifics you can provide the better.  Make sure to obtain your customer’s permission to share their reference information.

Presenting a Reference

There are no shortage of ways and places where you can use a reference.  Use them in articles, speeches and press interviews. Send them to prospective customers.  Put them on your website.  Take them on sales calls.  Be prepared with phone numbers and e-mail addresses so the customers can talk to the referees directly.

References can be the difference in an economy where customers are savvy and slow to spend their limited resources.

Start talking to customers about becoming a referee in your very first conversation and present them in a clear, concise manner that will give prospective customers the information they need and the confidence that you will help them succeed.  As your references grow, so will your business.

(c) Michael Harrison 2010

My travelling companion Don Trapnell really felt at home with this sign.

]]> http://www.strategies.com.au/blog/dons-favourite-sign/feed/ 0 http://www.strategies.com.au/blog/queenstown-new-zealand/ http://www.strategies.com.au/blog/queenstown-new-zealand/#comments Sat, 24 Apr 2010 23:00:38 +0000 Michael Harrison http://www.strategies.com.au/blog/?p=225 Queenstown has to be one of the prettiest places I’ve been. The scenery is sensational, the food is great, and for the most part the service is excellent.

I presented a mock court case titled “The Case of Andrew Green” at the Synchron Danger Zone Conference.

The participants were Keith Hanslow (Barrister Ford Lightfoot-Jones) Martin Walker (Judge Hardcourt), Nikki Heald (widow Dianne and Girlfriend Jennifer), John Prossor (Dr Herbert Winterbottom – Compliance expert) and myself as the not so accurate Adviser.

The trial was light-hearted with some hilarious interchanges and a strong educational component.

Okay, maybe her career had slowed, but she had a fiance and 4.7 carats on her finger and a $6 million Bondi apartment she shared with her now ex-fiance according to latest news reports.

It all started with the publication of a photo of her taken whilst she was in the shower by her ex, AFL footballer/knuckle-scraper Brendan Fevola. He allegedly  released the pic to his mates (as you do) and it ended up in a magazine. Bingle became a victim and garnered considerable sympathy. She said she would sue Fevola, and no one blamed her for that.

Then celebrity publicist Max Markson rode into town and swept her up and away from Sympathy straight into Desolation. Instead of building on the sympathy vote, his representation has managed to turn the entire country against her, which is perhaps not the marketing solution she had hoped for. Having announced that he would transform her into a $1 million multimedia package, even talking about a spin-off reality television show, Markson managed to secure a reported $200,000 for a tell-all interview for Bingle with Woman’s Day magazine. If the intention was to create even more sympathy regarding the boorish behaviour of Fevola, it didn’t quite pan out that way. Seen as cashing in, Miss Bingle instantly lost her victim status.

Not the desired marketing solution

For one thing, Bingle is throwing stones at Fevola from inside her own glass house, which is never a good personal marketing strategy. She should have remembered that she was seen as a marriage-wrecker at the time, as Fevola was not single. She might also have paused to assess the current view of her, which from some angles is that she is a money-obsessed WAG to her ex fiance Michael Clarke, cruising around in an Aston Martin whilst sporting an engagement ring that cost half the price of an average Aussie house.

It’s also been noted that Clarke’s cricketing career has not been helped by their relationship; in fact, according to the media he has been told by cricketing officials that if he doesn’t sort his head out very soon, he won’t be playing Test cricket any more.

In New Zealand at the time, Clarke had stern words with Bingle following the magazine story and Bingle was then seen leaving their Bondi pad and heading off to stay with friend and DJ Carl Kennedy. Clarke then left his Australian teammates and returned to Sydney to an empty home, although Clarke’s agent, Chris White, has denied that the marriage is off.

The other problem Bingle has to contend with, apart from being susceptible to bad advice, being happy in adulterous relationships, and being a blatant WAG, is that she doesn’t seem to be too bright, even for a 22 year old. Whilst this can win the “aahh bless” vote from some people, it can become very irritating when practiced as an art.

Case in point: when she became the face of the “Where the Bloody Hell Are You” campaign, The Daily Telegraph asked her how she felt about being a Cronulla girl projecting a positive image of Australia just months after the race riots that so badly marred the Sydney suburb. Instead of actually knowing about the riots, or even pretending to – given that they had been stated as a fact by the journalist – she chose to admit that she had been modelling underwear in Italy and was not aware that any riots had taken place. In other words, she didn’t keep up with the news and none of her friends considered it important enough to mention to her, which either says something about their priorities, or reveals that they don’t think the presentation of such facts, or conversations of that sort, are worth bothering with where Bingle is concerned. Much as you wouldn’t waste your breath giving a seminar on grammar and syntax to George Bush.

As for Markson, on second thoughts, perhaps he’s actually more of a business strategist than we give him credit for – except that his eye is on his own business rather than his clients’. If Bingle did receive $200,000 for her story, he’s likely to have earned over 10% of that for himself.

In Bingle’s defence, celebrities shouldn’t really have to ask whether the publicity that their publicist is planning is likely to screw their career; it should be taken as read that publicity is intended to prolong a career and provoke a positive public response.

What a great way to spend a couple of hours. First we learned about the Panda’s and their habits (especially their eating habits), then we fed them and learned to “take blood” (with a fake syringe), followed by laying out their food and naturally getting some great photos.

The Adelaide Zoo should be highly commended for the Panda program. If you get the chance – do the tour.

Business could learn plenty from the preparation and training involved in taking care of these guys.

Saying Good Morning

When I checked into the new Novotel at Brisbane Airport today the General Manager, Mr Alex Penklis, stopped by for a chat. He didn’t know me from Adam but he knows how to impress guests.

The service in the restaurant reflected his touch. The delightful young lady who served me took time to ask where I was from and engage in a lost art – called conversation.

Compare that to two other experiences this week. One at a hotel in Launceston, and the other at a Car rental company in Sydney. Both times employees blamed their bad service on management cutting staff numbers.

All of which proves attitude and leadership drive good service.

What does all of this have to do with small business in our country? Well, China is one of Australia’s most important trading partners. That affects the Australian economy in ways we have yet to imagine.

So, over the past few weeks I’ve been researching business activities in China – everything from lending policies, a growing middle class and expanding base of manufacture.

My conclusions? Indeed, China is a powerful country and a major player on the world economic stage. But it is not a great country.

In effect, the Chinese sabotaged the climate change talks in Copenhagen at the end of the 2009. Of course, this summit of world leaders and scientists had little teeth to begin with, serving in an “advisory” capacity to world governments.

China, a country that tops the list of polluters – pumping even more filth into the atmosphere than the U.S. – refused to budge on their pollution control policies. Why? Well, China simply doesn’t have to play ball with the Western nations. It’s that powerful a force in the world economy which, as small business owners, we recognise as having a direct impact on our business.

Need a new product fabricated and manufactured? Chances are, you won’t use an Australian-based fabricator when you can get the same job done in China at half the price. Long live our great nation, but business is, well, business. National pride often takes a back seat when it comes to the cold, hard realities of global economics.

No one questions China is a powerful nation. Its holster is jam-packed with nuclear weapons – enough to annihilate the world. It has an almost endless supply of cheap labour to develop a powerful manufacturing base. It has a government that encourages a little bit of private, albeit, highly regulated private ownership. China is slowly marching in to the new millennium in some ways.

In other ways, China remains a repressive regime, strongly centralized and tradition bound.

What defines greatness?

Read the article at http://strategies.com.au/art1002a.html

Like you, I’m a small business owner and a service provider. Most of my clients are small business owners, but Obamanomics will impact us all regardless of company size, manufacturer or service provider.

Like it or not the American consumer drives the world economy. They buy stuff that keeps factories in China running 24/7. Clothes, computers, large-screen TVs – all made off American shores, mostly in Asia. The trade deficit between the U.S. and China has always been lop-sided, and now, the U.S. owes the Chinese government two trillion dollars. A child born in the U.S. today OWES approximately $36,540 at birth!

The U.S. has become a debtor nation, in effect, the world’s largest banana republic.

And this has thinking Americans worried. U.S unemployment is running at around 10%. Unlike us Aussie spenders, America has become a nation of scrimpers and savers, not buyers. Many are running scared, afraid of losing their jobs. Every American knows someone who’s been laid off or down-sized and that has a sobering effect on the buying, spending and saving habits of the largest consumer society in the world.

(Were it not for the Rudd socialist stimulus packages I suspect I would be writing this about Australia. But that article will come later this year after more interest rate rises and those holiday spending credit card bills hit home.)

Where Obama Went Wrong

Read the article here