We Need a Photo Id!
April 14, 2010
It’s tough to make time for everything, and more often than not, work takes priority over other important areas, including personal fitness. So when I find the time to work out, I try to squeeze it in, sometimes racing out the door to make a class.
Unfortunately, once I left so quickly that I grabbed the wrong set of keys, and along with them Lorie’s club ID card instead of my own. No problem, I thought, as I realized what I had done, I’ll just explain it to the guy at the front desk.
As I walked into the building, he greeted me by name and reached out to take my card so he could scan it into the system. When I explained what had happened, and that I didn’t have my card, he asked me for a photo ID.
Having run out of the house so quickly, I also forgot to bring my wallet, so I didn’t have that either. He then got a very nervous look on his face and walked into the manager’s office to see if he could get special permission to let me in. They did, but “just this time.”
As I was on the bike in that early-morning spinning class, it occurred to me that they had taken my picture when I joined the club, and that I vaguely recall that the picture was displayed on the computer screen when they scanned the bar code on the ID card (which, by the way, does not have the photo on it).
On the way out, I asked the guy about this: “I’m guessing that the reason you go through the check-in process is that you want to make sure that everyone entering the building is who they say they are, and that their memberships are all current, right?” He confirmed that this was the case.
“So,” I continued, “overlooking the fact that you know me and greet me by name when I come in, couldn’t you just type in my name, bring up my record, verify that my membership is current, and look at the photo on the screen to confirm that it’s really me?”
“Yes,” he answered, “and that would make perfect sense. Unfortunately, that’s not the process from headquarters, and If I don’t follow the process to the letter, I could get fired.”
And this is a real issue in most companies: people blindly following processes that fail to accomplish what they’re supposed to, or do so in a way that completely and totally inconveniences the very customers they’re supposed to be helping.
As we discussed last week, processes are important, and processes are good…but only when they help you in delivering the highest level of service to your customers.
Why Can’t We Bring Cameras?
April 8, 2010
I had to travel up to New York City a few weeks ago to sign some papers about the estate of my mother who passed away last November. It was a quick trip – up on Sunday, lunch with my uncle, a visit with my sister and her family, and an early-morning drive into the city.
Once we got inside the building, we had the best customer service I’ve had from any government employee, but we had to experience something very puzzling to get to that point.
You see, when we entered the court building, we had to go through a metal detector, just like at the airport. Mind you, this was the Civil Court building – not Criminal Court. Because I was going directly to the airport from the courthouse, I had my computer bag with me – the same bag I take with me whenever I travel.
I know what sets off the alarm and what doesn’t, and still the machine kept beeping every time my bag went through. Finally we found the cause: my Kodak Zi8 video camera and Olympus OM-1 digital voice recorder.
Turns out, you can’t bring video or audio recording devices into the courthouse. But while they were checking and vouchering these two items, I watched in utter amazement as literally hundreds of people entered the very same building carrying iPhones, Blackberrys, and other devices, each fully capable of shooting video and recording sound.
When I asked the supervisor about this, she said, “Yeah, we know that’s a hole in the system, but when we tried to hold everyone’s phone, it just got too crazy.”
So it’s a major security breach to allow recording devices into the building…unless it’s too much of a hassle to enforce the rule because most modern cell phones have recording devices built in. I get it. Okay, maybe not so much. Okay, not at all.
Look, processes are good. They help you present a consistent face to the customer. But when the process causes more problems than it solves, is inconsistent, or is simply too difficult to enforce, then it’s time to find another process. Anything else, and you might just be found guilty of bad management.
Please Take Me to the Airport
April 1, 2010
Training new employees is a difficult but essential part of any business, but not everyone gets it right.
I was returning from a trip, and had just boarded the shuttle to take me to the off-site lot where I park my car. Normally, there’s just a single driver who helps load the bags and collects the parking stubs that indicate where in the lot the individual cars are parked.
This time, though, there was a second employee on the bus. It turns out that the driver was new, and the second person was “training” him on how to do the job. I included the quotation marks because I’m not sure I’d actually classify what I saw as training.
It was more like, “Oh yeah, right there on the right, that’s where you should have stopped to see if we had any people waiting there.” Or, “Right – where we just passed? That’s where you call into the dispatcher to let him know your location.”
There was no training manual, no checklists, and no formal procedures. And I’m guessing that the turnover rate for shuttle drivers is pretty high, making this training a fairly regular occurrence.
I’m sure the world won’t come to an end because of this spotty training effort, but I might find myself stranded one day as the van drives right by me as it misses the stop.
What would be the impact of someone not being properly trained in your organization? A little planning, a clear set of processes, and a definite plan will make sure you don’t miss the bus!
Still Rockin’ After 45 Years!
March 25, 2010
We might as well continue our “musical theme” this issue, since we went to a concert last night. It was the Moody Blues, the ground-breaking pop/blues/orchestral group responsible for 13 Top-40 songs, and 14 Top-40 albums, including two that reached the #1 spot: “A Question of Balance” and “Seventh Sojourn.”
Originally formed in 1964, after a few personnel changes, the classic lineup (Justin Haywood, John Lodge, Graeme Edge, Mike Pinder, and Ray Thomas) was responsible for all of the groups hits between 1966 and 1978.
Okay, not that we’re done with the history lesson (don’t worry, there won’t be a test) let’s talk about the concert last night, and see what we can learn that will help us in our businesses…
1. Of the three original band members still performing with the group (Haywood, Lodge, and Edge) the first two were still in great form – their voices and technical abilities showing no signs of wear, despite their respective ages of 63 and 64 years old.
Good news for some of us for whom 60 is a lot closer than it used to be, and good news for you, since it means you can continue to do things you love to do a lot longer than we used to think possible.
2. Graeme Edge had, unfortunately, slowed down quite a bit. Just a year away from 70, his performance on the drums was a shadow of the manic, out-of-control style of the group’s earlier days. Still, he was giving it everything he had, and was a crowd favorite. But just so you don’t think the music suffered, there was a second drummer: the talented and energetic Gordon Marshall who has toured with the group since 1991.
In this case, it’s important to make sure you have backup plans in place in case something goes wrong in your organization, or someone isn’t able to work up to par for a while.
3. The audience was interesting to watch – I would say the average age was about 50, which meant there were people in their 60s and even 70s up out of their seats and dancing in the aisles. I know, that’s kind of a frightening image, but it’s also a joyful one: that a particular song or group can connect with people on such a personal level is a cause for celebration, and the band members seemed to both enjoy and appreciate the effect their music was having on the audience.
You may not be “A Singer in a Rock & Roll Band;” the very sight of you stepping around the corner may not get everyone in your office standing and cheering, but you do have an impact on the people around you by what you do and how you interact with them.
Whose life have you touched today?
How’s Your Back?
March 18, 2010
We just got back from visiting my brother- and sister-in-law who are staying on Hutchinson Island in Florida for a few months. On Sunday, when the weather down there had finally turned nice, they took us to a really nice craft show in Vero Beach, about 20 minutes away.
As always, I’m on the lookout for creative marketing ideas – even ones the people using them don’t quite understand themselves.
For example, I’m always wary about going to craft shows. Don’t get me wrong, I absolutely enjoy seeing fine work and precision in any endeavor, but too often, these craft shows have three or four basic styles that are repeated – with little variation – at every booth throughout the conference.
But at this one, there were nearly as many different types of media, styles, and interpretations as there were individual booths. (Can you say, “Unique Selling Proposition?”)
The one that caught my attention, though, had nothing to do with any of the artists or craftspeople at the show. It was a booth at the far end of the show where they were offering free chair massages and free screenings for neck and back pain.
Of course, this was nothing more than a lead-generation mechanism for a chiropractor’s office, but still it was reasonably well done.
You filled out a brief questionnaire, spoke briefly with the chiropractor, and got a quick five-minute chair massage. If you indicated on your form that you had even one of a wide variety of symptoms, you were invited for an office visit with free X-rays, for only $20.
There were a few things they did right, and a few others they missed, and I’ll share them all with you here so you can have a few things to think about from my field trip:
1. The concept itself was great, especially in an area with an overwhelming majority of senior citizens with various aches and pains who generally have medical insurance that includes chiropractic coverage – a good message-to-market match.
2. An enticing offer: an office visit and X-rays worth over $100 for just $20 – such a deal!
3. Potential patients were required to pay the $20 right then and there to reserve their space and lock in the appointment – an extremely powerful approach to help ensure that people actually show up for the appointment. After all, you can’t sell a treatment plan to an empty chair.
So with all of this done right, what was the problem? They weren’t measuring. When I pulled the assistant aside and asked her what her “show rate” was, (the percentage of people who book an appointment and then actually show up), she didn’t understand the question. Once she did, she said that they paid their $20 at the booth, so naturally they would keep the appointment. If she checked her records, she would certainly discover that wasn’t always the case.
When I asked her what their conversion rate was from the “report of findings” meeting, and what their average case value was, she didn’t understand those questions either, much less have the answers.
Not measuring key performance indicators can derail great marketing strategies just as easily as bad service can. And not knowing how your marketing is working can be a real pain in the neck.
Service Recovery Done Right
March 10, 2010
As I’m writing this, I’m on my way home from speaking at a conference in Colorado Springs. It was held at the Broadmoor Hotel, which is a fantastic property with great service from everyone from the front desk clerks to the hotel operator.
So last night, when I was finished with the program, I decided to treat myself to a nice dinner, figuring that it would be a great experience. And since I had to be on a 4:30 a.m. shuttle to the airport, I really wasn’t up for a late night with a lot of people.
I made a reservation at the Charles Court restaurant for 6:00 p.m. and was seated at a nice table with a view of the lake. The waitress came to the table, greeted me by name and described the evening’s specials, including a grouper dish that sounded great. As it turns, out, I really like grouper – when it’s cooked right, it just kind of flakes apart when you take a fork to it.
Well, that one had my name on it, so that’s what I ordered. And when the dish came out, it looked great. Unfortunately, there was a problem: the grouper was tough and chewy: it had been overcooked.
So when the waitress stopped by to make sure everything was fine, I mentioned this to her. Without missing a beat, she apologized, and offered to bring me something else or have the chef prepare another order of grouper. I asked her to bring the menu so I could take a look, and decided on something else.
When she came back, she apologized again, and told me that she had spoken to the chef and he agreed – it had been overcooked. She was actually a bit worked up about this herself, since she had just recommended it – and placed six orders for the grouper for another table she was working.
That would have been enough, but the restaurant manager came over to apologize himself, confirmed that, or course there would be no charge for the grouper, and all but insisted I have dessert on the house.
Even at a first-class hotel like this, there will be occasional missteps – because of the sheer size of the place it’s unavoidable. And it’s probably the same at your company. Problems are going to happen.
But if you address them quickly and definitively, you can build a level of customer loyalty even greater than if nothing had gone wrong in the first place. Make sure you have “service recovery” procedures in place to handle these situations when they occur.
Computer Overheating?
March 2, 2010
Like most of you, I spend a good deal of time working on my computer. Whether it’s in my HTML editor writing this newsletter, on MindJet working on mind maps for upcoming programs, or in QuickBooks dealing with the mundane details of business finance, most of what I do in any given day has my fingers on these keys.
So when my laptop computer started making a new strange noise, I noticed it immediately. The noise was the cooling fan. Every computer – desktop, laptop, or room-sized mainframe – has them. They have to, because the CPU – the “brain” of the computer – generates a lot of heat, and if not cooled properly will quite literally start melting the components around it on the circuit board.
That’s why all modern computers have built-in heat sensors that will increase the speed of the cooling fan to reduce the heat of the CPU, and when there’s no more speed to give, will step in and shut down the computer – immediately, and unceremoniously, causing you to lose any unsaved work.
Okay, so much for the computer hardware lesson, now on to the marketing lesson!
My computer wasn’t getting so hot that it had to shut down, but the fan was running at a high enough speed that the noise was, well, annoying. At the normal speed, the fan is so quiet that it’s barely a whisper and tends to get lost in the normal background noise of an office environment. But when it’s working overtime, it sounds like there’s a constant gust of wind blowing through my office.
I looked for an explanation (and a solution) on several different tech support sites. I called a friend of ours who fixes computers for a living. I downloaded utility software that showed me the CPU temperature and fan speed.
But nothing seemed to work.
Then I started noticing something interesting. Whenever I restarted the computer, the fan ran normally. Whenever I put the computer into “sleep” mode by closing the screen to pack it up in my case, upon awakening, the fan would kick in after about three or four minutes.
When I put the computer into “hibernate” mode and then closed the screen, when I started it up again, it ran fine.
I’d like to know why putting the computer to sleep made the fan kick in when I started it up. I really would. But my primary objective throughout all of this was to get the noise to stop so I could get my work done without the constant distraction of the noise and worry that the computer might spontaneously shut down in the middle of something important.
There are things in life, and in marketing that are unexplainable, and yet undeniably and observably true. You can spend hours of time trying to understand them; you can bang your head against the wall trying to change them; or you can accept that they just “are” and use that knowledge to your advantage.
In any case, the third option will probably keep your own CPU – your brain – from overheating and shutting down!
High-Speed Internet?
February 24, 2010
Perseverance and focus are good and admirable traits. But sometimes, the odds are just stacked too much against you.
I was at my hotel in Atlanta preparing for a great program the next day. Since I got in early the day before the program, as I usually do, I had some time on my hands that I had planned to use to get some videos edited and uploaded. Of course, this was going to require a fast internet connection, so I “bit the bullet” and signed up for the hotel’s internet at $9.95 for the day.
I had a few calls to make, so rather than burn my cell-phone minutes, I used my Skype account to make the calls with my headset on the computer. Immediately, I noticed that the quality of the calls was poor. I mean really bad. So I checked the speed of the connection (usually the culprit) and found that my “high-speed” internet was actually slower than a dial-up connection.
A quick call to the front desk, and they said I had to talk to the provider’s technical support line, and they would be glad to transfer me. I did get transferred, but to a recording that said, “I’m sorry, your call can not be completed as dialed; please try again later.”
Assuming that the front-desk clerk had somehow keyed in the wrong number, I called down there again; got transferred again; and got the same message. I asked for the number so I could try it myself, and got the same message.
If you’re like most people, you get annoyed about things like this happening. But at some point, it becomes comical and you just have to take a deep breath, let out a big sigh, and find something else to do instead.
There’s an old saying that the only good thing about banging your head against the wall is that it feels so good when you stop.
If you find yourself in that kind of situation, it may just be the universe telling you to take a step back and rethink what you’re doing. I didn’t complete my video projects that night, but I did get some other important work done. And the program the next day – the reason I was there in the first place – was very successful, so all in all, the trip was great.
Sometimes it’s important to work through a challenge, and make sure you know when it’s time to “regroup” when life seems to be throwing too many roadblocks your way.
You Made Me End a Relationship!
February 18, 2010
We just got back from an unexpected and unpleasant trip to New York. Three months after my mother passed away, we had to attend my aunt’s funeral, held at the same chapel and cemetery.
Many friends and family members got up to share their memories of my Aunt Flora. Common themes were her intelligence, phenomenal cooking abilities, and love of family, especially her 54-year marriage to my Uncle Lou.
They were truly in love, and it showed every time I saw them.
One of the last people to speak at the service was their aide, Nicki. Towards the end, my aunt’s health was failing, and they had a full-time aide to assist them in the daily chores.
Nicki told the group how she had never known a couple like Lou and Flora, and didn’t know until then what a relationship was supposed to look like. She then offered a personal note, that she had been in a bad relationship when she started working with my aunt and uncle, and that, upon seeing and appreciating their relationship, immediately ended her own, knowing that she shouldn’t have to settle for less.
Her exposure to their relationship influenced her in profound ways, just as the people you surround yourself with affect and influence you.
They may not save you from a bad personal situation, but they will affect your mindset, your outlook on life, and, ultimately, the results and outcomes you achieve.
Hills Make Me Happy!
February 11, 2010
I like to get my workouts done in the morning. That way, I have no excuses at the end of the day – “I’m too tired…” “I have too much to do…” You get the idea.
So there I was, early on Saturday morning in a “spinning” class – a high-intensity workout on a stationary bike with a heavy metal flywheel to simulate the feeling of actually being on the road.
Our instructor that day, Becky, was teaching an outstanding class, the central theme of which was hills and more hills.
“Increase the tension!” she screamed above the music. “Now increase it again!” When she saw the pained expressions on the faces of the class, she smiled and shouted, “Hills make me happy to be alive!”
It was funny enough to distract the class, but as is the case with most seemingly mundane things, it also has profound implications for us in our business and personal lives.
Yes, hills on a bicycle are no fun – they drain you of your energy; they have an effect on your mental outlook; and, well, they hurt!
But they also make you a stronger rider. And that’s the important point: anything that comes easily contributes very little to personal development. Real growth comes from facing and overcoming adversity, whether that adversity takes the form of a difficult boss, a challenging personal situation, or something as simple as climbing a hill on a bike.
So if you want to get better – at whatever it is you do, you should get used to some hills along the way…and maybe even learn to like them.
