The contrast between organizations where employees are engaged, happy to be there and happy to serve and organizations where the employees are going through the motions is clearly and painfully visible to all of us. This latter organization where customers are an inconvenience, reflects a wholesale failure on the part of leadership.
I confess to not understanding the management and leadership thinking that leads to the many unpleasant or at best, sterile experiences with retailers, healthcare providers and so many others types of organizations. It’s almost as if someone is in charge of ensuring a level of engagement with employees that is somewhere just north of rude and way south of pleasant.
The True Policies Behind Lousy Customer Experiences:
Under no circumstances should our employees make customers feel welcome. Avoid eye contact, move the other way if you see a lost or confused customer and above all, don’t smile. Failure to comply will be met with severe repercussions.
Your services as a nurse are too valuable to allow you to focus on any one patient at a time. You will be spread thin enough to ensure only fleeting contact with your patients. And to minimize any possibility of you lingering too long, you will be armed at all times with several beeping and blinking communications devices that will buzz, ring and yell simultaneously. In the interest of productivity, we encourage you to be always talking to a doctor about a patient while you are treating yet another patient.
We only hire individuals capable of maintaining an “I don’t give a shit” demeanor for long periods of time. Your expression must discourage engagement and if your job involves moving around our facility, we prefer those who shuffle slowly but maintain that angry look. It’s preferable if these employees mumble and avoid eye contact if they are cornered by customers.
Construction is Booming in The Inferno:
In prior posts, I’ve relegated various industry executives to some updated levels in Dante’s Inferno. Thus far in my writings, Dante and Virgil have added destinations for their stroll that include most airline executives, anyone who ever created an off-shore customer service support center, and a truly special place for those involved in creating pricing policies for cell phone service, cable, internet and satellite radio services.
And of course, there’s the new Enron Wing and Madoff Center for executives and politicians who allowed ethical lapses to destroy value and bilk shareholders and cheat constituents. The reservations are piling up in this latest addition. Former governors of Illinois and top BP executives are practically ensured of admission!
It’s now time to add a special Customer Service Pavillion in the Inferno. This proposed addition is for any leader of any organization where zombie-like customer engagement and support is practiced to near perfection. Bids are being taken on the punishment to be doled out, although there’s a hue and cry for the karma train to pay a visit in the form of an eternity of being served and treated in the manner they so successfully achieved while on Terra Firma. Seems fitting.
The reason for poor customer service is simple. Many managers/owners/CEOs view customer service as a money loser and assign only their poorest employees to call centers, etc.
It is viewed as a dead end job that does not contribute to the positive income flow in those people’s minds.
It’s way beyond that, Lon. In customer focused businesses like healthcare, it’s an attitude…philosophy and approach. I do agree that they don’t get the economic value of it thought. Thanks for reading/sharing. -Art
Your corporate “script” was great! AND, unfortunately, sad, but true! Until they stop looking only at the bottom line at the expense of the customer service – SERVING the CUSTOMER, I am afraid it is not going to change any time soon. The scary part is that our younger generation is becoming accustomed to crappy service so, keep driving the point home, Art!
Thanks, Pat! Love your enthusiasm for the issue! -Art
Great article I love the polices that you came up with. I really think tht they must be true in many places of business as we encounter them every day. I can help but wonder what those business owners must be thinking. Have they asked themselves “how would I like it if I was treated like my customers are?”. Apparently not. Thanks for the great article.
Love the post! I think the problem is a little deeper than poor management/leadership, although it does start there. The fact is most senior leaders do not have a direct connection to the Customer or their experience. Often times they do not even have a direct path to their front line employees. Service organizations themselves also are usually very poor at managing upward, so senior leadership does not have a clue what the reality of the Customer experience is. Often service leaders will only share good calls/interactions upward, and labeling the negative that sneaks through as lunatic fringe or other derogatory statement. In today’s social world, the Customer is forcing that to change. It will be fun to watch!
Frank Eliason
Author, @YourService (published by Wiley)
Thanks, Frank! Love your perspective. (I still view the lack of connection as bad management.) Thanks for reading and commenting! -Art