Friday 12th October 2007 - Newsletter No. 124 - Contact Us: info@michaelheppell.com - Contribute: michaelsdesk@michaelheppell.com |
ROCKS TO THE SURFACE |
It’s National Customer Service week, haven’t you noticed? What about the joy displayed by the service station attendant, the helpfulness of your bank or the can do attitude of your local council! I’m not knocking it, having a week dedicated to customer service is brilliant but why one week? Why not every week! I think I’ve worked out why. I was out for a run with my wife in the beautiful Northumberland countryside. After an hour we stopped for a rest and watched as a farmer scoured his field looking for and removing rocks. Some were huge! I asked him how long it would take to clear the field and he smiled as he responded with, ‘A few days!' I suppose we all have our rocks which come to the surface, usually in the form challenging people who would be happy to cause damage, problematic systems which cause frustration and lack of time. And these problems tend to raise their ugly heads right when we should be reaping the rewards of a good harvest. So that’s what we can use a week like National Customer Service Week for. Just as the farmer needs to have a clear out every year, I would suggest you do the same. Review your systems, check out your people, talk to your customers (I double dare you). I noticed that farmer didn’t throw all the rocks away. He kept some for fixing walls and some he just tipped at the side of the field out of harms way. It’s an unwritten law that even if you do manage to get rid of the rocks, just as the farmer does, you will have to do it all again 12 months later (National Customer Service Week 2008?). The key is the timing. The farmer removed the rocks before he planted the seeds. He ‘future proofs’ his fields for harvest. It’s hard work at the time but he’s working towards something better for the future. So how are your service levels today? I dare you to clear your rocks – now. |
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| Thought for the day, as it is National Customer Service Week: "If you were to make a list of all the best experiences you have enjoyed as a customer and then wrote next to each one what it actually cost in financial terms, you would find that the very best customer service costs little or nothing at all". Taken from, Five Star Service One Star Budget. Find out more about brilliant customer service by clicking here to buy the book.  |
Michael has spent the last 10 years of his life working with over half a million people around the world. This is your chance to ask Michael a question that affects you, your business, or any other area of your life. Send your questions to michaelsdesk@michaelheppell.com and type 'ask michael' in the subject. A selection will be answered in the next edition of the newsletter. |
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If you've been inspired by any of Michael's work Send your success stories to |
For our first column we've taken a success story from 'How To Be Brilliant'. To order the new edition, click here. So how do you get your family to sit down, share their challenges, aspirations and spend some quality time together? That's what the Lee family in Singapore wanted and the Wheel of Life was the answer. Mum had brought How To Be Brilliant because she liked the cover (as good a reason as any) but once she started to read she became fascinated with the Wheel of Life and its many applications. After completing her Wheel for the first time she decided the whole family should do theirs. She downloaded a copy from my michaelheppell.com website and set herself a short-term goal to perusade her whole family (five of them) to complete their Wheels together. She changed work for education for her teenage sons and made family a must for everyone. Two days later they had finished the evening meal and set about the task of completing their Wheels. Each area on the Wheel was discussed. Because Mum and Dad were open and honest it wasn't long before the whole Lee family were sharing their hopes and dreams and analysing the Rocks that were holding them back. They were able to support and help each other towards a balanced Wheel. |
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