Monthly Archives: January 2014

Systems Thinking and Management, Systems Thinking and Measures, Systems Thinking and Technology, Systems Thinking Concepts, The 95 Method and Contact Centers

Beliefs and Assumptions – How Damaging?

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60% of the Time, It Works Every Time
Anchorman: The Legend of Ron Burgundy at MOVIECLIPS.com

 

All too often, I hear the use of statistics like the clip from Anchorman (above).  People don’t quote percentages too often, but they do say things similar to, “most of our customers like . . .” or “that happens . . . all the time.”  The problem is what follows.  I have witnessed multi-million dollar IT and management decisions based on nothing more than a claim.  I am often assured that the claim came from a “good source.”

I do not believe that organizations do enough to challenge the beliefs and assumptions where decisions are made.  The skeptics often succumb to the hierarchy – meaning if the source of the belief or assumption is up the chain of command it can’t be questioned.

It’s funny to me that people get challenged on things like their expenses, but not on operational decisions of much greater magnitude.  Some degree of due diligence would seem to be appropriate.

Conversely, it seems silly to me that those conducting a due diligence will quote ROI numbers for new lines or IT.  Then, proceed to roll-out a large project without even a small scale pilot.

You see all projects and decisions are based in assumptions and beliefs.  Some we pick up from other people, companies, articles, etc. and others from internal sources of “authority.”  Assumptions and beliefs make up our world as we know it.  We just need to be aware of what they are and test them against reality.  You never get a full answer, but you do gain knowledge when you test things first.

The question is, “What are the beliefs and assumptions that went into your last strategic plan, project plan or decision?”  You should have a list of what they were when you made the decision or even better make the list AS you deliberate the next plan or project.  Test it on a small scale and then make a decision.  This is scientific method.

Take a look at your organization as your customers see it –  our 4-day workshop has been called “an awakening experience.”  You will understand the customer view of your organization and take inventory of the assumptions, beliefs and perspectives that drive performance.  Tripp Babbitt is a service design architect and organizational futurist.  His company helps service organizations understand future trends, culture and customer.  The 95 Method designs organizations to improve the comprehensive customer experience while improving culture and management effectiveness.  Read his column at Quality Digest and his articles for CustomermanagementIQ.com. Reach him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TriBabbitt or LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/trippbabbitt.

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The 95 Method and Government, The 95 Method and Management

The Customer Sets the Target

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W. Edwards Deming railed against using “arbitrary numerical goals” and there have been some concluding that targets are “always bad.”

I disagree that targets are always bad.

Arbitrary numbers are certainly an issue.  Unfortunately, they are a staple inside organizations of all kinds. Hit this financial number or this internally set target that fits nicely into achieving wanted levels of activity by misguided management.

However, you are talking about something completely different when a customer “wants it by tomorrow.”  This is a real target set by the customer and is not by any means arbitrary.  The main difference is an internal focus vs. an external focus.  The customer does not care if you hit your budget or activity targets, but they do care if you are able to deliver what is important to them.

The management paradox is that hitting customer targets always will help you achieve your financial targets and not vice versa.  Consider IT software, where meeting schedules and budgets have become the target . . . but customers want IT that works.  If you hit the schedule and budget and have IT that doesn’t work, what have you achieved?  How will this play when trying to attract new customers?  The sales pitch is we hit our schedules and budgets, but give you crappy software?

Targets are OK, you just need to understand who is setting them – you or the customer.  If the answer is anything but the customer, you are only fooling yourself.

Take a look at your organization as your customers see it –  our 4-day workshop has been called “an awakening experience.”  Tripp Babbitt is a service design architect and organizational futurist.  His company helps service organizations understand future trends, culture and customer.  The 95 Method designs organizations to improve the comprehensive customer experience while improving culture and management effectiveness.  Read his column at Quality Digest and his articles for CustomermanagementIQ.com. Reach him on Twitter atwww.twitter.com/TriBabbitt or LinkedIn atwww.linkedin.com/in/trippbabbitt.

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The 95 Method and Contact Centers, The 95 Method and Government, The 95 Method and Management, The 95 Method and Technology

Telecomm Still a Nightmare for Customers

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I really don’t enjoy writing these blog posts on bad customer experiences, because the experience is real for me or someone else.  It would be a wonderful world if a customer could walk in and get the service expected or their problem solved.  This would be end of story.  However, this isn’t the world customers live in.

I was doing a podcast this past Monday with David Houle, a futurist and one question I asked him was, “Is the end of caveat emptor or ‘buyer beware’ at hand.”  His response was that companies that live without trust with customers were basically dinosaurs that aren’t surviving today’s environment, never mind tomorrows.

That same day I started working with my current carrier Sprint to get 4 new phones for the family.  I stopped into a Sprint-owned retail store to begin the exchange.  I read online that you could get a discounted price on new Apple phones.  Iwas informed by the Sprint agent that that price was only good for “new” customers.  I informed the agent of my displeasure and that moving to a new carrier now was an easier decision.

I went home and thought I would give Sprint one last chance by trying Twitter and Sprint’s @customercare, here is the exchange:

No end to the discussion.  As my last question has not been answered as of January 2, 2014.  Needless to say, I was disappointed in Sprint’s response.  I am not a fly-by-night customer as I have been a customer of Sprint for more than 20 years, but new customers are their focus.

The story does not end here.

I went to Verizon on December 30th to give them my business and was given a plan from one of the agents that fit my needs.  It was a bit more expensive, but I was a motivated buyer.  Anything to find an organization that appreciates my business.  The Verizon agent gave me a quote  and I told him I would collect the phones I had and bring them in the following day.  The agent informed me the “trade-in” value of the old phones was only good through December 31st.

The next day I stopped in at the store with phones in hand to complete the purchase.  I was informed by the Verizon agent that the agent that helped me the day before was not in and because he was paid on commission, he would have to send me to a non-commissioned agent.  After a 20-minute wait, I was passed to the non-commissioned agent.

The non-commissioned agent and I worked through 40 minutes of paperwork and checking that the phones I wanted were in stock.  We started the exchange and I was met with a fraud stoppage from the credit department.  Apparently, by buying 4 phones I tripped some fraud audit.  The agent said that my order was to be put on hold until I cleared the fraud audit and that could take up to 72 hours.  The non-commissioned agent called me January 1 (yesterday) to give me the number that was needed to clear the audit.  The saga continues . . . I will update.

I would like to think that David Houle was right and that companies had designed services that build trust.  However, my experience has been that caveat emptor is alive and well.  The consumer has to fight for themselves as commissioned sales people and having to do things on your own (as a customer) to progress an order are not user-friendly experiences.

Both Sprint and Verizon profess world-class customer service, but neither delivers on a consistent basis.  As most service organizations, they can not see themselves from a customer viewpoint.  They can only see the result of what they have designed and there is a lot of waste they are missing.  The waste is innate in the design they have chosen and will remain until they take a customer’s viewpoint.

Take a look at your organization as your customers see it –  our 4-day workshop has been called “an awakening experience.”  Tripp Babbitt is a service design architect and organizational futurist.  His company helps service organizations understand future trends, culture and customer.  The 95 Method designs organizations to improve the comprehensive customer experience.  Read his column at Quality Digest and his articles for CustomermanagementIQ.com. Reach him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TriBabbitt or LinkedIn atwww.linkedin.com/in/trippbabbitt.

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