Shoes from a Sweet Shop

Words: 736 Reading time: 2 minutes 27 seconds

“Why can’t we just give the customer what he wants and needs and stop worrying about our own systems and processes?”

You may be familiar with this recent gripe I heard from a business trainer. It’s not uncommon from people who engage directly with clients when their own grand schemes seem to be going awry. And it does seem to pick up on common themes of listening and customer service.

How well does it work in practice?

At the risk of stating the blindingly obvious, just giving the customer what he wants and needs is a process in itself, if that is how the business decides to operate.

A process is “a sequence of interdependent and linked procedures which, at every stage, consume one or more resources (employee time, energy, machines, money) to convert inputs (data, material, parts, etc.) into outputs. These outputs then serve as inputs for the next stage until a known goal or end result is reached.” [businessdictionary.com]

Whereas a system consists of elements which continually influence one another (directly or indirectly) in order to achieve the common purpose the 'goal' of the system. All systems have (a) inputs, outputs, and feedback mechanisms. Systems underlie every phenomenon, and are everywhere one looks for them. [businessdictionary.com]

So, really, the call is not to abandon systems and processes, merely to operate different ones that are seen as better serving this advocate; whether such a change would better serve the business as a whole is an entirely different question.

One of the extreme models of customer service, and a very successful one, is Nordstrom. For those that don’t know, Nordstrom’s is a chain of department stores in the USA. At the end of 2000 they had 77 full-line stores and 24 clearance stores in 25 states, generated annual sales of almost $5 billion and boasted a sales-per-square-foot of $400, which is almost double the industry average.

A central plank in the service ethic that underpins Nordstrom is the single rule governing all employee actions:

“Use your good judgment in all situations. There will be no additional rules.”

That’s interesting. All it calls for is good judgment, not an unconditional abdication to whatever the customer demands. For example, in the early 1990s the residents of Santa Clarita, Los Angeles expressed a strong desire to have a Nordstrom store in their community, because of the improvement it would bring. At the time of writing, as far as I can tell, they are still waiting.

Even Nordstrom sets boundaries.

Ryanair can be seen as being at the other end of the spectrum, yet it's a highly successful business. It got that way by deciding exactly what it wanted to do and sticking to it.

Ryanair aims to be a low cost airline, so it flies to low-cost airports which are in out-the-way places. If a Ryanair flight is diverted, perhaps due to bad weather, there will be no coach laid on at the alternate destination. Ryanair is a low-cost airline. Coaches are not part of the package.

Michael O'Leary, the Irish airline's boss, now wants to abolish the luggage check-in. He proposes that people carry their suitcases to the boarding steps, where staff will stick them in the hold. This would be unacceptable at BA. At Ryanair it’s expected.

On opening up new routes Michael O'Leary has said, “I don't give a toss where people want to go. I'm in the business of creating a market for people to go where they have never heard of.”

Ryanair – we do what we do.

So, just giving the customer what he wants and needs misunderstands what customer service is about. Certainly, one must listen to customers, but one must also learn. And part of that learning may be that what this particular person wants is not what this particular business does.

Others may do what they want a lot better. In that context good service would consist of steering the person in that direction. They were never your customer in the first place, because a customer is someone who pays you for what you do.

And as a business trainer my complainant should have understood this.

“Why can’t we just give the customer what he wants and needs and stop worrying about our own systems and processes?”

Let’s be charitable and put it down to frustration. The simple fact is, you can’t buy shoes from a sweet shop.

How Many Pages to Go?

Words: 379 Reading time: 1 minute 16 seconds

There is a well-known anecdote that tells of Mark Twain travelling across America and receiving a telegram from his editor. The telegram says “Need 2 page story in 2 days”. Mark Twain is alleged to have responded “2 page story need 30 days. 2 days can do 30 page story”.

Those of you with some experience of writing will recognize the reason for the apparent paradox immediately.

Thirty pages gives room for rambling paragraphs, non sequiturs and unrelated blind alleys.

To distil a tale into just two pages requires review, reconsideration, revision, redrafting and endless editing if the final result is to retain the essence and carry the narrative.

I see the same pattern with my clients, whether the issues are business or purely personal.

When I first ask them to describe their situation as they see, inevitably I elicit the thirty page story.

That story is confused, with overlapping issues, unfocused worries, inconsequential asides and unsupported assertions. People often describe themselves as being in a gigantic morass, about to be sucked under and drowned by all the circumstances sapping their usual ability to cope.

This is not surprising. Few people feel they have a partner who will just sit and listen – without passing comment, or judgement, or suggesting instant solutions.

And those that do have such a partner rarely take the time necessary to articulate what is going on in their lives. They are too busy struggling to “fix” it without necessarily being fully aware of what it is that needs fixing.

In some ways my role begins by encouraging the client to edit down those thirty pages to something tighter, more focused and much less confused.

Among the more useful questions that direct the client towards the process of paring away the lianas entangling them are:

“So, what is it exactly that you are working on?”

“What would have to happen for you get the outcome you want?”

“What one change would make the biggest difference to you right now?”

“And what one thing could you do to bring that one change into effect?”

The questions are simple, even stark. The answers usually throw up a lot more anguish and take a lot more work to bring into effect.

Hence Twain’s thirty days for a two page story.

Aural Communication

Words: 478 Reading time: 1 minute 36 seconds

Being listened to is a fantastic experience; merely being heard pales in comparison.

Even young children know the difference, hence the familiar cry, “Mummy, you’re not listening!” and the hasty reassurance “I am dear, I am” as she continues multi-tasking. Rarely is the infant completely mollified and the whole exchange ends as less than satisfactory to both parties.

It’s small wonder that an estimated 75% of oral communication is ignored, misunderstood, or quickly forgotten.

How often do you ask someone to repeat what they said, not because it was inaudible, but because you failed to catch their message the first time?

How often are you asked, “Why don’t you listen?” particularly by your partner or your children?

Our ability to listen builds trust, credibility and understanding. By listening we develop and maintain strong business links, healthy family relationships, and an active social network.

To listen properly we need to:

1. Be aware of the speaker’s mood and react accordingly. Often much of the message is conveyed by intonation, pitch, volume and body language. To listen properly we also need to see what they mean.

2. Allow silence to build, giving room for our companion to clarify or reflect on their point. We need to hear the whole story before we can respond effectively. The whole story includes not only what is said, but also what is not said.

3. Summarise to ensure understanding. In doing so, use the very same words that your companion used, as far as possible. For you the words “job” and “occupation” may mean the same thing. However, that may not be the case where they are concerned.

4. Never make assumptions about what the topic means to the speaker and how if affects them. You may be hearing a traumatic tale being told as a humorous interlude. Your interlocutor does so simply because that’s the only way they can deal with it. But how can you tell?

5. Suspend judgement (this can be difficult to master but is powerful and rewarding). That means not forming your opinion before listening to everything, getting clarification and having taken time to reflect. Seconds into a conversation some people think they already know the answer and interrupt the speaker in order to deliver it.

Although it's counterintuitive to many people skilful listening is often more valuable than talking. And listening is a much higher quality experience than hearing. Accept no substitutes when the outcome really matters.

One might suppose that in conversation people take turns talking and listening. For most exchanges it would be more accurate to say that while one person is speaking, the other is reloading. To avoid this trap refrain from mentally disagreeing, criticising or arguing.

Some dire consequences can follow from neglecting this critical skill: confusion, hurt feelings, incomplete instructions, embarrassment, and dissatisfaction. All of which can be alleviated by practicing proper listening techniques.