For me something seems to have changed in the past year. Maybe it is the economy or just a cycle but lots of businesses seem to be going through this. Years ago I used to feel and hear a lot of people who were treating their clients like gold. It always seemed that "WHY NOT?" was the standard. Anything could be done to please a customer and no request was ever too big. You felt the company would do anything for you 24/7. It almost seems like that has turned into "WHY BOTHER?" What’s the point? I am probably not going to get a bonus or anything extra so why should I go above and beyond. I have seen this so many times in so many retail establishments it isn’t funny! Way too many to count. But from where I am standing it doesn’t end with them. It seems like it’s contagious and in most businesses.
Have you noticed this as well?
- What happened?
- Is it the economy?
- Is it the last few generations of workers?
- Is it work ethic?
Whatever it is I really don’t like it. I think the mindset really needs to change and change quickly.
Employees make the difference if the cash register rings! If revenue is going to go up it needs to be a team effort and everyone contributing to ensure every customer is happy every time they do business with the company.
What are your thoughts?
I really look forward to hearing your comments.
anonymous says:
I wish to remain anonymous on this one simply because I am giving a bit of an example here….but I know for me, while I am not quite there yet, I will likely stop bending over backwards because clients (and especially prospects) seem to have dropped the term “Thank You” from their vocabulary. A potential new customer reached out because they have been experiencing quality issues that have come close to costing them their best client. JACKPOT I think! I immediately try to engage in a conversation with this prospect to better understand their needs and essentially get told they don’t have time for all of my questions, they just need a price–and fast. We agree upon a delivery for this but then the prospect decides to contact me at 630pm (about 24 hours before the agreed upon deadline) and indicates they need the information before 9am the following morning. This is fine, I readily accept, and proceed to work on the RFI (which is completely direction-less) without having access to the work my other colleagues had been diligently working on. Delivering at midnight, I expect to awake to a “Thank You” in my inbox. I didn’t–all I got was literally one word–”received”. One shouldn’t assume that their business, or the prospect of their business, should be thank you enough, especially in these scenarios. I think that’s quite an elitist attitude to take. We should all remember that, in this industry at least, we’re all working toward a common goal and each person needs to contribute.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Totally agree with what you have said. Jumping through hoops is a part of doing business but I think people sometimes need to slow down and thank people when they go above and beyond.
Appreciate you sharing.
Merrill
Paul Kirch says:
Merrill – I have noticed it as well and it’s a disappointing trend. I think the shift started to happen the term “publicly traded” came into our industry. I mean no respect to firms traded on the stock exchange, but the way they do business has deeply impacted our home grown industry. As the quarter and year end approaches, it becomes about targets and earnings and not about the relationships. As many firms have become aggressive about sales, they have created an environment where it’s no longer focused on the relationships it’s about what they can get from each client. I won’t state that it’s every person or every company, but pressure on sales and growth has created a new market place. For example, it used to be the Presidents or owners of firms that were discussing doing business. Their name was on the door and each relationship was important. Even firms that had sales people drilled that idea into their staff. Now, there are tiers within most companies and, often (not always), the further from the top, the less vested you are in the relationship and the more vested you’re in hitting your targets (as someone above you is putting that pressure on you). Yes, that’s sales, but it’s also changed our industry. Unfortunately this extends beyond sales and impacts most areas of business. If you’re manager’s manager’s manager isn’t a cheerleader and isn’t preaching “relationships, relationships, relationships” and getting buy-in from everyone below him, then everyone along the chain gets more focused on the company discussion about growth, target, etc.
I worked for a firm for many years that was all about it’s staff and all about its clients. They made you believe both were the most important. One day they decided they were going to set really aggressive sales milestones and the culture changed, almost over night. The pressure was on growth. The focus on what got them to that point was lost. That’s business, but I believe there has to be a balance. The firms that value each client and each relationship can create some real loyalty as long as the people they are servicing value the relationship, value the service and aren’t being told “cut spending, cut spending.” The issue is obvious. What’s not, is the solution. Buying decisions aren’t taking place at the top as often any more, especially with supplier relationships. The term procurement has crept into our industry, which really puts price at the forefront of many decisions. It’s going to be hard to go back. I’d say we all need to be preaching “relationships, relationships, relationships” and be a chearleader for your firm to get everyone behind it.
Merrill Dubrow says:
Paul,
Good comments – I would agree in dealing with procurement departments the relationship and value of what a company brings to the table clearly changes.
Merrill
Jeremy Bromberg says:
I think what both anonymous’ and Paul’s stories have in common sounds like the big box store syndrome comes to market research. In the same way that the Walmarts and Home Depots have dealt a crushing blow to mom ‘n pop stores all across the country, so are large corporations doing to other humble industries, like this one. “Why are our prices so low? Volume!”
What anonymous then describes is how consumer behavior changes – looking for volume pricing and expecting dispassionate behavior. Anonymous, apparently themselves a passionate provider, understandably becomes dispirited.
What’s the answer? That’s a tough one. We don’t yet see a response from the businesses that support our everyday living, and this needs to start somewhere. Here are some thoughts:
1. Innovate, innovate, innovate. The big box companies are volume and price for the same ol’ same ol’. They aren’t agile. They aren’t personal. They aren’t creative. Smaller companies must display even greater human/customer awareness, and a drive to continuously improve. Innovation is central to this achievement.
2. Target more modest economic growth. The bang-bang 90′s and early 2K are not to be seen again soon. (Not necessarily never, just not soon.) Unless a company comes up with a truly novel or disruptive advance, setting goals of more like 10% growth may in fact provide at least some psychological relief from the stress of chasing high-flying.
3. Keep doing the right thing. We want customers to want to buy from us, employees to want to work for us, and vendors to want to work with us. Treating others as we’d have them treat us will, down the road, lead to a positive return. And, we each get to look ourselves in the mirror every day knowing we done good.
Ed Sugar says:
Jeremy, Paul and Dr. X have nailed it down.
I would only add that with hard economic times the $$ to train employees and staff in customer service is usually the first item to be cut. Gosh, I remember a time when Customer Sat/Loyalty conferences were dominate on the MR conference schedule. Now they have all but vanished.
Also, hard times can create a “bunker mentally” in many organizations where the goal is to look like you are keeping busy and not wasting time on needless “chit chat”.
To underscore Dr. X’s point, common courtesy and good manners have just about disappearred from our society. It is beyond responding with a simple “thank you”, “your welcome” or “my pleasure”. My wife and I like to entertain by having people over for din-din and parties, every so often. Since the early 90′s we have replaced the term RSVP with a sentence such as “in order to make sure we have enough food please be kind to let us know if you are coming by…”.
I do not know if it is West Coast thing or something caused by the reliance on electronic media. Very sad.
Ed Sugar says:
Addendum – WSJ 8/19/09 under What’s News -
“Only about a quarter of the 2009 high school graduates taking the ACT admissions tests have the skills to succeed in college”.
Hmmmm… I wonder if this might be an underlining cause?
Merrill Dubrow says:
Ed,
Totally agree with you. Let me tell a quick story. I love Jerry’s Deli in Marina Del Rey and ate there 4 times last week. OK so i really like it. We had great service until the last breakfast. The server was so lethargic, she was so unhappy, was moping around and most important the service showed. At the end I asked her how her day was going and she said not that good, and than followed up with how long have you worked here and she replied 7 years My final question was do you like it here and she shrugged her shoulders and said sort of and than not really – very sad to see a person dislike their job for not long and also management not notice. If we did others will as well and I am sure it will hurt Jerry’s Deli at the cash register.
Bottom line is employees can make a huge difference and sometimes that can be very negative.
Merrill
Jim Steber says:
Let’s not miss the opportunity for business. For those of us that believe customer services combined with quality is the answer, let’s keep it up. I have received business this year that has been based purely on price, nothing else. When we delivered at the price we said and the quality was great all we got was “received”. But last week we got a call from a new client who told me that we were recommended. The recommendation was from a sometime user. the customer service was the answer. So all of you keep up the good work, give each other an ata boy and you will win.
Melanie says:
At the risk of sounding preachy… There is a Bible lesson about teachers being held to a higher standard. We see that every day in modern life. We expect Math teachers to know their Math, and our government leaders to know foreign policy and fiscal planning. And the proof that they know their stuff is how they use it successfully in their jobs and lives.
As an industry that teachers about knowing and understanding what drives satisfaction, sales, and retention, we are expected to know how to do that in our sleep. And unlike other professions, our customers are in a pretty good position to measure our effectiveness there. Every phone conversation they have with us. Every email. They can read and experience whether we do what we teach. And if we don’t, we lose credibility.
LaSalle schools recite the following (part of a larger recitation):
Let me be the change I want to see
to do with strength and wisdom
all that needs to be done…
Today I start the change I want to see.
…change begins in me.
I’m just trying to say that the change has to begin with us. Has to begin with me.
Lynn Stalone says:
Melanie – You are 100% right!! The change begins here. Every day.
Lynn Stalone says:
Ah – this one is close to my heart, as well. I have always prescribed to the philosophy that every client has to be treated like gold and expect all of my staff to behave in the same fashion. Being available 24x7x365, as well as being 110% responsive to all requests has been critical to our business and most of my clients have appreciated this.
That said, I can understand how some folks have become frustrated over the past couple years with what they may rightly see as the abuse of this level of service. Specifically, the growth of unanswered e-mails and messages on time-sensitive issues until the 11th (or 12th) hour has increased exponentially. I know many of my staff struggle with clients who may not respond for days and repeated requests for project finalizations/schedules/etc. In many cases, the response only comes well after a deadline – usually at about 6PM giving the person waiting for the response the opportunity to work well into the night to get the project back on track. As this happens more frequently, I can understand the temptation for some to say “why bother?”
If you step back and look at this objectively, it really reflects a far more disturbing trend — the basic lack of proper communications and common courtesy in business. Add to this the general decline in work ethic and a basic attitude of entitlement among younger people (but some older ones, too). [Anybody see the article about the recent college grad who is suing for her tuition back because she can't find a job (she graduated in spring of this year)?]
Ed touches on this a bit with his ACT score lament. And, it’s only going to get worse. Many college grads are coming into the work force with a far too lax attitude toward correspondence and basic good manners, and far to much focus on “building Brand Me.” It’s more important to some to Tweet about their day, answer & send repeated text messages, IM and post what they’re doing on Facebook than answer an e-mail. Further, many simply do not know how to write a proper letter, let alone anything more complicated. Business e-mail should not be written in text-speak (whn do u ned chgs bk?), but with text messaging being the preferred mode of communication for most under 30, it can be a tough habit to break, but it’s one we break immediately in my firm if we see it.
Here’s a great example of the it’s-all-about-me syndrome: One of my clients has a co-worker in marketing who never answers his e-mails internally until someone goes to his desk and demands a response or calls his boss (who says oh-he-is-just-so-busy). However, he updates Facebook many times a day and actually will answer Facebook messages within minutes. My client has now resorted to messaging him on Facebook to get responses to BUSINESS issues. This is a Fortune 500 company. How has this become OK? Why/how can he even have Facebook open at work (yes, they’ve all seen it open on his computer).
I continue to believe that over the top service sets you apart and pays off in the long term. And, I’ll continue to train my younger staff members to treat all clients like gold and to maintain proper correspondence and respond to requests as quickly as possible – whenever they come. The bottom line on service is the same as it has always been – all of the great service you provide can be completely negated by one bad experience. It’s simply not worth it to treat any client as less than your most important.