Greetings!
A reader of Tools for Change shared this
concern with me:
"The biggest challenge I face is
supporting our business to change its culture
around customer service. The risk is that if
we don't, our competition will continue to
eat our market share."
It's the question of why before how. You've
already decided on the how - you said that
need to improve customer service in order to
regain market share. And you may be right.
But it sounds like your organization is stuck
on why. People don't see why you are talking
about changing. And people are not interested
in following your how (your ideas and plans)
until they fully grasp why something new is
needed.
Without a deep understanding of why, you'll
probably get reluctance and resistance. And
good customer service is not built on a
foundation of people who are angry at their
employers.
Rather than trying to sell people on customer
service, take a step back. Ask yourself, what
makes you so certain that poor customer
service is what's eating away at your market
share? What evidence do you have that this
situation could be critical? I'll guess that
you've got some pretty compelling answers to
that question. Now ask yourself, do people
throughout the organization see things this
way? I'll bet they don't.
If I'm right, then your task is to make a
compelling case for change. Don't just give
people the tired old PowerPoint presentation,
but consider how you can get the message
across in ways that grab people emotionally.
For example, videos of real customers talking
about why they have left your company.
Research that shows a correlation between
your drop in customer service scores and
market share. These are off the top of my
head. You need to think of things that make
sense for your organization. Good luck.
Coaching on Change
People who purchased copies of the Change
without Migraines Formula are entitled to two
months of free group coaching. And it all
kicks off next week with a question and
answer teleseminar. I asked members of the
coaching program to send me questions -- and
they sent in some great ones.
Then in two weeks, I will be interviewing an
expert on leading change in health care. And
it doesn't make a difference if you work in
health care, I think you'll a lot from what
she has
to say.
It's not too late to enroll. Click here to
learn more about the Change
without Migraines Formula.
Sincerely,
Rick Maurer
Maurer & Associates
phone:
703-525-7074
