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 1. Unhappy customers = big opportunities
A recent staff survey I conducted for a client highlighted the need for additional:
- Sharing of important information
- Interdepartmental cooperation and conflict resolution
- Employee recognition
- Staff mentoring and career planning
- Customer satisfaction orientation
- Benefits and compensation
- Performance issue resolution timeliness
Taken together, these topics have spawned thousands of articles and business books (see The Enlightened Manager). But, a satisfied customer or citizen is the best business strategy of all -- especially in a tough economy.
"It is not the employer who pays the wages. Employers only handle the money. It is the customer who pays the wages (Henry Ford)."
Statistics suggest that when customers/stakeholders complain, employees ought to get excited about it. Bill Gates used to say, "Your most unhappy customers are your greatest source of learning." The complaining customer represents a huge opportunity for increased business and improved organization health.
What steps could you take when you see something that needs fixing? When a process or system is broke? In short - when customer satisfaction isn't a priority?
As leaders, we each have to choose our own work attitude. Whether we are willing to see and facilitate the needed change or bury our heads in the sand hoping the need for transformation goes away or someone else deals with it. How we react to customer problems will determine our success.
Mike
For management & sales coaching support
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