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To forward thinking…
Do You Actually Listen To Your Clients? Or do you just assume that YOU KNOW more than they do about WHAT THEY WANT & WHAT THEY NEED that you just push-forward YOUR OWN DECISIONS…
Think about that…
You Know What They Want & What They Need: Your Own Decisions
That is not customer-centric, that is owner-centric (or ego-centric depending on the device). I was listening to the radio today, and they were talking about the automated phone systems that most of the real world hears, and deals with, when they call in for customer service. They were telling folks how to skip the ‘being put on hold’ theory that companies seem to have.
Wow, I sat back in my seat at a red light, stunned, and a little ashamed. I head a VERY large initiative (phone-based customer service system) that we are fully under way with, and I was taken back. I thought that these phone systems were intuitive, and helpful, not aggravating and misleading.
We don’t want to put you on hold, that’s what the menu’s are supposed to be there for. To route you to the correct respondent. However, his (the DJ) advice was almost humurous. He suggested that instead of ‘1 for English’, that you press ‘2 for Espaniole’. Once you reach the operator, presumably a lot faster than pressing 1, you play ignorant, and ask the questions, in english. Creative… The female DJ suggested that this was akin to using the handicapped toilet in the restroom. What if that person comes in and needs that? You are taking the resources away from the people that get the value from it.
Not sure where I am going with this, but I was really stricken with thoughts of how we can improve our system, improve customer happiness, and what I was going to put in my e-mail to the DJ for so aptly teaching customers the ‘handicapped’ way through phone systems.
Our new IVR system should prove impressive enough. You will actually ’speak’ to the system, which will illicit the correct response, and provide you information. You may not HAVE to speak with a representative. Therefore, no need for being put on hold, the system can handle more than enough callers per hour, and we are honing the system to provide customer-centric support and quantified responses.
More on this later… I have a meeting about our ‘Customer Service System’, and no - pressing 2 for Spanish will not help you, they will just put you back into the ‘press 1′ menu. 
Mike has a challenge, and I am up for it. Mike and I have been friends for a little while now, and I have learned to listen closely to what he is saying. Not because he is soft spoken, everyone knows Mike, just ask the people at Panera. Anyway, Mike has given me advice, either directly, or indirectly, that has resulted in me eventually paying attention to what he is trying to tell me.
I blame Mike for helping me focus more on my Family (my Wife and my Daughters), I blame Mike for helping spend time on projects/things that count. I also blame Mike for me spending a little time, and writing down, what I want to do with a blog; not just have something online.
So, here is my mantra as I see it:
1. Jot down an idea whenever/wherever you have it. I now carry my legal pad with me everywhere. I have been in the middle of a meeting, had an idea (Liquid Project Manager), and then when I got back to the PC, I posted it!
2. JUST WRITE. No rules; don’t create a path and then force yourself to walk that path. Explore how you want to write, and eventually everything will just flow the way that you want it to.
3. Link to a reference to your post content. Don’t forget Wikipedia, they have a plethora of information that you can link to, from descriptive words to numbers and years…
4. Title your post as it is relative to the content. Use a line from the opening of the post… be creative and draw your reader in to find out the answer…
5. Visit Pingoat, and tell everyone else that you have a new post!
I don’t worry about the category, the title, or anything other than what I am writing. Once it is complete, THEN select your title, tags, whatever category you feel that your post fits into.
If you create a mold, you will be stuck in it. Shape new ones…
To forward thinking…
I don’t know about the rest of you, but I have been known to pay A LOT for 411 calls. Maybe I was too lazy to open the phone book, and wasn’t in front of the computer. I am usually at meetings, in-between meetings, on the road to meetings, etc. I discovered 1-800-FREE-411
Write that down, share with all your friends= 1-800-FREE-411 (1-800-373-3411)
Here’s how it works:
You call in, it is all voice recognition (IVR), It asks for “City and State Please”…
Then it asks “Are you looking for a Business, Goverment, or Residential listing?” You state which one, the it asks for the listing title/name, etc.
At any time that the system does not understand you, it will repeat what it ‘thinks’ that you said. The failure option sends you to an operator.
The only downside, is that you will have to write down the phone number. Since you are not paying for the service, it does not connect you.
My theory: Get connected, pay $1.50 (or more); Get the number, pay NOTHING… Aside from Food, my other favorite four letter word is FREE. Nothing wrong with that is there?
Share this info:
1-800-FREE-411
Update (06/23/06) They also have a website http://www.free411.com and when you call, you may be presented with a small recorded advertisement for one of their sponsors. Still a small price to pay (free) to not have to pay ($2.00)…
Making Money Tips for all To Contribute - This could be an interesting blog, depending on the content. I posted a comment relating to the latest post about using keywords to drive traffic to your site.
I will keep my eye on this site, and possibly contribute if Ken will allow me too!
