Is your service an Oxymoron

MOST PROBABLY YES

it is and this is not surprising given that most companies require profit to survive.

Now I realise that you probably feel that you indeed offer superior service and maybe you do but service is not about profit it is about….that’s right service. It is an experience that your customer receives not the bullshit messages they hear while waiting for exactly that. Phone companies would without doubt be the worst, oh and maybe that TV provider but I am sure you might put Local Govt services and even Govt services alongside.

But let’s get back to you and your offering and does your service actually let down your business. For instance let’s look at any organisation that charges by the hour, the big 4 come to mind but so do Accountants, Lawyers, in fact any one who is supplying a time based service.

Now the company makes its money by charging more than it pays the people to do the job, and as such needs their employees to be both efficient and skilled, so the more a person achieves the more a company can charge for that persons services.

I understand this is not new to you but the fundamental underpinning of this is the employees effectiveness, and this is where the trouble starts, as people are not machines – they are….well people actually and as so inclined to break now and again. But the business expects the same output everyday so if you are tired or upset or stressed then that has just loaded an extra demand on your already overtaxed system, and the result is you now have to work harder to deliver the same.

And how do you achieve that? That’s right you work longer and that in turn makes you more tired, irritable and yes unhappy.  When not dealt with this bleeds back into your life away from work, and in the extreme leads to sleeplessness, stress and can be a cause for depression.

So now your organisation is supplying your customers with people who are so far from functioning at their optimum and that in some cases are actually a risk to your customers companies.

Remembering that we have both internal and external customers, extrapolate that and we have stress driven decisions being made both for our own companies and our customers, with serious and sometimes fatal results (see what happens when your accountant gets it wrong with your tax calculations, legal contracts, etc.)

SO HOW DO PEOPLE HANDLE

this extra pressure to perform like a machine while they are built like a human? A typical scenario may be that at first the person finds it difficult to switch off at night, you know just checking the emails before you go to bed or relaxing by watching youtube or maybe lying in bed hoping to drift off while your mind searches for things you might have forgotten to do.

And when you finally drift off you awake with a jolt at some ungodly hour of the morning and being now wide awake you tell yourself this is a perfect time to catch up on stuff because there are no interruptions, and so by the time you get to work you have already worked half a day.

Add the daily pressure of people’s interactions in meetings, emotional strains from home, customers expectations,relationships, money…(add your own here) and this is just an average workplace. And yet we are selling our services as if we are our website or pretty brochure…the more stressed we are the worse our decision making and the longer we take, yet we still expect to charge our customers for the hours we took….really?

SO HOW DO WE CHANGE IT

To start with all companies need to relook at what they offer and whether that still fits with the culture and expertise they currently have available, and if it is not possible then either hire to deliver or reduce your offer (better to over deliver on a reduced service than underdeliver on a grander one).

Be aware of our changing world, is your current offer still relevant to your customers, many companies are struggling to adapt to this increasingly disruptive world, asking your employees to measure up against a new service that has changed the market (think Uber) is both unfair and hugely stressful.

Actually care about everyone who works in the company not just the shining stars, the person who answers the phone or sits at reception is the most important person to the customer and is actually way more important to your organisations customer experience than your super sales person.

What’s going on in people’s lives outside of work has a direct impact on their ability to deliver. Put in place opportunities for people to get help if they need it and build a culture that supports emotional wellness and encourages personal growth.

Create a meaningful feedback experience for your customers (not a bloody like button) so when you slip up they can let you know.

AND FINALLY Remember people are not machines and working them harder doesn’t get better results, enabling them to work smarter does, doing a better job and charging your customers based on value is well……that’s right……Service.