Skip to main content

Performance; perception | anyone really care?


As folks began to gather for our weekly Monday morning meeting, you could feel the tension in the room.  Last month we lost an unusually high number of customers and pull through service work.  Unfortunately, we have been slipping for the last few months.  Sitting across from me , Influential Irene looked out of sorts,  normally very upbeat, she instead looked quite perplexed.  Arguably we provide the most professional service around, maybe we are too good?  What if we just think we are fantastic, easy for confident service folks, and we are not that great.  Feeling himself slip into a black hole, overwhelmed Oscar decided to take a breath and wait to see what Andy had to say.



Trying not to feel defeated, Avid Andy began to wonder which matters most to our clients, superior service performance OR the perception of superior service.  Knowing that he needed to address the team and get them back on track, Andy listed the attributes which seem to be at the intersection of performance and perception:



  1. Positive demeanor | confident and open-minded (performance), a smile is always infectious (perception)
  2. Clear head | efficient and safe (performance) while focused on the job ahead (perception)
  3. Listening |   understanding field conditions and history (performance) sincerely concerned (perception)
  4. Empathy |  absorbing the pain points (performance) and remaining approachable (perception)



Andy decided that instead of talking about the numbers and technical attributes, the focus would be on what truly differentiates our organization, the way we feel about our teammates and clients.  Irene, who had been quite through the meeting closed the meeting by reminding everyone; "your face is our face, let it be warm and welcoming".



-----

Next post:  who's data is it?

Thoughts?  feel free to leave replies or direct message

See all of the "last mile worker" posts here:  http://lastmileworker.com

-----




Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

Is custom software in 2019 spelled EGO?

I still struggle , as do many, with the rationalization between building software and buying software. Microsoft Excel , likely one of the most widely recognized packaged software applications, was released over 30 years ago . My guess is not many people would consider building a custom piece of software which performs math and other worksheet related tasks. While this is an obvious example, it highlights an important factor for many in deciding between custom and configurable software solutions . Fact is, everybody understands how Microsoft Excel works. Let's mix it up a bit and add the opinions that you have regarding what makes your approach to business so special.   The things that you do, in an industry, which are totally unique to your competitors.   This is where it gets a bit murky, we must tease out the transactional components from the value add aspects of software.   For instance, you use a staffing system to help find, manage, and retain internal and external
Post a Comment
Read more

entusiastic about preventative maintenance

Why do I really care if my field technicians are enthusiastic or not? When you look at a person's work output, as directly related to workforce sciences, you come up with three primary ingredients required to achieve your desired results.   These ingredients are; attitudes, attributes, and capabilities and when mixed properly with enabling tools can yield unbelievable outputs. So what does any of this have to do with routine maintenance? If your maintenance routines actually become way too routine then pretty soon performance will be replaced with complacency. In order to keep any piece of equipment running as trouble-free as possible the maintenance performed, and the thoroughness of the inspection and tasks at hand, have a direct impact on the asset's life expectancy.   There are some strategies that help service organizations keep the enthusiasm at all-time highs. Switch techs from time to time :   One of the best ways to ensure maintenance is being performed prope
Post a Comment
Read more

no one told you when to run

From the clients perspective, what is the perfect service call? "To interpret my field conditions and apply a solution which resolves the issue immediately and ensures trouble-free long-term operation. Delivered by a professional, courteous, empathetic, appropriately skilled, years of experience, materials required for repair, a good listener, and one that treats me as if I am their only customer; amen"! As you might expect the perfect service call is really a blend of attitudes, attributes, and capabilities. The trick is, while we all may agree that these aspects make the perfect service call, endeavoring to achieve these results is becoming increasingly more difficult. Our customers, with their visibility and awareness of our activities, raise the bar regarding the level of service that we need to provide. Let's unpack a few of these elements: Appropriately skilled :   haven't we all had this discussion in the past?   My workers are all
Post a Comment
Read more