Skip to main content

who owns the client?


The look on Oscar's face was as priceless as a kitten looking into a fishbowl.  Those jubilant feelings were evaporating quickly as overwhelmed Oscar began to consider his response to the customer simple statement of "you mean you are not always going to send Johnny to my site anymore?". Today, in many cases, the fact that a worker actually "owns" a customer is one of the primary reasons Oscar ended up with his nickname of overwhelmed. It is next to impossible to drive superior service performance to our client while balancing the customers favorite worker. We have known all along that this delicate balance of a preferred worker per jobsite is important to attract new workers and maintain long fruitful relationships.

Why? No doubt a relationship with the customer is very important. Can you honestly say if you had the information; where the equipment was located, site nuances, access codes and ladder positions, would you continue this same ridiculous practice? Is it in the company's best interest that a single worker owns the company's clients? Should we reinforce this behavior by hiring workers not only on their skill level but also on the number of contracts and customers they can bring with them? When will the madness stop!  As our workforces continue to dwindle, it will become increasingly important that we get the right person with the right skills on the right work activity. Our clients may love us and like Johnny and his personality; however, if we don't maintain that equipment, keep it running trouble-free and energy efficient, we are out of a job. God bless our customers as they should throw each and every one of us to the curb if our number one priority is not asset optimization.

So what's the sense of urgency? We are exploring connected systems and artificial intelligence daily, the effort is significant and worthwhile. Our challenges in evolving the industry, while technology may take center stage now, will really boil down to our ability to change our business and our culture. We must start breaking the dependencies and democratize the way that we objectively distribute and manage our clients and work activities.

----- 
Next post:  who's data is it?
-----
Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

why transform?

Why do I want to change, who said anything was wrong with my stack of papers and sea of Excel files?   We solve problems, that is a key characteristic of any successful service organization, if it isn't broke why fix it?   Often, when discussing a transformation from paper or cobbled together systems to a cohesive digital approach, folks struggle with the gap between what they currently do and how digital tools can help.   You really need to look at where the pain points are in your organization and how these compare to your business objectives.   Consider writing down these points on the whiteboard in no particular order, spend a few days shuffling and consolidating into a prioritized list.   Once you have the "why" and the "what" identified, the old remaining step is "how".   Some of the most popular observations over the years have been; Slipping through the cracks :   you know, not the major muscle movements, instead those little i...
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...
Post a Comment
Read more

show me the money

This could definitely be one of those topics where you may be hearing voices. One voice, used when speaking with others, is telling folks that your career and the ability to make a difference is much more important than what you are being paid. While on the other hand your other voice, and I have noticed this voice gets louder and softer depending upon your age and circumstances, may be screaming get as much as you can for the work you're currently performing.   Isn't it really all about purpose?   How else can you explain schoolteachers, police and firemen, and the United States Military; all driven by the visceral desire to help and change people's lives. We certainly know, with the exception of a few in the aforementioned careers, they are not in it for the money (indeed, something seems very backwards here).   Evidence exists (@mercer) that shows if you are paying a worker within the normal range of income for their position then it is likely that being motivated ...
Post a Comment
Read more