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

Labels:

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

resilience, do you believe?

Seeking out the closest spot to the door of the office was not a common practice; however, at 07:00 on August 24th, 2022 the temperature was already 96' and 98% humidity.   The building would have a hell of a time keeping up today, rolling black-outs and brown-outs would be inevitable.   It likely won't be an outright equipment shut-down, instead we will have to endure the impending "brown-out" conditions, a slow, low voltage and high amperage stressing of our electrical infrastructure and connected systems. Our deliberate and continuous leverage of Industrial IoT (IIoT) technology and the companion AI prescriptive models have positioned us well. It had to be around the year 2018 when we invested in IIoT.   Heck, most were comparing our endeavors to the "Nest" thermostat, a pioneer (yet very fundamental) entrée into home-based IoT.   Naysayers were laughing that we would never see the benefits; however, our fragile National infrastructure and Mothe...
Post a Comment
Read more

is your "score", you?

Avid Andy begins to wonder if he may be schizophrenic.   Or could it be a sign of true genius when he can see a problem from all sides? Andy was reflecting on a service meeting that happened last week.   Conversation was around our ability to objectively measure things and make better decisions. At the center of almost any measurement environment are the fundamentals of math. To determine priority or influence, it seems logical when dealing with inanimate objects like sensors, assets, and sites in a portfolio to move towards "point-based systems". The real dilemma for Andy seemed to comes when we begin scoring humans and letting pre-determined algorithms establish an individuals path. Our service meeting quickly changed from tactical to philosophical discussions and one of the technicians, Pragmatic Paul, made mention of a black mirror program (Netflix) named "Nosedive".    In this futuristic episode, an individuals score dictates their behavior and those ...
Post a Comment
Read more

In$pired

As the steam from Avid Andy's coffee fogged his glasses on this crisp January morning, he reflected on last year and thought enthusiastically about the year ahead.   Sometimes the noise of business is deafening, we rarely take the time to contemplate our moves, instead are often thrown one direction or another.   Hey, face it, if you are reading posts to gain perspective you fall in the group of folks who pride themselves as obsequious hoop-jumpers.   We live to help others and expect that all of those around us feel the same way.   I just love Influential Irene.   Okay, it is out in the open, she is an inspiration for me and so many others.   Irene reminds folks every year, without fail, these three statements which she fondly refers to as "the punchline" (although this is no joke).   Businesses, of any size, will be successful if they remember that it is people that make a company.   Put this advice into practice, today: Sincerity |...
Post a Comment
Read more