Customer Relations: July 2010 Archives

The title of today's entry is a quote from one of my father figures and favorite clients.  He told me that he has followed this motto through his life and it has helped him develop stronger relationships and to protect himself from situations that may not be on the up and up.

Upon first hearing this, it seemed kind of rash, but when looking at the concept deeper, there is a great deal of sense to it.  When we "hate" someone, that generally brings about a great deal of passion that can easily be turned into love or respect.  Hate often involves being affected by someone or something so much that it drives us to action.

Think about someone you have "hated" before; if they didn't matter to you, would you feel hate?  Probably not; you'd feel ambivalence. 

I've used this motto to help me be nicer to people that I initially "hated", and focus on how to turn the relationship or experience into one of mutual respect and support.

Start hating! (wink)
What does using an ATM properly have to do with training, careers or HR?  A lot actually.

I hate using ATM's most of the time because people spend so much time at the ATM you'd think they are opening up in account or something.  One of my zany ideas that I gave to a couple people who work at banks is that they should have people standing out at the ATM's from time to time to manage crowd control and show them how to use it properly!

One of the exercises I have my students work on in HR class is writing together a training procedure for how somebody who has never used an ATM for can use one effectively.  None of my former students have gotten it right so far (at least in my mind).

Here is what I feel is the proper procedure for using an ATM

1.  Prior to pulling into the parking lot or approaching the ATM, have all checks signed, your card out of your wallet, and be prepared for whatever transactions you are going to complete
2.  Insert card into ATM within 5 seconds of approaching the machine, and enter PIN
3.  Complete your transactions
4.  Pull away from ATM and replace your card in your wallet.

What my students have always forgotten is #1.  Many people, in any situation, forget the preparatory steps that need to take place before an actual procedure begins.  This ATM instruction guide is an example of how you can incorporate preparatory steps into any training model.

So the next time you pull up to an ATM, if I am behind you, I hope you are following my guidelines!
As I meandered through a sea of gift shops in Lake George today, I was struck by the lack of customer service at any place I went into.  There were the same product lines in almost all of the stores, arranged in the same way.  Until I came to the last stop on our adventure today...

We stopped in a store and immediately across from us was a person smiling and excited that we were coming in.  All we got fromher was a good afternoon and a smile from ear to ear, but I was sold; this was the place I was going to buy something, whether or not I needed it (since it was a vacation day after all).  I looked around for something, anything at all, just because it was the first time on our journey that I actually felt someone cared for our money and our business.

What do you do to make the people who walk into your business feel special?  Or is your business like the sea of others in tourist areas offering nothing until someone comes to pay at the cash register?

I will remember the smile from today forever.  It reminded me of the days I worked at Disney and when everyone smiled at every guest, and made them feel special.


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