Values and Success

“Hi Coach, what will we discuss today?” Jake asked.

“Today, we start a series on values,” I said.  “Values help people succeed.”

“I thought,” Jake said, “it was those who are flexible that become successful.”

“Those who bend their values might reach a certain level of success,” I said, “but it is not without regret.”

“Please explain,” Jake requested.

“I may try to lie to you about what I am selling in order to make a quick sale,” I said, “but that is a big risk.”

“You mean, because if the customer finds out that she has been cheated,” Jake added, “she will tell everybody she knows.”

“She will warn everyone of her friends therefore, her friends will avoid buying that product or service,” I said. “And the feeling of being betrayed may take a lifetime for some.”

“Yup, that’s right.  I know the feeling,” Jake said. “I felt cheated before.”

“Cheating the customer might benefit the liar in the short-term,” I said.  “But it is counter success in the long-term.”

“Because you will not have loyal customers, which is important to any business,” Jake said.

“Right,” I said.

“What else Coach?” Jake asked.

“Cheating the customer is only one,” I said. “Giving bad customer service is also bad for business.”

“Yes, bad customer service shows that one does not value the customer,” Jake said.

“And if the customer feels undervalued?” I asked.

“The customer will go to another who can give better service,” Jake said.

“Right,” I said, “and she will complain to her friends of the terrible service.”

“Negative word gets out,” Jake said, “the brand’s good name erodes.”

“Jake, I will email you a file,” I said. “The file contains a list of values.  Your assignment is to find the connection of these values to personal, career, or business success.”

“Okay, I’ll check my email later and do the research,” Jake said.  “Does this mean that our next set of sessions will focus on values.”

“Yes.  Good values contribute to better life, relationships, career and business,” I said.

“See you next week Coach,” Jake said.

“Bye.”

© Eduardo R. Pilapil Jr. 2010

Customers Love This

“One green tea latte please,” my friend ordered.  The barista of Starbucks was taken aback, “Sir we do not offer green tea latte…” but before ending his statement, he was able to regain composure, “…but I can make that for you.”

My friend knew that Starbucks did not serve tea latte then.  This was a few years back. I really do not know his purpose of ordering a drink that was not in the menu.  It could either be: (1) he really wants a tea latte or, (2) he was testing the service.

Perhaps in that split second of a pause this thought raced in the barista’s mind, “Wait! A tea latte is only tea with milk.  He wants green tea latte.  We serve green tea!  We also have milk.  In fact, we have different types of milk: steamed, non-fat, full cream and regular.  I’ll say yes to this customer.”

Or, that scenario was part of their training before they became baristas.  For my friend, it did not matter.  The important thing was he got his tea latte.  This barista found a way to satisfy his customer.

I recently planned to finalize a deal.  A small group of entrepreneurs wanted to buy my company’s name.  We agreed on a price.  My business partner and I wanted to turnover the documents of transfer and receive the payment in one of our depository banks, so we can immediately deposit the payment to our account.  My partner was passing by HSBC a few days prior to payment day.  She decided to enter the bank and asked permission for the use of a cubicle for our transaction.  The officer said, “We do not offer that service but we can accommodate your request.  You may use one of the cubicles.”

Came transaction day.  We breezed through the deal in 30 minutes.  The HSBC team in the Discovery Suites branch were so accommodating from start to finish. Everybody was happy especially my buyers.

I love great service.  Customers love great service.  In the two cases I mentioned above, I felt that these companies made their customers feel special.  Come to think of it, the extra mile was very simple.  But the service was personal and they delivered what was “officially” not there.

They did not have to post on their walls, “We find ways,” they were living it.  Even if you post, “We find ways,” or something like it, in the walls of every branch, if your people are not trained to “find ways,” it means nothing, or worse.

If you want your company to mean something to your customers, make them feel that they mean a lot to you.

© Ed Pilapil Jr.  2010

Customer Delight

“If you do build a great experience, customers tell each other about that.  Word of mouth is very powerful.” – Jeff Bezos

The times are changing.  Before the buzzword was “customer satisfaction”.  Now, it is “customer delight.”  It does not mean that we should abandon “customer satisfaction”.  We should always give customers exactly what they want.  Then, we must add a good experience, if possible memorable.

Happy customers keep coming back.  Happy customers tell their friends about our products or services.  However, some business gurus believe that “customer delight” is a waste of money.  I believe otherwise.  It is only a waste of money if the business does not deliver the first part, which is giving the customers what they exactly want.

Delighted customers must be the objective.  Yet we must remember that before we can deliver customer delight, we must deliver customer satisfaction.  Our people must engage the customer positively.  This is primarily important to service oriented companies.  Yet even before that, our people must have the self-confidence to engage the customers.

Developing Your People’s Confidence. Your people cannot deliver good customer service if they do not have confidence in their ability to interact, to convince, to appease, to communicate, and to inspire.  Customer service begins with increasing the team’s confidence.  The company must deal with issues that can paralyze a front liner from speaking with confidence.  It must also deal with boosting the individual’s perspective of himself and the company.

Developing the Ability to Connect. Customers should be engaged in a positive way.  The failure to engage the customer in a positive way may result in decreased loyalty to the company’s products or services.  When the customer calls or visits a branch, every front liner should be able to engage the customer in a positive conversation even if the customer seems upset.

Creating Customer Delight. Because the front liners are equipped with self-confidence and with the ability to engage, the next goal is creating customer delight.  For service companies, this is critical.  Assuming that all things are equal between your product and your competitor’s.  The edge will have to be in the personal touch.

I have been loyal to a barbershop for many years.  But before that, I was at another barbershop.  What made me switch?  First, because almost all the barbers in the new barbershop understand how I want my hair to look and they are able to give me that look.  Second, because there is always a short relaxing massage for the back, arms, neck and head, which I do not get from my first barbershop.

My wife and I decided to invest in a condominium unit.  The sales agent helped us make the decision.   We are happy with the purchase but we also recall having so much fun conversing with the sales agent.  We then bought another condominium unit plus four parking spaces from the same agent.  When we decide to invest in a condo unit again, we intend to buy through the same agent.

If the customers feel happy buying your products or services then you have the upper hand in gaining new customers and the higher chance of retaining them.

© Ed Pilapil Jr.  2010

Your Employees Should Know the Real Boss

Every knowledgeable entrepreneur and employee should know that the real boss is neither the president nor the chairman. They are bosses too but they exist to serve another boss. No it is not the stockholders of the company. A group that is even bigger. So who is the real boss? The customer!

It is the customer who pays the rent, the electricity, the salaries, the dividends, and the new equipment. All businesses exist to serve the customer. If the customers are happy, money flows in. If the customers are not happy, less money or no money will flow in.

Since the customer is the boss, the customer should be treated well. Let me drive the point stronger. Since the customer is the reason the business exists, the customer should be treated like a king.

How do we treat the customer like a king? Allow me to name a few.
1. Courtesy. Observe the best companies in the world. Their people always show courtesy to the customers. Every time I enter a Jollibee, McDonalds, or Starbucks store I am greeted with happy faces.
2. Respect. One way to show respect is to get their opinion about the product and service. Requesting them to fill up a feedback form or by directly asking them is an expression of respect. “Sir, how did you find the meal?” Another way is to make the service a little faster. When I was in Thailand, I had a suit made. I was pleasantly surprised by the workmanship and their ability to finish it in less than 24 hours.
3. Happiness. Extraordinary establishments go beyond the expected service. They make their customers happy. I was with a friend in a coffee shop and he ordered a tea latte. The store did not serve a tea latte but they made efforts to produce it instead of saying that they did not sell tea lattes. My friend was so happy with the extended service.

You as an entrepreneur probably know this but the question is, do your employees especially the front liners know this? Do they know how important one customer is? Do they know how to give the extra mile to a customer?

I was once in a well-known bank, sitting and waiting for their staff to process my request. A young lady came in with a query. She seems troubled and she was asking something that the tellers obviously did not know. I thought the tellers would respond with a smile and say, “Ma’am we do not have the answer to your query now but I can take note of it. I will try to have the answer by tomorrow morning. Here is my number. Please call me.” But they did not. They answered with a simple, “We do not know.”

The lady left upset. Then the tellers giggled and said mean words about the customer right in front of me, another customer. I realized that even in huge establishments, not all the employees know that the real bosses are the customers. All the employees should be reminded that they should treat the real boss with respect and courtesy.

© Ed Pilapil Jr.