Putting Your Customers' Needs First

positions or in departments where they could actively mentor younger employees if companies would only reach out and encourage the process. It is amazing that while we often think we know an employee well (because we know his or her current job title and position), we often fail to realize that this employee has a vast knowledge in other areas that we are not even aware of…thus we are failing to take full advantage of his or her lifetime experience. These folks are already on the company payroll; most would willingly volunteer to help train and teach younger employees if only they were asked or opportunities to do so were more visible in the company. Forming teams of junior and senior employees on various projects is a good way to create this synergy that will promote mentoring in a company. Try it – it won’t cost you much and you might be astonished at the results your company gets via better performance and gains in a more experienced talent pool. • e-Commerce Mission Statement Every company needs to have an e-Commerce mission statement that transcends departmental boundary lines. Whether your e-Commerce function operates as a “standalone” department or as a “shared function” across department and/or divisional lines, the mission must encompass the entire company’s customer-facing operations: o Create a preference for your company’s products & services by being the easiest company to do business with o Design business systems and platforms that deliver a superior customer/user experience o Become industry leading Business System Architects/Facilitators Too often, every time we get ready to do something important, we automatically tend to think about how it is going to affect ME or MY DEPARTMENT or MY COMPANY instead of how the planned activity might impact the customer! Also, stop trying to maximize your company’s return on investment for a few minutes and instead begin thinking of how you can help make YOUR direct customers as well as THEIR end customers (if applicable) jobs easier! You may soon realize that when you make your customers’ experiences easier in dealing with your company or organization that “surprisingly” your business or organization will begin to prosper in more ways than you had ever imagined! • Me…Myself…and I?