Putting Your Customers' Needs First

o Inside Out vs Outside In Too often, companies make decisions based on their current organizational chart structure. You have Customer Service, EDI, Web applications, Claims and Returns, Tech Support, etc. all under different department managers. They often are using multiple internal systems that are not well-integrated. New opportunities or suggestions raised by one group may not resonate well with other groups because of how they see the outcome impacting their own department or personnel. When faced with this predicament, it is often very difficult to get everyone to see “the big picture”. Even if they do eventually come to terms with an idea…it is often only after a long-protracted effort that wastes needless time and potentially puts your company at a competitive disadvantage. What is required is the ability to look at things from the outside in or from the customers or prospects point of view. Then and only then can you more easily “breakdown the walls of dissension” and truly address what is in the best interests of the customer. Don’t allow your company to be governed by “departmental boundary management” instead of “good business management”! o Building on Strengths versus Minimizing Weaknesses Unless you are forming a brand-new company, most companies find themselves in a “pre-existing” position in the marketplace. It is wise to construct a listing of your company’s strengths as well as your company’s perceived weaknesses versus your identified competition. Such a dual listing will provide your company with a framework that will enable you to evaluate where you need to apply your resources to improve your market position. Some companies might be tempted to focus primarily on your weaknesses as opposed to your perceived strengths. However, experience shows that it is usually easier to enhance your strengths than it is to eliminate or minimize your weaknesses. For one thing, your existing employees already have a predetermined set of skills and experience levels; you will find it easier to encourage and reward employee behavior around doing those things that your employees are already good at doing. Certainly, companies should examine their weaknesses and determine if there are any “quick-fixes” that will put your company in a better market position, but usually most companies will find that minimizing weaknesses usually requires long-term solutions. As much as companies would like to hire only perfect employees (all strengths and no weaknesses), few succeed in the real world. New and existing employees possess a mixture of education levels, skill sets, experience levels, personality traits and dispositions…not to mention the individuals’ health issues and crises going on in their personal lives. Trying to make all your employees perform as a harmonious, well-rounded team that performs superbly on every task is unlikely at best. The challenge then is to best match the employee to the job and/or task that needs to be done. As far as training goes, experience has shown that most companies are more successful at helping individual employees amplify their strengths rather than focusing almost exclusively o Seeking Perfection in Employee Performance