It's Not About Me

• We Are Passionate About Winning and Support Risk Taking - But Never Recklessness. We are not afraid to challenge the status quo but with fact-based decision making and uncompromising integrity. • We Encourage Trust and Open Communication. We share information willingly and don't avoid tough issues. We listen to, and learn from, others. • We Set the Standard. We hold ourselves to the highest standards and strive to be the benchmark by which others are judged. • Self-Service versus Personal Service Most people reading this book are not old enough to remember when we had gas attendants at service stations that would fill your tank, check your oil, and wash your windshield each time you stopped for gas. Today, Millennials and those born afterwards have been raised in a self-service universe. In fact, most of us have become accustomed to performing many tasks ou rselves…especially as they relate to computer activities. Companies are wise to invest most of their efforts into providing online services that can be performed directly by their customers and end users. However, there will always be some tasks where Personal Service can be advantageous. Here are a few examples: o Customer Service – there will always be a need for customer service personnel to address various customer issues; while, online support services can continue to expand and handle most of these situations, having a top-notch customer service crew to handle the exceptions is a necessity. o Tech Support – many products and applications require very specialized knowledge that can best be conveyed via human interaction. While “Frequently Asked Questions” info on a web site can be a nicety, it is NOT a substitute for human contact. A trained tech support person has the knack for sensing what the customer or end user is searching for and they can more easily locate the information or provide a solution to their problem with greater ease and speed. A good tech support department pays dividends and helps you to retain customers and end users for your business. o Sales Representatives/Sales Agents – Consumer goods that we buy repeatedly or that we can research and purchase online are ideal for the self- service model… ala -Amazon! However, many products and services benefit from having a knowledgeable salesperson that can directly interact in person or via phone with the prospect; this process not only allows the company to gauge the prospects interest, buying urgency, knowledge of the product/service, and budget range. The salesperson can instantly respond to most issues or objections as well as seek additional technical assistance when required. They are an integral part of the sales process in many companies. o Management – how many times have you had to contact a company about a product or

service that you purchased, and you were DENIED the opportunity to talk with a MANAGER? There is a clear danger when your company elects to compartmentalize customer service and declare other departments “off - limits” to your customers! An “open door” policy with your customers and end users can pay dividends in that managers can be exposed to issues (and opportunities) that can make your company more responsive and proactive in your business.

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