The Happy Burro

I couldn’t think of a better time to tell the story of your product, your service, your organization, your life’s work.  With the economy faltering, consumers doubling their money by folding it in half and layoffs the standard, now is the time to re-engage your customer base.  When is the last time you put your story out there?  When you launched the last new product?  When you launched your company?

If you are not telling the story of your work, someone else will.  The competition.

Mark Falstad is an Emmy award winning video photographer who can help you.  Check out his work here.

When are you going to tell your story?

Joe Raasch :: Feb.23.2009 :: Innovation :: No Comments »

“You really made my day!”  When was the last time you said that to someone who provided a world class customer service experience for you?  Better yet, when was the last time you remember receiving world class customer service?

“Go ahead, make my day…”

- Clint Eastwood as Harry Callahan in 1983′s “Sudden Impact“

At Juut Salon, customer service goes beyond haircuts and manicures.  In an article by Todd Nelson published February 15, 2009 in the Star Tribune, salon owner David Wagner discusses the future of Juut Salons and his unique, personal approach to customer service.  No longer is it acceptable to just do good work.  He expects all of his staff, starting with himself, to make each customer’s day.

A daymaker is someone “who performs acts of kindness with the intention of making the world a better place.” – David Wagner

Customer Service Yesterday

Why work so hard at going ‘above and beyond’ in service?  There are plenty more customers, and they don’t pay extra, so why give extra?  If they feel that they received a fair service for a fair price, that’s enough.  And if  you have the only game in town, there is less incentive to exceed expectations.

Customer Service Today

The world is weary.  Macro economic worries, personal financial woes and a dramatically increased savings rate.  This means fewer customers and a stressed-out clientele.  There are less consumer dollars to go around.  How do you capture your share?  Create an ‘experience’ – not just a transaction.  If all of your customer-facing employees have a “daymaker” attitude versus just a “my job would be so much easier if I didn’t have customers bothering me” view, your business will stand a better than fair chance of surviving to see 2010.

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Today’s daymaker: a far cry from Clint Eastwood’s Dirty Harry character.  Maybe even he would be satisfied at Juut.  What makes your day?

Joe Raasch :: Feb.15.2009 :: Innovation, Leadership :: No Comments »

The recent announcement by Starbucks that they will no longer have decaffeinated coffee brewed every 30 minutes after 12pm created a bit of a buzz.  Customers may still get their decaf on demand and wait four minutes for a fresh cup.  Now each store manager will have the option to stop brewing decaf every 30 minutes, or continue, depending on their individual customer purchase demand.

MISSION

Starbucks has a mission statement that you can read here.  Two key parts are:

Our Coffee
It has always been, and will always be, about quality. We’re passionate about ethically sourcing the finest coffee beans, roasting them with great care, and improving the lives of people who grow them. We care deeply about all of this; our work is never done.

Our Customers
When we are fully engaged, we connect with, laugh with, and uplift the lives of our customers— even if just for a few moments. Sure, it starts with the promise of a perfectly made beverage, but our work goes far beyond that. It’s really about human connection.

Does this change to let store managers choose product offerings based on their individual customers align with the Starbucks mission?  Yes.  Does this change allow decaf-drinking customers a fresh cup of coffee? Yes (if they are willing to wait four minutes for the brew).  Appears the change is in complete alignment with the mission of the organization.

LEGACY

“We have always offered decaf.  It is what our customers want!”  This type of statement is prevalent in many organizations.  I expect at one time the drive for quality coffee at Starbucks negated any need for cost containment. GE was once known primarily for light bulbs and refrigerators.  Those two product lines now account for less than 4% of revenue.  Does it make sense to keep them?

Current economics requires a review of budgets and product/program offerings.  What legacy products, programs or departments are being held onto in your organization?

DEMAND

“For many of our stores, the demand for decaf is greatly reduced in the afternoon,” the company (Starbucks) said in a statement to Bloomberg. “With our current standard of continually brewing decaf after 12 p.m. regardless of demand, we have seen a high amount of waste.”

Sounds to me like Starbucks is willing to reduce waste – even if they lose a few customers.

BALANCE

Does your organization have a clear vision and mission about who their customer is and what products they intend to deliver to that customer?  When was the last time your products and programs were reviewed for their adherence to the mission, and demand, of ‘today’?  How much flexibility is given at the ‘point of sale’ to managers?

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This is just another example of looking at the “we’ve always done it this way” approach and refining where possible to meet today’s demand, not yesterday’s plan.

Joe Raasch :: Feb.01.2009 :: Change Management, Innovation, Leadership, Organizational Development, Uncategorized :: 2 Comments »