Category: Uncategorized

One of the things that struck me about school life, many many years ago, was that when faced with difficulty we were encouraged to put our hand up and ask Miss (or Sir) for some help.

Sounds obvious really as teachers do not want children sitting there struggling in silence. As a parent I encourage my children to ask for help if they are stuck and, if they look pensive, I offer them the opportunity to ask for support.

My own parents were helpful and would support me with homework, learning to ride a bicycle and during the treacherous annual fancy dress competition at the church fete. Which I would always lose. I’m over it now and hardly ever mention it.

Where was I? Ah yes, asking for help.

Of course we may have memories of asking for help and being refused, or ridiculed. Perhaps we had a defining moment at home, or at school, when help was sorely needed and instead of a sympathetic and kindly teacher we were faced with an obnoxious and smug adult bully. We may have made a decision that asking for help was not a good idea as it brought a dangerous spotlight onto us, or we learned that there is no point in asking for help as none ever came and we could have saved our breath.

However, whatever our experience we can realise that it was then, and life isn’t the same now. Back then we were small, powerless and maybe voiceless too. Nobody would listen to us. Now though, we are grown up and adult and have a voice and friends and people within our network who may be useful to us.

We can act the age we are now and we can make a decision to leave the past in the past. We can decide to be resourceful. We can chose to find our voice and be heard. We can ask for help, or support, or for some training.

In my own case I need support. I have a new toy for the Summer, in the shape of a boat. I know nothing about boats, but have always wanted one, since I was a small eight year old coach-to-be. So, having bought the vessel (how big does something need to be in order to be called a vessel, I wonder) I now need to learn about hitches and fenders and spring lines and stop-cocks and something mysterious called the air draft. I assume this last term doesn’t refer to me dropping the canopy down on a breezy day. In the spirit of joyful ignorance I have been mining the boat yard and my nautical chums for tips and pointers and knowledge about tides and equipment. I have been enjoying asking for help, because to have fun boating you don’t need to know what you’re doing. You just need a boat and the ability to ask lots of questions.

So, this week, what issues and difficulties are you facing, which have been glaring at you from your in-box? If you’ve picked up the item and looked at it more than once, then you might need to ask someone for support. And remember, if you don’t ask …you don’t get!

Happy asking!

Next week: Alignment Is Ace

‘Well now,’ said the service assistant at the other end of the telephone,’we don’t open until 8am, but you could leave your car in the next garage and post the key through their letter box and we will go round and collect the car for you.’

I liked the sound of that. I find car servicing a pain because it always seems to fall in a busy patch of work, when I either need the car, or need to be elsewhere. This often makes dropping off and collecting too difficult. The garage will provide a hire car, with enough notice, but that doesn’t help if my client is out of town and I’m not due back for a couple of days.

Hatching a cunning plan last week, I realised that if I could leave the car with them super early, I could walk into Norwich and see my client and then walk back at the end of the day. The snag was I knew I needed to drop the car off before they officially opened and although I flatter myself that I’m a pretty good driver, even I haven’t mastered the art of squeezing a Volvo through steel security bollards.

The service assistant was patient and alive to my diary issues and was happy to help with a neat solution – one of the reasons I’ve had Volvo cars for 10 years. Other cars are available I’m sure and yet I like the comfy Swede and the consistently friendly service on offer.

A moment of truth occurs every time we interact with a company, or every time we interact with a client. Interaction can be an email, a telephone call, our attitude on arrival, our invoicing routine, or our complaints handling procedure.

The option for me to park next door to the garage was a classic moment of truth …which confirmed my loyalty to their brand.

My recent experience reminded me of the incident, 35 years ago, when my mother saved up and purchased a new Mini Metro. At the point of handover, she beamed, the sales man beamed back and then stuck out his hand and said ‘Many thanks for choosing this dealership’ …to my father. Yes my dad. Not my mum, who looked shocked as the dealer ignored her and shook his hand. A lesson in how moments of truth can leave an indelible stain if we cock them up. My parents, who had been loyal customers for 10 years, never went back to the garage.

There is no margin for error in business, when it comes to being on-message, being brand aware and treating our customers with respect. What can take 10 years to build can be shattered in a moment, with one crass handshake and a witheringly patronising manner.

However glum we are feeling and however much of a nuisance the customer might feel to us, we have to remember that a) they are putting food on our table and b) reports suggest that every dissatisfied customer goes and tells another 20 people. Or they Tweet, blog and Facebook their annoyance and reach another 1,000 people.

This week, really notice all of the moments of truth for you, both as a customer and as a supplier. What really made you feel great? What did you learn from your observations? Who really scored top marks this week in your ogranisation?

Next week: Asking For Help