Are We Just Going Through the Motions?

Guest Blog:
Mitch Bryant, Enterprise Support Services Manager, Norton Healthcare

 As I was mowing my lawn thinking about writing this blog it dawned on me I was mowing my yard the same way I have done for the last 5 years since we moved into our new home. Always going the same way, always cutting the same lines, never breaking from my original pattern I first cut five years ago.

Could that be the way we take care of our customers – always going in the same direction? Are we just going through the motions? Are we saying the same words over and over and not really putting any feeling or emotion behind our service?

We love our habits; we even cultivate them and get into routines for so many reasons. They give us stability and comfort and that way, we’re not under the constant stress of an unpredictable lifestyle. That’s the good news, the bad news it that can also become a crutch. But in our world of ever changing fast paced customer service and support we will slowly die out if we don’t change.

Ready to stop mowing your lawn in the same direction each week and start making some changes in the service and support you provide? If so, you have actually taken the first crucial step toward that success by answering that question. You’re going to have to first figure out what isn’t working before you can move on to the new changes you will need to make.

Al Kaline said “What gets me upset about with the newer players is their lack of intensity. They tend to go through the motions a little bit. They don’t understand that you’ve got to practice the way you play”. Time to decide if you are going to sit and watch the game go by or become a part of the movement forward.

Does this routine spill over to your team and more importantly your customers? Are you going through the motions when you and the team answer the phone? When you are supposedly listening to them or trying to help them do all you only really hear “blah, blah, blah”? Take the time now to check in with yourself and ensure that you are not putting on a happy face to the world and really doing more harm than good. Sometimes we allow our lives to become stale and uninspiring. We begin to settle for the good enough and we don’t challenge ourselves. At that point someone else will be happy to come in and take care of your customer’s needs.

There have been many times when we have perfected the art of looking and being busy without actually going anywhere. Our never-ending workloads and long hours can be pretty impressive to some, but are we actually accomplishing anything of real substance? Bobby Rahal states it correctly when he said “I don’t want people to remember me going through the motions.”

Just because I have been in a routine so long like I have mowing my lawn, doesn’t mean I don’t have the power to change it. You have the ability to change your routines as well and make what you do for your customers fresh and new.

The U.S Postal service is a victim of how technology has affected the way we communicate and do business and they are also a victim of their own “business as normal” routine. We use FaceBook, Twitter, Email, Scanned documents, even our checks are no longer sent bank to bank.  As a result they need to stop delivery on Saturday while services are declining and costs are going higher.

HDI Support Center analyst training course teaches us that 68% of organizations lost customers due to perceived indifference from the service provider. Someone will be happy to step in and become their partner. Time for me to finish mowing my lawn, time for me to make some changes – how about you? Are you going to make changes to meet the demand of your customers or let them leave?