Yes, but simpler - Part 1: Your Offerings

August 26, 2015 Lindsey

Original photo by Death To The Stock Photo.

Simplicity has value because time is our most precious resource. The simpler something is, the faster we can understand it and make a decision about it.**

When I see a business that has a simple, easy-to-understand concept, I can quickly assess its value to me and whether I’m going to buy-in or not. On the other hand, if a business has an overly complicated concept, I might become unsure about its focus and what it actually does. At the very minimum this will delay my decision to buy in, at the worst, the complexity would deter me completely.

In this series, we’re going to look at making our businesses simpler. But why should we want to simplify our businesses? The motivation for decisions in our business should always be the same: sustainably serving others. So, for this series, I offer this as our core motivator:

To serve customers excellently by saving them time, mental energy and potentially money.

Now that we have our motivation clear, let’s focus on today’s task - simplifying our offerings.

Making decisions is exhausting. And it takes time. The easier and faster the decision, the better. What is one way to make decisions easier? Decrease the options.

So we can serve our customers better by making our offerings simpler. Maybe you have a fully customizable service right now. That may serve some of your customers well, but others may appreciate a tiered service or preset packages.

A while ago, I was making wedding cakes for friends and family. During the planning process, I would ask them so many open-ended questions to make sure I was making exactly what they wanted. I soon realized that the questions themselves were a burden. It would have been much better if I had some preset ideas written down and let them choose between them.

Think about when you go to a restaurant - sometimes you want to build your own burger and sometimes you just want to defer to their best seller. Having pre-packaged options saves customers time and mental energy. An great example of this is the Blaze Pizza menu. It offers a simplified concept with preset “signature” pizzas as well as a build-your-own feature. This allows customers to easily select a signature option or decide if they want to put in the extra effort and build their own. Not only does this simplified concept serve the customer well, it also allows a streamlined process for those serving customers.

The most gratifying work we can do is that which serves others. So let’s examine our offerings and thoughtfully package up some options for customers. It will serve customers by saving them time and mental energy. And if we complete the service well, I think they’ll be more likely to come back too…

**Note this thought process shouldn’t be applied to people. We are not simple. We are complex wonders that shouldn’t be treated as simplified objects to be used. Simplifying people --> dehumanizing and/or stereotyping --> devaluing others

For more on simplicity:

Not sure less is more? Too Many Choices: A Problem That Can Paralyze is a great NYT article that may convince you.
Just starting out and you don't want to simplify but rather you want to do all the things? Hold up - You Can Always Expand.

How To Create an Environment of Great Service

February 13, 2015 Lindsey

Original photo by Ryan McGuire.

We went to a restaurant for trivia with friends. Our server was young, painfully nervous and awkward. Her words were robotic, script-like. Except for when she spoke to one guy in our party, repeatedly calling him (and only him) “Sweetie”. Other than her awkwardness, everything was fine.

Until it was time to get the checks.

You’ve been there - bungled split checks.

We asked that the checks be fixed. When we got them back again, we noticed another error with how a discount was split between the checks. When we asked for this to be corrected, the server was obviously flustered but adamant that it couldn’t be done unless it was all on one check. We asked that it be put on one check. She didn’t want to do that.

At about Round 5 in the debate, I started to see the real issue in all of this. She had never talked to her manager about any of it. Not about the messed up checks, not about the discount. At Round 2 she should have immediately got her manager. She was awkward serving us from the beginning and that only became exacerbated during the check conflict.

She never did get the manager while we were there. We paid the non-corrected amount on the checks because it wasn’t worth lengthening the debate. Also, her drawer was probably off because she rounded our change up to the nearest dollar.

All this concerns me. Not because we paid more or that it was an uncomfortable exchange. It concerns me because what kind of environment does she work in that she doesn’t feel comfortable pulling a manager in as soon as an issue arises?

This could all be on her. She could have been illogically fearful of her manager.

But there is likely some role that her work environment has played in this.

When a power structure is in place, one in which a boss can take your job from you, there is going to be a natural fear of authority. But in order to create a healthy culture, a manager has to be careful to not use that fear as a motivator. You can’t force employees to deliver great customer service by instilling fear. That will only stress them out and cause them to try to end issues as quickly as possible.

You can’t maintain an environment of fear and expect employees to act with care towards customers.

You have to serve your employees with your power if you expect them to serve customers with theirs.

In order to create an environment where employees are more likely to serve customers well, try the following things:

First, don’t use fear. Don’t threaten firing in the heat of your frustration. Don’t make other threats. Don’t rule with an iron fist. Move away from constantly laying down the law. Move toward having transparent conversations where your employees understand both their roles and your role better.

Second, be available. Not just in physical presence but also in the way you listen. Don’t cut your employees off and make snap judgments. Hear them out. Also, tell your employees that you are available and want to get involved any time that they aren’t comfortable in a situation.

Third, don’t hurry to hang your employees out to dry. Yes, they might have messed up big time. Yes, you may have to apologize to customers for their conduct. But don’t blame all the business’s problems on them. If the blame game is your first instinct, you won’t be able to create a collaborative, friendly environment for your employees. And if they don’t feel comfortable at work, how will they convey care to customers?

Ultimately it comes down to this - serve your employees.

In order to create an environment where employees will deliver quality customer service - you need to serve them. Your role is not to dictate. Your role is to serve in your unique position.

Don’t encourage a survival mentality in your employees. Generously serve them. It will spill over to your customers.

For more on this subject:

8 Core Beliefs of Extraordinary Bosses by Geoffrey James (Inc.)

5 Signs That Employees Are In Survival Mode by Glenn Llopis (Forbes)

Lessons From The Cow

January 30, 2015 Lindsey

Original photo by BSK.

I learned to swirl the perfect soft serve ice cream cone in my first job at The Cow. The Cow is a small, family-owned ice cream and food counter-service restaurant. I had loved The Cow as a child and the charm only increased when I worked there. It was my first foray into observing how another family ran a business. During my time there, I learned how simple it is to run a quality business though the following observations:

1. Sell quality - for profit.

The Cow’s ice cream to this day, is legit. They once tried a lower fat content mix and went back to their original, because quality was not something they were willing to compromise. They esteemed quality, but they also balanced it with the business’s need for profitability. One of the most nerve-racking parts of training was having to weigh our cones to ensure they were the correct weight. If our weights were too high or too low, we'd have to keep weighing each cone and work on it until we got it right. Through that, I understood that business wasn’t only about serving quality, but rather serving quality in a way that keeps the business profitable.

2. Know your customers.

Yes, it was a small town. Yes, the family who owned The Cow had a lot of connections in the town. But, it went further than that. The owner had actual relationships with the customers. Because of this, the family knew what people liked and wanted, right down to the seasonal flavor. I remember customers frequently talking to my boss, asking her when a certain flavor was coming back. There was an environment of relationship, not simply of transaction. The family truly knowing their customers made all the difference in serving them well.

3. How you care for your employees matters greatly.

They expected hard work and utmost integrity from us while they led by example in hard work and integrity themselves. There was always work to do and they always expected us to be doing it, even if there were no customers at the window. This kept me productive and at the end of each night I felt like I had earned my nightly cinnamon toast and Whose Line Is It Anyway reruns. I learned the value of hard, fruitful work. They were more than fair with us. They went above and beyond to show their thanks to us through an annual employee Christmas party and gifts, even though it was only seasonal, summer work.

4. Employees are people.

When I first started, I was put on the food line. I was painfully nervous, too slow and got burned (literally). I was trying, but was not doing well. I could tell that the boss was disappointed in me, but instead of firing me, she moved me over to the ice cream side. I was relieved and there I excelled. She didn’t give up on me right away and decided to try me somewhere else. I was so thankful that she saw me as a person that might fit better somewhere else instead of as a dysfunctional cog to be discarded.

5. Connections really make a difference.

My dad knew the family that owned The Cow and he got me the job. The connection my dad had may have kept me from being fired in #4 as well.

6. Consistent character has high value.

Each family member I knew was consistently themselves in the business and outside of it. They were honest hard-workers. This was not limited to their business - it simply was who they were. Nothing was faked and nothing felt fake. They didn’t put up fronts. If you weren’t doing a good job, they let you know it, but they didn’t bestow flattery or give compliments where they weren’t earned. Their consistent character made them reliable, trustable people. Their consistent nature bestowed consistency on their business, which allowed people to rely on them and their business for consistent quality.

Running a quality business is simple. It does require hard work but it should be simple. If your business seems over-complicated - ask yourself why. Great business is simple. Anything more makes me suspicious.

A personal letter to customer service reps and business owners

January 16, 2015 Lindsey

Original photo by Death to the Stock Photo.

I was on the phone for a half hour. I talked to him the majority of my non-hold time. I was sent to him when I asked for a supervisor. But he was following the same script as the girl before him. So I asked if he was a supervisor. He admitted he wasn’t. My adrenaline surged.

But I softened. I had been there. In my varied job experience was a short stint as an incoming call rep to handle complaints. I felt broken for this man. He couldn’t be making much. His job was little more than a robotic script reader. I told him how I felt for him - how I hope he is working to use his creativity and get out of there because I know it is a hellish existence. His voice sounded different when he replied though he still read the script. I hope he really heard me. I hope his heart heard me.

And now, I feel rage. At the people at the top. To Business Owners is completely intentional. Because it is you who I want to talk to. It is you who rule. Who dictate. I can’t accept that you’re okay with horrible, shady, dehumanizing practices. Surely, this would never be acceptable if you were treated this way.

And you don’t need a script if you’re running a good company. We all know this.

But you have your mental constructs don’t you? The ones that say “you’re different than the people below you”, “you’re smarter”, “you’re rich for a reason.” The mental constructs that justify dehumanizing others for your financial gain. It’s nauseating. I long to see the ivory towers crash. It seems they’ve begun already.

And though it takes longer, I soften towards you as well. I know that you have brokenness in you. I know that you have to be living a hellish existence as well, dehumanizing your own heart so you can justify these actions. Or these actions flow out of your dehumanized heart. I’m so very sad for you.

Please, please. Let’s stop this cycle of dehumanizing others. Customer service rep - find ways today to assert your humanity. Care for co-workers. Ask your boss how he or she is actually doing. You can be change in that culture.

And business owner - please hear me. Your life has to be exhausting and filled with sedatives to keep your demons at bay. I don’t want that for you. You know this isn’t how it’s supposed to be. Let your 5 year old self kick you in the butt for your behavior and then reroute the company. Be a hero, not a villain. It’s never too late.

How To Maintain Customer Service Over the Holidays

December 17, 2014 Lindsey

Original photo by Bec Brown.

You don’t want your business rep tarnished over the holidays. However, due to increased sales volume, it’s a worry that your customer service could slip, hurting your reputation.

High volume is overwhelming. When you see a seemingly unending line or endless phone calls, it's understandable that you become stressed and tackle the line like a machine - churning out one transaction after another. But the key word there is transaction. When you make it transactional, operating out of stress, you can ensure that the customer feels like a processed transaction, not cared for.

The way to fight against this stress mode and machine-like, transaction mentality is to focus on the one, not the many.

This is what you should encourage your employees to do. Encourage them to see each customer as an individual and talk with them as such.

It may be helpful to give your employees some ideas for non-transactional conversation starters (asking how shopping is going, genuine compliments, etc.). However, you may want to emphasize that interactions should be personalized. I’ve been in lines and heard sales associates ask each person the same thing, which made it seem like an obligation rather than genuine care. Encourage your employees to think of customers as individuals to serve, rather than transactions to be processed.

Is your worry that it will take too long? It probably won’t. When I worked with Judy, she talked to almost everyone on a personal level, but customers were respectful to those in line behind them and would move along - typically talking only the time it took for them to be served.

I can’t guarantee that serving individuals well won’t take more time. But wouldn’t that investment be worth it?

It's like driving. A bad driver may stressfully speed through the miles as quickly as possible, doing the bare minimum it takes to get to their destination. But a good driver is faithfully attentive in each mile they drive. The good driver may take more time getting to a destination, but the extra care the driver took lowers the risk of a speeding ticket or car accident. Just like a good driver who is faithfully attentive to each mile, you maintain great customer service by faithfully serving one customer at a time.

If you want to maintain customer service over the holidays - encourage your employees to be faithfully attentive to each customer, instead of having them focus on shortening the lines. Their ultimate goal will then be great customer service, rather than a quickly-processed line.

Exceptional customer service doesn’t happen by stressfully processing the many.

Exceptional customer service is earned by serving each customer well.

To: Business Owners