CustomerCare News The Promenade at Coconut Creek
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Fall 2010
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rutrum, velit et porta blandit, tortor eros Reputation Management
purus. Suspendisse non tortor sapien. Inpage 6
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Customer Service & Higher Education page 10
A Celebration Media Publication
TALK of the TOWN Talk of the Town News Awards Online Ratings Review for Companies Across America www.talkofthetownnews.com
The Talk of the Town News, Celebration Media and Customer Care News are proud to present the most unique concept in online user-review ratings.
Post Results
We began by establishing online ratings to track customer satisfaction beginning in 2009, and have researched ratings for more than 300,000 companies since that time. Our team of researchers samples the most highly respected, no-cost, online user-review websites to measure customer satisfaction. We compile the data and create an outcome study that reflects the online feedback found. Then we post results for all the companies with a 4-star or better rating at no charge on our website www.talkofthetownnews.com. As a business with leaders that have reviewed and published case studies on the most desirable companies in America, we found this to be extremely helpful and created a measurement tool using this customer-generated feedback.
ofof the the
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Award d Ca ateg gory: Resttaura ants
Excellence in Customer Satisfaction As Ratted by Custom merss On nline
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presented by
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RESTAURANTS Talk of the Town News w w w .T T a lk k o f th h e T ow w n A w a rd d.com
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Get Your Score
Be sure to visit the website www.talkofthetownnews.com and review your rating score. If you want more information, contact us at customercare@talkofthetownnews.com
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32000 Northwestern Hwy., Ste. 128 Farmington Hills, MI 48334 www.talkofthetownnews.com customercare@talkofthetownnews.com
Publisher’s Letter
W
elcome to the first edition of Customer Care News. When Celebration Media
offered me the opportunity to publish on the topic and create a website and magazine dedicated to the improvement of customer, client, patient and student satisfaction, I
jumped at it. I set out to develop a staff of writers and consultants to cover the issues and trends related to improving customer care.
We are really excited and privileged to acquire the services of Dr. Keith Levick, the president and CEO of Goren and Associates,
a leading training and consulting company. He will serve as our Associate Publisher. A psychologist by trade, he has been working with
Fortune 500 companies as a consultant in the area of people performance/skills training and has been recognized as an expert in the field since 1984. His expertise will help keep our publication on track to serve you, our reader. We also went out and secured the editorial
direction of Jamie Rawcliffe. She and I have
Associate Publisher’s Letter
I
worked together for the past several years on various publications. She will make
sure the publication is accurate in all senses
t was a wonderful moment when I was asked to be the associate
of the word. With their help, and that of
publisher of this new and exciting magazine. During the years I
several others, we will cover a host of win-
have contributed to the professional community with many topical
ning strategies to improve customer care.
articles, and even had a column in a community newspaper. But, having the
Our focus will be on people performance,
opportunity to be part of a national magazine brought an adrenalin rush that
skills training, outcome studies, surveys and
I have not experienced in many years.
case studies of those companies that are
When Dale ( Jaslove, publisher) asked me to be the associate publisher,
experiencing success. We will report on the
my first question (really one of concern) was, “What am I supposed to do?”
He looked at me, chuckled and replied, “Just be you.” I believe it was my bewildered stare that prompted him to continue speaking. He went on to explain that this is my opportunity to communicate to the world the
things that I teach in the corporate classrooms, to share the plethora of interesting customer service stories
told to me when coaching leaders and to provide strategies to readers who need support with customer
universities that are making great strides in this newly created science. And we will
provide resources to help your company improve and grow.
I would like to thank the Forum for
service issues.
People Performance Management and
— a magazine. Overwhelming excitement has now replaced my concerns. Knowing that I have the trust and
Levick Strategic Communications, LLC;
I got it! Continue to provide the same kinds of services I provide to my clients, but in a different format
support of Dale has motivated me to write, research and provide nothing but the best customer care news.
Through this magazine you will gain insight into the newest trends and pertinent issues affecting busi-
nesses and customers. Business owners can no longer assume customers will arrive at the doorstep. Our
competitive environment demands that exceptional customer care is delivered every day by every employee. Your survival depends on this!
In our upcoming issues we will examine how colleges have finally adopted what every service business
has known for years — the importance of taking care of the customer. Yes, students are now seen as custom-
Measurement; Richard Levick, president of
The Performance Improvement Council; and Bruce Jones of the Disney Institute for their contributions to this edition. Our
vision is to deliver the most relevant material to help you, our readers, deliver the best customer care possible.
If along the way you have some sugges-
ers by many educational institutions. Other items we will address include customer service training and how
tions, please pass them on to us. We will lis-
that provide excellent customer care. These are just a handful of articles you can look forward to reading.
of intentions because you are the reason we
hospitals and physicians deal with patient (customer) satisfaction. Furthermore, we will profile companies
I and the staff at Customer Care News look forward to customizing our service by servicing our
customers. Enjoy.
Dr. Keith Levick
www.customercarenews.com
are here. I am looking forward to hearing
from you and delivering the highest value possible. Let us know how we are doing.
Dale Jaslove Publisher
djaslove@customercarenews.com
3
Fall 2010
Associate Publisher
klevick@customercarenews.com
ten. And we will respond with the greatest
Table of Contents CustomerCare 05
News
Resources At Your Fingertips
Fall 2010
A glimpse of the top 10 best-selling
Publisher Dale Jaslove
books on customer satisfaction
06
djaslove@customercarenews.com
Associate Publisher Keith Levick, Ph.D.
Six Free Ways Even Small Companies Can Prepare For Online Crisis
klevick@customercarenews.com
Editor-in-Chief Jamie Rawcliffe
Guidelines to help companies protect
jrawcliffe@customercarenews.com
their reputation in an increasingly digital age
10
Production Manager Chris Schramm
cschramm@customercarenews.com
Customer Service Plays an Increasingly Important Role in Higher Education
Editors/Writers Mella Barnes
mbarnes@customercarenews.com
Amy Pagett
Q&A with Dr. Lewis N. Walker,
apagett@customercarenews.com
president of Lawrence Technological University, discusses customer service
Deterring Workplace Violence
jbarth@customercarenews.com
rise, employers need to recognize the
fcohen@customercarenews.com
Research further emphasizes the
warning signs of troubled persons and
importance of putting employees first
implement plans to keep employees safe
Website Design Melissa Sherwood
at the university
12
16
18
Why Caring Companies Win
How the Secondary Guest Can Make or Break Your Business
With violence in the workplace on the
22
Prescription for Performance
Top performance-improvement
Disney emphasizes the importance
companies provide a host of services to
of treating all guests as potential
help incentivize employees
customers
26
Xpect Better Results
Michigan-based company works with restaurants to improve customer service
28
Anyone Can Take an Order
Restaurant employees’ emotional intelligence is key to futhering their success, and that of the restaurant
Fall 2010
30
The List
A guide to some of the top marketing research companies
4
Operations Manager Jennifer Barth Account Manager Fran Cohen
Contributing Writers Wally Jaczkowski
wjaczkowski@customercarenews.com
Bruce Jones Richard Levick Mikki Shenkenberg
Website Consultant www.sherwoodandblack.com Customer Care News 32000 Northwestern Highway, Suite 128 Farmington Hills, MI 48334
www.customercarenews.com Customer Care News is designed to provide accurate and authoritative information in regard to the subject matter covered. The publishers have taken all reasonable steps to verify the accuracy and completeness of information contained in Customer Care News. The publishers may not, however, be held responsible for any inaccuracies or omission of information in any article appearing in the Customer Care News . Entire contents copyright 2010 by Customer Care News. All rights reserved. Reproduction or use of editorial content in any manner without written permission is strictly prohibited.
Customer Care News
Resources At Your Fingertips
A
by Mikki Shenkenberg
t Customer Care News, it is our goal to provide companies with information and
resources on providing top-notch customer service. To that end, we want to highlight some of the top books and periodicals available. Below is a list of the top 10 best-selling books on
customer satisfaction.
1. Thank God It’s Monday! by Roxanne Emmerich (FT Press, 2009), Full of inspiring ideas and engaging stories to create passion in your organization
2. Exceptional Service, Exceptional Profit: The Secrets of Building a Customer
Service Organization, by Leonardo Inghilleri, Micah Solomo and Horst
Schulze (AMACOM, 2010), Emphasizes the importance of building true customer loyalty, one customer at a time, and how to keep them coming back for more.
3. Customer Satisfaction is Worthless, Customer Loyalty is Priceless: How to
Make Them Love You, Keep You Coming Back, and Tell Everyone They Know by Jeffrey H. Gitomer (Bard Press, 1998), Describes a game plan that any customer-serving employee, salesperson, manager, executive or entrepreneur can enact to ensure loyal customers.
4. The Ultimate Question: Driving Good Profits and True Growth by Frederick F. Reichheld (HBS Press, 2006), Promotes golden-rule behavior that generates profits.
5. The Balanced Scorecard: Translating Strategy into Action by Robert S. Kaplan and David P. Norton (HBS Press, 1996), Uses observations
reported to help you in launching and implementing a “Balanced
Photo by Mikki J. Shenkenberg www.worldartfoundation.org/mikki_shenkenberg.html
Scorecard” program in your organizations with many ideas on communicating vision and executing strategies to success.
6. Results That Last: Hardwiring Behaviors That Will Take Your Company to the Top by Quint Studer (Wiley, 2008), Helps you develop standardized leadership practices resulting in better strategy and better customer relations.
“Top Ten” Books to Read
7. Secret Service: Hidden Systems That Deliver Unforgettable Customer Service by John R. DiJulius III (AMACOM, 2003), Reveals how to develop behind-the-scenes systems to enable your business to “go deeper” with your customers and have them feel welcome, comfortable, important and understood.
8. Perfect Phrases for Setting Performance Goals: Hundreds of Ready-to-Use Goals for Any Performance Plan or Review
by Douglas Max and Robert Bacal (McGraw-Hill, 2004), A practical job aid that makes it easy for your company to raise performance and focus your people on the organization’s top priorities.
9. What’s the Secret: To Providing a World-Class Customer Experience by John R. DiJulius III (Wiley, 2008), Contains the solutions, systems and answers by telling you how the top customer service companies in the world execute world-class service consistently.
10. Customer Service: Career Success Through Customer Loyalty (5th Edition) by Paul R. Timm (Prentice Hall,
2010), Describes the keys to customer satisfaction by empowering all organization members to participate
Fall 2010
fully in the ongoing process of winning customer loyalty. CCN
Books are available at Amazon.com, Borders, and Barnes & Noble
www.customercarenews.com
5
Fall 2010
Six Free Ways Even Small Companies Can Prepare For Online Crisis
by Richard Levick
6
Customer Care News
M
ark Twain famously said, “A lie can make it half way around the world while the truth is put-
ting on its shoes.” In the Digital Age, what was
once hyperbole is now an extreme understatement. Companies
that survive online attacks unprepared — such as Domino’s,
United Airlines and Motrin — do so only because they have strong reputations that were built over time. Other companies
— usually smaller in size or involved in business-to-business sales — lack the “trust bank” of public support necessary to
survive an online crisis. These victims, such as Westland Meat
Packing Company and Eagle Warranty Company, don’t have strong brands to fall back on — and thus, fall off the map entirely.
Businesses of all sizes and specializations must regularly
monitor the conversations regarding their brands and proactively leverage online best practices to ensure they are prepared
for crisis. Fortunately, the tools and tactics that build brand equity and bulletproof brands are often free — and by utilizing
these online tools, companies can take greater control of their reputation now, before a reputational crisis strikes.
These six steps outline free measures every company can
take to protect its reputation and bulletproof its brands. 1. Establish Google Alerts
The first step in any online reputation protection effort is
to set up an effective system to monitor social and digital media
2. Prepare a Crisis Response Plan
To paraphrase the Chinese philosopher Sun Tzu, every
for mentions of your brand. Start by establishing Google Alerts
crisis communications battle is won or lost before it is
time. This not only serves as a crisis early warning system, it
comprehensive online crisis communications plan, what you
to monitor what people are saying about your company in real also allows you to identify conversation threads and trends
and begin to develop messaging attuned to key audiences.
In order to comprehensively monitor the online space and track all related conversations, however, you also need to follow the high-authority bloggers and social media users who cover your industry; they can help provide advance
warning when a competitor or shared industry practice comes under attack. Finally — and particularly if there are hundreds
of daily mentions of your brand online — consider
they can help streamline the process of filtering complex online conversations.
www.customercarenews.com
do in the eye of the storm might not make much difference at
all. A successful plan should incorporate both traditional
and digital responses and also include strategies that can be
deployed on a moment’s notice. For instance, your crisis plan should identify the team members who are best equipped
to manage diverse situational needs. Whether this means preparing to utilize Google AdWords to spread your
messaging, respond directly to critics both online and off, or
launch new landing pages where concerned parties can turn for more information (to name just a few items to prepare), it is
Fall 2010
paid monitoring options such as Techrigy or Radian6, as
ever fought. If you don’t use peacetime wisely to develop a
imperative that you have a plan in place before any reputational crisis strikes.
7
3. Implement an Employee Social Media Policy
engagement. Policies can range from detailed guidelines on how
ees to get involved in social media, they are bound to do so
and spread positive messaging to simple regulations for keeping
Regardless of whether your company encourages employ-
No matter the length or specifics of your social media policy, however, the most important result is that your employees understand the power and consequences
in their personal time. Unfortunately, even when
engaging social media on their own, employees can inadvertently cause severe
ter the length or specifics of your social media policy, however,
the most important result is that your employees understand the power and consequences of social media participation. 4. Flood the Web with Positive Content
of American companies
reputational crisis is bound to dominate search results for your
Thus, a straightforward step in protecting your online reputa-
the crisis, particularly considering the role search engines play
in 2009, eight percent
reported brand damage due to employees’ social media activity.
Fall 2010
professional and personal lives separate on social media. No mat-
brand damage. In fact,
of social media participation.
tion is the development and implementation of an employee social media policy that outlines the Dos and Don’ts of online
8
employees can use social media to help promote the company
If your company has limited involvement on the Web, any
company. Needless to say, such a situation only compounds in modern reputation management. In order to prepare your
company for such a situation, flood the Web with positive con-
Customer Care News
meaning that if you can generate a base of fans, followers or supporters, these social media profiles are also likely to crowd
reputational attacks out of the top search results for your company. Some social media platforms, such as Facebook, present
an ideal opportunity to create a forum for your supporters and customers to populate content — meaning all you have to do is
create the venue and monitor for anything objectionable. Other sites, such as Twitter, require only 140-character updates — meaning you can send
out multiple Tweets
each week to help
build brand equity and bulletproof your
brand with a relatively
small time commit-
Businesses of all sizes and specializations must regularly monitor the conversations regarding their brands and proactively leverage online best practices to ensure they are prepared for crisis.
ment. But no matter where you choose to get involved, be sure
to make it a conversation with your key audience. Social media
is not another corporate megaphone; instead, it is an opportunity to truly connect with and cultivate brand ambassadors in the online space.
6. Address Criticism and Complaints Whenever Possible
Internet users today place more focus than ever before on
peer reviews and online forums in making purchasing decisions. This means that it is even more important than ever to
keep track of these comments and respond when appropriate. Consider following the example of Comcast’s Twitter presence,
where the company responds in real time to customer com-
plaints. While some particularly vitriolic complaints may not warrant a response, by regularly monitoring the most prominent and relevant online forums — including social media — and tent surrounding your brand now, before it’s too late. In order to maximize your brand bulletproofing efforts, content should
also be optimized for search engines. Start by using tools such
joining the conversation, you can help nip any potential crises in the bud and insert corrective messaging before others pick up on false rumors. CCN
as Google Keyword Tool and WordTracker to identify the top
Richard Levick, Esq., President & CEO of Levick Strategic
oping a step-by-step guide for your Web writers that outlines
highest-stakes global crises and litigation. His firm has directed
keywords on which to focus your content. Also consider develhow to best write for search engines. If you are able to build up a storehouse of positive, optimized content, you will create
a much higher threshold for reputational attacks to overcome when it comes to influencing public perceptions. 5. Engage the Social Media Space
social media. Social media platforms are highly authoritative,
www.customercarenews.com
the media strategies on Guantanamo Bay; the Catholic Church; the Wall Street crisis; the major
recalls; and the largest environmental, regulatory, corruption, and
merger matters in the world. Levick
Strategic Communications, LLC is
based in Washington, D.C. and can
Fall 2010
As you build out a storehouse of positive online content
about your brand, there is no better place to do so than on
Communications, LLC, represents countries and companies in the
be reached at 202-973-1300 or at www.levick.com.
9
Why Customer Service Plays an Increasingly Important Role in Higher Education
D
Photos by Mikki J. Shenkenberg www.worldartfoundation.org/mikki_shenkenberg.html
r. Keith Levick of Customer Care News recently sat down with Dr. Lewis N. Walker, president of Lawrence
Fall 2010
Technological University, to discuss how customer service relates to the field of education.
10
Customer Care News
CCN: Has the issue of customer service affected education and, if so, how — in what ways?
LW: Well, I think it is a very big issue in education and something
that higher education needs to deal with a little bit better. It is very important to us as a private university.
Right next door to this building, connected to this building,
Photo by Mikki J. Shenkenberg www.worldartfoundation.org/mikki_shenkenberg.html
is the Alfred Taubman Student Service Center. And I don’t know
we do this as a team with the parent to try to make sure they get
we built that building to bring all the services that students need
time. That’s when the bulk of people that drop out of school
whether you looked at the function of that building or not, but here at Lawrence Tech together in one place, to serve them in
innovative ways — and I say all the services except the academic advising — but what you’d call tutoring and what we call our
academic achievement center is located there. We are distribut-
established here in that first year. That transition time is a tough run into troubles and don’t adjust to college, so we have a very
aggressive first-year program that then interacts with the parents very well.
Industry and the community are our customers as well
ing laptops right now to our incoming students, and the help
because they take our product, and we have to serve them well.
financial aid, the admissions, the registrar, the housing; the dean
for industry. Government, local government, various aspects of
desk and all the support for the students is there. So…are the of students is centered there; the actual athletic service activities are in the field house, but it emanates there and they can sign up
to do things there; all of the placement for finding a job is there.
And our philosophy is that we want to provide excellent service to our students.
We at Lawrence Tech have a very high expectation of what
They take our product — our graduates — and we do projects government [are] also a constituency we serve. We are a private
university, but we view ourselves as a community-serving republic. The governor will come here Friday evening for a program she wants to put on in an auditorium here at Lawrence Tech, so we serve people in that way.
Everybody has customers. Every faculty member has custom-
we want our students to accomplish. They must accomplish that,
ers — the students. The staff members have customers, if you
standard in every way we can. And in those service activities we
awareness.
but we are here to help them accomplish that and to meet that
want to serve them very well. Again, we don’t do these things for
them — they have to take responsibility and do them. That’s part of their learning and development. But we are here to serve them
well and inspire them to stay the course and meet our standard
think of it that way, [which] they serve. We try to create that
CCN: How is Lawrence Tech preparing students to address customer-care issues in the future?
to be successful.
LW: One of the reasons we want to do this is to set a standard
CCN: Who is the customer? Is it the student or is it also mom
how they do things. They observe in ways that may not be spo-
and dad — the parents?
LW: Absolutely. We have many different customers we work with, and we do view our students as a customer. It’s a little different relationship because we get to specify what the academic
curriculum is and the program they have to achieve based upon professional standards, our knowledge of the profession, our
assessment of where it’s going in the future and how best to pre-
for students because they learn from us. Kids learn from parents
ken — how you act. If you have that customer service from your heart, you have an expectation. Parents, in my view, can’t be their
child’s friend. They have to love them, but you set a standard, an
expectation. You set a behavior and then you work with them in every way you can to develop them and nurture them and mentor them and make that happen — to prepare them. And then they learn how to behave from how you behave.
And our students are sponges [who] take from us not only
pare. Then we view them as a customer that we want to serve…
the technical facts or whatever we want to write on the
The parents are definitely customers who we work with
we act with integrity, with discipline, with caring and with cus-
and develop…in every way we can.
builds strong linkage with the parents. We put together a parent notebook…of various programs, contacts, how they interact; and
www.customercarenews.com
tomer service, but yet having an expectation, they will learn that,
Fall 2010
and build a close relationship with. So, our first-year program
blackboard — they see how we act and they mirror that. And if
and I think the best way to prepare them to have that approach is that. CCN
11
Why Caring Companies Win
S
ome of the most forward-thinking companies in
genuinely emphasizes the quality of people’s lives with a
their employees’ experiences at work and their
For the past two years, most business leaders have been
the country are putting people first by improving
work/life balance. And they are prospering. The approach may
preoccupied with finding ways to keep their core busi-
mance in an economy battered by change, according to a recent
Employees have been exposed to a variety of strategies
be the most effective strategy for improving company perforstudy by the Forum for People Performance Management and
Measurement, a Naperville, Ill.-based research center affiliated with Northwestern University.
Post-recession economics are paving the way for new
approaches to employee engagement and business productivity. The emergence of social media, an increasing need
for transparency, and labor market trends are transforming
Fall 2010
the global marketplace into a people-centered economy,
giving rise to a new concept called “employee enrich-
ment.” Employee enrichment is a strategic approach that
12
“people-first” orientation.
ness operating — to simply keep the organization alive. designed not only to attract the best talent, but to also
make them as productive as possible. Engagement techniques such as special training, career development and
employee incentives have worked, often yielding measurable results. Nevertheless, the past two years have seen far
too many employees preoccupied with the impact of a shrinking economy and company downsizing. This has left them
grateful for just being able to keep the jobs they have and their
leaders at a loss as to how to improve employee engagement and productivity.
Customer Care News
But the good news from all the upheaval is that there has
never been a better time to try new methods for improving the work environment, keeping employees engaged and generating better business results.
ronment. The fundamental shifts require organizations to place less emphasis on control and a more sincere emphasis on people.
In recent years, interest in how employees feel about their
One promising approach is detailed in a new study by the
work environments and leaders
entitled, “Leadership and the Performance of People in
of business organizations sur-
Forum for People Performance Management and Measurement Organizations: Enriching Employees and Connecting People” (Won-joo Yun and Frank Mulhern, Nov. 2009).
The study reframes the concept of business leadership
from a people-first perspective, examining the importance
of identifying and meeting the needs of multiple constituents — employees, consumers, shareholders and the community at large. The central focus is a concept called “employee enrichment.”
has grown as increasing numbers vey, study and reward successful
companies for exemplary human
Central to the concept of enrichment is a focus on the well-being of individuals.
resource practices. In just one
example, Fortune magazine partners annually with the Great Places to Work Institute® to conduct one of the most extensive
employee surveys and cultural audits in the United States in order to select the 100 “Best Companies to Work For.”
The Great Places to Work Institute website includes
Employee enrichment extends beyond the concept of
examples of what employees at some of the best workplaces say
employees to really have better lives. It addresses work and
• “Management truly encourages and expects individuals
work/life balance to encompass real concern for helping non-work factors and attempts to enhance people’s lives based
on the expectation that the better a person’s well-being, the better that person performs.
The concept of employee enrichment is very different from
employee engagement, which more or less says, “Management
wants employees to be engaged so they perform better for the company.” The study abandons the idea of using people to make an organization perform better and replaces it with a
“people-first” orientation. Implicit, but not dominant, is the
about their work environments:
to care for themselves before work. They understand personal lives are more important than jobs.”
• “We are obviously in business to make money, but the
people come before profits. The company takes care of the people first, and the people in turn take care of the profits.”
• “The company is always striving to improve itself and
at the same time giving individuals the motivation and encouragement to achieve their desires.”
expected positive outcome that enriched employees have on
• “Every morning I wake up I am more than excited to get
encourages an organization to make people the priority and
appreciates it.” (www.greatplacetowork.com/great/employ-
the organization’s performance. The enrichment approach
then figure out how to make money in a people-first envi-
to work and do the best I can for a company that really ees.php, downloaded 1/8/2010.)
Fall 2010
www.customercarenews.com
13
Central to the concept of enrichment is a focus on the
each party sacrifices something to achieve something else.
for the employee and how employee interests are aligned to
tion and benefits. Employers provide compensation and ben-
well-being of individuals. The emphasis shifts to what is good organizational objectives. The reality is that people are the lifeblood of any organization. People provide resources to the
firm, shareholders provide capital, customers provide revenue
and profits, and employees provide labor, innovation, service and a host of other components that make success possible.
Using an enrichment focus means that care for the wel-
fare of people must be central to the organization’s culture.
its objective. In the context of a people-centered approach,
enriching the lives of employees gets added to the overall value exchange. The value exchange ultimately encompasses all aspects of what people get from organizations and what organizations get from people.
In the most recent selection of Fortune magazine’s Best
Companies to Work For (CNN Money.com, downloaded
relationships they have with their co-workers. Yet leadership
as: a fully staffed on-site medical center, a free fitness center
and management practices provide limited guidance on how organizations should build healthy communities and foster a culture of caring.
Fall 2010
efits in exchange for labor that helps the organization achieve
Places of employment are real communities for the people who work there. Employees place tremendous value on the
At the heart of the relationship between the employer
and the employee is the idea of a value exchange whereby
14
Employees provide time and effort in exchange for compensa-
1/21/10), extraordinary employee perks include such things and natatorium, corporate artists in residence, an on-site
farmers’ market, healthy living incentives, concierge services, and paid sabbaticals along with the more common techniques
like generous retirement investment matches, etc. Value also
comes in the form of “intangibles,” the invisible qualities
Customer Care News
offered in the work relationship that go beyond compensation.
constituents — employees, consumers, shareholders and com-
was asked by Forbes magazine to comment on actions that
of an organizational vision and alignment of interests.
Ben Behrouzi, founder of DotNext, had this to say when he companies can take during tough economic times to shore up
munity — it relies on the more traditional leadership approach
A fundamental gap exists between emphasizing profit
employee happiness and well-being:
maximization in the short-term and treating employees and
there’s no growth, especially in a recession. At DotNext, we
Adding the customer to the picture opens up the possibility of
“We all know that without a happy and thriving team,
employ a two pronged approach…: First, we immediately roll
out substantial, structured and predictable performance-based
compensation in the form of bonuses…. Second, we aggressively enhance the quality, frequency and quantity of spirited culture activities that play directly into happiness and well being.” (www.benbehrouzi.org, downloaded 1/8/10)
Organizations can provide value to employees by moving
beyond the basics of regular compensation and benefits to
encompass personal growth. The idea of promoting personal growth among employees shifts the focus of leadership away from strictly marketplace outcomes and moves it toward the
enrichment of people’s lives. Implicit in such thinking is the expectation that the collective personal growth of individuals
actually contributes to organizational growth and performance. Personal growth can take a variety of forms including
education support, training programs, physical and mental
customers as people who have a variety of needs and concerns.
creating “customer enrichment,” that is, designing a company’s products and services to truly enrich the lives of customers. Further research is needed to determine how specific
management initiatives in product design or service delivery systems can manifest themselves in high-quality customer experiences.
There are many implications as a result of this research.
Among them are:
• The idea of developing “employee insights” much like consumer insights, as a way to deeply understand how to enrich employees’ lives
• The concept of serving the whole person and recognizing that “work” and “life” are no longer separated, and therefore can’t be balanced
• The importance of human connections — human social
networks at work lead to an emphasis on the workplace
wellness efforts, rewards, and incentive programs.
This human value connection also represents a “flow of
performance.” Organizations succeed because information
community and how that culture impacts society as a whole
As the ability to attract, retain and motivate high per-
and actions flow from person to person. While such a flow
formers becomes increasingly important in an emerging, post-
Yun and Mulhern emphasize personal relationships more
people-centered approach to leadership and overall business
seems to be identical to the idea of organizational processes,
than the rigidity of formal processes. A top-down approach fails to acknowledge the connectivity that happens on an
ongoing basis both within and, sometimes, across an organization. They explain that a necessary first step is to put
recession economy, further work is needed to develop a more strategy. One thing is clear: employers need to value their workers as people and reward them in ways that truly enrich their lives. CCN
mechanisms into place for tracking and measuring the flow of
The Forum for People Performance Management and
simultaneously manage multiple flows of performance among
Marketing Communications (IMC) graduate program at
performance, because organizations perform better when they
many people. Surveys can provide satisfaction and engagement scores while other metrics such as absenteeism rates, hours spent at work and employee retention can be added to the evaluation mix. Implications
The people-first framework outlined in the Forum study
Measurement is a research center within the Medill Integrated
Northwestern University. A central objective of the Forum
is to develop and disseminate knowledge about communications, motivation and management so that businesses can
better design, implement and manage employee engagement both inside and outside an organization. Contact the
Forum at 630-369-7780 or sue@performanceforum.org.
probably fits best into the emerging information and service
Look
for
the
full
to many situations. While it draws on a constituent-based
Employees
and
Connecting
approach to leadership that balances the needs of multiple
www.customercarenews.com
“Leadership
and
the
Performance of People in Organizations: Enriching www.performanceforum.org.
People,”
available
Fall 2010
economy, nevertheless, the concepts it advances can be applied
study,
at
15
How the Secondary Guest Can Make or Break Your Business
by Bruce Jones
W
Photos by DISNEY INSTITUTE www.disneyinstitute.com
hen Walt Disney started out as a young entrepreneur in the 1920s, he wasn’t sure where his fledgling business would take him and his brother, Roy. He just knew that he wanted
to entertain people of all ages. It was Walt’s focus beyond his core consumers (chil-
Fall 2010
dren) that truly sustained him and his company through good times and bad — a focus that remains the cornerstone of The Walt Disney Company today. 16
Customer Care News
Disney is renowned for its ability to surpass the expecta-
retail store and an employee is rude or dismissive to her child,
we like to call the “secondary guest” — someone who frequently
petition, she is more likely to simply leave, and possibly never
tions of children first and foremost, but it’s our focus on what
interacts with, or exerts influence over, a product but may not be considered a core consumer — that we believe sets us apart from
other entertainment companies. If you’ve ever been to a Disney theme park, taken a Disney cruise or sat through a Disney
Pixar film, then you know that our company is committed to entertaining people of ALL ages, everywhere.
Now, I know what you’re thinking — of course Disney can
entertain people of all ages, everywhere. They’re in the movie and theme park business! But the truth is, this concept works
in almost every industry. At Disney Institute we’ve helped clients integrate Disney’s best practices into health care, retail, food and beverage, and even manufacturing. Because the truth is, how you position and sell your product or service is just as
is she likely to make a purchase? With today’s increased comreturn. Now imagine that your employee strikes up a conversation with the child
and offers her a
few crayons and a coloring book to
Because the truth is, how you position and sell your product or service is just as important as what your business is selling.
play with while the
mother is shopping. In this case — with time to focus and
examine all you have to offer — mom probably makes that purchase. Even better, she comes back over and over again,
bringing her child every time. Her child, a daughter, comes to remember the store fondly. She may begin shopping there herself when she’s old enough.
Each year we receive thousands of guest letters that share
important as what your business is selling.
with us how a cast member went out of his or her way to make
Recognizing Your Secondary Guest
be back. In fact, we have quantified and correlated these inter-
Prior to the opening of Disneyland in 1955, theme parks
didn’t exist. Children went to carnivals, which were often scary
places with scary people and even scarier safety standards. They
everyone in the party feel special and because of that, they will actions with higher levels of intent to return and to recommend — key drivers of growth and profitability.
also weren’t much fun for adults. Walt dreamed of a place where
Putting it to Work
fun together.
apply the concepts we use at Disney because most of them cost
of the secondary guest — in this case, himself and his wife,
company’s mindset to make sure everyone — managers and
he, his wife Lillian and his two girls could have good, clean
Walt’s idea was an obvious success that led to the concept
Lillian. We continually work on this concept every day, always trying to find new ways to surprise and delight adults as well
as children. There are a variety of ways we do this, but nothing
The bottom line is that small business owners can easily
little to no money to implement. It’s really about adjusting the
employees — understand their role within the organization and treat everyone as a guest and a potential customer.
Every person who interacts with a business becomes
outweighs the impact of our employees, or cast members as we
an ambassador for his or her experience. If long-time
Cast members are trained to speak to guests, not at them.
children and grandchildren are also likely to become
call them at Disney.
For example, they bend down to speak to a child at his or her
level. This does two things: it makes the child feel important and involved, and it makes the parents happy because the child
patrons appreciate and value their experiences, then their loyal customers, who then refer friends, neighbors and business associates.
Disney continues to be successful with these strategies
feels special. Cast members are also trained to proactively seek
because we understand the importance of communicating and
trated. Days at the Walt Disney World Resort in Lake Buena
providing an unparalleled experience to your core and second-
out guest contact, especially with those who seem lost or frusVista, Fla., can be very long and exhausting. A cast member
who sees a crying child and a clearly anxious adult is encouraged to approach the child and suggest a game, or offer assis-
delivering value to all our guests. Exceeding expectations by ary guests will increase intent to return and to recommend, creating your own economic “circle of life.” CCN
tance in finding a cool place for the family to rest for a while.
Bruce Jones is programming director of Disney Institute, the
refresh so that the family can begin enjoying their day again.
Walt Disney Company. He can be reached at bruce.i.jones@
This simple gesture can help the child and the parents relax and
haps a child is the secondary guest. If a mother comes to your
www.customercarenews.com
Fall 2010
Now, think about this concept in your business, where per-
professional development and external training arm of The
disney.com. For more information on Disney Institute, please visit www.disneyinstitute.com.
17
Deterring Workplace Violence
Fall 2010
by Dr. Keith Levick
18
Customer Care News
Y
our workday begins like any other day — organizing your desk, answering the phone and greeting
visitors as they sign in; you know, the typical
never eradicate such behavior, but we can take steps to deter the violence and aggression found in the workplace.
routine. On this day, however, Bob, an ex-employee, walks in
The profile
ond exchange between you and this man, he pulls out a gun and
lem, psychologists have been hard at work trying to understand
his demands. As people hysterically run for their lives, Bob finds
lethal and lethal acts of violence. Simply stated, non-lethal acts of
demanding to see Fred and Jan, his old managers. After a 30-secpoints it in your face. Stunned and numb, you follow every one of Fred and Jan in their offices, and in a paranoid and psychotic instant he opens fire and kills the managers and himself.
Sound like a scene from a Hollywood movie? Unfortunately,
this is the “breaking story” we see and hear much too often on the
evening news. Violence in the workplace is a reality happening
everywhere. The problem is no longer isolated to late night convenience stores. Hospitals, accounting firms, governmental agencies, corporate headquarters and more are all affected. For many, the workplace presents high stress and daily volatile events.
Since workplace violence is a predominately new social prob-
the dynamics of an attacker. It is important to differentiate nonviolence tend to happen impulsively. An employee who is angry
with another and destroys some furniture would be an example of non-lethal violence. Unlike the non-lethal person, the attacker
who commits murder in the workplace is not impulsive. In fact, he is quite selective and deliberate. The final act is one of a long chain of events.
The warning signs
Upon closer examination, these people present visible behav-
In the past decade, workplace violence has increased more
ioral warning signs. Unfortunately, many employees and man-
• Violence at work accounts for approximately 15 percent of
87 percent of managers who were interviewed after a murder
than 300 percent. In fact, statistics show that:
all violent acts experienced annually in the United States.
• Homicide is the leading cause of workplace death for women.
• Last year, two million Americans were victims of a physical
agers tend to deny and minimize these signs. In one study,
stated they “let things go unattended too long.” They went on to explain that fear drove their denial — fear of confrontation and/ or retaliation.
A manager of a Fortune 500 company tells of a time
assault while on their jobs.
he walked through his department and overheard one of
place of employment.
away.” Unsure of what to do with what he heard, he decided
• Approximately 16 million workers will be harassed at their • One in four people will be affected by workplace violence. Why?
To answer the question, “Why is there a dramatic increase of
workplace violence,” one needs to look at our society. Haven’t we
become more violent over the years? College campus massacres, husbands murdering wives, employees shooting employees, etc. We are besieged with violence on a daily basis. From the daily
newspaper to the nightly news, we have become conditioned and desensitized to violence. It is reasonable to assume, therefore, if the workplace is a microcosm of society, there will be an increase of violence in the workplace.
Furthermore, with downsizing, layoffs and mergers, employ-
ees are working more hours with fewer resources. Stress levels are at an all-time high among American workers. As stress levels
continue to climb, these workers become lightening rods ready to explode. These people are walking a psychological tightrope, and
the employees mutter, “maybe I should just blow some people to make a report to security after two sleepless nights. Fortunately, he made the right decision. Upon their
investigation, security officers found floor plans of the company’s headquarters, several weapons and a list of executives to be killed.
Having an awareness of the common warning signs may
prevent a terrible tragedy:
• Any verbal threat of violence
• Any physical action — intimidation, flashing a weapon, stalking, etc.
• Consistently angry and frustrated — usually associated with entitlement issues such as not receiving a promotion, being demoted, etc.
• Obsessive characteristics — obsessed with a co-worker
(often times romantically), a famous person or an individual with high status
What can you do?
feel secure at the workplace. Like violence in society, we may
eliminate workplace violence. However, if one recognizes some
We can no longer take solace in the fact that employees can
www.customercarenews.com
Fall 2010
when they fall, they fall hard, and often resort to violence.
Certainly, one cannot control another person’s behavior or
19
of the warning signs or a troubled person seeks assistance, the
human resources, security, medical, safety, legal,
• Always take threats seriously. Like a person who threatens
ate response procedures need to be developed. This
following suggestions may be helpful:
suicide, it may be a cry for help.
• Find ways to assist the person by:
• Listening empathetically
• Giving the phone number to the Employee Assistance Program (EAP)-Work and Family Representatives
• Referring a community mental health agency, etc. • Recommending a stress management program
• Be sure to follow-up. Call the person to find out how they are doing.
What the organization can do
contacts police, etc.
2. Develop a consistent style of management and philosophy to be driven throughout the organization.
3. Security systems need to be assessed and security training provided for all employees.
4. Training managers and employees in such areas as identifying the warning signs, advanced communication skills, etc.
5. Create a network of support for the identified employee:
• Materials from EAP, mental health services, etc. should be readily available.
• Increase workers’ training around awareness of psy-
proactive in dealing with workplace violence. The typical worker
• For smaller companies where on-site programs are not
often times spends more time at their job than they do with their
own families. An employer has a responsibility to create a workplace that is safe and healthy for employees.
In addition to the human tragedy that results from violence
chological risk factors and coping strategies.
feasible, a liaison should be established with local mental health or social service agencies.
In a society where violence is part of the everyday culture,
in the workplace, there is a great financial loss to the organiza-
the workplace appears a bit safer than the streets. However, vio-
these crimes cost employers and workers more than $55 million
consequences for both employees and the organiza-
tion. In terms of lost wages, lawsuits and missed workdays, annually.
The following are items organizations should consider and
implement to help create a safer environment.
1. Create a Threat Management Team that carries out
Fall 2010
would include an anonymous hot line, a plan for who
As organizations strive to improve themselves, the issue of
violence can no longer be avoided. Companies need to be more
the policy regarding violence in the workplace. This
multidisciplinary team consists of personnel from
20
EAP and other employees. Additionally, appropri-
lence is an unfortunate reality of our times and has far reaching
tion. Companies need to be more proactive in dealing with
workplace violence and prepare employees for the inconceivable. Although violence in the workplace cannot be eliminated,
employers can provide a safer environment by offering workplace violence training and implementing preventative policies and procedures. CCN
Customer Care News
CustomerCare News
Fall 2010
www.customercarenews.com
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Research shows that the reason customer satisfaction is so important is because of its impact on the many factors that affect a company’s bottom line. It generates higher customer loyalty, repeat business and increased revenue. In general terms, more satisfied customers make happier business owners, shareholders, employees and managers. The more a company focuses on customer care, the more it reaps the rewards of higher customer satisfaction. This creates a customer who will be more loyal, spend more money, treat staff better and spread the word online in everyday conversation. Happy Customers beget Happy Bottom Line and Happy Reputation Management Stakeholders. This should be the call of every company in America.
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Eng Stu den ine erin g ts and E.I. pag e 10
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A Celebration Media Publication
Prescription for Performance
S
ome of the top performance improvement companies in the United States tackle a range of challenges that can keep a company and its employees from reaching their full potential. Business improves when
employees and customers are recognized, rewarded, and engaged through effectively structured programs with defined goals and proven returns. The Incentive
Fall 2010
Marketing Association (IMA) provides education, resources and research to promote the use of incentive programs to the business community. 22
Customer Care News
There is no single secret to motivating employees to sell,
and Incentive Solutions.” Carlton Group is a full-service per-
proceed on a broad front, with motivational programs, realistic
recognition, e-learning, promotion and sales force automation
take care of customers, and generally sell. Companies have to goal setting, training, coaching, communication and more. Managers are rarely skilled in all these approaches, so it may be
a good idea for them to turn to specialists for help. The companies below provide solutions based on a client’s specific “people performance” challenge. Whereas many incentive-fulfillment
companies focus solely on providing merchandise and travel incentives, these performance-improvement companies are committed to addressing a client’s overall performance issues. They do this by:
• Under sta nd ing you r business before ma k ing
formance improvement company specializing in incentive and programs. They have revolutionized the incentive industry
by introducing the world’s first “On-Demand Recognition & Incentive Solution,” Power2Motivate®. By continuously evolving
the platform, this leading-edge method of delivering software through the Internet allows for low entry costs and rapid deploy-
ment, while providing the versatility to configure solutions to meet specific business requirements. Contact: Robert Purdy,
905-477-3791; rpurdy@carlton.ca; www.carlton.ca Headquarters: Ontario, Canada
Dittman Incentive Marketing is a creative quality leader
recommendations
in the field of incentives, motivation and performance improve-
specific time, using whatever combination of strategies
of the five most innovative incentive companies in the United
• Developing programs to achieve specific results in a makes sense for the situation
• Being able to organize a complete solution, integrating all of the elements in the most effective manner
Beyond that, each is distinguished by its experience with
different types of audiences and programs. Some, for example, place greater stress on consumer loyalty strategies, while others
focus on business-to-business solutions. At least one special-
ment. The company was named by a leading publication as one
States. An award-winning company with a 24-year history,
Dittman has a proven track record as a creator of original, one-
of-a-kind motivation and education programs targeted at endusers, distribution customers, direct salespeople and non-sales
employees, to achieve critical corporate goals. Contact: Jim
Dittman, 732-745-0600; jdittman@dittmanincentives.com; www. dittmanincentives.com Headquarters: New Brunswick, NJ
EGR International is a performance-improvement and
izes in offering fully integrated consumer and employee loyalty
meeting-management company serving Fortune 500 corpora-
The leading full-service incentive and performance-
and meeting-management efforts. For more than 30 years, EGR
services across an entire organization.
improvement companies have organized the Performance
Improvement Council (PIC) as part of IMA. The council’s purpose is to support research on incentive use, develop incentive education and training, and help enlighten corporate
America about the benefits of professionally structured incentive programs. Visit www.thepicnow.org to access a list of these organizations.
tions and their performance-improvement, loyalty-management has been recognized as one of the industry’s most innovative and
creative companies, pioneering the use of leading-edge technol-
ogy that provides tangible, real-time benefits to both its clientele and program participants. Contact: Ryan Bearbower, 212-949-
7330; rbearbower@egrinternational.com; www.egrinternational. com Headquarters: New York, NY
The Incentive Group provides loyalty-marketing programs
Anderson Performance Improvement Company is
that motivate employees, dealers and consumers to win mind
Together with its customers, its people plan and implement
grams provide 24/7 access for enrollment, attainment claiming,
the visionary leader in the performance improvement field.
creative, innovative solutions that accelerate its customers’ progress into the future. Anderson Performance Improvement
designs and implements behavior-based incentive and recognition programs that include analysis, measurement, communications, training, reinforcement and rewards. Contact:
Louise Anderson, CPIM, 651-438-9825; landerson@anderson-
share and market share. Their new web-based loyalty propoint-balance checking, an exciting rewards catalog with sort
features, reward ordering, and detail reports. Significant promotional and administrative cost savings are realized via the web.
Contact: Doug Press, 914-948-0904; dougp@incentivegroup.com; www.incentivegroup.com Headquarters: White Plains, NY
ITAGroup is a performance marketing company dedicated
performance.com; www.andersonperformance.com Headquarters:
to helping clients boost market share, increase sales and profit-
Carlton Group Limited’s corporate mission is to become
satisfaction through the application of custom-designed mar-
the world’s leading provider of “On-Demand Recognition
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ability, improve employee performance, and increase customer
Fall 2010
Hastings, MN
keting programs. Their primary business purpose is to assist
23
clients in becoming more successful by motivating people to
Maritz, LLC is the world’s largest source of integrated
action to improve performance and achieve measurable results.
performance-improvement, travel and marketing research
www.itagroup.com Headquarters: Des Moines, IA
performance of people critical to clients’ success. The
Contact: Beth Schelske, 515-326-3400; bschelske@itagroup.com; Madison Performance Group is a full-service perfor-
mance improvement company. Their people, processes, tools
and techniques are focused on the specific niche of web-based incentive companies. Madison is headquartered in New York
City but global in reach. Madison’s programs motivate participants worldwide. Their dedicated team of professionals subscribes to innovation, but focuses on daily execution. Madison
continues to help progressive companies do more with their incentive investment. Madison understands that in today’s
increasingly complex marketplace, one thing is clear: People
services,
specializing
in
helping
to
maximize
the
reward and recognition solutions of Maritz Incentives help
companies achieve their business goals by maximizing the potential of their employees and channel partners. Assessment,
design,
communications,
administration,
analysis, project management and world-class award cards,
merchandise and travel card fulfillment enable Maritz
to tailor-make effective solutions for its clients. Contact: Jerry
Klein,
636-827-1402;
jerry.klein@maritz.com;
www.maritz.com Headquarters: Fenton, MO
Marketing Innovators International (MI), a full-
Performance always drives business results. Contact: Mike
service performance improvement company, is a leader in
com Headquarters: New York, NY
program development and administration, creative design,
the incentive industry. MI assists clients with customized
Fall 2010
Ryan, 201-934-4269; mryan@madisonpg.com; www.madisonpg.
24
Customer Care News
program tracking/evaluation, meeting planning, incentive travel services, and customized information systems
for performance management. Products include gift certificates from 300-plus national merchants, award vouchers, debit cards, and merchandise. Multimodal redemption via phone, fax, mail or online. Contact: Rick Blabolil,
CPIM, 847-696-1111; rblabolil@marketinginnovators.com; www.marketinginnovators.com Headquarters: Rosemont, IL
MotivAction designs and executes strategic business solu-
tions that increase sales productivity and enhance employee
engagement. They are the most recognized and rewarded Performance Improvement Company in the industry based on achieving business results. MotivAction crafts and executes
strategic sales and marketing programs that get more from
your channel performance and customer retention investments. Their client-tailored programs drive relevant and personalized experiences that motivate desired action in your employees,
partners and customers. Contact: Janet North, 763-412-3000;
jnorth@motivaction.com; www.motivaction.com Headquarters: Minneapolis, MN
Motivation Excellence offers complete incentive design,
travel and merchandise awards, communications, administration (including web-based) and ROI-oriented financial rationale. Their innovative, consultative development
USMotivation is one of the world’s leading people perfor-
and implementation focuses on exceeding client expecta-
mance management companies. Working with organizations
glewis@meiweb.com;
distributors, USMotivation’s programs increase bottom-line
tions. Contact: Gregory A. Lewis, president, 847-839-5555; Schaumburg, IL
www.meiweb.com
Headquarters:
O.C. Tanner’s global strategic recognition and incentive
programs align employees with corporate goals for long-term performance improvement. They are the winners of several
prestigious business awards and have served the world’s most
successful organizations for 80 years in 70 offices internation-
ally. Their company philosophy in short is: “Appreciation is our discipline, our art, our muse, and our practice. We are in the business of inspiring the best in each other. We are specialists
in appreciateology.” Contact: Michelle Smith, CPIM, 626796-5544; michelle.smith@octanner.com; www.octanner.com.
across all industries to motivate employees, customers and
results, recognize and retain talent, improve productivity and quality, advance sales channel performance, build loyalty, promote corporate goals, and more. Our business units cover
each major aspect of performance improvement, incentive applications and fulfillment, including incentive and award
systems, meetings and events, powerful interactive solutions, compelling communications, and promotional products and services.
Contact:
Michael
mruege@usmotivation.com;
Headquarters: Atlanta, GA CCN
Ruege,
770-290-4790;
www.usmotivation.com
Spear One manages customized sales incentive programs,
The Performance Improvement Council (PIC), a professional
— including group travel, channel marketing, recognition/
tively focused on helping companies optimize their investment
full-service meeting planning, and integrated promotions
sales kickoffs, road shows, conference training, registration/ product launches and campaigns. For more than 16 years,
they’ve partnered with Fortune 1000 clients to tailor innovative
Contact: Jeff Booher, 972-661-6070; jbooher@spearone.com; www.spearone.com.
www.customercarenews.com
in human capital through proven and innovative reward and
recognition solutions. The PIC is a strategic industry within the Incentive Marketing Association (IMA). IMA is comprised of
the companies that are leaders in the incentive industry. Contact
Fall 2010
incentive programs, effective meetings and clever promotions.
organization of performance marketing executives, is collec-
IMA at 630-369-7780 or online at www.incentivemarketing. org.
25
We at Customer Care News would like to recognize
companies that are helping improve customer service,
either within their own organization or as an aid to other companies in need of training or help with other
customer service issues. We are always looking for companies to profile. If you know of a company that is developing customer care skills, let us know.
Xpect Better Results Michigan-based company works with restaurants to improve customer service
X
pect Restaurant Marketing Solutions™ is a national company based in Wixom, Mich., that
focuses on the marketing needs of restaurants.
Xpect develops, implements and administers full-service/ front-of-the-house marketing programs that benefit restaurant
chains or independents of any size. It provides clients with a
tinues to grow. “We are expanding nationally and have
ing, web-based services, e-mail marketing, marketing consult-
says Whitworth. The company has also created some of its
variety of services, including menu development and engineering, customer loyalty marketing and rewards programs, and
server training. Xpect’s marketing strategies have been proven to attract new business, reduce costs, and increase sales and profits.
“Xpect was created out of needs that were observed in
the marketplace,” says Curt Whitworth, president of Xpect.
“Xpect Restaurant Marketing
Solutions is our new brand
ABCDXO Server Training System. Additionally, it stays on top of the latest trends and evaluates their effectiveness for
restaurants to use. Whitworth emphasizes that technology is changing the face of marketing, and many restaurant owners are not aware of new products that can drive sales or of the financial impact those products can have on their business.
Xpect’s services are normally best utilized by small chain
independent and single-location restaurants. The company’s
that were eventually grouped
training for the restaurant staff. “We have assisted [customers]
together into a one-stop marketing shop. “Xpect was created to expand our product
line beyond server training
programs to marketing programs to drive increased traf-
sales team can provide local in-market training or web-based
in changing the culture of their restaurants by turning their Order Takers into Sales People,” says Whitworth, who believes that improved customer care drives the entire guest experience
in the restaurant industry. Therefore, the servers and management team are a critical part of the guest experience.
One mistake many servers make in regard to customer
fic into restaurants,” he says.
service? Handing over the check too soon, says Whitworth.
started out small, it has seen
slide the check to the customer before asking if they would like
Although the company
Fall 2010
own products such as a national training program called the
identity.” It initially began
as a few smaller programs
tremendous success and con-
26
developments in place to cover a solid 15 states by 2011,”
When servers approach the table at the end of the meal and
anything else, they have already ensured that the customer will
Customer Care News
most likely say no. Customers view the bill as a sign that they
should not order anything else and should finish and leave as soon as possible. “What they are really saying is ‘you are done
eating, take your bill and move on.’ What they don’t realize
is that I have made the decision to dine at this establishment and am willing to pay for the entire experience. What they are not delivering is the ‘total guest experience,’ and the restaurant today could see up to a 20 percent increase in sales with the
customers they already have in their seats,” he says. Other mistakes restaurants make include improper food costing, beverage pouring and misuses of time, staff and supplies.
One way in which Xpect helps restaurants measure custom-
er satisfaction is through customer surveys online. Customers are much more likely to give an honest answer after they have had time to think about their experience and are in the comfort of their own home. Mystery shopping and market data from consumer purchases are also used to determine opportunities for improvement and growth.
Xpect holds quarterly reviews with its customers to see
where improvements might be made. It measures its own customer satisfaction through repeat sales and referrals. In turn,
Xpect Restaurant Marketing Solutions™
to determine customer satisfaction. “Customer referrals drive
Wixom, MI 48393
Whitworth says that restaurants can use the same methods increased sales,” he says. “Have your staff strive for complete customer satisfaction, and in turn, ask your customers to refer their friends.” CCN
50168 Pontiac Tr., Ste. 7
248.960.1683/866.297.5972 fax: 248.960.9405
www.xpectresultsnow.com
Fall 2010
www.customercarenews.com
27
Anyone Can Take an Order
H
by Keith Levick
ere is a fairly simple question: Would you hire a person with poor communication skills, who flies off the handle when under pressure, and who is unaware of how his or her attitude affects others? Of course not! However, these people litter
workplaces across America, including restaurants. While they may be good at “taking the customer’s order,” some servers may lack the skills required to truly connect with the customers. Unfortunately, this disconnected attitude leads to poor customer and employee satisfaction and ultimately affects the restaurant’s bottom line — negatively. If you are truly trying to separate yourself from the pack, you
and neuroscience. Conceptually, EI is a broad term that focuses
on the menu and other food specialties unique to your restaurant.
the traditional areas of a person’s IQ and technical or business
have to commit to training your entire staff. You educate them Are they trained, however, in the interpersonal skills required
to exceed your customers’ expectations? Your hosts/hostesses,
servers and other employees are the ones with whom your customers will engage and interact. These front-line employees (and
managers) are critically important to the overall success of your business.
maintain positive relationships via managing emotions, trusting “gut” feelings, being aware of and attending to nonverbal communication, and by empathetically connecting with people.
Clearly, a server’s traditional intelligence is able to provide
him or her with an accurate answer if the food is not prepared
connect with their overall dining experience that affects the
rect response when an angry customer is casting aspersions or a
success of a business. Additionally, the importance of the server’s awareness of his or her own emotional state cannot be
overestimated. How can a server manage a disgruntled customer when he or she is unable to deal with his or her own negative
attitude? Feelings are contagious; but if one is emotionally tone deaf, the consequences could be widespread throughout
properly. A person’s IQ , however, often fails to provide the corco-worker accuses another of stealing his or her tips. Research
suggests that a person’s EI can explain a variance in job performance, all else being equal to another person. Research shows:
• There is a strong correlation between employees’ satisfaction and customers’ satisfaction
the restaurant.
• The hosts/hostesses and servers are the first and primary
employees) are ones who possess both traditional intelligence
• The hosts/hostesses, servers and buss-people’s observable
The most effective employees (leaders are also considered
Fall 2010
skills. A working definition of EI is the ability to build and
It is the ability to anticipate customers’ needs, be aware
of their emotional state, demonstrate empathy and truly
(IQ ) and “people skills” — emotional intelligence (EI). EI is
the hard science of people skills built on the split brain theory
28
on one’s interpersonal competence and skills that fall outside
contact points for the customer
behavior drives the customers’ perceptions of the service quality of the restaurant
Customer Care News
Although the above bullet points are relevant to a restaurant’s
profit, the last bullet point is extremely significant. Here is why:
• One hundred satisfied customers generate 25 new •
customers A
five
percent
increase
in
overall
customer
retention equates to a 25 to 55 percent increase in profitability
• Negative word-of-mouth results in an 8.5 percent decrease in revenues
• When a customer is dissatisfied:
• Four percent tell management • Ninety-six percent go away
• Ninety-one percent never return When employees in the restaurant industry dem-
onstrate a lack of EI, it reduces customer and employee satisfaction, bottom
line.
and
directly
Building
affects
and
the
restaurant’s
maintaining
positive
relationships with customers and other employees is a
critical aspect of all job positions in a restaurant. emotional
intelligence,
therefore,
can
be
Fall 2010
Developing
both financially and professionally beneficial to restaurant employees. CCN
www.customercarenews.com
29
The List
T
by Wally Jaczkowski
o know your client is to succeed, whether you’re selling
insurance or selling apples.
Rule number one in the business world is
to figure out exactly who your target audience is, what they want and how to give it to them. To best adhere to this rule, it’s a
good idea to get some outside help. You’re running a business; you don’t have time to send out surveys, right? Luckily, help exists
in abundance, in the form of marketing
research companies. Below is a list of what we believe to be the top of the crop, with services ranging from small business to global corporation research assistance.
• Polaris MR, www.polarismr.com, 866-217-7014, Full-service
major companies providing proprietary research, customer insight,
1989, Polaris offers premier survey programs for customer satis-
• Mintel, www.mintel.com, 212-796-5710, Business Marketing
Marketing Research. Successfully providing quality service since
faction and loyalty, brand research, and new product development research.
• TNS Global, www.tnsglobal.com, 212-991-6194, Global
Marketing Research. TNS is a custom market research company
organized around its clients’ industry sectors. It prides itself on
leading market intelligence, delivering information, analysis and
critical recommendations. Its portfolio of proprietary industry solutions has been supporting high-profile clients in key sectors such as financial services, media, retail and leisure.
• Nielsen, en-us.nielsen.com, Consumer Goods, Media,Telecom
• Experian Simmons, www.smrb.com, 212-471-2850, American
clients a precise understanding of the consumer is the key to mak-
Marketing Research. Experian Simmons is a leading source of
high-quality research and single-source measurement of the brand
preferences, lifestyle, attitudes and media usage behaviors of the American consumer.
• J.D. Power and Associates, www.jdpower.com, 805-418-8000, Full-service Marketing Research. J.D. Power and Associates is
a global marketing information firm that conducts independent and unbiased surveys of customer satisfaction, product quality and buyer behavior.
• Kelton Research, www.keltonresearch.com, 310-479-4040, Business-specific Marketing Research. Kelton Research’s unique methodologies, interviewers and analyses aim to do more
than just give you the data: they strive to bring the data to life. This firm is definitely geared toward the most individualized researching possible.
• Forrester Research, www.forrester.com, 617-613-5730, Technology/Marketing Research. Forrester is an independent
Fall 2010
Research. Mintel is an award-winning provider of world-
speaking its clients’ language to help them make better business decisions.
research company that provides advice to global leaders in busi-
ness and technology. It works with professionals in 19 key roles at
30
consulting and executive programs.
Marketing Research. The Nielsen team believes that providing ing the right decisions. Nielsen is always innovating to keep
pace with emerging market trends and the increasingly diverse, demanding and connected consumer.
• Talk of the Town, www.talkofthetownaward.com, 877-498-
6405, Small-business Reputation Management Research. Talk of the Town is part of Celebration Media, a marketing, research and publishing company that provides much-needed feedback to help companies gain the winning edge that attracts
new business. It posts the results of thousands of hours of surveying the most widely used user-review websites to determine a rating system for customer satisfaction, all at no charge to the business owner.
• Customer Care News, www.customercarenews.com, Customer/Client Relations Research. Customercarenews.com
was created to shed light on high achievers in the area of customer satisfaction and customer care. The publication covers the leading industry providers of education and resources, which are vital
to assisting companies in improving their customer satisfaction scores. CCN
Customer Care News
Goren and Associates, Inc. We Believe Learning is a Process, Not an Event!
Goren and Associates Inc., headquartered in Farmington Hills, Michigan, is an organizational training, executive coaching, and and consulting company since 1981. We design and develop customized courses to fit the needs of our clients. Our goal is to create a collaborative partnership with our clients. Together, we strategically assess, define, develop and deliver the highest quality and relevant learning solutions for employees. • deliver high energy, instructor-led training • certify the organization’s trainers to facilitate our coursework • work with poor functioning teams to become re-aligned, resulting in higher performance • assist organizations in managing all phases of a change initiative • deliver organization and employee assessments • provide one-on-one leadership coaching • facilitate strategic planning and visioning • facilitate executive retreats
Goren and Associates, Inc. 32000 Northwestern Hwy., Suite 128 Farmington, MI 48334 800.851.0824 www. gorentrain.com
Our Belief Goren and Associates believes that people are a company’s most important investor. Yes, investor! They choose where, when, and how to invest their time, effort, skills, knowledge and attitude. These investors are the organization’s most valuable and vital resource. We believe that a performance driven culture where employees are treated as assets whose value can be enhanced through investments, creates a win-win return-on-investment (ROI) for both the organization and its investors.