Michelle Ray

Business and Leadership Keynote Speaker

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customer service

The power of relationships in the digital age

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When you take care of relationships, you take care of everything. A powerful statement from Peter, a leader in a professional services organization I just met. He was on a mission to help his Gen Z staff engage with their clients in person. His challenge: The majority worked remotely and were swamped with administrative, routine activities of their day-to-day responsibilities that kept them confined to their desks and away from in-person interactions with colleagues and clients.

It is critical to mentor the next generation so that they “understand how business works” (in Peter’s words). Creating relationship-building opportunities while managing hybrid work environments is a primary leadership responsibility, no matter how high-tech our business world becomes.

Relationships are what keep the world turning. [Read more…] about The power of relationships in the digital age

The Lost Art Of Service: Is “Good Enough” Good Enough?

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A smile. A thank you. An apology. One may argue that any of these gestures are better than a mediocre interaction with a service provider. Or, one may suggest that acknowledging a customer by being pleasant, showing appreciation or making up for a mistake is an adequate demonstration of treating the customer appropriately.

What should we expect from a front-line employee, a maître d’, a call centre representative, or a table host at a fine dining restaurant? Does the level of service need to differ if we are doing business with a corner store or a high-end establishment? In other words, should the level of service matter regardless of the value of the transaction? [Read more…] about The Lost Art Of Service: Is “Good Enough” Good Enough?

The Value Of Business Relationships: One Constant In A Changing World

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“I’m not a people person.” I will never forget hearing those words during a leadership workshop I was facilitating, nor will I forget the newly appointed manager who uttered them. The shocking truth is that according to the extensive Gallup study of 2.5 million manager-led teams in 195 countries, organizations fail to select the right person for the role of manager over 80% of the time.

Imagine the consequences for your employees, customers, and overall business success when a leader lacks critical acumen regarding the value of human-to-human connection. [Read more…] about The Value Of Business Relationships: One Constant In A Changing World

Here Today. Gone Tomorrow…Why Customers Go Elsewhere In A New Economy

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The question: “Why Customers Go Elsewhere?” remains timeless, even in the digital age. Unfortunately, many businesses fail to deliver on a simple premise: Take Care of the CUSTOMER. This applies to every individual, whether or not he or she has regular, direct customer contact.

In a memorable Seinfeld episode, Jerry and Elaine are incredulous as the customer service representative from “Worthy” Car Rentals informs them that her company has no mid-size cars available, despite the fact that Jerry has reserved one. The exchange becomes heated when Jerry exclaims “you know how to take the reservation…you just don’t know how to hold the reservation.” The customer service representative discusses the matter with her supervisor and offers Jerry a compact size vehicle instead, which he accepts. The scene ends as Jerry agrees to take full insurance on the vehicle, informing the agent that he will be sure to “beat the hell out of this car.” [Read more…] about Here Today. Gone Tomorrow…Why Customers Go Elsewhere In A New Economy

How to tell people at work what you really think of them

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Act One Scene One:  Learning a brand new way of implementing: “Don’t get mad, get even.”

During a recent training session regarding workplace relationships, I asked attendees to think of a time when a co-worker, client or manager’s words left them absolutely speechless.  Shock waves filled the room as participants willingly shared their stories. One example in particular threw everyone for a loop. As one of the attendees revealed the details of an encounter with a VP, the workshop discussion quickly heated up as people chimed in with their best comebacks. The collective “you have got to be kidding” sentiment made me think about the importance of knowing how to respond professionally to a disparaging remark in order to keep one’s credibility and composure, as well managing as the ramifications of unpleasant business interactions spiralling out of control.

What were the words that left everyone aghast? [Read more…] about How to tell people at work what you really think of them

The “Wow” Factor…Brought to you by the U.S. Post Office

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Cynics may say that you would never expect a public servant to give outrageously good customer service. So let me prove you wrong. Ross, who works at the USPS located in Point Roberts, WA provided incredible service…so good that he puts many corporate retailers to shame.

Despite the fact that Canada Post has an outlet across the street from my house, I deliberately drove 45 minutes to the nearest U.S. border to mail my packages bound for multiple destinations across the United States. You may be asking “why”? Well, from past experiences I can tell you that not only are the savings enormous, the service that I have received at my Post Office across the border is second to none.

Last Friday, Ross delivered a customer service experience that I will never forget. As I placed my packages on the counter and waited for Ross to carefully weigh each envelope, he asked the game-changing question: “Can I offer you the “WOW” factor?” [Read more…] about The “Wow” Factor…Brought to you by the U.S. Post Office

When Customers Walk – The Business Consequences of Disengagement

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After a seventeen hour journey from Australia to Canada, plus forty-five frustrating minutes talking to airline staff about a pair of prescription glasses that were left on board, our friends left Vancouver International Airport knowing that the chances of anyone caring enough to resolve their concern was almost zero. A young woman who listened to their plight while repeatedly attempting not to yawn informed them that if found, the glasses would be taken to the appropriate location for lost articles. She scribbled down the company’s website name and told them to fill out the on-line form for lost and found articles. It was time to go on her break and there was nothing else she could do. The fact that their airplane was still at the gate, and the fact that the “at your service” agent could have easily communicated with airline’s ground staff to check for the glasses seemed all too difficult.

This scenario is not merely an example of poor customer service. It demonstrates something much deeper…a problem that is reaching endemic proportions in many workplaces of every description: Skyrocketing levels of employee disengagement. The results of a new Aon Hewitt study, reported in HRM Online, found 47% of workers are disengaged from their work – the lowest employee engagement levels in North America in five years.

Healthy levels of workplace engagement indicate discretionary effort, i.e. wanting to do, rather than having to do a job. HRM online also noted that “the drops in areas such as diversity, customer experience and leadership lead to an overall decrease in how employees felt about their overall work experience.” In the case of my friend’s lost pair of glasses, she encountered an individual who was not only unwilling to ask another colleague at the gate about the status of the glasses in that moment, but gave no thought to the bigger picture regarding the future buying decisions of an unhappy customer in her highly competitive industry.

Workplace cultures, together with employees’ perceptions of their role in the grand scheme of impacting the bottom line are key indicators of engagement. A recently published report entitled: The impact of the new long-term employee…Dealing with the Increasingly Shorter Definition of “a Long Time with the Company” defined engagement as: “the degree to which employees are psychologically invested in your organization and motivated to contribute to its success.”

The above definition ought to become the new benchmark for assessing the entire spectrum of organizational effectiveness. Employers of any size and industry that continue to ignore the significance of their staff remaining disengaged do so at their own peril. Unfortunately, the front line is not the only cohort who is psychologically “checking out” on the job. Management are also disconnecting for a host of reasons that include pressures to achieve higher performance and productivity with reduced staffing levels, limited resources, and increased workloads. As a result of being pulled in divergent directions, they are compromising their own abilities to lead, inspire, and motivate in order to meet or exceed senior leadership’s expectations.

Sadly, the story of my friend’s lost pair of glasses continued on a downward spiral. Email communications with supervisors and managers proved futile, as it became evident that their apologetic responses were obligatory rather than empathetic. At no time did my friend get a sense that there was a genuine desire to resolve her concern, from the top down.

When individuals at every level of an organization lose sight of the “how” and “why” of their job function, the disengagement cycle continues to build, job satisfaction wanes, client service is affected and opportunities for business growth are lost. As a leader, are you personally setting the example for your team to be highly engaged? Is your customer service a reflection of a team doing what they do because they have to or want to? Disengagement is not only evident within your internal operations; it is also evident to your customers who may ultimately experience its consequences and take their business elsewhere.

 

Are you taking the lead with your customers?

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A friend of mine went to pick up his dry cleaning last Friday. While this isn’t exactly headline news, be assured that the dry cleaner in question has no idea that he is the main story of my blog. He doesn’t know that potentially 1,000’s of people are reading about his example of appalling customer service right now.

Most of us expect that if our dry cleaning is tagged for pick up on a particular day, it will be ready. When my friend went to the store, he found a sign on the door that read: “Closed Fridays”. He had several suits waiting for pick-up…the only suits he owned. He needed them urgently and was left high and dry. When he was finally able to pick up his clothes and asked the dry cleaner why he tagged his clothes for Friday, the owner of the store tersely replied: “What do you want me to do about it”? Wrong answer.

The cleaner offered my friend a 20% discount. Although he had not asked for one, the offer made no difference. He had already made up his mind that he would not be coming back. False promises and the owner’s attitude were enough for him to make the decision in a split second. The dry cleaner failed to realize the implications.

Unfortunately, these situations play out every day, worldwide. Businesses of every description often fail to realize the consequences of poor communication as the fundamental reason for people deciding to invest their dollars elsewhere. One “faux pas” can destroy the relationship permanently. This truth applies to transactions at the highest level…from the board room to the mail room. Millions of dollars are being lost due to the absence of a Lead Yourself First mindset.

The tone of your communication is your responsibility. When you say or do the wrong thing, when your advertising is misleading, when your clients question any inconsistencies, listen and apologize immediately. Otherwise, you and your business may may find yourself front and centre on a very popular website known as “I’m-not-happy.com”.

The transactional age is dead. Long live the relational age of doing business

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The relational component in business dynamics has always been essential. However, with the proliferation of social media and competition for business on so many platforms, your ability to connect with a client or prospective client is your point of difference. In addition, we need to do so with a meaningful purpose. Doing business “quid pro quo” won’t work anymore;  especially at a time when  we seemingly do not have enough hours in the day and still find that we are subtly or not so subtly being distracted by annoying spam email and phone or text bleeps. All this noise has made us all the more savvy regarding attempts to build genuine versus phony business relationships.

Here are five quick ways to build purposeful client connections:

1. Pay attention to the personal side of a client conversation. This week, I remembered something a client told me almost a year ago about one of their children and he was impressed when I mentioned it during a phone call.

2.  When you reach out to a client, think about the most appropriate way to connect that works for them. Be flexible and put significant thought into the purpose of your letter, call, email or text message. 

3. Make an effort to educate yourself and keep current regarding the pressing business issues for your clients. What is “top of mind” for them? By including references to their world and their challenges, you are far more likely to build or maintain the connection.

4. It is tempting to live by Margaret Thatcher’s famous quote: “I am extraordinarily patient, provided I get my own way in the end!” Instead, respect the connection process and the client’s timeframe for decision-making.

5.  Teach others and live by example. Regularly remind your team of the human element when answering the phone or greeting a client at the front counter or reception. Otherwise, you may as well install a ticket machine!

Letting go and staying relevant in 2011

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I am not into New Year’s resolutions. Most of us know that we can have the best intentions; often setting ourselves up with unrealistic expectations. Instead, I prefer to look at letting go, have no regrets and establish realistic goals that I can break down into manageable, bite-size pieces. However, as we approach the end of the first decade in the new millennium, I have realized that that my methodology to establish short-term and long-term goals will be influenced by an ever-changing business and technology landscape…more than any other time.

“Relax…It’s only uncertainty”…Dr. Graeme Codrington, Montreal, December 6, 2010

The motivation for this particular blog comes from a recent experience I had in Montreal. I am a believer in professional development. As a speaker and educator, I work with organizations who invest in developing their people. Therefore, it is a value that I practice myself.  I attended my own association of professional speaker’s annual convention a few weeks ago. This year it was known as “The Unconventional Convention…A Quantum Journey.” Everything about the sessions and the speakers demonstrated the power and wisdom of doing things in an “out of the ordinary” way.

Why? Because the times we’re in demand creativity and innovation in order to survive. There is no “normal” anymore.  Without acceptance of this fact,  entrepreneurs, business owners, leaders and individuals will become irrelevant; just as many other businesses have disappeared because they could not or world not adapt. By “irrelevant”, I am referring to your business, your brand and the manner in which you interact with customers.  Think about the application of this truth; regardless of where you work or the nature of your enterprises.

From my perspective, re-thinking the way business is done is the new imperative.  For example, if I wish to grow professionally and personally, I need to let go of what worked five or ten years ago and do things differently.  New technologies have made it possible to work virtually; from anywhere in the world. The evolution continues regarding the manner in which we communicate. If my clients or prospective clients wish to connect with me through social media, then I need to adapt accordingly. If they tell me that they no longer want hard-copy handouts or will be using electronic evaluations from now on, then I need to respect their green initiatives. As a disseminator of information, I realize that audiences now interact during presentations by using smart phones to spread the word, take notes or share ideas with each other instantly. How do your customers wish to interact with you? Can you accept it?

The new realities of how we connect and interact obligate us to remain relevant. It is no longer easy to stay comfortable and continue to do we have always done.  The marketplace and speed of change won’t tolerate complacency. Doing “business as usual” may have worked prior to the great recession. The problem was that this mindset that got so many businesses into trouble. One could reflect on recent times and conclude that the economic meltdown was necessary to shake us up in order to re-think the way we do just about everything; a giant wake-up call from which we are still emerging. 

Ask yourself:

  • What will you priorities be in 2011? Are they in balance?
  • Are your values congruent with how you live each day?
  • How will you differentiate yourself?
  • What are you willing to let go of?
  • What positive changes will you make to your attitudes regarding customers and technology?
  • How will you practice creativity and innovation; personally and professionally?
  • What will you dare yourself to do differently in 2011?

Wishing you all a happy, peaceful and prosperous new year.

Michelle