Archive for October 31, 2017

Just one more step

Over the last month or so, I have observed and/or experienced several “missteps” by service providers. Those missteps resulted in poor customer service. Some of these missteps included:

  • The waitress delivered the food and everyone’s order was wrong – and when she went to correct it, she still got it wrong
  • The dryer repairman failed to check some basics and ordered multiple parts. Once another repairman arrived, it became clear those parts were not needed and just a minor adjustment was required
  • The customer service rep failed to react to a customer’s concern that the repairman had already come out 4 times and still had not resolved the problem.

In each of these examples, if there was a step in the process that included a quality check and/or escalation process, these missteps would have been avoided and the customer would be happy.

A common challenge with processes is that they do not include steps that are customer-focused to improve the quality of the product or service provided. In the examples identified above, the customer would have been much happier if:

  • The waitress included a step that she did a quality check before delivering the food.
  • The first dryer repairman had performed a more thorough evaluation to identify the problem
  • An escalation step was included, based on predefined criteria, when a customer called multiple times for an unresolved issue

Adding an additional step for each of these examples would have eliminated unnecessary extra work and disappointed customers.

Assessing your customer-focused processes to improve the quality of your products and/or services will delight your customers and save wasted time, energy, resources, and money. As John Wooden, the UCLA Head Coach said so well: “If you don’t have time to do it right, when will you have time to do it over?”

Unsure how to assess your customer focused processes to improve quality? We can help. Contact me at CharleneA@mycooresources.com. Also, check out our blogs and previous newsletters and/or emails at http://www.mycooresources.com/?page_id=324

Performing management oversight

Performing management oversight is a characteristic needed to build operational effectiveness. This provides a method to ensure you are creating operational effectiveness. Need help with this. Try www.mycooresources.com.

Incorporating internal controls

Incorporating internal controls is a characteristic needed to build operational effectiveness. Do you know how to identify an internal control? For help, try www.mycooresources.com.

Maximizing resources

Maximizing resources is a characteristic needed to build operational effectiveness. This includes People, Facilities, and Tools. Need help defining them? Try www.mycooresources.com.

Building repeatable processes

Building repeatable processes is a characteristic needed to build operational effectiveness. This provides the foundation that creates efficiency and effectiveness. Need help defining them? Try www.mycooresources.com.

Focusing on priorities

Focusing on priorities is a characteristic needed to build operational effectiveness. This is accomplished by clearly understand what your priorities are. Need help defining them? Try www.mycooresources.com.

Characteristics of operational effectiveness

Two characteristics of operational effectiveness are incorporating internal controls and management oversight. If you are unsure how to execute these two key characteristics, try www.mycooresources.com.

See more characteristics at http://www.aldridgekerr.com/?page_id=869

Characteristics of operational effectiveness

Two characteristics of operational effectiveness are maximizing resources and creating an environment for ongoing, improved results. If you are unsure how to execute these two key characteristics, try www.mycooresources.com.

See more characteristics at http://www.aldridgekerr.com/?page_id=869

Characteristics of operational effectiveness

Two characteristics of operational effectiveness are focusing on priorities and building repeatable processes. If you are unsure how to execute these two key characteristics, try www.mycooresources.com.

See more characteristics at http://www.aldridgekerr.com/?page_id

=869

Strong foundation

“The best way to predict the future is to create it.” Peter Drucker

Unsure how to build that future you dream about for your Company? My COO Resources (www.mycooresources.com) can help build a strong foundation for operational effectiveness.

Look for some characteristics of what we believe is needed to create operational effectiveness in our next few posts.