Service Vs. Reaction
It’s time to talk about service.
This seems like a natural topic for The Impactmaker Movement but the fact we are on E-Impact 154 and haven't examined it yet is troubling. I suppose that's my fault. I'm sorry.
Service should never be a reaction. In fact, it's nearly the opposite of a reaction.
The best businesses are able to see the needs of their customers and provide the necessary services to minimize and hopefully, eliminate any problems.
A good leader should be effective at reacting to unexpected situations but you can't rely on that skill. In other words, poise is a terrible characteristic with which to lead.
This entry is not to make you aware of service or even sell you on the concept. It will be designed to help you stay aware of times when you can be less reactionary and more prepared.
Preparation and Risk
There are few things more stressful than stocks.
One of the most nerve-racking things I used to experience (and still do to some degree) in my professional life was stock market fluctuations. As my career grew, so did the amount of money I managed. It was my responsibility to look after people's hard-earned dollars.
Easy might be a stretch but the job would not be as hard as it is if everyone had the same goals and needs. A big challenge is advising different families on the SAME unpredictable market (and ever-changing rules – another challenge).
Reactions
About five years into my career I learned some coping tools. This was a nice step to limiting my own stress and helping people through volatile times. The problem was that I (and my team) still had to field panic phone calls and react to reactions (yes, you read that correctly).
Reacting to reactions is a terribly exponential formula. You’re combining one set of reactions with another in potentially heated moments regarding a high-leverage topic.
I had become good at something rather hard but not necessary. Years after my initial breakthrough in learning this skill, I realized it would be better to prepare for these situations and provide service in advance.
It wasn't always possible, but once the team figured out how to anticipate these situations from an investment perspective and also from a psychological perspective, we were able to make adjustments and make people aware of situations before they were dire.
Awareness
There’s something to be said for awareness. It’s a powerful skill whether it's related to the self or one's surroundings. The lessons I learned in my previous professional role have more recently been manifesting in general and in my impact work.
Whether they are customers or beneficiaries of your volunteerism people want to be aware of general situations and those that affect them specifically. More than half the battle as a leader might just be to make people aware of things that could potentially happen. And doing so is quite the service.
The Roof
Last year Mrs. DePasquale and I had a new roof put on our house. I love talking about the “joys” of home ownership. Let me tell you that getting a new roof on your house it's quite the project – add solar panels and you have a whole other level of complexity. I say this because the representative from the roofing company that prepared us for the project was excellent – or at least he was excellent at serving our needs prior to it getting started. The gentleman clearly had experience speaking with other homeowners about tearing off the top of their house and replacing it. He knew there was no way to predict everything that would happen. He made us aware of all the absolutes but more importantly, made us aware of all the unpredictabilities.
There were at least five things that happened during the nine-month process. We had delays in tile, updated roofing codes, solar panel stand issues, city ordinances, and eavestrough irregularities. Do any of those sound fun?
I think not. But I do think we weren't so surprised when they came up. There was even some added expense that we could have been upset about but we were told to anticipate up to a 10% variance.
What about our work?
What if we all did a better job of making people aware of things in advance?
What if part of the great service we provide was letting people know that we are not perfect, cannot predict the future, and will do our best to stay ahead for them?
Impact projects and service-based businesses require us to offer people a level of peace of mind. It shows them we are on top of their situation, understand their desires, and will act in their best interest to help them reach their goals.
It’s about the interactions you have with the people you serve.
Think about the interactions you have with the people you serve:
Imagine your customer smiling when you call.
How do they go?
How do you make people feel?
Are people excited to receive your phone call or message?
Each of these questions can help you discover if you're providing a proactive service. The goal is for people to feel good and feel that they are in the best position that they can be which is not necessarily the perfect position or a position absent of risk.
When investing people’s money, I must keep in mind that people are taking a risk. I know they expect negativity at times. However, they are compensating Initiate Impact to minimize the risk and make the proper adjustments when needed. They are also compensating us to keep them abreast of what is going on and how our actions are benefiting (hopefully) their position.
Two Rules
My business has many reasons to maintain terrific customer relationships but it can be challenging to keep track of everything. I’ve learned two important things in keeping a service-based business truly service-based:
Simpler is better.
Focus on what you’ve promised.
These things have become my rules for engagement. Engagement is really just a fancy word for a relationship. I’m no attorney so don’t take this to the courtroom but if you keep this in mind, you’ll find it easier to keep your customers as raving fans.
Simpler
Simpler is better because your customers are not as excited about “the business” as you are.
*Side Note: I saw a couple of people end up getting hired by my previous employer after being a client. I chalk it up to an ironic, in the case, rarity exploited (in a good way) by our industry as a result of great service and customer experience.
Just about every customer in your business (or beneficiary of your impact project) will not care about industry jargon or the latest happenings. Technology is a tool and not a toy. The latest news is irrelevant until it directly affects them. The only thing that matters related to the business relationship is what you are doing for them. Sorry to provide this pressure but it’s the truth.
It’s terrific to have a personal relationship with people but know they are paying you for the work, not the pleasantries.
Simplify your meetings, web chats, phone calls, e-mails, and text messages. Simplify your marketing and everything else you do to acquire customers.
It’s much easier to serve really well with a simple offering than with one which is complicated.
It’s also pretty easy to serve not-so-well with an offering of any type (but not recommended).
Focus
Secondly, focus is a must. If you’ve simplified promises, it should be easier to focus on them. Don’t overwhelm yourself. You can always add to what you offer if you’ve perfected it and people want more.
Maintaining concentration on what you’ve told people you will do makes sure you're delivering based on what’s been agreed upon. Many business gurus will tell you to overdeliver and offer massive value. Just doing what you’ve promised is incredibly effective.
There’s something to be said telling people you’ll do something and then doing it. You could argue that’s even better than doing something else. This is especially evident in sophisticated services. You might do something really special or advanced and the perceived value doesn’t do it justice. The services you’ve explained and to which the related value is credited are those that will be appreciated the most.
Imagine if the roofer I referenced above put in some kind of special restraints that all roofers know are much more expensive and harder to install. They were a great company to work with and I wouldn’t put it past their altruism but how would I have any clue they did that? They were much better off doing a bang-up job on what was in the contract and what they explained to me already (which was already over my head, go all the way back to E-Impact 42 to learn about my construction skills).
Servant Leadership
When all else fails, just look ahead. The best leaders and companies don’t have everything figured out or even predicted. They know things will come up and they’ll need to adjust. They are poised but don’t rely on this skill (as mentioned above).
You will continue to be a great leader by anticipating things to the best of your ability and choosing to serve others with that practice. It’s not just serving when there is immediate danger. Most people would step in to save someone in the moment, but would they choose to serve before it’s obvious?
This is being radical - a good radical.