I recently finished reading Walter Isaacson’s excellent biography of Steve Jobs (another must read!) – in it Job’s is quoted as saying – “Deciding what not to do is as important as deciding what to do – thats true for companies as it is for products”

In this context Jobs was speaking about his decision to radically reduce the number of product lines when he returned to Apple in 1997. This decision, combined with a passion for perfection and innovation, transformed the business and led to where it is today.

However this decision holds the seeds of an important lesson for all of us in business whether we are a business owner or an employee seeking to improve our productivity.

All things to all people is a path to chaos

Successful businesses invariably have a very clear idea about their products and services and the markets they serve. As a result of this, their marketing is very targeted, their customers know what they are about, their service is tailored to the needs of that market, and over time they build a good brand.

However, I continually see businesses losing their way by trying to be “all things to all people” – trying to satisfy every customer need or whim – with the end result focus is lost and service to their core customer segment is impaired.

Dont get me wrong trying to satisfy the needs of your customers is important – but not when it significantly impacts on your ability to service other clients!

Good intentions can result in a productivity nightmare!

Basically I believe people are well intended, and when someone has a problem we will do all we can to get it resolved.

I think we have all experienced the situation where in an endeavour to satisfy customer demands, we have gone “above and beyond” – often this involves working longer hours, making special arrangements, etc.

However, whilst this is fine when it occurs on an occasional basis, the danger is it can become habitual and not only impact on your own productivity, but also others around you – leaving you & your colleagues with less time to focus on what is really important.

I recently met with a business owner who had fallen into this trap. His “To Do” list went on for pages, he wasn’t finding the time to focus on what was really important, growing his business.

After some discussion it became apparent he was continually trying to satisfy every customer whim - fitting square pegs into round holes!

This approach, which whilst driven by good intentions, was having a disastrous impact not only on his productivity but also others within the business.

Explain why things are done a certain way – the benefits and risks

To turn things around I asked him to outline what they business did well – and why they did things in a particular way – all were sound and actually delivered benefits to their clients.

Through this discussion he came to see that by making compromises to satisfy every customer whim he was actually compromising the quality of the service he was providing.

At the time he had an opportunity for a quite profitable engagement – however the prospective client wanted all manner of things changed, that was causing chaos in the office. I asked the client to ring the prospect and clearly state the type of service they could provide and crucially, why it was done that way – then the risks associated with delivering what would be a compromised service.

The prospect listened – asked a few questions – then accepted the arrangement under the terms offered by the client!

Sometimes it is a two letter word that is needed!

The reality is if you are looking to improve your business productivity – sometimes you need to say no!

But – you also need to explain to the customer why and also the benefits of delivering your service in your preferred way!

The only rider I would make to this approach – if you receive a number of similar requests – then it could signal an opportunity - something needed to enhance your offering.

If you or your colleagues are struggling with workloads, your productivity is not what it should be, is it because, in your quest to provide your clients with an exceptional customer service experience – you are actually doing the opposite and damaging your brand?

Sometimes improving business productivity involves a two letter word – No!

If you have had a similar experience – please share your story.

Dropbox – File sharing & back up

Apart from the backup benefits it provides, Dropbox is an invaluable tool for anyone who works on the road and/or needs access to their documents across multiple platforms (laptop, smartphone or tablets)

Dropbox is also a handy tool to share documents/photos etc across operating system platforms such as a Windows PC and an iPhone.

Is also great for sharing large files.

I use an Apple Mac and while I love iCloud, its document syncing capabilities fall well short of Dropbox – hopefully this will be remedied in future system upgrades.

I now save all my documents into Dropbox which means when I am out on the road and a client needs something I can easily access what is needed and email it to them.

Dropbox provides 2GB of data storage for free and has reasonably priced plans if you need more storage space. They also give you an additional 500MB of additional free storage for each person who takes up the system as a result of your recommendation – I now have some 8GB from this alone.

For those with employees who need remote access to information, have a look at Dropbox Teams.

Is a great business productivity tool and very simple to use.

Can be downloaded from:

https://www.dropbox.com/

Evernote – Note taking – Storing key information

I love Evernote – it is an easy to use Note Taking tool that is available for use on Android, Mac, Windows. I use it regularly to improve my business productivity.

Like Dropbox you can share and sync easily across multiple platforms.

Apart from the Note taking functionality – you can also attach images, audio – is brilliant for storing that information you do not regularly need, but must have access to.

Can be downloaded for free from:

http://evernote.com/evernote/

Jing – A Picture is worth a thousand words!

Over the past few years I have found one tool more than any other that saves me an enormous amount of time and improves my business productivity is Jing – a brilliant, simple to use screen capture tool – it also allows you to create 5 minute videos.

It can be downloaded from:

http://www.techsmith.com/jing.html

Essentially anything on your computer screen, be they documents, photos, websites – you can capture and annotate.

I use it regularly to evaluate websites and/or provide instructions on how to perform particular tasks – Simply grab a screenshot, add some text and arrows if needed – copy into a Word document – add some brief bullet points and presto you have “How to” sheet.

A number of clients have used Jing to create “Operations Manuals” for their business. It is great for this purpose – you can easily create a guide on how to perform a particular function in as little as 15 minutes!

The video functionality is also helpful as a productivity tool – you can easily create answers to “Frequently Asked Questions” and host them online. When customers ring in seeking an explanation on how to do this or that – send them the link. Can save you and your staff an enormous amount of time and help ensure the correct answer is given 100% of the time!

Hint – when you send the client a link to the video – also back it up with a “Fact Sheet”

Jing works on both PC & Mac but for Mac users there is also an App – Skitch – you can get it from the App Store and it pretty much the same thing – except for the video functionality.

I love Jing and use it almost every day for a host of purposes.

TurboScan

For those readers with an iPhone – one App I find very useful is Turboscan – costs $1.99

Turboscan turns your iPhone into a scanner – is great when meeting with a client and you need a copy of a particular document, simply use Turboscan to take a photo, then save as a PDF and email to yourself.

Is a brilliant business productivity, time saving tool!

Summary

The foregoing are tools that I use on a regular basis as a means of improving my business productivity. They are simple and they work!

I would love to learn of any others you may have found helpful.

I received a call from a new client. His business was struggling. During our discussion I asked him if he had a Business Plan – he said yes however he hadn’t updated it for a few years. He then went on to tell me that, when he originally did the Plan, he set a four year timeframe to achieve particular goals – and achieved them in two!

I suggested to him that maybe the answer to his current problems may be that he simply needs to revisit and update his Business Plan!

A Business Plan is a tool not a thesis!

The key to building an effective Business Plan is to view it as a tool that you will use to guide and grow your business. A tool that you will regularly review and update. A living document.

From my perspective the reason you take the trouble to complete a Business Plan is threefold:

• To ensure all your ideas and assumptions are tested and carefully thought through
• That key elements are not overlooked leading to lost opportunities and/or costly mistakes
• To create the Action Plans needed to bring the Business Plan to life

In relation to the latter point I tell my clients that a Business Plan without Actions Plans is not a Business Plan - it is just a dream!

Despite this it is remarkable how many Plans I review that have absolutely no Action Plans attached – little wonder the business owners see the whole process as an exercise in futility.

A powerful example of how a Business Plan can work.

Confession! – I was not always an advocate for Business Plans – in fact over the years I had only prepared them with the greatest reluctance and then put them in the bottom drawer!

However when I was much younger, I got to know a man who ran a successful business. One day he told me his story.

He bought the business when it was loss making – in fact, all he paid for was the written down value of the plant and equipment. He had never worked in any industry remotely connected to the business. He couldn’t use a computer and in his own works “I am not a rocket scientist!”

However he told me the secret to his success was that, before he took control of the business he developed a Business Plan and had his Accountant prepare some financial projections. Then every month he would sit down and ask:

• We said we would be doing this – where are we at – what is working – what is not?
• What can we change to improve the value and service we provide our customers?
• Our projections show we should have this much in the Bank – if not why not – what went wrong?

He would then update the Plan and repeat the exercise next month – the time commitment involved being only two hours per month!

He then described it to me in a way that changed my view of Business Plans and how they should be used – he said:

“If I didn’t have my Business Plan and use it this way, it would be like being in a boat in the middle of the ocean on a dark night. There is no moon, no stars! I have no idea where I am, I know where I want to go – but I have no idea how to get there! The Business Plan is my compass!”

Six years later he sold the business, for many millions $ - and I was a convert to the power of Business Plans!

So to summarise – preparing a Business Plan is a worthwhile exercise and it can produce powerful results – but only if you bring a mindset to it that it is going to be a tool that you will use to guide the growth of your business – a tool that you will also review and update on a regular basis.

I would be interested to learn of your experiences creating and using Business Plans.

For a number of years I have been frequenting a local automotive aftermarket accessories store. This store operates in a very competitive field. Many of their products can be purchased cheaper elsewhere – Supermarkets for example.

However despite the fact I have a such a supermarket located less than half a kilometre from my home – I am prepared to drive nearly 8km, to make my purchase at this particular store!

Why? – Because of the excellent standard of service that has been provided on every occasion over many years- without exception!

So what is the secret to their customer service experience?

It is apparent when you visit this store is that they are very customer focussed and observant of customer behaviour.

When you walk in the store – you are always greeted in a welcoming manner – you feel like they really want you in their store.

This is reflected not only in what they say but – also their body language.

Many of the employees are quite young so I suspect there has been quite a deal of training in customer relationships has been provided – they have established what works, then trained all their employees to model the right behaviours – and crucially, still allow their own personality to shine through. No – “do you want fries with that?”- mantra at this store!

Give the customers space and observe behaviour

They then seem to closely observe customer behaviour – that is, they do not jump on you after the greeting – they give you space – if it seems your not sure where to find what you are seeking (the store is quite large) – they magically appear and provide direction.

Then again space is provided – however if they see you pondering different products – showing some uncertainty – they are quickly there. But unlike many in retail – they dont jump in and try to sell – rather they ask questions to properly understand your needs – they seem genuinely interested in helping you make the right purchase.

Excellence starts with product knowledge

The product knowledge of the staff at this store is exceptional! With car polishes for example they can?explain in great depth the difference between products?- what each contains – how it will perform. Basically they care enough about their customers, to learn as much as possible about all the products they supply.

This culture of excellent product knowledge is clearly embedded in the organisation. I once interviewed an individual for a role, who had sold product into the store. He told me that to be a supplier you not only had to provide a quality product, but also be prepared to invest heavily in the training & retraining of their people.

This investment in training means as a customer you are provided with the right product for your needs – know how to use it and can be confident it will do the job intended.

After you have made your purchase, you are directed to the front counter where they always seem to have people with exceptional interpersonal skills. Another key – they have the right people in the right roles.

Exceptional customer service = more sales!

The crazy thing is – when I go to the store I always end up purchasing more than I intended – yet I never feel I have purchased something I didn’t really need or that I had been “sold to” – just that I had been guided to products that would be right for my situation and I had enjoyed yet another, great customer experience.

So what can we learn from this?

Customer service excellence starts with the right mindset.

Clearly the owners of this business have realised to set themselves apart in a competitive marketplace – where similar products can be purchased through any number of competitors – that service excellence & product knowledge will give them an edge.

But rather than simply give lip service to it – they invest heavily in training their people – in both customer relationships and product knowledge.

They also support this by ensuring all their suppliers provide the knowledge necessary to all their staff to truly be helpful to their customers.

Their customer service excellence model

Their model, from which many others could learn, seems to be:

• Aim for product knowledge excellence
• Welcome the customer – be genuine
• Give them space – observe
• Provide direction if needed
• Give them space – observe
• Really understand the customer needs
• Explain the options – suggest solutions – dont sell
• Warmly thank the customer

Very simple – but obviously something they have worked hard at getting it right!

Customer service excellence is not just about having a great product or giving the customer what they ask for – it is about attitude, commitment and giving the customer what they really need.

As usual I would be interested in any of your examples of customer service excellence – and particularly what made it so.

For a number of years I have run workshops focusing on different elements associated of running a small business – during each workshop I always ask the question – “How many of you deal with a business where you feel like you are a truly valued customer?”

Consistently -rarely more than 10% of the class raise their hand! On this basis 90% are indifferent about the service they are receiving – their loyalty is marginal at best!

Whilst this response is alarming – it also presents an exciting opportunity for those businesses that are prepared to be truly customer focussed.

Customer Service Excellence starts with the right attitude!

I truly believe customer service excellence is about attitude – having the right mindset – which needs to start at the top of any business or organisation.

In his excellent book, The Purple Cow (a must read!) – author Seth Godin gives an example of his local Haaggen-Dazz ice cream shop where the owner has placed a large stack of business cards prominently on the counter with his contact details and the message “if you have any comments at all about the store please give me a call at home”.

By taking this simple step the business owner is sending a powerful message to not only the customers, but crucially, also those who work in the store! I suspect suppliers also pay careful heed.

I recently heard of a case in Australia where a General Manager of a new car dealership took this concept on board. At the time the dealership was the worst performing in the group. He set the ground rules that everyone the sales people dealt with had to be provided with his business card that invited them to ring him at any time, weekends included, if they had concerns regarding the sales process, or after sales service!

This involved a significant commitment on his part, however the impact was such that the dealership went from the worst in the group to the best in three months!

Why? Because everyone in the business, from the receptionist, salespeople to service personnel knew the General Manager was serious about customer service excellence – and if they did not deliver to the standards expected – he would hear about it!

Basically he lead from the front and modelled the behaviour and commitment expected.

Service Excellence must extend across the whole business!

I contrast this with my own recent experience with a car dealership. I rang the Service Department with a very basic question about my car radiator. Received the response “Sorry mate don’t really know!” – No offer was made to check it out and call me back.

I then rang the Technical Department of the motor company itself – Again the person I spoke to did not know the answer – Not a problem, but again, there was no offer to follow it up and call me back.

Unfortunately this lack of commitment to after sales service seems typical of this particular dealership and clearly some further up the line!

Even though they produce a brilliant motor vehicle and the engineers and design people are committed to excellence – they spend millions on marketing – this level of commitment is sadly lacking in the after sales area – the midset is not there – and it clearly starts at the top!

As a result they, like many dealerships, need to continually chase new customers with the associated higher acquisition costs – rather than leveraging the goldmine that is already below their feet – their existing customer base!

Service Excellence – Where to start

In an earlier post, (Customer Service – Five Steps to Excellence), I suggested a good starting point for customer service excellence is to identify all your customer touch points. To this I would add:

• Ask – What actions can we take in our business to ensure all our customers know and feel they are truly valued?
• If you are struggling to come up with answers – do something radical – and ask the question of your customers! You may well be surprised at how simple and low cost the response may be!

Customer service excellence has the power to fundamentally change the way you do business, reduce your customer acquisition costs and also make your workplace an environment where people want to be…….but it needs to start somewhere and the best place is at the top!

If you have experience of dealing with a business where you feel a truly valued customer, I would love to hear about it – what do they do to make you feel this way?