SiteCrafting Blah Blah Blog
Jan. 10, 2007 at 10:22am
The Dependability Challenge
Striving to be Exceptional
The gauntlet has been thrown down. We can't hide now...we must be exceptional.
While it is nice that we were recently recognized for dependabilty, I see it as more of a challenge. A challenge for us to do more, perform better, and have more satisfied customers.
So, what are we going to do? How will we respond? How can you respond to your customers in such as way as to be known for dependabilty? How can your business garner coveted word of mouth referrals?
While not perfect...here's what I recommend...feel free to add comments below on other things you think are important.
1. Focus on your business.
Don't waste time looking over your shoulder at your competitors. Instead, focus on being the very best you can be at what you do. Get your house in order. List everything you do well, and everything that needs improvement. Address issues, deal with them, and don't sweep anything under the rug. Take criticism as an opportunity for improvement, not as a personal attack, and be sure to thank the person who gave you that opportunity.
2. Establish systems.
Make sure you have set systems for dealing with all situations. Make sure your people know what those systems are. If something falls outside of that system, create a new one. We have systems for simple tasks like setting up new hosting customers as well as complex systems to track complex projects.
3. Empower your people.
Stay out of the way of your employees. Give them the tools (systems) to perform their tasks, let them solve problems creatively, and give them the responsibility and authority to satisfy customers.
4. Communicate.
Make sure email is answered within a couple of hours and phone calls the same day if possible (I'm trying). Keep communication professional, get to the point, and archive your messages to make sure nothing falls through the cracks.
5. Follow through.
Do what you say you will do. Everytime.
We will continue to work on improving in all these areas, while not perfect by any means, we've made it our New Year's resolution to continue focusing on improving and providing exceptional service.
Posted in Awards / Recognition, Deep Thoughts, Odds 'n Ends by Brian Forth
Comments (2)
Brian,
Great list, I agree with everything you have and would also add that you also need to empower your customers. When the conversation is fluid and the customer feels like they have access to the the project and are a partner in making it great. When the project is complete they not only get what they paid for but they are connected to the outcome, the site/application is not a like piece of art that they like to look at, but a tangible extension of their business.
Congrats on the recognition.
1 | Left by Hasan | Jan. 23, 2007 at 9:25am
Brian says:
Thanks Hasan for your thoughts. I agree that customers must be active participants in their projects. It is, after all, all about building something they will actively use and be proud of. We are not building it for us, but instead, to take them and their endeavor to another level.
2 | Jan. 24, 2007 at 12:51am