Customer Policy vs. Customer Service

This week we welcome Guest Blogger Brandy Vaillancourt, Marketing Director at AlphaKOR Group. 

A friend shared this story with me – and as a business owner or executive, I’m very curious to know which side of the argument you’re on.

A mother with two young children planned to ‘surprise’ her husband with a visit from her and the kids.  Dad was at a Windsor area recreation establishment where he is part of a team.

The kids were excited to see their dad in recreational ‘action’.  Being 6:30pm on a Wednesday evening, the mother figured a quick stop at a sub shop for take-out would make the visit a pleasant one so the kids could sit and eat while they watch and cheer on their dad.

With two children and a couple subs in hand, the mother walked up to the recreation establishment’s front doors.  To her surprise the mother saw a sign she’d never seen before: NO OUTSIDE FOOD OR BEVERAGES.  The mother knew that the sign hadn’t been there in the last few years when she’d visit her husband before...

The mother decided to take the honest approach – instead of sneaking the food or waiting to get ‘caught’ she simply walked up to the customer service counter and explained:  “I’m very sorry, I had no idea you changed your policy and no longer allow outside food.  You see, I picked up these sub sandwiches for my kids and they just want to watch their dad.  Can you please make this exception and I will not bring in food at all next time.”

The two at the customer service desk looked at each other as if to non-verbally decide the fate of the family.  After a brief moment they replied:  “I’m sorry ma’am.  No food allowed.  Maybe just a bag of chips but certainly no food.  You’ll have to leave with it.”

To which the mother reasoned, “It’s just for my kids – we didn’t know until we walked to the door.  They just want to watch their dad.  It won’t happen again.”

The mother took her two children over to say a quick hello to their dad before they had to leave.  The older of the children – 8 years old – couldn’t believe they wouldn’t make an exception for what was clearly an unintentional error.

The dad was very excited to see his family and instantly his smile turned to a scowl when the mother recounted the story…

This story could go on talking about the dad’s reaction but it’s not really relevant to this business conversation so I’ll just end it there.

I am really curious though – this could be a solid debate.  Whose side are you on… Customer Policy or Customer Service?

If the counter employees made the exception, how many others would they have to allow as well? This establishment has its own restaurant and is desperately trying to preserve its own consumer dollars.  Then again, this is a mom with two young kids at dinner time who want to see their dad.

For discussion sake, the second child is a toddler and ‘eating in the car’ was not an option.

Brandy Vaillancourt, Guest Blogger 
Marketing Director
AlphaKOR Group Inc.

3 Ways to Empower Your Team

There are many ways you can empower your team.  Managers who coach and nurture their team and provide different levels of autonomy are successful in achieving this.

All teams require a leader to manage the team's direction based on established goals.  The team requires coaching along the way to develop the strategy to reach and surpass these goals. 

This week we are going to look at three ways: 

1.  Direction
2.  Goals
3.  Accountability

Setting clear direction is part of the ever-challenging element of human interaction called "communication".  Most of the time, there seems to be a misunderstanding about the direction or what a person was supposed to do or not supposed to do.

Take the time as a leader to provide the necessary details outlined in simple terms to clearly provide direction to all members of your team.  Ask for feedback to confirm your team fully understands the direction.

Stating the goals of the company and the team helps to empower your team.  The goals must also be clear and well defined.   They should be measurable, challenging and yet attainable.  Provide everyone with the necessary metrics so your team knows where they are along the way.

Leaders develop a plan to focus on these goals.  Leaders provide the direction and support as required.  They help all members to successfully attain their goals.

Accountability for each team member is essential.  Without accountability to the team leader, most teams accomplish very little.  Defining the focus of what everyone is responsible for and providing the guidelines on what this responsibility includes will empower your team.

Implementing these three ways will result in your team being empowered to make decisions with confidence.

 How do you empower your Team?

Did the Pendulum Stop?

This week, I thought we would revisit "The Pendulum Never Stops" topic. 

In business and in life, you are either moving forward and growing or you are moving backwards and not growing.  If the pendulum happens to stop moving, then it is over. 

The pendulum must always be moving and preferably moving forward.  Being mediocre and complacent is not an option.

What are you doing to keep the pendulum swinging forward?

What do you measure and define as successful growth?   Is it number of employees, gross revenues or personal milestones?  Whatever metric you use, it needs to keep moving in the same direction as your definition of growth.

In the technology sector, we face "legacy" revenue and we face brand-new revenue virtually on a daily basis.  To survive and sustain growth year over year, we have to keep moving forward.  What this means is we are continuously learning new technologies and challenging our processes all the time to make them better.  We keep raising the bar to achieve excellence in everything we do.

Asking our clients where they want to take their business and adding new solutions keep us moving forward in the right direction. The AlphaKOR pendulum keeps swinging in the right direction thanks to our great team, clientele and community supporting us.

What are you doing to keep the pendulum moving?

Unplugging on Vacation

Do you actually "unplug" from work while on vacation?

I admit this is one of my self-induced weaknesses.   I do not even bother with the "out of office" automatic reply to e-mails.   The main reason is I want to know what is going on and I want to respond or delegate while away.

My reasoning:  it is easier to take care of things instead of them piling up to address when I get back.  Another reason is many will call my cell or text me with "I know you are on vacation, but can you ...." when they used to receive the out of office response. 

One of the things I have improved on is being more disciplined when checking messages while on vacation.  Of course, first thing in the morning is still a habit when away.   Then I look at messages mid-morning and mid-afternoon with a few sneak peaks in between!

Turning it off and relaxing is very important and should be the priority while on vacation.   I don't let my desire to stay in touch interfere with the family and leisure time.   Access to WiFi seems to be everywhere so it is always tempting to stay connected.   I tend to turn off my cellphone when actually travelling and maintain the same principle of checking at certain times during the day.

Being in the moment, relaxing and refreshing needs to happen.   It is healthy and it rejuvenates you when you get back to the pace of business.  I have found the right balance that works for me to unplug while on vacation.

Making your Time Count

Many people ask how I accomplish so many things with work, volunteer, family and leisure time.   My answer to the question is:  I just do it.

So you already know I am an early bird.  Up at 5 am except Saturdays when I sleep in until 6 or so.  First thing every morning I prepare my task list by creating a new list starting with the most important task first.  Having the discipline to complete task one and then move onto task two and so forth.  It is difficult to always be disciplined because everything new becomes an instant priority.

One of the keys to managing your time is to schedule your priorities and not to prioritize what is in your schedule.  Go back and read this sentence again.   Try it!

An interesting and effective tool is creating a "Do Not Do List".   This may seem strange, however reviewing this list helps to remain focused on the priority tasks.

Setting agendas for meetings has helped manage time more effectively.   How many meetings to do you attend and find not much was accomplished or no action items to take away?

Once I added this technique it helped managed my time better.  When someone asks for your time, besides asking them to set an agenda, I have found giving them some "homework" separates the time wasters from the ones who are genuinely interested in making a difference.   Ask questions and ask for some deliverables for the other person to bring to the meeting along with their agenda of course.

Learning to say no.   Very tough.   Sometimes the right answer is to say no.  Set your criteria on what you are going to add to your plate and simply say no to the others.

How do you make your time count?