Unflusterable

I read a great post from Michael Hess on five techniques to keep your image as someone with positive actions and attitude:

1. Never let ’em see you sweat. A really hard-to-please customer can test even the best service professional, but it’s a test you can and should pass with flying colours  Keep a genuine smile on your face (a fake one is worse than none at all), listen more than you talk, and never stop visualizing and telegraphing a happy conclusion.

2. Own it. Whatever “it” is — a real problem, a special request, or even a seemingly unfounded gripe. The what, why, who and when (especially the latter — the past is the past) are far less important than what you do next. So don’t look for another person or place to dump the issue — grab it and run with it. If you need help or authorization, get it, but don’t relinquish ownership of the issue.

3. Take your opinions and emotions out of the equation. Too many employees take business personally, and while there are times when a customer has a problem with a specific employee, more often she is just shooting the messenger. It’s not about you — take the bullet.

4. Let your default answer be “yes” (or “certainly,” “absolutely,” or any variation thereof). If there isn’t a really good reason to say no, don’t look for one. I’m not saying you should be a doormat or give someone $20 to break a five-dollar bill, I’m just saying that it’s always best to look for ways to say yes. Saying yes to even half of what a customer asks for has a shot at making him happy; saying no is guaranteed not to.

5. Do something, fast. Minimize the amount of time you spend discussing, explaining, debating or negotiating. The sooner you get to some positive action, the less time there is for the customer to stew, grit her teeth and think of more (increasingly legitimate) reasons to be upset. Start solving before the end of the problem even leaves her lips.

Great ideas.

The Same, yet different

The cat is out of the bag. CTCW will no longer be CTCW on 1 April 2012.  Campbell Tyson will be the name replacing Campbell Tyson Cooper White, something Jacqui our receptionist is greatly looking forward to.  Have you ever heard someone rattling off a seven syllable name before she even gets to hers up to a couple of hundred times a day?  Exhausting!

It does raise an interesting point, how important is a name?  We believe it is very important for us.  Campbell Tyson celebrated its 90th birthday on 1 March 2012.  Admittedly, the name has changed many times over the years, but the Campbell name has been there longer than most.  That cornerstone name has provided the impression of gravity and stability that the firm has stood for.  The Tyson name has, through shared “real estate”, taken the same connection.  The Cooper White aspect, not given up lightly, has contributed significantly to our culture, and while the names may not be on the letterhead, they still influence what we do and how we do it.

How will the name change affect what we do?  It won’t.  We will still be striving to go beyond what our clients expect in terms of performance and service.  We will continue to be “thinking forward” rather than focusing on historical data, looking for opportunities for our clients.

You will no longer see a list of the Partners of the firm on our letterhead.  Our Team approach to supporting our clients means that everyone on our staff is integral to the service we provide.  Putting 56 names on our stationery would be over the top, however!

What you will see is different signage, different colours, a different motif and easier phone introductions in your dealings with Campbell Tyson.  Same great service!

Till next time.