DIRFT
What is DIRFT? It stands for Do It Right the First Time. We’ll say it like dirt but with an “f” in it. A consistent process to DIRFT creates numerous advantages for global giants as well as micro-entrepreneurs. A good process reduces the need to scrap and redo error filled work. While customers may not notice if it is in place, they will certainly notice if it doesn’t happen.
The automotive service industry has embraced this concept for many years. Many dealers track the number of customers returning each month due to an incorrect repair.
The DIRFT process for automotive service providers is:
Concern: A complete description of the customer’s issue. In an automotive repair this is the description of the problem experienced by the customer. At a burrito shop it involves verifying the order is correct. In a medical setting doctors and nurses document “concerns” the patient is experiencing.
Cause: This is the source of the problem with the customer’s vehicle. In a repair shop this is determined by the technician and leads to the solution of the problem. It is the moment when a technician determines whether you need an alignment or a new tire. In the medical example it occurs when the doctor determines the problem is a cold and not a sinus infection.
Correction: The repair that fixes the vehicle. This is where the action happens. The car receives an alignment. The patient receives medication or surgery. The diner receives a delicious burrito.
What is your plan for Do It Right the First Time?
1 comment February 12, 2009
Stoopid Questions
Customers ask lots and lots of questions, and some of those questions are stupid. Imagine a customer standing under a sign pointing to the restroom. It’s easy to guess the question. For customer service staff dealing with stupid questions is a daily, possibly hourly event that must be managed with grace and patience.
For business owners, stupid questions may highlight an opportunity for improvement. The trick is to separate the questions into two categories: random questions and controllable questions. Let’s dispense with random questions. Random questions are unique, heard rarely and are sometimes very very strange. Service staff need to be prepared for these types of questions but these questions should not drive organizational change.
If customer service representatives hear the same question again and again, the questions may be a controllable. Controllable questions present an opportunity to change a process or facility to make the experience easier and simpler for the customer.
A quick way to improve customer service is to gather a list of the most common customer questions. Review the list and ask is there an opportunity to improve the experience for the customer. The opportunities available might include a change in the service process or a change in the facility.
The key is to make certain there are enough people asking the question to warrant a change. A single question should not be the driver of change.
Add comment February 3, 2009
It’s a Thankless Job
When was the last time your boss said, “Thank you for staying late all week to get this project finished on time, I appreciate your commitment”? Workers in the U.S. have been pressured to produce more with less and less for a very long time.
Why don’t supervisors express appreciation? Many people have an aversion to expressing appreciation. Some managers believe only the “hardest” workers deserve appreciation. Other managers may feel like a fraud or a fool for stating the obvious.
Expressiting gratitude as appreciation is a gift that keeps on giving. According to Robert Emmons, a psychologist from the University of California Davis, grateful people report higher levels of positive emotions, life satisfaction, optimism and lower levels of depression and stress.
Add comment December 29, 2008
The Power of Yes
This month I have been contemplating the power of YES. A recent experience at the Tarzana Providence maternity center in Sherman Oaks California provides a great example. I was there to attend the birth of my niece Claire Marie. In addition to the miracle of Claire, the hospital staff’s commitment to YES made this a remarkable experience. To every question the answer was Yes. Can all 8 of us stay in the room for the delivery? Yes if you are invited. Can we bring in food immediately after the delivery? Yes. How about wine? Yes, but we do not have a corkscrew at the nurses’ station.
An effort to say yes consistently is no accident. It is stems from an organizational focus on the customer and the overall experience. To arrive at a Yes strategy, requires a willingess to continually improve and relys on feedback from employees with daily contact with customers. Most importantly the organization must have the the desire to change processes and regulations to accommodate the customer.
A great question for anyone providing service is “How are we making it easy to say YES to customers?
Add comment December 18, 2008
I am cuckoo for Mystery Shoppers
Recently, I was offered the most brilliant opportunity for a customer service consultant, to be a mystery shopper at Home Depot. The training manager provided a cart of products and instructions and sent me to a cashier. The deal was sweetened by a 10% discount on my purchase. The only disappointment was there was no interview to discover my impressions of the transaction.
Mystery shoppers are an excellent way to view a transaction from the customer’s view. According to David Rich, author of the blog Mystery Shopping Matters: “The best mystery shopping programs work when the data collected remains unskewed; that is to say, that management accepts the numbers for what they are and uses them, not to humiliate staff, but to bring about positive change.” Mystery shoppers should not become part of a “Gotcha!” program where poor performers are caught and fired. On the flip side, excellent performance presents an opportunity to recognize a job well done and provide incentive for good performance.
Add comment November 18, 2008
Customer Satisfaction and The Perfect Storm
The current business climate in the US is intimidating at best. We face a perfect storm of soaring oil prices, a massive financial bailout and consumers with too many needs and too few dollars. Many businesses face the balancing act of trying to maintain a healthy bottom line while cutting costs and reducing staff. Cutting costs and reducing staff without adequate planning, can damage customer satisfaction and destroy employee motivation to provide great service.
Cost saving measures are often issued as directives from the executive office and may have a far reaching negative impact. These directives create fear and loathing on the front line. A top-down approach creates terrified employees who focus on protecting themselves, not on moving the organization through difficult times.
Organizations that need to cut cost need to involve employees in the process. If employees are left out of the process businesses may find their employees have become bitter and unresponsive and customers may disappear when good times return.
1 comment September 24, 2008
The Burger King Revolution
In the 70’s it was impossible to miss the Burger King jingle (this is my favorite version of this song). At the time, Burger King was trying to show the difference in service with McDonald’s. The ads touted the glory of a fresh hamburger that could be had….. without onions! Want extra pickles? Okay. This marketing campaign was the first warning of a trend that impacts businesses today. We have become a nation of consumers that desires maximized personalization of goods and services.
Maximized personalization describes the desire for every purchase no matter how small to be customized to meet our desires. This trend occurs daily in millions of Starbucks around the globe. “I’d like a grande half caf, latte, skinny with one pump of vanilla”. Starbucks offers over 87,000 possible customizations using the standard ingredients of ice, coffee, tea, flavor and dairy products.
The desire for maximized personalization creates significant pressure on customer service efforts. In order to meet the demand for customized service, businesses need to know their customers. Knowing your customers means knowing them by name when possible, but it also requires knowing more about how and when they want to shop, do they need a concierge level of service or do they prefer 100% self serve.
1 comment September 9, 2008
No More Rotten Apples
Recently, I was killing time between meetings in a bookstore coffee shop. Bored with my project, I over heard a manager interviewing a new employee. The conversation consisted of the manager telling the candidate that customer service is expected and the candidate nodding their head. I assumed (and so did the supervisor) that the candidate was implying, “Yes of course I will provide great service.” As I listened, I wondered if the manager would be surprised in 60 days when this new hire turned out to have a bad attitude toward customers.
Hiring and selection is a critical task for supervisors and managers. Often however, supervisors get bogged down in answering e-mails or other administrative tasks that are more urgent but not as important as designing questions that force a candidate to reveal their true nature. Hiring has an extensive impact on business operations. By taking a short cut, we cannot build a foundation for great customer service. Here is an extreme example of the impact of poor hiring on customer service from High Fidelity . (Warning warning, the customer uses extremely foul language as he walks out the door, stop watching at 35 seconds to avoid).
1 comment August 12, 2008
Welcome to Shift Happens
Hello,
This blog is about making the world a better place for customers and service staff. In this blog, I will be discussing how to solve customer service issues and how to manage customer service efforts. My company, Shift works with businesses to ensure that they have the right combination of people, process and information to create customer satsifaction and intense customer loyalty.
Below is an interesting article on a training to create awareness of issues facing the elderly. The tsunami of retiring boomers is creating pressure on customer service providers to deliver service to an aging population. The challenge is that ageism is alive and well in this country. Younger staff may make assumptions about the elderly due to a lack of understanding of the physical process that comes with an aging body.
I attended a similar session early in my career and the experience was memorable. While I can’t remember what I had for breakfast, I can remember the sensation of threading a needle with rubber gloves. This is a excellent way to build empathy for elderly customers.
Add comment August 6, 2008
