The No Tool Zone

Things have changed a lot over the past few years, which may be the biggest understatement I can muster.  Technology, social media, and a plethora of other ways to communicate are quickly changing the dynamics of doing business or dealing with government.  The bottom line is that bad news travels quickly.

Poor service or shady business dealings have fewer places to hide.  A blog post, tweet or YouTube video later and you will receive the wrath of scores of people about the performance of your organization.  I am seeing this with regularity especially as the internet finds new ways to expose organizations.

This can be a dangerous thing or a good thing . . . a double-edge sword if you will.  A false claim can be brutal to an organization, but I have found justice more often on the internet than legal action.  However, if many people have had a bad experience woe to the organization that consistently gives bad service.  In this day and age it will not be tolerated.

The old adage “buyer beware” just doesn’t (or shouldn’t) have a place in the collective psyche of business and government.  The internet/social media communities that are arising will find you and the damage to your brand can be devastating.  Conversely, doing right by the customer can help to build your business.

I have long advocated that good service is less expensive then bad service.  It is not a zero-sum game resulting in a trade-off between costs and good service.  Good service always costs less.

Looking to your own organization and finding those mindsets, practices, policies, etc. that are void of improving customer service or (worse) damage the relationship is a worthy endeavor.  These items are things like targets, incentives, complexity, financials and other command and control thinking that gets in the way of provisioning good service.  They become the defacto purpose of the organization and people focus on them rather than the customer.

With a new decade coming it will be increasingly important for the public and private sectors in service to do right by the customer.  This will require a new leadership strategy for service executives and government management.  One that focuses an doing “what matters” to customers.  The surprising result is happier customers, less costs and the end of caveat emptor.

Leave me a comment. . . share your opinion!  Click on comments below.

Tripp Babbitt is a speaker, blogger and consultant to service industry (private and public).  His organization helps executives find a better way to make the work work.  Download free from www.newsystemsthinking.com “Understanding Your Organization as a System” and gain knowledge of systems thinking or contact us about our intervention services at info@newsystemsthinking.com.  Reach him on Twitter at www.twitter.com/TriBabbitt or LinkedIn at www.linkedin.com/in/trippbabbitt.