Tomorrow Achievant will be exhibiting in the HR Marketplace of the 2008 Indiana SHRM Conference (http://www.indianashrm.org/INSHRMconference.htm) and announcing a very exciting partnership with HR Dimensions (www.hrdimensions.com).  Together we are giving away the grand prize - a Dell laptop.  

What a wonderful opportunity to speak with over 1000 HR executives about the issues they face on a daily basis.  On the flip side - what a great opportunity for them to listen to a number of excellent speakers, network with their peers and peruse the latest in HRIS software. Which brings up an interesting question - do you always give your best effort when away at conferences like this or do you take a mental break? 

With how fast everyone is moving it's easy to attend events with no real plans to network or stroll the exhibit hall.  Don't be tempted.  Take full advantage of your peers - introduce yourself to 10 new contacts.  Take full advantage of the exhibit hall - find out what's new in marketplace even if you're not in the buying mode. 

Finally, regardless of whether or not you have a need for help with performance management, applicant tracking, time and attendance or HRIS please stop by and say hello.  Don't worry, we won't bite.

Yesterday, one of our smartest employees did one of the dumbest things ever.  She opened an e-greeting card from someone she didn't know.  Within seconds she knew she had a problem.  It could have been the anti-virus warning that popped up or the freaky image that suddenly became her desktop background.  Either way, the first thing she did was raise the alarm.

You may be asking yourself what a virus outbreak and HRIS Software have in common.  To me, the commonality is in the quality of the response.  Anyone can sell you a talent management system.  In fact, any two pieces of HRIS Software are likely to be very similar.

What's not going to be similar are the people behind the product.  When the virus hit that one user the first thing we did was isolate her from the network (well, isolate her computer, we didn't really do anything to her). 

Then, to make sure there would be no further spread of the virus we took all of our computers off the network.  We did this by simply unplugging the switch that handles all computer traffic.  We left the switch that handles all VOIP up and running.  In short, we had a good plan and were well prepared.  Within minutes we new the extent of the problem, had it isolated and were on our way to better times.

The same can be said of how we provide service.  Maybe you use our employee time and attendance module or our performance assessment module.From the day you kick off your implementation and everyday thereafter the achievant team is ready to answer questions, address issue and help you make the most of the tool you purchased.

Any two pieces of software Human Resources Software are going to be more or less the same.  But the people who support them, who make you successful are not.

August 25 – 27th will be the 2008 Indiana State Human Resources Conference.  This year’s conference is being held at the Westin Hotel in Indianapolis.  Achievant is excited to be an exhibitor at the event as well as partnering with HR Dimensions to provide the prize for the Grand Prize Drawing.

I can’t wait to meet and mingle with over 1,000 HR professionals from all over the state as well as visit the booths of the other hundred exhibitors.  If you are attending I hope you will stop by our tradeshow booth in order to see a demo of our products for the first time, meet with a sales rep, ask questions, or just to say hello to me in one of the sessions.

If you’d like to attend the conference but haven’t registered yet or you’d like to learn more about the conference, here is a link - http://www.indianashrm.org/INSHRMconferencegrid.htm.  Personally I am looking forward to hearing several of the speakers including the session on Updating Your Compensation Programs by Debi Mueller, Vice President-Consulting at HR Dimensions. This session addresses best practices in compensation and explores the links to business strategies that will be needed to ensure alignment to productivity and pay for performance. I plan to pick up a couple more recertification credits to complete my SPHR renewal.

Simon Bailey will be the keynote speaker on Tuesday.  His topic will be Releasing Brilliance and will inspire us to take charge of and transform our lives from the inside out.  Clint Swindall will be doing the closing keynote on Engaged Leadership and will focus on leadership enhancement.

It should be a great conference with rich content and ample time to visit the trade show floor.

See you there!

Nope!  Not a picture of me.  Better balance than karate kid? 

Children went back to school this week and we returned to our Friday ritual of going out to breakfast on the way to school.  I think we have been doing this for about 5-6 years now.  While it is a bit chaotic getting us out the door at home in time to eat and still make it to school on time I really look forward to each Friday.

Usually, while waiting in line to order our bagels, muffins etc. I take a quick glance at my phone to see or remind me what the day has in store.  I was reminded and amazed this past Friday of  how many emails and communications I receive from HR Professionals well after hours.  I am not talking automated emails that we all receive.  I am talking about actual correspondence.  It is clear that the work/family balance is out of whack.  While we all go through this from time to time as projects and responsibilities hit critical mass I think many instances can be avoided.  An automated HRIS System could take away many of the tasks that consume an HR professional during the day ending the late night follow up communcations allowing me to focus on the bagel and muffin order and who wants chocolate milk versus orange juice.  www.simplifyyourlife

The U.S. Department of Labor (DOL) released an opinion letter on July 29, 2008 clarifying that an employer is required to compensate an employee for all the hours worked, even if that includes time worked in violation of company policy such as through a required meal break.  The company at the heart of this issue had a Break and Meal Policy which stated that “All employees working six or more hours in a shift must receive a 30-minute, uninterrupted, and unpaid meal period. The meal period requirements cannot be waived by the employee nor substituted for any other time.”

The policy also provided that “there may be instances when, because of staffing or workloads, a meal period may not be available to all staff members. If any nonexempt employee does not take a meal period as required by the New York State Department of Labor, that employee should notify his or her manager and note this on the time card so he or she will be compensated for the time.”

The employer asked the DOL for its opinion on whether additional straight time (i.e., not overtime) would be due when an employee violates company policy by skipping a meal break and failing to notify the manager that the break was missed. The employer also asked the DOL to assume that the worker had worked less than 40 hours in the workweek and that the minimum wage still would be received, even if the employer did not pay additional straight time.

The DOL stated that the employer “must compensate the employee for all hours worked, including the time worked during the missed meal period,” though it went on to note that if an employee receives at least the minimum wage for all hours worked, including the time worked because of a missed meal period, no additional compensation is due under the Fair Labor Standards Act (FLSA). But the DOL reminded that FLSA regulations require accurate recordkeeping of hours worked each workday, as well as total hours worked each workweek for covered and nonexempt employees.

And, the DOL added, the time worked through the missed meal period would be hours worked for purposes of determining any overtime compensation. “Before an employee can be said to be paid statutory overtime compensation due, the employee must first be paid all straight time wages due for all hours worked under any express or implied contract or under an applicable statute,” the DOL stated.

The employer also asked the DOL to suppose an employee instead violates a policy prohibiting all forms of off-the-clock work. Even though the employee is scheduled to work 35 hours per week, the worker begins work early or works after the regular finishing time. Would additional straight time be due then?

The employee must be paid for all hours worked at the agreed rate in addition to any overtime for all hours over 40, the DOL answered.

What if the employer advised the employee in writing not to ever work any unrecorded work hours and the employee who violated this policy was subject to disciplinary action, the employer inquired. Would the DOL’s answer be different then?

The DOL said it did not have enough information to answer this question, but referred to FLSA regulations to remind the employer that “it is the duty of the management to exercise its control and see that the work is not performed if it does not want it to be performed. It cannot sit back and accept the benefits without compensating for them. The mere promulgation of a rule against such work is not enough”.

I was recently helping a friend sort through resumes responding to an ad she had placed and came upon a realization.  No one …. ok very few people….. do cover letters anymore.  I must admit that I have a prejudice toward candidate who take the time to write a cover letter.

I find them valuable for several reasons.  They provide an opportunity to assess:

• grammar proficiency
• writing style
• attention to detail, are there typos?
• ability to formulate thoughts into words in a coherent fashion.

In a recent Office Team survey, 86 percent of hiring managers say cover letters provide valuable insight when evaluating candidates.   However, the prevalence of online job sites has job seekers responding to email addresses with a few sentences of introduction.  I think that job seekers would do well to include an old-fashioned cover letter, personalized to the extent possible.

Candidates should make sure that their cover letter is devoid of the typical errors –

• Addressing the letter Dear Sir -  As a female hiring manager I have received far too many Dear Sir letters.
• Referencing the incorrect job – When recruiting for multiple jobs, if you don’t know what job you are applying for then how should I?
• Failing to include an attachment – If you are asked to provide salary history, cover letter, salary expectations, resume, etc.  Do it!  It is not a suggestion, it can eliminate you from consideration.  If you can’t follow instructions during the hiring process I am not optimistic that you will follow instructions as an employee. 
• Cute email addresses – Don’t list “cute” emails on your resume.  PartyGirl, BabyFace, Loverboy, may be great for friends, but not for obtaining employment. 
• Providing unnecessary personal information – I want to hire you, not be friends with you.  I do not care what your hobbies are and certainly don’t tell me about your children, their ages, what your spouse does for a living, etc.

The job market is tough, use every opportunity to tell why you are the ideal candidate and differentiate yourself from the hundreds of other people applying for the job.

As the use of web based programs grows, becomes more common and is more widely accepted we've begun to have clients ask to add 3rd aprty widgets (like their own stock ticker) to our online human resource software.

I get why clients want this... it's a perk for their users and can enhance employee self-service.  Widgets, when embedded together in a single page, can offer a kind of one stop shop for employee self-service.  if your learning management softwware offers this widget and your performance management solution overs that widget and you embed them all in your core HRIS software then everything has coalesced into one easy to use piece of software.

As a general web surfer I think widgets are great.  I use several of them and like to look at sites like google to see what new gadgets are available.  Almost all of my favorite sites offer some sort of plugin or another.

As the head of IT for a company I hate widgets.  Everyone wants to install them on their desktop, include them in their home page so they're there every time they open their borwser.  My problem with them is that they are frequently authored by random people and aren't subject to oversite so they are potneitally riddled with spyware, malware, virus and whatever other icky stuff someone can dream up.

Two news articles this week point this out.  One, a blog post from TechCrunch, talks about a worm spreadhing on Facebook.  Another points out theat google gadgets are now the focus of hackers.

Employee training and development is the number one way to prevent these kinds of tools from becoming a danger to your information security.  You can't alway control where people go, or even sometimes, what they install while at work.

So, it is clearly obvious that we have all been yelled at here at Achievant for not blogging enough if at all.  Like so many times in life we are being punished for the actions of a few.  Well!  I am that few, or at least a member of a very small group (like no more than 2).  Big picture, I sort of get the blog idea but I am one of those individuals that if I can't see some pretty immediate and measurable gain I am less likely to move it up on my priority list.  Being brutally honest, everythng seems to be a priority!  This is not a new phenomena but one that always intrigues me. I think we would all agree that not everything is a priority and if it is then we better settle for a heavy dose of status quo and mediocre results.

Same holds true for the many organizations we talk to on a daily basis.  We/They get so stuck in the tactical day to day that you can never get out in front of things that are the "supposed" priorities.  Examples would include but not be limited to conversations that should sound very familiar and and usually start out something like; "My top priority is...", "The top project we need to deliver on is...", "The results of our 4 column process (strategy session) reveals we need...",  now insert the priority:

....to improve and automate Applicant Tracking
....to streamline our HRIS System
....to create a consistent Learning Management approach
....to train leadership on the essence of Performance Management
....to automate Time and Attendance 
 

I think you get the picture!  If we continue through the conversation and go out several weeks if not months I would submit that very few of these priorities would actually still qualify or would not be that much farther down the path of completion.  The biggest obstacle is nothing went on the back burner or yielded to the priority.  Sound familiar?  

Speaking of looking out several weeks or months, I am expected (priority) to deliver several more blogs, as in one a week.  Let's see if I can break the cycle.  Wish me luck! 
  

I had the best of intentions.  We purchased the coolest blog service from Compendium Blogware (www.compendiumblogware.com) and I was going to blog once a week and let the world know what my thoughts were on life, business, HR and brag a little about Achievant's success.  Well....it's 8 months later and I've written 5 blog entries.  I've fallen 27 entries short of my goal of once per week. Pathetic.

I feel like some of the organizations we're talking to about applicant tracking, HRIS and performance management. They bought some software with great hopes and expectations.  They were going to load their employee data, track time & attendance, do on-line benefits enrollment and automate their performance management review process all at the same time. Somewhere along the way their "day job" got in the way. We both needed more than just software - we both needed a partner invested in our success.

That's what makes Achievant so different from the rest.  We invest in our clients by ensuring they utilize our platform.  We invest in our clients by taking responsibility for getting the application up and running - loading employee data, configuring workflows, defining reports, training the organization and ensuring after the 90-120 day implementation period they can be proud of the decision they made.

I will have to say the Compendium has held us accountable to our initial promise and have been on-site recently to ensure a good kick in the pants.  They know how to partner and so does Achievant.....our clients will testify!

  

Learning management software is a beast unto itself.  It can be a very simple piece of human resource software or it can be a giant, full-blown module.

In my career I have worked on Online Employee Training software that has covered the entirety of the possible range of robustness and complexity.

Because learning management modules can spider their way into so many other aspects of HRIS they can be an integral and important part of any talent management system. Learning management naturally flows into performance management, succession management and even applicant tracking depending on what your on-boarding process is like.


This week Achievant rolled out some new enhancements to its LMS.  Our module for learning management started off life as a lightweight module that though flexible and fairly robust had room for growth.

We've added over 17 new features some of which included:

·         proctoring features for trainers who need more detailed class planning and tracking

·         more robust class rosters and session results

·         the ability to track education credits for both internal and external classes

·         automated notifications for minimum class size not being met

Our goal, as is almost always our goal (and philosophy), as we build out our web HRIS software is to grow it incrementally.  Each time we work within the app we look for areas where we can add new features.  We listen to our current clients, our future clients and our industry to see what needs and wants are out there and we take the opportunity to add them whenever we can.

For us, such a successive refinement approach to all of our modules is not unlike learning management itself: with continuous work and grooming people (or applications) can get better at their jobs.

I live in a house full of guys and it seems like we live sports 24/7.  In that light, I find myself using those teachable moments to point out to them that the “sports world” is not like the “real world”.  I mean where else can you make an incredible salary, not be held accountable for your actions, and be uneducated and successful all at the same time.  But from time to time there is a sports story that mimics life for the rest of us.

Currently that is the Bret Favre story.  I think this story is fascinating to watch from an HR perspective.  Here you have a nice guy working for your company for a very long time.  He’s a great employee and you’ve got an employment agreement to keep him with you.  For several years he has been openly talking about retiring in the near future.  Finally he decides that this is the time to make that change.  You hate to see him go, but you understand and are even happy for him.  So, you send him off with a great good-bye party.

Then as an organization you set about rolling out the succession plan that you’ve had in place.  So, you replace him and move on as an organization.  Then, he decides that he misses working for you and wants to come back to his old job.  You tell him that you’ve already replaced the top spot, but he can have the number two position.  He is not content with that and asks to be released from his employment agreement so he can go work for your direct competitor.  He doesn’t like that and goes to the local paper or industry trade magazine and gives an interview saying that he doesn’t feel welcome back at his old company and that because of his years of service, he should simply be released.

 What do you do?

Favre is a legend.  The Packer's management is taking a beating in the media about its handling of his request to return.  It's a talent management nightmare.  At this point, it seems the Packers have chosen to take the do nothing approach.  They don’t seem to be in any hurry to release or trade Favre.  In the meantime, they seem set to continue the process of rolling out the succession plan they have in place.

What's your position?  Should the Packers take him back as the starting quarterback?  Should the Packers continue the succession plan they began when Favre retired a few months ago?

I'm siding with the Packers in moving on, here are my reasons why:

    1. Football is a business – There is no disputing that both the Packer fans and up until this point the management absolutely love Favre.  But that being said, we must remember that football is a business.  So, it would be a poor business decision to release him to a competitor without getting something in return. Remember, along with the benefits of being a contracted employee, there are also some down-sides (i.e., management decides when you play, where, and if you will play). He in essence has a non-compete.

   2. Once you cross that bridge – My experience has been that counter-offers and allowing employees to rescind their resignation are only temporary fixes.  Typically whatever factor made them vulnerable in the first place is still there and in the not too distant future will reappear.  As a side note, no one wants to continually hear that you are thinking about leaving the organization.  Keep it to yourself until you are ready to make the move.    

   3. Don’t make it public - When the Packers didn't rush to reinstate Favre, he went negative.  Going negative against an organization in the media is pretty much going to the point of no return.   Even if you end of getting what you want, it can be a pretty ugly place to be.

   4. It’s all about me – When an individual makes the situation all about them and not about the organization, they typically fall out of favor with their coworkers.  Favre has seemed like a great teammate through the years, a good citizen and a role model for youth.  But, if you listen closely to him over the last few weeks he seems to be talking more about himself and less about coming back to help the organization or his teammates.  

The Packers have done the right thing from an organizational development or succession management perspective.  They knew he was going, they put a succession plan in place for a number of years (i.e., Aaron Rogers), then when they got notification that he was leaving, they started it in motion.

What would you do? 

I just got back from my first prospective college visit to Florida with my oldest son, Michael (because of course why would he want to attend a college with in-state tuition!).  I’ve also been traveling a lot lately for new and perspective clients so I’m becoming quite the airline connoisseur.  Frankly as airfare has sky-rocketed I tend to book whoever is cheapest or works with my schedule, but I do have my favorites.

This most recent trip had me on Southwest Airlines.  Now I’ll admit that as an HR leader I have followed this company for several years.  Southwest is one of the few profitable airlines and has been in the black for 33 consecutive years and has paid a small dividend for 127 consecutive quarters. While its competitors are reducing the number of flights offered and grounding hundreds of aircraft, Southwest will add a few flights daily, will take delivery of another dozen aircraft next year and still plans to grow by 2 percent to 3 percent.  Southwest now carries more passengers annually than any other U.S. carrier.

So, my down time in the airport yesterday had me pondering...how has Southwest been successful?  I think it is based on a few guiding principles –

    * Keep things simple
    * Keep it consistent
    * Manage costs and maximize productive assets, and
    * Manage customer expectations.

These are business strategies that can be applied to most businesses.

Keep It Simple

While Southwest’s competition operates numerous types of planes, Southwest flies just one plane type.  This saves millions in maintenance costs, employee training, parts, etc.

Business Application – Do one thing and do it well

In the technology world, Human Resources software providers are trying to be all things to all people.  At Achievant, we have determined what we do is provide HRIS software solutions to small and mid-sized companies.  Achievant is not a payroll company, but we work with your payroll company to manage your employe data.  We have seen numerous companies try to meet all needs by bolting together the components of a human capital management system (i.e., HRIS system, time and attendance tracking, learning management, performance management, applicant tracking, and succession management) together with a payroll system and try to pass it off as integrated.  As a result these providers are adequate at many things, but not really good at anything.  Don’t get caught up in a feature/function comparison….who has the prettiest screen, bell, or whistle.  You should evaluate the entire package.

Keep It Consistent

I have to admit that I have not always been a fan of Southwest's approach to assigning seats.  Which is…..there are no assigned seats. You just line up according to an assigned number and you choose an open seat as you board the plane.  As someone who is slightly a control-freak (ok, maybe a little more than slightly), this was initially unsettling to not have a seat assigned specifically to me.  But, as I have flown with them more I have come to appreciate the control of choosing my seat...the one that is not next to the crying child or the chatty person, and have relished the opportunity to get a seat with extra leg room or no one sitting next to me.  Best of all, they still provide beverages and snacks for free!

Business Application – Manage the brand experience

At Achievant we work very hard to manage the experience our clients have with us and our Human Resources software solution.  Every time they contact us we want to respond to them in a friendly way, on a timely basis, and in a way that is relevant to them.  

No fees, no frills

As other carriers have removed perks and added fees, Southwest has kept its customer proposition streamlined and unchanged. The airline only sells in a few price "buckets" which allows it customers to understand the fare structure and believe they are getting value for their money. Prices are all-inclusive too, no fees for fuel surcharges, ticket changes, or luggage.  They have looked for out-of-the-box solutions to things like the clunky beverage cart.

Business Application – If customers can’t understand the pricing structure, they can’t understand the value you offer

Most HRIS systems, learning management systems, time and attendance solutions, and payroll providers utilize an ala carte menu for the services they provide.  In addition to the monthly or annual subscription, anything additional you’d like (e.g., a system change, new report) is charged by the hour or project.  This can make it very difficult to manage your costs.  I have spoken with numerous potential clients who when questioned how much they pay their current system provider, respond that they won’t know until the end of the year.

At Achievant, we have adopted a modular pricing model that is very simple to understand and is inclusive.  You are not charged for new version releases, minor system changes, client support, etc.

Management, Happy Workforce

Herb Kelleher finally stepped away from Southest earlier this year after leading it for more than a generation.  Although he was a very colorful leader, the airline avoided fads, shied away from anything that increased costs or complicated the basic travel proposition. Management ranks are lean, but most importantly, productive.

Southwest has embraced a culture of making their work (and consequently our travel) more fun.  They sing, dress in casual uniforms, and allow employees to go “off-script”.  In return, they have employees who are friendlier, seem to enjoy their jobs, and don't strike.

Business Application – If your workers aren’t happy, your customers aren’t happy

It is important to note that there are many intangibles that contribute to how much employees enjoy their job.  Take time to focus on these and you will be repaid for your efforts in higher levels of customer satisfaction.  360 degree feedback can be a great tool for this.

These are important business applications that I think will apply to any industry, not just HRIS software and talent management providers like Achievant.  In the meantime, I will continue to watch the progress of Southwest. 

What are your vacation plans this summer?  Are you taking time off from work?  

I was reading a survey by Yahoo HotJobs which found that of 1,100 workers, 51 percent plan to skip summer vacations this year. 

Why? 

Well, many are fearful of a possible recession and/or are burdened by too heavy a workload.

• 44 percent of workers say they shoulder greater workloads than they did a year ago, yet most of them (35 percent) can’t escape mounting pressure to boost their job performance.
• 25 percent of workers are looking around for new jobs or are updating their résumé in anticipation of doing so.
• 57 percent of workers cite employee burnout —this is up from 49 percent a year ago.

Having an opportunity to get away from work on a regular basis is beneficial to both the employee and the organization.  Employees with no escape tend to burn out much more quickly.  Vacations provide employees with a new perspective on their work and allow them to return refreshed.  Also, many organizations such as financial institutions require employees to be away for 5 consecutive days as a security check. 

 

 

According to a variety of sources, there are anywhere from 2 million to as many as 40 million workers who telecommute for at least part of their work week.  Telecommuting, or using computer technology to work from home, became a buzzword in the 1990s, but as the nation struggles with soaring gas prices, air pollution and traffic congestion, telecommuting is again appealing to many workers and employers.

At different times in my career I have been fortunate to be allowed to telecommute.  I’ve had great bosses who didn’t have to see me every day. I was evaluated on what I accomplished, not where I accomplished it at.  The office environment can get very hectic and the quietness of being at home for one to two days a week helps to work uninterrupted on big projects. 

Currently we are seeing a resurgence of telecommuting because of fuel prices.  In the mid '90s, you saw it in companies where employers were trying to keep the talent they had. There hasn’t been a decrease in telecommuting, because where it's worked, it's typically worked well.

Companies offer telecommuting for numerous reasons –

·         Reduces vehicle emissions

·         Reduces commuting cost, employees can save money in fuel costs

·         Employees can put in more hours by working during times they would ordinarily be commuting

·         Increased worker productivity with fewer interruptions

·         Improves work-life balance

·         Reduces absenteeism

·         Allow employers to keep valuable employees

In 2007 the Society for Human Resource Management conducted a study to determine how many U.S. companies offered telecommuting as a benefit to employees.  The results were eye-opening.    

Telecommuting Trends

·         56% of those polled indicated their company offered some form of telecommuting

·         33% offered telecommuting on a part-time basis

·         21% provided telecommuting on a full-time basis

Trends by Industy

Industry	Percentage
Finance	47% part-time & 22% full-time
Services (Profit)	37% part-time & 23% full-time

Since many companies are either experiencing layoffs or keeping reducing expenses in this economy, it’s harder for managers to argue against telecommuting as they see their employees and themselves hammered by escalating fuel prices.  And it seems employers are becoming more receptive to the idea.

In fact, last month the House Speaker of the state of Georgia told state employees to start working from home one day a week as a way to fight high prices at the pump.  By telecommuting one day a week, employees can save 20 percent on their gas bill. Gas prices hit a new record last week, closing in on $4 a gallon.

Two years ago the Telework Consortium provided this analysis:

When gas is priced at $3 per gallon, it would take an employee earning $65,000 per year who commutes 40 miles roundtrip per day more than two months to pay for commuting. That is nine weeks and three days of his/her take-home pay, just to pay for a daily commute.

Quite an effective illustration, I think — even more so now that gas at $3 a gallon would have people lined up down the street.  The bottom line is, telecommuting can provide big payoffs for both the employee and the employer.

Assume a customer has a very positive and memorable experience with you.  The experience somehow exceeded his expectations, whatever they were.  Perhaps the waiter was more attentive than expected, or the price was better than expected, or he received an immediate return phone call with a resolution to his problem. 

How many people will he tell about that experience?  Given the fact that service that exceeds expectations is quite rare, I would suggest that he will tell everyone he knows.  Positive word-of-mouth referrals will exceed the success of your marketing program every time.  Satisfied customers will provide a limitless number of referrals for an organization.  But just remember, the opposite of this is also true. 

Think about a time when a company exceeded or failed to meet your expectations.  How many people did you tell?

With any organization, there will be times when their service level leaves the customer feeling dissatisfied.  We all expect that their will be some problems, the true test of the company is how they respond to those problems. 

Step 1 - The Apology
Let the customer know that you are very sorry that the product didn't meet their expectations, wasn't delivered on time, fell apart, or was missing parts.  It is not the customer’s problem, it’s yours.  Simply apologize sincerely for not meeting their needs, and offer to do what it takes to make it right for their complete satisfaction.

Step 2 - Make it Right
Probe and explore with the customer what "making it right" means for them.  At this point in the service recovery process most customers will have appreciated your interest in their satisfaction and will come to terms with what they require to 'make it right.'  Getting to this point may in itself be a 'wow' factor for many people... but there is more..

Step 3 - The Wow Factor!
This is a mandatory step in service recovery.  You have apologized, taken full accountability for your problem, explored and agreed with the customer on how to make it right to their complete satisfaction.  It's about whatever it takes, in this situation, to demonstrate to the customer that you are accountable for their complete satisfaction, you value them as your customer, you have pride in the products and services you provide, you regret the inconvenience you have caused them and ... you care.

Tomorrow I will tell you about a great customer service experience I recently had. 

Say what you mean and do what you say. 

Failure to uphold this customer service tenet is often the crux of miscommunication.  We tend to think that whatever we say is always clear, obvious and should be easily understood. But the fact is, others don't always see things as we do, and therefore we need to make allowances for this. We each tend to have our own view of the world which acts as a filter through which we perceive everything that happens in our lives.  

When looking to improve our communication skills two thing you can do to avoid miscommunication, is:   

Learn to Listen

We know that communication is plagued by difficulties in the way we express ourselves and how we perceive others.  It is also easy to see how important it is to learn to listen properly. This is different to the type of listening we are probably used to.

I know that there are all sorts of things going on in my mind when others speak to us. Real listening (and I mean totally paying attention, not just periodically listening and occasionally nodding our head) means that we become open to what others are saying, without interrupting them, without justifying our own position in our minds, and without mentally formulating a response while the other person is talking.

Either the vendor or client believes they communicated something that the other party did not hear or understand.  It is important to take time to ensure that you have communicated the message you intended to.  This can be especially difficult when using various technology devices.  

Do What You Said You’d Do

In addition if you’ve communicated that you will take some action, be certain that you follow though.  I try to make a point of responding to client’s emails advising them that I am working on their issue so they know their request hasn’t fallen on deaf ears.  I also regularly touch base with them on the progress I’ve made throughout the resolution of the issue.  A common mistake is assuming the other party knows you’re working on the issue.  In reality, I know when I am the customer if I haven’t heard from them; I think I’ve been forgotten. 

These days we have less and less human contact.  We shop at a supermarket with self-checkout lanes, we pay bills on-line, we order food from a drive-thru, and get cash from an ATM.  It’s no wonder that with all of these high-tech options that customers look for high-touch service people. 

When we have a problem we can become frustrated very quickly when we try to find a “real person” to assist us.  We’ve all gotten lost in the maze of an automated attendant answering system with an endless list of “press 1 for ….., but no option that is actually what we’re looking for and certainly no option to speak to an actual person.  Or we’ve initially been pleased when a web-site offers “live chat”, only to learn that no one is available to chat with us for hours.  These are both excellent technologies, but must be used with caution. 

At Achievant, we have real people who answer our telephones.  Clients can always obtain customer service assistance from a live person almost immediately if they need help using our HRIS software.  We recognize that people don’t want to communicate with an “organization” or a “computer”.  They want to talk to a real, live, responsive, responsible person who will assist them and resolve their problem satisfactorily.   

What kind of access and response time have you received from your vendor?

Yesterday afternoon I had the opportunity to talk to a potential client.  Invariably I am asked what differentiates us from other HRIS technology providers.  My response always includes the words “customer service” and “partner”.  So today I am beginning a series on Customer Service Assassins.  I will discuss some of the things that will “kill” customer service and customer relations.   

I manage the Services area at Achievant, which is a huge responsibility and one I don’t take lightly since I am the person who has the most contact with our clients.  I know that to our customers, I am the company.  Their feelings about our company will relate directly to their experience with me.  I believe that in any company, the sales force can be limited or enhanced by the efforts of Services group.  You can have a great technology product, but no one will want it if they check references and hear horror stories about poor customer service. 

Usually when a vendor client relationship goes awry it doesn’t happen all at once, it usually happens over time, little by little - one defining moment at a time. Don't be a victim to these subtle assassins.  As a new client you get pretty good customer service, but over time you see that change.  Some of the tell-tale signs are –

• it takes longer and longer for your calls to be returned, if they are returned at all
• you’re on your fourth service rep in one year
• you know more about the product than your service rep
• you don’t know who your service rep is and you haven’t heard from then yet this year

Some of the assassins I’ll discuss are Technology, Miscommunication, Responsiveness and Service Recovery.   

This morning I read an article by Anthony Balderrama who is a writer at CareerBuilder.com.  Anthony asserted that we all tell lies at work.  Now I don’t know about you, but that wasn’t a news flash for me.  Our workdays are filled with many “little lies” or exaggerations and they have become part of the corporate culture norm. 

 

The good news is that much of our dishonesty doesn't result from bad intentions; it often is the results of trying to please other people, even at our own expense.  Although telling a lie can be easy, and you might even get away with it sometimes, you're not creating the best work environment.  To help bring more honesty into the workplace, Anthony identified five lies we're all guilty of telling. 

 

You might ask yourself if you are guilty of telling them and assess how you could better handle them.

 

1. "I'd be happy to"
   
   Think about the last few times you've said you'd be happy to do something.  How often was that statement sincere?  I oftentimes find these words coming out of my mouth before I think the assignment all the way through.  If I accept a task then my boss expects me to get it done.  So if I’m afraid that a new assignment might interfere with my other work I usually try to review my workload with my boss to clarify priorities and remind him what else I have on my plate.   
   
   
2. "No, I don't have any questions"
   Ok, who hasn't been given an assignment that just didn't make sense, but when the boss asked if you had any questions you said no?  Usually this is based on the fear of believing that if I ask questions, they’ll think I don’t know what I’m doing.  However, in reality the opposite of this is true.  Projects usually turn out better with clarification. 
   
   
3. "My alarm didn't go off"
   This one is not a problem for me as I am rarely late for work.  I tend to take the straightforward approach of, "I'm sorry I was late", and then get right to work.  If it happens infrequently, it probably won’t be a big deal.   
   
   
4. "I'm not sick – it's just allergies"
   The only thing worse than being sick is having to use personal time to cover it and getting even further behind on your work.  If you think you have too much work to take a day off you might be tempted to pull one over on your cold and flu-fearing co-workers and attribute the sniffles to allergy season – don't.  Your coworkers won’t be pleased that you're putting their health at risk and lying to them.  If staying home is not an option for you, at least barricade yourself in your office and try to minimize contact with co-workers.
   
   
5. "I'm right on schedule"
   As someone who has project management responsibilities, I am very cognizant of meeting deadlines.  When asked about the status of a project it can be very tempting to say everything is going as planned, when it’s not.  "I am working on it," might be the better response, but you need to develop a timeline to put the project back on track. 

 

Today I had to contact a vendor over a potentially serious problem we were having with some of their equipment. They have a nice little automated package to which you send an email and from you which a new case is automatically created, support personnel are contacted and an initial response sent.

I marked my issues as needing immediate attention and went about my business waiting for a reply.

Three hours ago a reply would have been timely.  A reply now might save a good part of someone’s derriere.  A reply any later than, say, right now will get me a little wound up.  Like Tasmanian devil wound up.

Anymore, every industry is a service industry.  A three hour response to an issue isn’t even remotely acceptable.  You might not be able to solve my problem as quickly as I might like, but at least let me know you’re working on it.  Via a real person.

With live chat support, 24x7 email and phone support and the long list of other support means now available from virtually any company if your company doesn’t supply top notch customer service you’ll pretty much be immediately behind on the customer service learning curve.  And any company that isn’t supply either great service or who doesn’t have a monopoly just isn’t going to make it.

It may seem obvious, but clients are a company’s number one asset and any company that doesn’t jealously protect and nourish that asset is going to lose it.