Okuma is a world leader in the development of computer numeric controls (CNC) and machining technology, founded in 1898 in Nagoya, Japan.

Okuma is known for its technology leadership and world-class manufacturing, product quality and dedication to customer service. Okuma products are used in the automotive, aerospace and defense, construction and farming equipment, oil and energy, medical, mold and die, and fluid power industries.

The Daniel Group, founded in 1989, is a Charlotte, NC-based firm that provides business-to-business companies with services to help measure, manage, and improve customer service.

Lynn Daniel

My point is illustrated with a new  video.  “Quality, Value and Excellence In All We Do!  This is a strong claim and living up to it will take daily work and effort.  To make it work will require, among other things, employees who are really engaged and truly want to live out these value.

My question is how many of you reading this blog work in companies willing to make this claim?  What do you see as the value of the claim?  What is the downside?

Lynn

There are two points that stood out to me in this article.  First, the two examples illustrated in the blog are both simple and totally unexpected by the customer but both examples indicate that the employee was really listening.  Second, it took initiative on the part of an employee to, for example, order the pizza for the hungry customer.  This is an area that needs attention.  Managers too often want to focus on improving customer service by only focusing on the customer side of the equation.  My experience shows that it is just as important, if not more so, to focus on the employee side.  Does the work environment encourage employees to respond in a creative manner to customer needs?  Are employees really engaged in they do?

If you are measuring customer engagement and not doing the same for employees, now is the time to start.  It takes engaged employees to have engaged customers!

Lynn

Second, for those who don’t know the North Carolina State University WOLFPACK made it to the Sweet Sixteen.  .

A friend of mine sent me this article the other day and I thought it was fascinating.  “Why B2B companies need to up their communications game,” by Richard S. Levick.

The long and short of the article is how B2B businesses are moving further and further into the world of social media and what could only be called public relations.  Mr. Levick thinks there are many things overlooked when B2B businesses do this but the most easily overlooked is the basic “who,” and “why,” questions.  Mr. Levick puts it bluntly saying that “B2Bs need to act more like sophisticated B2Cs in their communication strategies.”

The article is then broken down into three parts.  The first is about how B2B businesses are garnering more attention and how most of it ends up being negative. For example, the Walmart contractors, Apple, Victoria’s Secret, have all had supply chain related damage done recently.  “Such instances should dispel illusions among B2B communicators that they still operate at a safe distance from the harsh media spotlight,” Said Mr. Levick. The second is about a strategy in which Mr. Levick calls the “poster child,” and how it can really bite you back.  He says that consumers are paying closer attention to how their products are made and being more outspoken about it.  This has blurred the wall between B2B and B2C communications. The third is about loyalty and how generating leads and sales if most important for B2B businesses.  So most B2B businesses see social media as a “business tool” but Mr. Levick says that these businesses have missed the point.

Give the article a read and comment on your opinions.

http://www.fastcompany.com/1825195/why-b2b-companies-need-to-up-their-communications-game?partner=rss&utm_source=feedburner&utm_medium=feed&utm_campaign=Feed%3A+fastcompany%2Fheadlines+%28Fast+Company+Headlines%29&utm_content=Google+Feedfetcher

GO WOLFPACK!

Max A.

Lynn

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Last week, we had our annual ServiceConnect Client Conference in Phoenix, AZ.  It was hosted by Empire Southwest, the Caterpillar dealer for Arizona.  It was a day and one-half of idea sharing and learning about ways to improve service delivery in the business-to-business environment.  Our keynote speaker was Steve Phillips, recently retired from Harley Davidson.  He led that company’s efforts to improve its service delivery.  Not only was his talk inspirational but it provided practical suggestions on how to transform ones cultural environment to make it more customer focused.

We also took time to recognize several clients for their strong performances in customer service.  I want to share these with you:

Best Overall Service: Puckett Machinery, Jackson, MS

Best Construction Industry Service: Johnson Machinery, Riverside, CA

Best Power Systems Industry Service: Carolina CAT, Charlotte, NC

Best Material Handling Service: Gregory Poole Equipment Co., Raleigh, NC

Best Equipment Rental Service: Empire Southwest LLC, Phoenix, AZ

While the awards above were based on quantitative performance, our interviewers and managers presented two awards that are worth noting:

Most Complete Data: Ohio CAT, Cleveland, OH (Having good data helps us get our jobs done)

Friendliest Customers: Butler Machinery Co., Fargo, ND (Our interviewers especially enjoy talking with customers of this client).

Congratulations to all.  Job well done.

Lynn

The article I found is not bad per se but it seems to be lacking in what one could only call soul.  The article is Want to delight your customers? Map how they feel by Amy Buckner Chowdhry.   The article has some very good points but seems to scale itself so large and almost unfeeling it scares off the smaller business owner especially when it is supposed to be about customer emotions.

The first point states essentially how you want your customer to feel at every interaction or “touch point” that you have with them.  Outlining these points can make it easier to communicate as well as understand how your customers are feeling.  I thought that was really good.  Measuring interactions with customers in anyway can make business better.

From there it seems to get a little too detached in my eyes.  The article only focuses on the online portion.  I get this but at the same time I don’t because I think of every response email from companies I sign up for and barely remember reading them let alone having conversations.  So how does this gauge real customer emotion? When doing it through that medium itself promotes a sense of detachment and distance from your customer.

Please read the article and tell me what you think.

http://www.inc.com/amy-buckner-chowdhry/want-to-delight-your-customers-map-their-emotions.html

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product for several years.  The company president, Rich Gimmel, was featured in a story on NPR regarding the hiring his company has recently done and the job openings he currently has.  Click here to listen to the program or read the transcript.  A bit of good news on the hiring front for a change!

Lynn

Some of them are pretty common sense like “not dressing for a rock concert when you customer is wearing an Armani suit,” and “being middle of the road,” enthusiastically in order to not come off as to abrasive to the customer, at least initially.

The most interesting thing I notice in this article is observation.  Being able to observe you customers surroundings, for instance their office, should affect your style of pitch.  So if they are neat and organized be strictly facts and figures and if they are a little messy with say a chalkboard with scribbles all over it they want to be talked with a bit.  The article describes this as “left brain and right brain” styles.

I know that you are probably thinking what does this have to do with customer service? But knowing who you are dealing with is very important and if it is your first time dealing with someone you want to try and figure out all you can in order to cater to their specific needs or style. These nifty little “tricks” help you to better understand your clientele not just from a selling perspective.

Looking at what they say is even more interesting. The breakdown between how to classify people’s thought style through key words is fascinating and shouldn’t be taken lightly in a world where most business communication isn’t face to face anymore.

Please take a look and tell me what you think.

http://www.inc.com/geil-browning/whats-going-on-in-your-customers-head.html

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