- Managers at JetBlue, the New York based airline,
recently estimated the number
of monthly customer interactions per crew member,
their term for employee.
One reservation agent handles an estimated
3,000 interactions per month, flight attendants, 7,000,
and airport agents have an astounding 15,000 interactions
with customers every month.
Even the smallest companies have dozens,
if not hundreds, of monthly interactions.
Many of the most successful leaders I've worked with
are uneasy with depending on surveys
and rolled-up data alone to tell them
what's really happening.
They want to put themselves in their customers' shoes.
They want to see the organization and products
and employees and competitors as their customers do.
Here are some suggestions for doing that,
some sources of insight to consider,
and each has a story to tell.
One is direct input.
Get out there and talk to customers.
Herb Kelleher, found of Southwest Airlines,
made that a regular practice.
He'd fly, he'd wander through airports.
He was out there with his customers.
Howard Schultz, CEO of Starbucks, spends significant time
in stores, and it's helped him to make decisions
such as investing in shorter espresso machines
so baristas can have eye contact with customers.
How would you know to make that decision
if you're not out there and really seeing what's happening?
And this opportunity applies to all levels of leaders.
If you're a supervisor of a team,
remember to spend time with customers.
Don't get too far removed from those normal
customer interactions.
Posts on Twitter, LinkedIn, Facebook
and many other social platforms
are a great source of insight.
There are many social listening tools,
from free to comprehensive high-end systems,
that can help you pull in this information
and engage customer sentiment.
Focus groups have long been a trusted and valuable source
of detailed information from customers.
Through them you can dig deeper into
what their experiences are and what motivates
and engages them.
Employees who directly serve customers
provide invaluable insights into products, services,
processes and customer experiences.
As obvious as this is, I've observed that many organizations
don't take full advantage of this rich source of input.
MBWA, management by walking around, will never
go out of style.
It will never lose its value.
Operational data's a great source of information.
How accessible are you to customers?
Why do they contact the organization?
Did you resolve problems and how long did it take?
There are many potential sources of information to mine.
Product and service reviews, such as those on Amazon
and TripAdvisor, Yelp and numerous other sites,
provide valuable sources of insight.
And you'll see how customers describe their experiences
and your products to others.
And if available, it's a great idea to compare
customer reviews with professional reviews
from sources such CNET or Consumer Reports.
Culling through sometimes very unfiltered input
from customers can be kind of tough.
It can take some emotional toughness, but it's so effective
to do so, and the most effective leaders
make a practice of it.
Don't settle for a limited or incomplete understanding
of your customers.
As a service leader, it's not practical to be
directly involved in all of these sources
all the time, of course,
but your example and finding ways to stay tuned in
makes a huge difference.
Let me make a few simple recommendations.
First, brainstorm and identify the many sources
of insights that are available.
That will probably trigger ideas on how
you want to stay close to the action.
Think about your schedule, and how you can find time
for this aspect of leadership.
I've found if it's not intentional,
it's probably not going to happen.
There's just too much coming at us as leaders.
Be ready to work through any initial awkwardness.
It's not easy to handle customer calls,
or work the counter.
It may feel weird at first, or even nonproductive,
to spend that unstructured time with employees
and customers, but the most effective leaders I know
say it should become the norm.
It becomes a part of their routine.
Many of the best decisions you make
as a customer service leader will come
by putting yourself in your customers' shoes,
really seeing things as they do.