Friends,

Some of you may remember this posting from over a year ago.

As the need to differentiate becomes more and more critical, I thought I would have Johnny remind us
how its done.

This is a perfect example of the importance of the experience and the value of differentiation.

Enjoy.

Click for Johnny’s Video

Thank you.

At the recent inaugural meeting of the Chief Officer Council held at Oracle Headquarters and hosted by Jeb Dasteel/CCO of Oracle, I was invited by 50lessons.com to tell a few stories about customer service and the role of the CCO.

In my life, stories have always been a source of innovation.  For some reason, when we listen to other people’s stories we see our own situations from a different angle, this is always helpful.  For this reason I thought it may be interesting to post the stories.

These “Lessons Learned” will soon be offered on the 50lessons.com website and published in Harvard Business Press’ new book series “Lessons Learned”.

I would like to thank our friends at 50lessons.com for their consideration in the posting of these videos.  Also, since I mentioned him twice, I’d like to thank Don Szczepaniak as well as Lorraine Robbins and the entire Panasonic contact center team for all I learned from them over the years.  They are true professionals who make great customer service look easy.

Rudy Vidal
Committed to XCL

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Mr. Enderle explains very eloquently the benefits of services organizations in their ability to strengthen relationships post sale.  I could not agree more.

Imagine if sales organizations understood that the signing of a contract was only half the revenue and value, and that the other half came as a result of our alignment and authenticity to our purpose as a company, as people.

Imagine if sales organizations considered the lifetime value of a customer the true goal.

Imagine if sales organizations saw themselves as the conduit to future value for the customer, the matchmakers for a long term relationship.  Many do.  But we usually don’t pay them for that, we certainly don’t measure that.

Imagine if sales organizations and service organizations were on the same team.

When was the last time you were happy to see a sales person from a company you didn’t know.

Imagine.

Thank you for your post Mr. Enderle.

Dell Buys Perot Systems: The Hidden Benefits | Blogs | ITBusinessEdge.com

2. Management Ownership

It’s interesting to note that the three cultural components in fig.1 are all under control of management.  In spite of this, the culture is often seen as an independent force, only to be addressed as a last resort.  It is not uncommon for managers to refer to the culture as “they,” perceiving it as the independent sum of employee attitude.  Experience shows, more often than not, that management does not take full responsibility for the culture, but at times may perceive it a cause of an inability to improve performance.

Another aspect of ownership that cannot be overemphasized is the need for management to lead by example.  Management, from supervisors to the president, need to show they understand and live the “WHY.”  Most of us assimilate examples and parables easier than literal explanations, emails or speeches.  When the workforce sees management in action, they can instantly translate what they saw into potential actions in their area of influence.  Walking the talk makes all the difference.

A successful shift is unlikely, without management ownership
of the current and future cultures.

3. Ensuring the Need for A Culture Shift

Many planned culture shifts are not necessary.  In many cases the culture is well aligned to the purpose and able to deliver, but may need incremental adjustments in one or more of its components.  It should be noted that changes in the components might not result in noticeable cultural shifts until certain thresholds are crossed.  Therefore, within these limits we are able to make adjustments for improved performance without needing to address a shift in culture.  The less invasive option is usually recommended.

It is important to assess the quality of the culture, based on its alignment to the purpose, and not based on organizational performance.

Cultures are less often a cause and more often an affect.

Next Post:

4. Clarifying the “Purpose”
5. Identifying Needed Cultural Qualities
6. Employee Engagement

Rudy Vidal
Committed to XCL

Copyright 2009 Vidal Consulting Group LLC

In this series  we will cover 10 considerations for creating successful cultures shifts in support contact centers.  Although not a complete or exhaustive list, it calls attention to areas often overlooked or of critical importance.  These considerations can apply to other types of organizations and contact centers.

These postings will shortly be compiled into a whitepaper available on our website.  If you’d like to receive a FREE copy, please click here and we’ll email you a copy once compiled, or click here to be notified of updates.

Introduction
Contact Centers form very specific kinds of cultures, which can present challenges not usually seen elsewhere in the organization.  The proactive management of cultures is often avoided because it is seen as a difficult and even dangerous long-term endeavor.  This does not have to be the case, in fact, the proactive management of cultures increases the likelihood of success and is rewarding to all those involved.

Bob Greenberg, CMO of Panasonic, a dear friend and mentor, once said to me: “left alone, disarray and lack of grace always prevails.  If we want to maintain grace and beauty in our systems, we must be involved”.  An example is: A house left alone will deteriorate faster than one that is lived-in and cared for.  For the same reason, we need to nurture cultures over time.  Left alone, the forces of everyday business as well as changes in management and staff can move cultures away from the desired focus.

Through experience, we can list a few guidelines:

-        Cultures require management ownership
-        Cultures are not the employees.
-        Cultures are usually the effect, not the cause.
-        Cultures cannot be changed; they are either shifted or damaged.
-        Culture shifts cannot be mandated.  Mandate = Damage
-        Cultures must be seen as a labor of love.

We feel strongly about these factoids forming a foundation for success.  If you disagree, we’d love your comments.

1. Definition

Although there is room for interpretation, an over-simplified definition of a corporate culture is offered as:

“The  generally accepted norms and values of an organization that result in a behavioral or operational paradigm”

In short, an organization adopts certain norms and values that result in certain consistencies in the way it thinks, feels and acts.

Considering the definition we are tempted to equate “culture” to “workforce”.  But that is an incomplete view.  The culture is not simply the sum of the workforce, but is instead, the result of what can be considered a “chemical” reaction between People, Purpose and Environment.

This interaction results in the set of values and norms that allow us to predict organizational behavior under certain conditions.  To the extent that these norms and values magnify or support the core purpose of the organization, we can say we have a satisfactorily aligned culture.

Let’s cover the components briefly:

People:
As mentioned, the people component is not limited to employees but include all those in the interaction: management, customers, vendors as well as employees.  Some organizational behaviorists may include special external influencers such as labor unions or immediate family.

The importance of managing the people component is obvious, but the reason often eludes us.  We must manage the people component because it is “the people” that set the stage for the purpose, the environment and the chemical reaction and it is in “the people” that the chemical reaction takes place.

People are the most important asset of the culture, nothing happens without people.

Purpose:
In today’s experience economy (“The Experience Economy“, Pine and Gilmore), products and services are no longer considered long-term brand differentiators.  The market differentiators have now become “experiences”.  Experiences are a broader output and are driven by the organization’s intention or purpose.

The purpose of the contact center goes beyond the pragmatic “job” to be done, it reaches for the “WHY” or essence for which the contact center stands. (see “Start with Why”, Sinek)

By aligning our departments, employees, policies, processes, etc., to this “WHY”, we can create consistent and repeatable experiences for our customers across the organization.  A clearly defined purpose simplifies decisions, facilitates empowerment, promotes employee engagement and creates focus.

The purpose defines the required culture.

Environment
The environment is the sum of all other variables creating the conditions for the “chemical” reaction.  It is comprised of processes, policies, systems, tools, expectations, metrics, etc.  The variables we normally manipulate to improve our performance are most often part of the environment.

In Short
The Purpose defines the Culture, while the People and Environment make it possible.
By managing People, Purpose and Environment we can shift cultures.

Next Posting:
2. Management Ownership
3. Ensuring a Need for a Culture ShiftRudy Vidal

Committed to XCL

Copyright 2009 Vidal Consulting Group LLC