Do you get “IT”? A WOW Customer Service Experience

Some businesses get it, and some REALLY GET IT!
By “IT” I mean the customer service WOW experience. Rick and Martine work at the Sherwood Park Greyhound, and I was in line on a very busy day several days before Christmas. They made the line up wait more than bearable, in fact, they made it fun. Despite being run off their feet, they greeted every person who walked through the door with a sincere smile, made eye contact, and kept people in conversation. They seemed to be having fun. The energy created a ripple effect of positivism through the crowd. Then, the icing on the cake was when Rick coordinated all the children in the line to join in together to sing Away in a Manger. This was one of my Christmas highlights.
I was at the Greyhound for half an hour and I did not see one person shifting, sighing or shuffling or rolling their eyes or making comments about the wait. This is an example of a team that gets IT and customers left in a great frame of mind, which is a benefit for the staff in the business they will visit next. I will be following up with a shout out to Greyhound to acknowledge these staff, and to our community newspaper.

Are you thinking BIG enough?

The New Year is almost here. This is a great time to check in with belief systems and ensure that our beliefs, thoughts and expectations are producing success, not failure. When we limit expectations our results are limited, they match what we believe and our expectations.
Where you are right now in your life, and in business, really is where you actually believe you are. For example, if you are not resilient, or if your team is not resilient, you may believe you are not resilient. If you are not successful, it is likely you believe you are not successful. If you find yourself thinking small, you probably believe you can’t think any bigger.
How would you like to have a business that is profitable, balanced and fun? If you said “YES I WOULD” I say “wrong!” I would like you to have really profitable business with balance and supersized fun.
Okay, now I know for many people reading this some of these statements have already resulted in some thoughts:
- How much will that cost me
- Maybe I should start smaller
- Shouldn’t I focus on the work, not on having fun?
- I tried that before ---It didn’t work then
- I don’t have time

Each of these doubts can be overcome….
• Instead of worrying, of thinking about why something won’t work, turn it around. Use the time to think bigger and think of why something will work. Essentially you are turning the conversation from a problem focus to solution focus. Use your driving time to think bigger or waiting time to think bigger instead of being frustrated with traffic.
• Thinking bigger doesn’t necessarily cost more, in fact, sometimes when you think bigger, you creatively identify different ways to save money, partner or collaborate with others, and spend your time more wisely.
• If you think big, if it is just too tough to let your mind roam freely, you can always shrink your ideas back a bit but make sure you are not comfortable, as being comfortable probably means your thinking is back where it started.
• When you are having fun, you tend to be more productive, passionate and profitable.
Wishing you GREAT success in thinking big!

An Office with Wheels

I wrote this blog on our way home from our first leg of our Canada and US Book Tour for my new book On Toby’s Terms.
The front seat of our car had become my office and work environment for three weeks. My husband Christopher did the driving and I used the travel time to catch up, and get ahead on my work. I must tell you that without computer access during the day, my productivity has increased exponentially. I am sure that the beautiful scenery has something to do with my bursts of creative energy, but, I am seeing firsthand the value of having focused work time. This time in my moving office has allowed me to clear up a number of tasks, and start a number of new projects. As well, due to limited space in the front seat, the only paper I have out is what I am working on during that exact moment. Knowing that my office on wheels will not be permanent, the question of the day is “how can we maintain the same degree of creativity and productivity when returning to our regular office space?” Here are some tips I have for you:
• Every morning set the intention for the day. For example “I have enough time to complete all the priorities that face me today.”, “I am creative and manage my time and energy effectively.”, “I deal with deadlines and the difficult tasks first so that I give them my energy and focus.”
• Instead of keeping your email running in the background and checking it frequently, check it four times daily, and set aside time to actually deal with the emails using the 4D approach (do it, delete it, defer it with action plan, or delegate it) .
• Keep your work area free of distractions allowing you to focus on one thing at a time.
• Work towards task completion instead of having 10 projects/tasks started but none finished.
• Take breaks regularly to refresh, stretch and hydrate. You will find your energy is higher and your focus is crisper. Taking a few moments to enjoy your surroundings will give you a greater appreciation for the importance of what is around you that you are often too busy to notice.

My lessons during the 8000 km journey is that unplugging from technology can free up more time and productivity, a change of environment brings about new curiosity, and working smarter, not harder is one way to get ahead!

From Complaint to Thanks

Tonight I was interviewed by Jearlyn Steele, on the radio WCCO AM 830 (Minneapolis). The topic was about complaining. We talked about why people complain, how the holiday season often inspires more impatience and complaining, and some tips to how communicate complaints effectively. During the conversation we also talked about how an attitude of thanks and gratitude can go a long way.
Here are five ways to develop an attitude of thanks vs. complaints:
1. When you receive good service, let others know. In fact, make sure you tell the person that you received the good service from, and inform their manager or company owner. It is great to follow up in writing, this letter may go on their personnel file, but also goes a long way in making that person feel appreciated.
2. Use social media to share good experiences (and recommend businesses with others). Facebook, Linked In Recommendations and twittering or putting it in your newsletter or blog.
3. Call people by name, especially when they are wearing a name tag. What a great way to make a personal connection with people that are providing service to you.
4. Manage your mindset- the thoughts we think shape our attitudes, words and actions (and of course, the results). Have an attitude of gratitude instead of complaint.
5. When you do have a complaint, word it clearly, managing your emotion so the individual helping you hears the concern. Sometimes when emotions are running high, the person you are complaining to actually tunes you out, the emotion interferes with listening.
6. Two little words that mean a lot- THANK YOU!

How 200 children brought tears to my eyes!

Recently we completed the first leg of our US book tour, for my new book On Toby’s Terms. Our second last event of the trip was presenting to 600+ elementary school aged children. As the children filed into the auditorium their eyes were wide and bright as soon as they spotted our dog Toby. He is the star of the book I just wrote, and accompanies me on many book related events.
When the principal introduced me, she said “and we have a real live author with us today. Her name is Charmaine Hammond and is an author, she wrote a book.” In unison, 200 little children said “ohhhhh” and “wowwww.” This was as beautiful as any standing ovation I had ever received, in fact, this one brought tears to my eyes. In that moment, I was reminded of just how big some of our own accomplishments seem to children, and that perhaps, we need to stay connected to that childlike curiosity and excitement.
Imagine how our workplaces would be transformed when team members acknowledge one another’s accomplishments, when there is curiosity and excitement (instead of competition and jealousy) when other people achieve their goals.
Here are three ways to carry forward what I was reminded of by these children:
1. Remember that we are role models, not only to children, but also to others in our workplace. Be clear on the role you want to model to others.
2. Take time every week to acknowledge someone’s accomplishments, action, success, etc. Acknowledgement can come in the form of remembering and asking the person about how things are coming along with their specific goal. Show excitement, attentiveness and curiosity and keep the focus on them, and their story.
3. Ask if it is ok to spread the word. If the individual says yes, let others know what their colleague has accomplished, speak with pride about their accomplishment.

This Week In Books

I love to be a part of new initiatives and projects. While we were in California on the first leg of our book tour for On Toby's Terms, we had the opportunity to be interviewed by Lisa Johnson Mandell and Sam Osborn for the new This Week in Books Show. You can watch the show here: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ER4TJD4Cnf0

It was a great experience, and I most enjoyed watching Toby the dog be his authentic self, bursting into a 3/4 flip flop type summersault part way through. What a great reminder about authenticity.

Until next time.....