Casual Articles - Business

How Do You Know You Are Getting Better? Use Data to Drive Improvement
The best quality improvement initiatives are driven by data! Why? How are you going to know how much you have improved if you don’t measure something?All of you have been exposed to measures in many situations. Most of them were important. In school, you were graded. Perhaps you own shares of stock; how do you measure the success of the stock—its increase in value, a measurement. How do you know if your team wins? By its score, a measurement. The fact is that many daily activities in life have accompanying measures to judge their success.You might argue that you know if things are getting better; you can just tell. I am sure that you can. This is not enough, though. In the healthcare field it is important to measure improvement. One reason to do so is to prove to others that things are improving. For instance, suppose you are in charge of implementing electronic health records in a hospital setting. You meet resistance from several staff members, including a large number of doctors. How can you overcome this resistance? Collect data—lower percentage of wrong prescriptions, for instance— from a pilot program of willing participants and then demonstrate the positive benefits with your data. With such results in hand, you will overcome many doubters.Another reason to measure improvement is to demonstrate the saving of time and money. With healthcare costing so much today that many find care out of their price range, it is important to find ways to lower costs. For instance, suppose that staffing at your facility is very expensive; the payroll costs are way over budget. I recently read of a lean six sigma project that demonstrated through the use of data collecting by staff charge nurses that staffing shortages and costs were significantly reduced. The right staff was present when needed and the facility eliminated the need for using short-term staffing of nurses through agencies; this saved a great deal of money. Besides lowering costs, staff morale improved significantly at this site.I hope that I have convinced you that to make significant quality improvements, you should be actively measuring. What should you be measuring? The most common measurements are costs in providing a service, time taken in providing a service and various measures of patie

don’t want that!"

J: "No, we don’t. Are we agreed that’s what you need to do then?"

C: "Yes."

J: "Do you need anything else from me?"

C: "No that’s fine. Thanks John."

Training: The Common Denominator For Success
A few months back Fortune magazine published their “2007 100 Best Companies To Work For" report. I enjoy analyzing reports like this to find commonalities that link successful organizations.The products and services that these winning organizations offer, while important, are not their key to, since most products and services these days are all pretty much alike. What is important are the internal systems and processes that enable these organizations to develop and deliver their products and services in a world-class manner. The common link: training!Training: Expense or Investment? The average number of training hours per year for Fortune’s top 100-companies was 54. Quicken Loans offered the most training hours at 250/year, with W.L. Gore & Associates bringing up the rear at 10 hours/year.Nine companies averaged in excess of 100-hours of training, which included retailers like Whole Foods Market and the Container Store. Included in Fortune’s listing next to each company is a section titled: “What makes it so great?’ Here are some of the comments:* Employee ownership and involvement * Employee growth and development * People are our business * Employees respected and trusted * People centered strategies * Employee trustSo how does your organization view employee training: expense or investment? Training and development are the foundation of successful companies. The best companies view training and development as an investment as opposed to an expense.Companies that view training as an expense usually cut the budget in a down economy. Mr. Peter Drucker, perhaps the greatest management consultant of all time, was once quoted as saying: “People are a resource, not just a cost." Many of the best performing companies such as Marriott, Starbucks, FedEx, and Ritz Carlton are making extraordinary investments in training.Training is so valued at FedEx that it is policy that all members of management participate in 40-hours of training each year. Marriott invests over $100M each year on training and has one of the lowest turnover rates in the hospitality industry. Coincidence? I think not! Companies that make unusually large investments in training and development (a key cutoff point is about $1K per employee) typically have lower employee turn

It’s a rainy afternoon on a typical mid week afternoon and the telesales team isn’t firing on all cylinders. Cedric really isn’t pulling his weight at all. He’s been pushing papers around his desk for most of the afternoon and is having a miserable time. His sales figures are below target, his call statistics are below average and he knows that winning the lottery is as likely as him turning it around before the end of the month. John the sales manager also knows that Cedric isn’t performing and decides to run a coaching session with him to try and sort things out. So far so good.

John and Cedric sit down and start to chat. John has read a few books on management and he knows that it’s important to empathise and listen to John. After a bit of preamble and a few good questions the two of them actually begin to get quite honest with each other. We pick the conversation up about here…

C: "Well you know. I guess that I’m just not reaching enough new clients."

J: "OK. I respect your honesty. What do you think that we could do about that?"

C: "Well I don’t think that it’s a case of we, I guess that I am just going to have to reach them aren’t I."

J: "Do you mean more cold calling?"

C: "I suppose so."

J: "We mentioned earlier that you need to get 5 visits a week. Based on your ratios how many calls would you need to make to get that?"

C: "25 contact calls or thereabouts. Sometimes a bit less, sometimes a bit more. 30 to be on the safe side I think."

J: "Can you do that?"

C: "Yes. I have to don’t I or I’ll be back in here. We don’t want that!"

J: "No, we don’t. Are we agreed that’s what you need to do then?"

C: "Yes."

J: "Do you need anything else from me?"

C: "No that’s fine. Thanks John."

The Latest Wrinkle in Customer Service - Blame the Customer!
Recently, I needed to get a brand new clothes dryer repaired that refused to generate hot air.I phoned the warranty folks and they told me, because it was Christmas time, I’d have to wait about a week and a half before I could dry my clothes.When the guy arrived, he scoped out the machine and said I bought the wrong model, they’ve had a lot of trouble with that one, and if I begged the manufacturer, it might replace the unit, altogether.I told him that wasn't what I needed. I'd settle for some dry clothes, today.“Oh, well it seems you need some parts. I’ll order them and let’s set another appointment a week and a half from now."“What? You came out here a week late with no parts on the truck?”“We can’t be expected to stock EVERYTHING on our trucks, you know!”That is just the kind of baloney, if it goes unchallenged, that keeps people from getting the repairs they need.At first, it sounds logical.Customers are hypnotized into thinking, “Trucks are only so large, and these service people must repair a dozen different appliances, so gee, golly, gosh I must be asking a lot to expect them to be able to start and to finish a job the first time out.”But wait a second. They knew what the problem was long ago, and certainly they had time to get the parts. Don’t they warehouse them, somewhere? Why didn’t they simply put the parts most likely to fix my problem on that specific truck?Cleverly, this behemoth of a warranty repair company trained its personnel to suggest that a customer has “unreasonable expectations” if he or she believes one appointment should fix their broken appliance.I know they've been trained to say this because I have heard it no fewer than three times from this firm, twice from phone personnel, and once from the guy in the field.Let’s finish this saga, shall we?Some parts arrived by mail at my house about four days later, in plenty of time for the next scheduled repair visit, but the company canceled that appointment. Two weeks later, after much complaining on my part, a couple of guys showed up and looked at the machine and determined THE GAS VALVE HAD NOT BEEN TURNED TO THE ‘ON’ POSITION.For this reason, my clothes hadn’t been drying.The first guy who they sent out was totally inept and missed this obvious fact, forcing me to

ound before the end of the month. John the sales manager also knows that Cedric isn’t performing and decides to run a coaching session with him to try and sort things out. So far so good.

C: "Well you know. I guess that I’m just not reaching enough new clients."

J: "OK. I respect your honesty. What do you think that we could do about that?"

C: "Well I don’t think that it’s a case of we, I guess that I am just going to have to reach them aren’t I."

J: "Do you mean more cold calling?"

C: "I suppose so."

J: "We mentioned earlier that you need to get 5 visits a week. Based on your ratios how many calls would you need to make to get that?"

C: "25 contact calls or thereabouts. Sometimes a bit less, sometimes a bit more. 30 to be on the safe side I think."

J: "Can you do that?"

C: "Yes. I have to don’t I or I’ll be back in here. We don’t want that!"

J: "No, we don’t. Are we agreed that’s what you need to do then?"

C: "Yes."

J: "Do you need anything else from me?"

C: "No that’s fine. Thanks John."

Career: Are You In The Right Seat
We all have a chair that designates a position in our career. For most of us the position, the responsibilities, the growth prospects and many such factors decide if we are happy in our seat? Sometimes, we may be unaware that another seat may send us much higher in the hierarchy and satisfaction level. Sometimes we are frustrated with our job for no easily identifiable reason. There are many such factors that determine if we are on the right seat. Let us examine some of them.InvolvementHow involved we are with what we do? Are we so engrossed with our job, that we have no time to think of anything else? Or we are so less connected with our job that having it or not makes no difference to us? Albert Einstein, the great scientist was so involved with his job of thinking and finding solutions to mysteries of physics and cosmos that he had no time left for anything else. His involvement was total. Do you have such an involvement?JoyDo we feel joy in what we do? I have taken this right near the top, because if we are dissatisfied for any reason, we will never get joy. If we get joy then most of things are going in the right direction. So think if you are getting joy in your job?RespectIf you are working with the right people and doing the right job, you will always get the respect of your colleagues. If the respect is missing, please take that as a red signal telling you that something might be amiss.SkillDo you find your skills and aptitude matching the job requirements? You might be made for greater things in life. Please get your skills assessed and find out if you are wasting time with a low skilled job, when you should have been working with something requiring great skills and abilities.There are other factors such as vision for the job, future growth potential, learning opportunities and such other factors that decide if you are on the right seat. The right person for the right job - are you the right person for your job and more importantly, is the job right for you?I have given some pointers for thought. Ultimately, it is your life goals and values that will always decide if the job fits you. That can be done only by you. What is most important is that you review your job and your satisfaction level at frequent intervals and bring changes to create a more meaningful life. So f

of them actually begin to get quite honest with each other. We pick the conversation up about here…

C: "Well you know. I guess that I’m just not reaching enough new clients."

J: "OK. I respect your honesty. What do you think that we could do about that?"

C: "Well I don’t think that it’s a case of we, I guess that I am just going to have to reach them aren’t I."

J: "Do you mean more cold calling?"

C: "I suppose so."

J: "We mentioned earlier that you need to get 5 visits a week. Based on your ratios how many calls would you need to make to get that?"

C: "25 contact calls or thereabouts. Sometimes a bit less, sometimes a bit more. 30 to be on the safe side I think."

J: "Can you do that?"

C: "Yes. I have to don’t I or I’ll be back in here. We don’t want that!"

J: "No, we don’t. Are we agreed that’s what you need to do then?"

C: "Yes."

J: "Do you need anything else from me?"

C: "No that’s fine. Thanks John."

Becoming Your Own Boss - Starting Your Own Business - Have You Got What It Takes To Succeed?
What personal attributes makes a successful entrepreneur?Self-disciplined and self-motivated: You need personal drive and a belief in your own potential to be a business success. When you first set up your own business you will need to put in the hours and hard work in order to get established. You need to be confident as you are going to be dependant on your own ability. You will have to be capable of marketing your business and yourself. Remember that every customer is a potential advertiser.Decisive and focused: You will need to make plenty of decisions, from business premises to financial backing, you have to decide as you are no longer the employee. Becoming your own boss means gaining a lot of responsibility, but with it comes personal empowerment and greater freedom overall. To succeed you need to be focused on your goal, and effective at providing solutions to the various problems that will surface.Confidence to take calculated risks: Most good business owners have an inherent 'nose' for a good deal and their market, backed up by skills they have learned by experience. Have confidence in your product and make sure you surround yourself with people who believe the best of you - carefully choose the right employees. Most businesses depend on the team effort to succeed - you need to train your staff properly, create a good motivating atmosphere and in turn they will provide a good service. A good boss will be there, talking to, motivating and leading his staff to be effective.Able to set targets - long-range and short-term: It's vital to have a comprehensive business plan with not just your day-to-day running costs, financial controls and targets, but your future business objectives, such as expansion and updating your product/service. Have you budgeted for expansion or will you need a loan or overdraft - don't forget that cashflow is the main reason for new business failure.Willingness to accept advice and support: When you are starting a new business it is necessary to recognise any weaknesses in your plan and seek suitable support in those areas, be it financial or skill based. Being open to advice and assistance is important - it can be lonely at th

an more cold calling?"

C: "I suppose so."

J: "We mentioned earlier that you need to get 5 visits a week. Based on your ratios how many calls would you need to make to get that?"

C: "25 contact calls or thereabouts. Sometimes a bit less, sometimes a bit more. 30 to be on the safe side I think."

J: "Can you do that?"

C: "Yes. I have to don’t I or I’ll be back in here. We don’t want that!"

J: "No, we don’t. Are we agreed that’s what you need to do then?"

C: "Yes."

J: "Do you need anything else from me?"

C: "No that’s fine. Thanks John."

Customer Satisfaction is a Rearview Mirror
What is the difference between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty?One package delivery company uses a regular survey to measure customer satisfaction: shipping volume (increasing, decreasing or stable), error rate (packages lost, damaged or delayed), and customer rating (happy, neutral or upset).While these indicators provide a valid snapshot of performance and customer opinion, they are lagging rather than leading, like looking in the rearview mirror.The difference between customer satisfaction and customer loyalty is illustrated by these future-facing indicators now being used by the delivery company:1. Future business: How strong is your customer’s intention and commitment to do business with you in the future? (Absolutely – Maybe – Definitely not)2. Positive word-of-mouth: How vigorously do customers praise and recommend you to others? (Enthusiastic referrals – Make no effort – Tell others to stay away)3. Constructive feedback: Do your customers help you upgrade your service and improve your organization? (Give you lots of ideas and inputs – Keep quiet, even when things go wrong – Tells the competition about your weakness)Key Learning PointMeasuring customer satisfaction is important, but the future lies before you, not behind.Action StepsMeasure your customer's loyalty, not just their current satisfaction. Use leading questions to fathom their intentions about the future.

don’t want that!"

J: "No, we don’t. Are we agreed that’s what you need to do then?"

C: "Yes."

J: "Do you need anything else from me?"

C: "No that’s fine. Thanks John."

Fairly common conversation from my experience. John feels pleased that he’s helped out and Cedric returns to his desk knowing what he has to do. In most cases I would suggest that he probably does intend to do it. Cedric might even get on the phone and manage to make the calls for a few days but reasonably quickly it all falls down. Why?

As human beings we are driven by our emotions not by our willpower. I’m going to say this again because I think it’s worth saying; as humans we are driven by our emotions not by our willpower. Just think about it for a second. Has there ever been something that you wanted to do, something that you rationally planned to do, something that you knew you knew you ought to do but then, for whatever reasons, when it came down to it you just didn’t do it? Of course there has! Good examples might be dieting, flossing, cleaning the house, going to the gym and telesales!

Let’s say for example that you know that you need to floss every day. After visiting the dentist you sit down and decide to do it. For a few days you floss but as time passes you start to become less consistent until you don’t floss at all. Now there will be those of you who did floss and are saying to yourselves, "Well that’s not right Gavin, I do floss!" Think of something else then. There will be something. Most of the time our internal representations decide how we feel irrespective of what our conscious brain has decided. What about smoking? How hard do many smokers try to give up yet their emotions constantly overpower their willpower?

Cold calling and telesales are much the same. Many salespeople know that they should be cold calling on a daily basis but when it comes down to it they make excuses and do something else. They may even end up feeling really bad a

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How you think of success will determine how successful you will become. As in most areas of our lives the thing that limits us the most is ourselves. There are many misconceptions about success.

When negativity, drama, and office politics get you down, the solution might be regular meetings. Most managers don't know how to engage their staff and develop the problem-solving skills of their staff. The weekly meeting if facilitated correctly can raise your people and performance to the next level.

Customersatisfaction.com President, customer service and sales coach, and popular speaker, Dr. Gary S. Goodman, says its the duty of every sales manager to get his or her team psyched-up for the game. This radio and TV expert commentator, reveals just how to do it, time and again.

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