Wednesday 25 January 2017

My Approach To LinkedIn

LinkedIn is probably one of the most useful tools for networking and contacting others - provided that you use it “properly”.  By this, I mean that you should treat it the same way that you would if meeting people face-to-face.

My approach to LinkedIn goes like this:

I Don’t Accept Any Request to Become Part of Someone’s Network:
I don’t walk up to a complete stranger and ask them to be my friend.  They want to know who I am and why it’s a good idea to link up.  I try to get introduced by a mutual contact or write a message saying why I’d like to hook up. 


If Someone Knows One of My Contacts, I Do My Research:
It’s interesting to see how many of my network don’t actually know who’s on theirs.  The conversation goes something like this. 

Me: “Hi Brian.  X has asked me to join his/her LinkedIn network and I see that they know you.  What can you tell me about them?” 

Brian: “Err, I think they asked me to LinkIn so I did.  Don’t really know them…”


My Contacts Have a Right To My Protection:
Once someone is on my LinkedIn network, he/she has access to all my contacts.  I don’t want these precious contacts being disturbed by importunate or irrelevant appeals.


I Don’t LinkIn With “Headhunters”:
I’m happy to correspond by email, but I don’t give them access to my contacts so that they can make money out of them.  This goes back to protecting my contacts above.


I Accept That Things Change:
As I move along my career path, people will come into and go out of my life.  The same happens on LinkedIn.

Networking is about mutual benefit (sorry if this sounds mercenary). I accept that, if people feel they’re getting nothing out of our relationship, they will unlink.


Lots of Contacts Doesn’t Mean Anything:
You don’t have the time to add value to anything except a small number of contacts.


I have spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial services around the world  running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management.  I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services.  For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.


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Wednesday 18 January 2017

Does Our “Customer Service” Serve?

In our daily lives, we often find ourselves calling or emailing “Customer Call/Service/Contact/Support Centres”.  For any Customer Experience to be successful for the customer, it needs to meet three basic criteria.

These criteria are that it should:
  1. Meet their needs;
  2. Be easy to use
  3. Be enjoyable

Different organisations may have differing views on what this means, but to find out what will make the grade with our customers, we need to actually ask.  The answers will vary depending on our industry, product/service, target customer base (different customer segments may have differing views, don’t forget) and delivery channels.

One of the most popular channels is the phone, followed by the internet.  Physical mail still happens, but is being displaced by email unless some kind of paper-based authentication is needed. 

With phones, we see the most direct and immediate form of contact.  This is equivalent to asking someone face to face and suggests that the matter is urgent and important enough for someone to spend their time on the phone rather than sending an email or letter.  This means that the way we handle phone calls is a “make or break” point.

The complaints I hear about “Call Centres” are usually:
  • Slow to answer
  • Automated answering rather than a “live person”
  • Too much time spent going though menus (“Press 1 for Accounts, 2 for Sales”, etc)
  • No option for what I want
  • No option to speak to a live person
  • Was given the option to call the person’s extension only to be told they weren’t answering and the service hung up
  • No option to leave a message
  • Left message; no one called back
  • In other words, the so-called “Call Centre” doesn't meet the criteria required for a good customer experience.

Many readers will have had similar experiences, but most of us can say that our hearts sink when we hear, “Welcome to the ABC Limited Call Centre, to help us direct your call, please press…”.  Whilst this is usually meant to make sure that we get through to the “right person”, we’re still left wondering whether we’re going to spend the next 5-10 minutes navigating complex menu choices or on hold (“Your call is important to us and an agent will be with you as soon as possible.”).

Email can be slightly better, but again we’ve all faced a drop-down menu of “subjects” none of which quite describe why we’re emailing (and we have to choose one of them…).  Again, we hit the “send” or “submit” button and are left wondering if we’ll get a reply.
As for letter, many of us have written to “Customer Service” only to hear nothing…

The upshot is simple: does our process actually work?  To do this, we need to ask:
  • Who are our customers?
  • What do people contact us about most (and why)?
  • How do they want to communicate (phone, email, face to face/all of the above)?
  • Do different customer segments prefer different communication channels?
  • What’s our process for handling these contacts?
  • Does it actually work?  If not, why not?
  • Do we have deadlines for replying (even if only a “holding reply”)? 

If our Customer Service actually serves, we can look forward to healthy business flows from happy customers. 



I have spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial services around the world  running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management.  I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services.  For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.

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Tuesday 10 January 2017

Sometimes We Need An “Admin Day”

If you tend to get bogged down with running the day-to-day business of your company as well as looking ahead for the next few months and then get accused of “not being on top of things” or “letting things fall between the cracks”, chances are you need an “Admin Day” (or even hour).  Too many of us don't designate “Admin Days” to sort out what’s gone before.

When I take action or make decisions, I generate more actions, follow-ups or results that need to be carried out by me or someone else.  I can get so stuck in the “now” that I forget the “before”.  Every now and then, I get into a period of calm when the temptation is to just put my feet up and relax.

OK, that’s what I do (after all, I’ve earned it), but I’ve learnt to use some of that time for looking back and seeing what’s still in my “pending tray” (or email inbox), what I’ve promised others that I’ll do, or even what I’m expecting from others.  I then make a list, whatever it takes, but I get those things visibly in front of me.

What’s a good way to structure all this?  Over the years, I’ve read any number of articles and books, gone on training courses and just thought.  Conclusion: Everyone has some technique that works for them and them alone.  What I realised as I ploughed through the likes of Franklin Covey and other “Time Lords” was that everyone needs discipline.

Here’s what I use:

ToDo List:
I use “2Do” which has desktop, iPad and iPhone variations and syncs wirelessly or on 3G.  It allows use of start date (not all task list apps do), deadline and priority, along with notes to remind me what’s going on, activity type icons and alarm settings. I can create “Smart Lists” to filter tasks by type (e.g. “Emails”), timing (e.g. “Next 7 days”, etc) or by category (e.g. “Boss”).  I can manage checklists on it, so if one task has a number of sub-tasks, they all go under one heading.  This is one of my most powerful organisational tools.  I re-prioritise and add new tasks as needed.  I review the next 7 days every day to “clue up” on the week ahead.  If I have spare time (e.g. my appointment is late, or I took less time than I thought to do something), I go through the next day or two’s tasks and see if there’s anything simple I can “cross off”. 

Diary:
The other powerful tool…  Not just for appointments with others, but also for scheduling “Me Time”.  Develop a set of initials (MT, for example) and “block off” 1-2 hours/week.  Again, I review the next 7 days every day and every Sunday to check up on the week ahead.  If it looks busy, I review the ToDo list and re-prioritise, delegate or delete.

Email:
Michael Heppell, author of How To Be Brilliant and similar books, recommends using “Action”, “Read Later” and “Maybe” folders.  When I go through my inbox, I move emails into these folders before reading in full.  I’ve also added one called “KIV” for messages that I’ve sent that require action by others.  I go through this in my “Admin” sessions, along with the “Read Later” and “Maybe” folders.  “Action” is for what it sounds like - now/within the next 2 days.   I also used to have a folder labelled “Boss” with a rule that meant the system sent all emails from my direct manager or his/her direct manager straight to that folder.  When I looked at my emails first thing, I could see how many were from the person who paid my salary. 

I did a survey some time back and found that only 20% of emails I receive are really “Action” items.  The rest are filed for reading later, put in “Maybe” (I may want to review them “one day”), or (mostly) deleted.

Let me say again: it takes discipline to make this work.  At times it’s tempting to “let it go” (that’s what holidays are for), but it works for me.  Others may find different tools and techniques work better for them.  As ever, find what works for you - don’t be afraid to experiment - then practise.  Like any skill, the more you practise, the better you get and the easier it becomes.

“Admin Time” could be the difference between getting or losing business, keeping a client or avoiding a fine.  It keeps me on top of things and helps me refocus periodically on where priorities really lie. 


I have spent more than half my life delivering change in different world markets from the most developed to “emerging” economies. With more than 20 years in international financial services around the world  running different operations and lending businesses, I started my own Consultancy to provide solutions for improving performance, productivity and risk management.  I work with individuals, small businesses, charities, quoted companies and academic institutions across the world. An international speaker, trainer, author and fund-raiser, I can be contacted by email . My website provides a full picture of my portfolio of services.  For strategic questions that you should be asking yourself, follow me at @wkm610.

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