For me, the end of December is a time for review of the year past and planning for the year ahead. The welcome change of pace I typically experience during the holidays naturally leads to this type of reflection. If it is the same for you, here are 7 indicators to help you take the pulse of the extent to which the Proactive Service® approach is embedded as part of your culture within your service team.

The Miriam-Webster On-Line Dictionary defines culture as, “a way of thinking, behaving, or working that exists in a place or organization.”¹ It is the mindset of why we act the way we do. Instilling a Proactive Service culture has proven successful for service companies for this very reason. The culture underlying Proactive Service is based on using our proximity, knowledge and expertise to identify and recommend products and services that will ultimately help the customer to be better off. Although this approach results in more sales and other great benefits such as higher levels of customer trust, satisfaction and retention, the why we do it is because it allows us to enhance the level and quality of service that we provide.

So, how are you progressing at embedding a Proactive Service® culture within your team? Although financial results are an important indicator of success, here we want to consider how we act that contributes that success.

1. The Talk Around the Water Cooler. The words that your managers and technicians use about proactive business development are a big indicator of how people look upon the initiative. Does their language sound more like sales talk rather than service talk? Are solutions described in how they benefit the customer or how they benefit your company?

2. Observable Coaching and Support. Do your service/safety meetings include a coaching and development segment? Does management appear genuinely engaged in helping their team be better at some of the “softer” interpersonal skills and do they allow time for practice? Do their actions reinforce their words?

3. Ongoing Product and Service Knowledge. Does your field service team take pride in the overall extent of the services your company can provide? Do they recognize that their knowledge and understanding of your services and capabilities which are outside their areas of expertise allows them to add greater value to their relationships because they will be in a better position to recognize ways in which you can help? Does your management team update the technicians on new products and services and refresh them on existing ones? Do your technicians take the initiative to expand their product and service knowledge on their own?

4. Ownership of Processes and Systems. Do your processes and systems accurately capture and track opportunities from the field. Does your team take “ownership” of the process? If a “crack” in the process is discovered, does your team get concerned and are steps immediately taken to address and correct the problem?

5. Sales vs. Service. Is there a positive and respectful relationship between your sales and service teams? Do they speak positively of one another? Do both groups support the other when things don’t go as planned? Do they share common goals?

6. Proactive Service Promotion. Do you promote your Proactive Service® approach to your customers? Does your sales team use your approach to differentiate your company to win more service contracts?

7. Customer feedback. Do your customers share your enthusiasm for the benefits of the Proactive Service approach? Do they recognize they are better off? Are they telling others about the great work that you do for them?

All of these are indicators that point to the extent to which the Proactive Service® approach is becoming embedded in your service culture. We have also created a self-evaluation checklist that will allow you to evaluate your progress against Proactive Service® best practices. Please take a few moments to complete this form.

By taking the time during the holidays to reflect on these areas, you can identify opportunities for improvement and begin to plan the steps necessary to further encourage and enhance the enthusiasm of your team. By the first week of January you can be well on your way to making 2016 the best year yet.

As always, I welcome your comments and questions. You can connect with me via telephone or email or leave a comment right here on the site. And as always, please feel free to leave a link back to your own blog if you have one via the commentluv feature here on the site. If you are reading this blog post via email, you will need to locate this post on my website by clicking here. Scroll down to the bottom of the page where you will find the comment section.

Jim Baston

“Follow effective action with quiet reflection. From the quiet reflection will come even more effective action.”

– Peter Drucker

¹http://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/culture

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Like us, our customers are in competitive industries and are struggling for a business edge. They want more than just good customer service that makes them feel good. They want GREAT customer service that also helps them gain a competitive advantage. The tale of 2 auto mechanics below, is indicative of the choice we have as service providers. Which one would you prefer?

Our technicians play a major role here. Their value comes from going beyond doing great work. They must also understand the goals their customers have and the challenges that they face and make recommendations based on their knowledge and expertise that will help the customer succeed. Those companies that don’t engage their technicians in this way are at risk of losing business in the future.

Imagine two scenarios. In both scenarios your car needs an oil change and you also ask the mechanic to check a noise that you hear each time you depress the brakes. The mechanic in scenario A is friendly and competent. The waiting room is comfortable and has free coffee and WiFi so you decide to hang out there while the oil is changed and the inspection carried out. You’re delighted that the mechanic returns 30 minutes later to report that your car is ready. He assures you that the noise from the brakes was caused by normal corrosion and he cleaned things up and has eliminated the noise. He recommends that you get a full service on the brakes the next time they need changing. 40% wear remains. There is a small charge for the brake inspection that you gladly pay along with the fee for the oil change. As you leave, you think about why you patronize this garage. It is because of the fact that this mechanic is reasonable, thorough and friendly.

In scenario number two, the technician is also friendly and confident. He too invites you to use the waiting room, which has both free coffee and WiFi and is as comfortable as in the first scenario. Thirty minutes later, the mechanic returns and provides the same explanation for the noisy brakes and the same recommendations for the brake service for next time. Like the mechanic in the first scenario, he points out that there is 40% wear left on the pads. He then provides some additional information. He explains that there is a new brake pad available that is made up of a composite of materials. It offers the same braking performance as conventional pads. It costs about 20% more but wears much more slowly. In fact, studies have demonstrated between a 70% and 100% improvement in pad life. He leaves you with a brochure on the new product and suggests that you keep it in mind for when your brakes need replacing. You pay the bill – which is comparable to the bill in scenario one, and head out. As you leave, you think about why you patronize this garage. You recognize that not only is the mechanic reasonable, thorough and friendly, but he is very much in tune with what is going on in the industry and uses that knowledge to make recommendations to enhance your driving experience. He has often brought several new ideas to your attention – many of which you have taken advantage of.

Which of the two mechanics would you rather deal with? If you said scenario number 2, you would not be alone. Like most of our customers, you see value in the mechanic using their knowledge and expertise to bring to your attention information on products and services that might benefit you. You might even feel that, in the competitive world of car maintenance, the mechanic in the first scenario will have a difficult time differentiating his business and, in the long term, may lose business to the more proactively focused competitors.

To deliver GREAT service, our challenge as managers will be to create scenario number 2 – to enthusiastically engage our technicians in helping our customers to be better off by becoming trusted advisors. We must set an environment where this activity is encouraged and supported. We must ensure that every one of our technicians recognizes their proactive efforts as a critical component of the service that we provide. We must communicate this to our customers and use our approach to differentiate us from the rest of the pack.

How do your service techs stack up? To get greater insight into where you are strong and to identify possible opportunities for improvement, download our “How Proactive is Your Service Team” self evaluation worksheet. Any questions? Just contact me. I would be delighted to hear from you.

As always I welcome your questions and your feedback. You can connect with me via telephone or email or leave a comment right here on the site. And as always, please feel free to leave a link back to your own blog if you have one via the commentluv feature here on the site. If you are reading this blog post via email, you will need to locate this post on my website by clicking here. Scroll down to the bottom of the page where you will find the comment section.

Jim Baston

“Strive not to be a success, but rather to be of value.”

– Albert Einstein

The post A Tale of 2 Auto Mechanics – Which One Would you Prefer? appeared first on jimbaston.com.