Today we’re sharing insight from guest blogger Scott Franko, President of Franko Design Concepts and Consulting. We hope you enjoy Scott’s wisdom and perspective.
I once called for an unscheduled staff meeting, with all hands on deck, to deal with an issue that was becoming rampant and out of control. The fault of course wasn't mine, but the blame was. My leaders were allowing the messy way we were serving customers, and those managers were my responsibility. I needed to call a timeout and bring the entire team together in order to see the problems and address them. It would be time for teaching the managers as well.
Our business had grown and we were no longer one company. We were now operating from four divisions or entities within the one corporation. With that growth we were experiencing growing pains.
Several new people had joined our company but the team had not yet gelled together very well. They weren’t functioning smoothly as a group. The whole place was out of sync with each other's areas and responsibilities. People were working, but not working in the proper sequence that leads to good customer service or avoiding mistakes and re-dos.
The illustration I used at this meeting was that of an elegant restaurant. From the customer’s perspective, they are there to eat and enjoy a pleasant experience. Our job is to give them both, not just one or the other.
Although we’re a branding company, not a restaurant, we were carrying out our services as if we were seating customers then putting potatoes on the plate without the meat and forgetting the water. We were serving salads after the main course to people who didn’t order or want one.
Everybody was doing their job but not conducting the job with proper timing or within the scope of the meal that was ordered. The hostess, waiter, and chef were not working on the same page. This had to end. The problem needed fixed. As CEO, it was my job to get things back on track.
Had I not called for that meeting to deal with the issues head on, the company could have sunk to a very low place and into a hole that would’ve been hard to dig out of. I could have chosen to patiently (which would better be described as passively) wait for the team to see and address the problems on their own. Sometimes that's a good course of action to take as a leader. But not in this case.
What’s The Risk?
There are times when leaders need to swoop in and take immediate action. This was one of those times. Otherwise “Salad Man” would continue to busily hand out salads because it was “his job” while not paying attention to who should actually be getting one or to the timing of when to serve it.
He was serving his salads, diligently. The salads were even good looking and great tasting. But his service was all wrong in the customer's perspective. And you know what happens in the restaurant business (or any business) when the food, products, or services are not provided to satisfaction ... a loss of revenue and reputation.
In order to achieve the affection of your customer, the whole team needs to give the right effort, focus, and execution of your services. The same is true if you make a product. You can’t focus on just quantity or quality or cutting expenses or profit. You have to keep them all in mind when providing something meaningful and worth the money a customer pays.
This content was written and shared by guest blogger, Scott Franko.
Scott is the President of Franko Design Concepts and Consulting for "brand and image." Fresh out of college with his graphic design degree from Ball State University, he went to work at custom sign maker US Signcrafters, becoming president in 1997 and an owner in 2006 where he remains today. Under his leadership the company launched the additional divisions of The Sign Store for print production and Building Impressions for ornamental architectural fabrication. Together the companies combine as a full-scale resource for creative visual solutions.
To date he has authored and published five books including "Lessons from a Pair of Old Gloves" that was recognized with an Honorable Mention by Writers Digest. His nationally popular weekly blog is called Pay Notes; "pay-day" notes for thought, consideration and inspiration. He can be reached at scott@frankodesign.com.
Connect with Scott on LinkedIn or Twitter.
