I feel a little goofy describing why I’m passionate about the work I do. It sounds lofty; pretentious even. My work is definitely focused on for-profit organizations and some of what I do helps largish companies make more money. It’s not neurosurgery, philanthropy or “the next big thing.”
But my mission is one I believe is important. No more ruined days.
Each little interaction we have with one another matters. Whether it’s as individuals or representing a company, we are human. Humans are emotional. Most of us have better things to do than spend time correcting a billing issue or dealing with a grumpy service rep.
On the flip side, most humans want to do a good job. They want to please their bosses, their teammates and their customers. But when we can’t because we don’t have the right information, the right training or the right authority, that is a bad day, too.
No more ruined days.
In my current age and situation, I fit a lot of demographics. Working mom, 34 – 39, 2 kids, upper middle class, tech savvy, and on and on. But I am not a demographic. I’m a person every day of my life. When things don’t go according to my carefully-constructed but overly-optimistic plans, I am left grumpy. So my kids now have a grumpy mom. My clients now have a grumpy partner. My team now has a grumpy leader. Heck, even my delivery guy now has a grumpy customer.
Ruined days all around!
Sometimes it’s something small – like the fleeting thought of being a loyal customer and never hearing “thanks” – and sometimes it’s big, like spending the better part of the morning on the phone disputing a hotel charge for 2 rooms when I was only occupying one of them.
Just recently, I spent a lot of time on the Pottery Barn Kids site’s “Room Planner,” only to find logging back into it nearly impossible to find. My blood pressure went up, my frustration grew and I decided this was a strike against PBK. “THIS,” I exclaimed to my increasingly annoyed husband, “is why what I do matters!”
No more ruined days!
Too many companies exist in a world they create and think is reality. They don’t care enough to invest in customer experience evaluation and improvement. They don’t care if your day is ruined.
I care. And the great thing is my clients care, too. They care enough to invest in outside evaluations. They care enough to understand they can’t see the experience if they’re on the inside of it. They care enough to continually look for ways to improve and innovate for their customers. They care if your day was ruined.
Do you care if your customers have ruined days? Are you on a mission to ensure they don’t?
No more ruined days! Who’s in!?
Love the way you framed the conversation in the context of ruined days! That really is what it’s all about – making a customer feel good.
Great read, Jeannie. Thanks!