Work M T, O, D, M
The most successful companies are those that understand what their customers value. Customers are the only ones who can say what will satisfy their wants; it is therefore extremely important for the organization to understand the customer’s opinion of what is needed or what is of value. The customer is more likely to spend money with an organization that behaviorally demonstrates a value that is similar to his or her own.
The following activity assumes that the organization wants to maintain its current customer base and that the session is being conducted with a group of participants who will ultimately be held responsible for improving service to current customers. If the organization is interested in expanding customer niches, the questions can be modified with the process remaining the same.
185 minutes (60 minutes for individual work [Steps 1–5]; 20 minutes for small-group work [Step 6]; 75 minutes for large-group work and discussion [Steps 7–8]; 30 minutes for debriefing)
1. To identify who the customer is
2. To identify what the customer values
3. To generate suggestions for more effectively meeting customer needs
• Flipchart
• Pens, marking pens
• 3 × 5 sticky notepads in three different colors
• Colored sticky dots
• A room with at least three Large wall spaces available
1. Explain to the group that your goal is to generate ideas for more effectively meeting customer needs. You will begin by asking them to identify their customers and their customers’ values.
2. Provide each participant with three 3x5 sticky notepads, each a different color.
3. Ask each participant to identify 2–5 key characteristics of current customers and to write these on one color of sticky notes, one statement per note. The statements should be large enough to be seen from several feet away. Ask participants to place those sticky notes on one wall in the room, then without talking, to sort the sticky notes into 5–7 related groupings (e.g., physical characteristics, psychological characteristics, demand behavior, etc.). Next, instruct them to place the sticky notes on newsprint sheets with major headings based on the groupings identified. Post those pages with their notes on a wall where they are visible to everyone.
4. Now instruct participants to identify what they believe to be their customers’ values—keeping the customer identification they have just completed in mind. Again, ask each individual to identify 2–5 key values, then write them separately on sticky notes of a different color, large enough to be seen from several feet away. Ask them to repeat the process of sticking the notes on the wall, sorting the statements into groups (e.g., quality, personal service/relationship, creativity, etc.), and placing the notes on newsprint with major headings based on the groupings identified. Post those pages on a wall that is visible to everyone.
5. Now follow the same procedure with the third color of sticky notes, this time identifying the 2–5 major areas/issues that they believe the organization could help improve its customer service by addressing— again keeping in mind the already-identified customer characteristics and values.
6. Assign participants to teams of 3–4, with each team being assigned one of the major areas identified for improvement (from the third set of sticky notes). Ask each team to brainstorm a minimum of 10–20 ideas for improvement in their assigned area, then to write their ideas on a flipchart sheet.
7. Call the larger group together and ask each team to present its ideas for improvement. All individuals are provided with three sticky dots for each of the issue areas being explored (e.g., five areas=15 dots per person). After the presentation by each small group, request individuals to place their three dots for that issue on the three ideas they believe would make the greatest and quickest difference in customer service.
8. Once the three top ideas for improvement in each area are identified, ask the large group to decide who will be responsible for implementing the idea and to agree to a follow-up time line for assessing the effectiveness of the strategy.
Note: This last step is very broadly defined. Because this activity is designed as an actual action activity, the individuals involved in this session will make determinations about implementing strategies, responsibilities, and timelines.
1. Which of these areas (characteristics, values, improvements) were easiest and which were most difficult to identify? Why?
2. How do you feel about your understanding of the customers’ values, characteristics, and needs? How do you feel about the processes used to identify customer service weaknesses and the chances for these processes to succeed in improving customer service?
3. What personal values do you hold that will make it either easier or more difficult for you to pursue implementation of the customer service priorities generated?
4. What have you learned?
5. How will you apply information from this experience to your work life? How will you support those responsible for implementation?
1. Successful organizations are those that come closest to correctly identifying their customers’ needs and wants and then striving to satisfy those needs. This is a challenge for any organization and may be even greater when customers come from a range of cultural groups (ethnic, national, gender, age, etc.)
2. Customers act on their own needs and desires. They will gravitate to whatever organization can meet their needs in a way that supports their values. Beginning with an identification and understanding of customer characteristics and values will usually result in more effective customer service.
3. Strength in performance comes from an alignment of customer, employee, and organizational values and needs.
If the participants do not have responsibility for implementing customer service improvements but can suggest changes to someone else in the organization, the last step in the process would be to “think three”: summarize the 3 most important characteristics and the 3 most critical values of their customers, then choose 3 areas of customer service that need to be improved and finally 3 ideas for improvement in each of these areas. This information could then be passed on to the individual or group responsible for implementation.
© Executive Diversity Services, Inc., Seattle, Washington, 2001.