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MAPPING THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY

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MAPPING THE CUSTOMER JOURNEY

Customers of a business go on a journey that turns an initial enquiries into a sale.  The best businesses really understand the journey they take their customers on. Some businesses call it Customer Experience Mapping, others call it Customer Journey Mapping and some even refer to Customer Touchpoints. The thing to understand is that the companies that use these practices recognise higher levels of customer satisfaction and customer loyalty. The reason for this is relatively simple: it adds structure and encourages the adoption of customer service standards across your business.

Mapping the ideal customer experience sets a clear expectation and consistency for customer interactions with your firm. During the mapping process, many companies also find holes in their systems, outdated or irrelevant processes, or policies that make doing business more difficult, rather than easier, for the customer. This is the perfect opportunity to address those issues or shortcomings, eliminate, improve, or enhance them, and create an even better experience for the customer. The companies that take the time to do this understand that while we all might have a great idea in our heads on what we’d like the customer to experience when they choose to do business with us, unless you have it well planned out, it’s unlikely to happen.

Customer Journey Mapping should be done to identify, as closely as possible, the ideal experience that you would like to be able to deliver to your clients. Consider the journey of the customer through your company as they do business with you. Each time the customer interacts with a person or department, this is a “Waypoint” on your map. Briefly describe (3 or 4 bullet points) the ideal experience at each waypoint. Now keep going through each step of the process until you finish at the point of sale. Then keep going for another 2 or 3 waypoints – we can’t forget about after sale follow-up…

The great customer experiences that people refer to when they talk about companies like Apple, Disney or BMW don’t just “happen”. These experiences are created. They are mapped out step by step and then clearly communicated across the business. Just because your business is smaller than these international giants, doesn’t mean you can’t learn from them. Great customer experiences create great reputations. Great reputations build great businesses.

 

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MANAGING YOUR INBOX

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MANAGING YOUR INBOX

A never-ending inbox of emails is the cause of long working hours, stressed out managers and procrastination. It is also the reason why many people feel that they are so ‘busy’ when in fact they are often busy doing the wrong things. A full, un-manageable inbox can distract you from what you should be doing. Here are a few tips for managing email.

Read Emails in Batches
Identify two time slots in your working day to read and respond to emails. This may not be possible every day, but gain some consistency when you check in to your mails. For the rest of the day focus on getting things done and don’t worry about your inbox. If something is urgent, they can always telephone you. By introducing a bit of structure you will be more productive and will focus on your priorities.

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Switch Off Any Alerts
If you structure your day with ‘email time’ as above, you don’t need to know when you receive a new email. Switch off email alerts on your smartphone or computer. You control your inbox – your inbox can’t be allowed to control you with notifications and flashing red lights!

If you want to receive less emails, send less emails
It sounds obvious, but the reason many people receive lots of emails is because they spend so much time sending them out. Reducing your output will have an impact on how many emails you receive. Try picking up the phone for a change. If you have a team or colleagues, get up from your desk and walk over to talk to them. You may achieve a lot more simply by having a conversation with the right person.

Use your ‘Out of Office’
Manage expectations. When you are on holiday, you probably use an ‘Out of Office’ response to tell people you are away. When you come back you are then faced with a mountain of emails and may feel overwhelmed. Next time you are away, leave your out of office on for an extra day or two after you get back to allow you to catch up on emails that came in while you were away

GETTING INDUCTION PROCESSES RIGHT

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GETTING INDUCTION PROCESSES RIGHT. WELCOME

 In a world where the latest generation of “millennial” workers are prone to changing jobs, the importance of a good employee induction plan can no longer be ignored.  In order to get your induction process right you need to consider:

  • How long it takes new employees to become a productive member of the team
  • How long it generally takes new team members to reach a level of competency so that they can work for a key client

 

Team Involvement

Getting your new recruits involved with the right people is key. Integrating your new employee with the team should involve activities which are relevant, interactive and, most importantly, fun! A dedicated mentoring relationship is also extremely helpful to your new hire as they will feel secure knowing that they have someone to turn to with their questions. The mentor should be an established member of the company and  someone your new hire will feel comfortable seeking assistance from on policies, procedures and guidelines.

 

Prepare a Workspace

Nothing makes someone feel more welcome than when you take steps to prepare for them. Depending on their role, here are some common workplace essentials to have in place, ideally before your new hire is on board:

  • Email account set up
  • Stationary
  • Mobile phone / BlackBerry if applicable
  • Security access card / fob
  • Computer set up with software, passwords etc
  • Business cards if applicable

 

Training

It is important that you make your new employee feel that the business cares about them. The onboarding process should include formal training in their first week. This training could include HR, policy and procedure training, IT training for specific systems, etc.

 

Ensure that your training programme is timely and relevant to their position and role in the company, and that you encourage them to take part in further after-hours education, workshops or CPD training where relevant.

 

 

EFFECTIVE DELEGATION

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EFFECTIVE DELEGATION.

We all understand the importance of delegation, yet very few know how to do it properly. Here are a few tips to help you delegate work effectively.

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Realistic Deadlines

It is important to note that overloading your team will have a negative impact, so before you delegate work make sure that you understand how much work they currently have to do. Next identify any extra capacity in your team and consider whether this is enough to complete a delegated task or project. Set a deadline that is realistic and achievable for the person or team to whom you are delegating the work.

Be Specific about What You Want Done

Be clear as to the purpose of the delegated work and what kind of results you expect. Providing a written outline of what you require can be useful, as this gives your team something to refer back to. Finally, take the time to answer your team’s questions – this takes less time than redoing the work!

Leave Them to It

Once you have delegated work to someone who is well equipped to handle the task, allow them to be imaginative in their approach and do something in a differently or better way. How they do the work doesn’t really matter, as long as it produces the right results.  Remember – nobody likes to be micro managed.

Develop Your Team

You can use delegation to empower team members and encourage them to develop new skills and expertise. Make sure that they feel comfortable to ask questions: let them know that you are happy to clarify anything they may be unsure about.

Reporting

Have a system in place so that your team can report their progress without having to constantly interrupt you during the day. Setting dates for progress updates can be useful.

 

 

CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) AS A PROFILE RAISING TOOL

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CORPORATE SOCIAL RESPONSIBILITY (CSR) AS A PROFILE RAISING TOOL.

Whether establishing a business-charity partnership or organising for a group of staff to volunteer in the local community, CSR is part of being in business. CSR is a great way to engage your staff, build teams and fulfil your business’s role as a responsible part of the wider community. Large businesses often run substantial CSR programmes but small firms can contribute by engaging with local charity events. Charity isn’t an obvious profile raising tool for businesses but it can be a great way of increasing your profile in the market while conveying a positive image as a good corporate citizen.

A NEW WAY
A NEW WAY

Think Local
If you are a local business, your customers will want to see you supporting the local area. Charitable organisations are often funded purely through donations. What’s more, they often need help with more than just finance. A nice way to support such charities is to allow your staff to volunteer some time (say 1 or 2 days per year) during work to help out with the charity’s activities. Alternatively, if some of your team are sporty, they could run a marathon to raise money. They could write about their experience in the local newspaper or a relevant business journal, giving give the business and the charity some good PR off the back of the event.

Stick with what you are good at
If you want to build the profile of your business in a particular sector, you could try to support a relevant charity which you would like your business to be associated with. For example, if you offer accounting and taxation services to the social housing sector, then you could help out a social housing charity as part of your CSR programme. This would help to raise the profile of your firm in this market, while at the same time giving your business and your people the opportunity to engage in CSR.

Go with what you believe in
You may think that there is nothing you can do to help, but if there is a particular charity that you believe in then contact them. If you are passionate and enthusiastic about the chosen charity your firm supports, this will come across when you talk about it. It will make good reading in the local newspaper while generating some PR for your firm at the same time.

TIPS FOR BEING A BETTER MANAGER

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TIPS FOR BEING A BETTER MANAGER.

 No matter how big or small a business is, good managers will always make a business better. What traits make a highly effective manager? Experience being a given, here are a few points to consider:

Decisiveness

Effective managers are known to make decisions quickly and are slow to change those decisions. This is often seen as being stubborn or resistant to change, but a manager that changes his or her decisions frequently is seen as indecisive, confusing and loses respect as a team leader. Often, those who change decisions often rely too heavily on impressing others with their title and position instead of understanding what’s in front of them. Well informed, quick decision making is a signature of highly effective managers.

Planning

Good managers make definite plans and know how to execute them. Leading by guesswork without definite plans can be seen as disorganised. For the most part, effective managers take the time to think things through, weigh up all the options and then come up with viable ways to address positive and negative risks that may arise. Essentially, they plan their work and work their plan.

Empathy

Good managers empathise with their team members. It’s easy for some managers to dismiss the personal issues of team members, but truly effective managers realise that paying attention to staff as well as their work is essential to having a productive team. Not only does it make the employee feel like they matter, it is also good business. A boss that sympathises with and provides resources to his/her team is a part of the holistic business approach that is good for team morale as well as the firm itself.

Knowing the Detail

Good managers understand the detail but focus their efforts on the big picture. They delegate tasks to the team and trust those team members to deliver. A good manager will always impart an understanding of the overall plan to the team and then give each person a part to play in delivering the plan.

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5 BEST PRACTICES’ FOR USING EMAIL

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Email is part of day to day business life in most businesses. Here are a few tips to help you regain control of your inbox.

Speak to peopleSpeakPeople

When you receive an email that looks like it’s going to be complicated to reply to, visit/telephone the person who sent it, and ask what they want you to do. Discussing things in person can eliminate those email chains that go on and on. People can often hide behind email but in person, you can make your point and, if necessary, demand a straight answer.

Send good emails

We all get junk emails on a regular basis. If you send good quality emails you will tend to receive quality emails back. Try to be straight with people and don’t hide behind elusive language. Tackle problems head on and in a polite manner. This will make it more difficult for people to respond in a rude or annoying way.

Avoid “reply all”

This just clutters up people’s inboxes unnecessarily. They will also reply all back to you and clutter up your inbox. Only reply to those to whom it is necessary to reply.

Lengthy emails

If you receive a lengthy email and you are too busy to deal with it, reply to or call the sender. Try something along the lines of “Thanks for this.  I’m short on time.  Very quickly, what is it you would like me to do?”

Agreements    

Very often we send emails in order to get things agreed in writing. If you need this, perhaps try having a conversation with the person. Establish the way forward, agree verbally then when you get back to your desk send an email to confirm what has been agreed along the lines of, “As discussed today, we have confirmed our agreement to….” Don’t forget to file this email – it can be useful if the decision is ever challenged.

MANAGING DIFFICULT EMPLOYEES

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MANAGING DIFFICULT EMPLOYEES.

Effectively managing difficult employees can be a challenging prospect. Whether it is the employee who is consistently late, who complains incessantly or who seems to constantly upset their co-workers, every company must deal with difficult employees.

difficult emplyees

These situations drain management’s time and energy, impact on the morale of co-workers and interfere with overall workplace productivity. The key to effectively addressing such situations begins with an understanding of the issues and a clear identification of the actual source of the problem.

Even the best employee can have an off-day (or week, or month). Before deciding if an employee is difficult, managers must first step back and neutrally assess the situation. The first question to ask is whether the behaviour is critical enough to implement a formal HR process. Another important concept to consider is that ‘different’ does not equal ‘difficult’. There will always be employees that a manager does not gel with, understand or even like. However, this is not enough to deem an employee difficult. To constitute a “difficult employee”, behaviour must exceed acceptable standards, policies and procedures or interfere with productivity.

Define the Problem

When addressing the problems created by difficult employees, the focus should always be on job performance. It is management’s duty to clearly explain why the issue is a problem, and how the problem is adversely impacting the company. At this stage it may be useful to refer to the employee’s job description and the company handbook.

Clarify Roles

It is important that both the manager and employee are absolutely clear on individual roles. The manager’s role is to ensure business success by leading, coaching and supporting employees. The employee’s role is to meet predefined performance and behaviour standards, and function as a cooperative team member. A key concept that employees must grasp is that it is not only the level of their performance that is important, but also how their performance affects the functioning of their team, department and the company overall.

Identify Expectations

This is where the manager should clarify four things – the employee’s performance, responsibilities, impact of their behaviour and the consequences if it doesn’t change. A follow up and ongoing review should be scheduled and regular updates between the manager and the employee will help to move things forward and get the employee back on track.

 

HOSTING A GREAT SEMINAR

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HOSTING A GREAT SEMINAR.

 Hosting a seminar is a great way to reach out to new customers and give existing customers a little bit of “value added”. However, putting on a good event isn’t always as easy as it looks. It takes a lot of preparation, coordination and attention to detail to pull off a successful seminar.

SEMINAR

 

Audience

You should tailor your seminar to your intended audience. As such, you should decide whether you are targeting existing customers, the general public, new businesses etc. Determining who your audience is will help you to decide what content should be included.

Budget

You should consider the aims of your seminar before setting your budget.

For example, if you want to win 5 new customers, you may need 50 or 60 attendees at your event. This means that you will need a venue with the capacity to accommodate this number. Set a realistic budget and try to stick to it.

Venue

Once you determine the size of your desired audience, you will need to find an appropriate venue. A good venue from which to host your event is your business premises, as this will help to raise awareness of your firm’s location among your target audience. Alternatively, you could choose a venue that is synonymous with your industry. For example, a solicitors firm could host a seminar at the local Law Society and an accountancy firm could host their event at the local ACCA or ICAEW office.

Schedule of Events

Having a specific schedule will help you create an agenda for your audience, should one be required. Ensure you have enough “leeway” in your timing to allow for unexpected occurrences (for example lunch not being served on time). Consider what time your speakers should arrive, if you’re providing lunch or dinner etc.

Plan Ahead

Make lists, schedule meetings and touch base with people periodically. Make sure that you’ve listed everything you need. You should create a written plan that is designed to make every detail of the event happen (who is doing what), and talk through this plan with your team to ensure they don’t need additional assistance.

 

GET MORE OUT OF YOUR MEETINGS

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GET MORE OUT OF YOUR MEETINGS.

 Meetings are a necessary evil. However, they are time consuming, resource intensive and can often prove to be inefficient if attendees are not prepared. Here are some top tips to help you to make the most of your meetings.

AGENDA

 

Create an Agenda

Agree an agenda for each meeting and circulate the agenda prior to the meeting. This sets the tone for your meeting and avoids situations where people get side tracked.

Punctuality

Timing is important. If people don’t show up on time, start without them. They will learn by experience and they will avoid being late for the next meeting. Equally, stick to your timeline – if you say a meeting will be over by 4pm then make sure it is over on time as your colleagues will have other things which the need to attend to during their working day.

Be Prepared

Set a good example by being prepared for meetings. As others observe that you are prepared, they will tend to follow your example as it comes across as professional. Being prepared for meetings will also help you to win the respect of your colleagues as they may view people who turn up to meetings unprepared as “time wasters”.

No Blackberries or Mobile Phones

At the start of each meeting ask colleagues to switch their phones to silent and avoid checking emails during the meeting. If you make a point of saying this, they will most likely avoid being distracted by their phones and will contribute more to the meeting as a result.

Facilitate

If you are chairing a meeting, aim to facilitate conversation between colleagues. Do not allow a small minority to dominate the meeting. Very often, knowledgeable people fail to contribute to a meeting as they are overwhelmed by more talkative colleagues.