This is your brain on “continuous change”
Big events, such as life changes (moves, new job, promotions, weddings, births, deaths etc), as well as smaller regular daily shifts, like transitioning from task to task and skill to skill are all part of daily learning. How we deal with change and transitions (big or small), as individuals, as organizations and as a culture will determine our present and future success.
Do you embrace the inevitable changes and transitions that are central to life, or do you avoid them until they are forced upon you and a choice is no longer there?
The dictionary defines Transition as follows: movement, passage, or change from one position, state, stage, subject, concept, etc., to another.
Examples of transition/change could range from getting dressed, going into a meeting, then going to another
meeting with a different focus, to brushing your teeth; beginning a therapy or fitness session, writing a report,
answering the phone, arriving home from work or could also be an attitudinal shift, change in perception or belief. At any given time of the day, the volume of changes individuals are required to make could go from 20 to 50 within an hour span, and that is a conservative estimate.
Nothing stays the same for very long. Continuous change requires us to regularly address how we learn, research, communicate, collaborate, engage with others and model our behavior. Each step in this ‘continuous identification cycle’ is critical and applicable to our children, their learning; our adult learning as well as an organization’s culture. As we grow and change it is advisable to prepare ourselves and our children for the future. How can we do this if we are in constant stress due to fast paced change and can’t adapt easily?
A great article in FORTUNE magazine emphasized how universities are failing to prepare students with the
needed digital and social media skill set in a meaningful way. Dr. William Ward (handle @DR4WARD) of Syracuse University's S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications says, "Higher education, like business, needs a culture shift."
What was interesting about this article is that not only does the content of education have keep up with
continuous change - equally important, is the daily development of our abilities and skills to grasp and process this continuous identification cycle of change. We are all in need of this skill set during these ambiguous timesand rest assured we are all quite capable of mastering it.
Among Fortune 500 companies, 73% now have company Twitter accounts and 66% have Facebook Pages. Analysts estimate that $1.3 trillion in value stands to be unlocked by new social technologies. But while businesses are hungry to tap social media, they lack the expertise to do so. Among 2,100 companies surveyed by Harvard Business Review, only 12% of those using social media feel they use it effectively.
The result is an exceptional demand for social media professionals who can boost the bottom line. "Social
communication done well increases productivity, saves money and time, and improves engagement and
satisfaction," Ward says. "[It's] a part of a larger culture shift changing how work gets done."
With higher education not addressing this gap, it is essentially up to the employers to not only have a plan, but as part of it to fill, develop and manage this skill gap and cultural shift with new and current employees. Too add one more critical consideration to this plan; companies are dealing with the most diverse mixture of generations ever! The boomers, generation X, millennial generation, each bring value, different perspectives and characteristics to their organizations. Businesses with a social media focus, working with the continuous identification cycle of change also have to become social integrators.
Innovative companies will need to identify new ways of training that deal with organizational shift, continuous
new learning, mentoring and training support programs. Thankfully, all of these generations and programs have one thing in common: they can all successfully implement, retain and integrate new learning and change by introducing Brain Fitness programs.
Interesting how movement is listed as the first description word for the meaning of “transition” in the dictionary. For those who are new readers, Brain Fitness is the state in which we are performing well, mentally, emotionally and physically/functionally. Brain Fitness grew out of the study of neuropsychology and neuroscience. It is the science of building, maintaining and training cognitive abilities through neuroplasticity stimulating neurogenesis, the creation of new neurons, and neural connections.
Research tells us that when in stress, the average person only uses a limited portion of their brain, leaving the
majority underutilized in day to day thoughts, decisions and actions. It doesn't matter how much new
information comes our way, we need a neurological system that can successfully integrate the learning and
transition it to action. This happens when our brain achieves greater connectivity.
Using Brain Fitness (integrative movement), you can support a cultural shift, and level and enhance the playing field so there is common ground during a shifting and uncertain market place as well as support employees change and transitional opportunities for growth and training retention. Retention of any new learning is key to organizational efficiency. Our memory loses 50% of newly learned knowledge in a matter of days or weeks unless we consciously review the learned material (Hermann). This stat can actually fluctuate based on the individuals stress level. Our Brain Fitness tools directly impact stress by removing physical, emotional, mental and functional stress.
Brain Fitness breaks are simple, easy and effective. When implemented they lead to greater clarity, focus,
productivity and stress reduction. A drink of water and some of quick Brain Fitness movements will restore
balance and connection and yield tremendous results immediately and long term. Most of all, we connect to our higher brain power, the neo cortex - the place where our executive functioning skills reside. Now we become innovative visionaries and agents of change! As we grow, adapt and transition our brain to higher functioning, this positively impacts our personal and professional lives.
To learn more about your brain and gain understanding of the simplicity of the brain’s ability to grow and rewire itself for enjoyment, efficiency, achievement and health, consider joining one of our personal/professional development courses and make some new brain links for your success! Brain Fitness is easy and extremely beneficial to us all, no matter your age or ability.
About the authors
Jill Hewlett and Sharon Todd are co-founders of Brain Works Global Inc., licensed Brain Gym® Trainers,
Educational Kinesiologist and Cognitive fitness experts. Their company trains clients on how to maximize their learning potential while working in conjunction with their group and individual goals.
For over a decade Jill Hewlett has been providing inspirational and educational keynotes. As well, Brain Works Global provides in house and community training and personal and professional coaching services to a wide range of organizations, schools and the community.
For more information go to http://www.brainworksglobal.com or call Sharon Todd, Director of Sales and Operations 905.235.5546
Understanding the Boss
Over the course of my career, I’ve encountered literally hundreds of CEO / Presidents and other executives in organizations ranging in size from very small (less than 10 employees) to multi-billion-dollar, multi-nationals employing thousands. Many of these people have been excellent in their positions while others are long past their ‘best before’ dates. Others should never have been in a position of authority at that, or sometimes any, level. The impact of the CEO business decisions (timing and accuracy) and the CEO personality on the morale of employees and on the organization’s credibility with all stakeholders cannot be understated and often makes the difference between the levels of success or failure the organization will achieve.
In this world of constant change, the CEO must also be able to determine product, market and sales strategy and tactics as rapidly as the change is occurring. If the organization is in a growth or decline, the CEO must also be able to determine effective resource strategies to ensure continued success or survival. Therefore, a CEO could be faced with rapid changes to the competitive environment and changes in the rate of growth simultaneously…and the two may not necessarily be related.
The problem is determining whether the CEO can effectively work in the current environment as well as the future environments that the organization may find itself.
Management Types
My quite unscientific study and categorization of management types is to divide them into three areas: Operators; Managers; and, Leaders.
THE OPERATOR is the most basic type of boss. I characterize this person as reactionary, lacking basic knowledge capital in some areas of the organization and tend to use catch phrases that they’ve picked up along the way to try to show that they know what they’re doing. In other words, they appear to be large ponds of water when they are really shallow puddles. The Operator is not a manager at all…they are bosses and are likely to be very controlling. If this person has an ego or temper, watch out!
A MANAGER understands the continuum of “Plan – Action – Control” and has adequate knowledge capital to be able to know what the next logical action would be in terms of dealing with a gradual change in market or revenue. This person normally has the personality skill set to be able to direct people to meet end goals. They are tactical managers but do not necessarily have the vision that is required to lead change, get the most out of their resources or recognize sudden shifts in their competitive position.
A LEADER is very comfortable in their own skin and don’t have serious issues in letting people know that they don’t know everything. They know where their core competency is and, more importantly, where they need to surround themselves with others that have complimentary core competencies to form an effective management team. By surrounding themselves with talent, they make themselves appear stronger and give themselves the ‘thinking space’ to be able to manage the organization at both strategic and tactical levels. Few people mind working for, or with, a leader. If they ask you to jump, you’ll gladly ask ‘how high’ on the way up because you have confidence in their judgement and personality.
How They Got There
The other category that I apply to understanding the CEO is how they became executives in the first place. Again, I divided this into three paths: The Owner; The Peter Principle; and, The Promoted.
THE OWNER is the CEO because they either own, or co-own, the business. They are the boss because they sign the cheques.
THE PETER PRINCIPLE CEO has been placed into the position for a number of potential reasons. Nepotism (hiring a family member), being a friend of the owner, being promoted because you’ve been in the business forever (best before date is well past) or being the consummate politician (also known as kissing butt) may get this person the title but they are at least one level of authority higher than they ever should attain.
THE PROMOTED CEO is a person that started in business at a substantially lower point in an organization. They have been watched over, motivated, mentored and promoted up the ladder over a period of time when they have shown the aptitude and ability to handle the responsibilities of that next level.
How They Likely Perform
As with anything unscientific, there are exceptions to what I’ve observed. However, when I put the Management Type with the How They Got There into a matrix and then look at how they perform in terms of handling pace of change and growth changes, I come up with the matrix shown and can predict with some certainty how these people are going to perform.
The Owner Group
“OO” The Owner/Operator is going to be okay in a small organization that has very little probability of rapid market changes or changing volume in a hurry. These people are good at operating the corner store or small ‘boutique’ operations (e.g. organizations with less than 10 people). However, growing an organization or reacting to change will present major challenges unless they upgrade their knowledge capital and become effective managers of people and resources. As the business gets steadily larger, or has progressively faster change in market, this person could go from competent to unable to manage and then to the state of becoming a liability to the organization as they botch resource and product decisions.
“OM” The Owner/Manager is going to be okay with steady changes in the growth of an organization. The “Plan – Action – Control” and knowledge capital that they have in the business will stand them in good stead. However, they may mishandle rapid market changes or be unable to react quickly enough to a change in fortune. If they do recognize, or have planned for, change they will likely have considered utilizing outside assistance. If they have some good outside council, they should be able to weather short storms but would need to bring in permanent assistance if the changes continued to rock the boat.
“OL” The Owner/Leader is likely to be focused on the growth of their organization within their vertical. Controlling growth will not be an issue because they will have hired other management personnel that have skill sets that are complimentary. The potential issue for this person is rapid change to their marketplace if they haven’t also invested in outside counsel to assist in identifying change and the proper plans to survive and/or thrive with the changes.
Peter Principle Group
“NO” As long as the organization is in a stable environment, this person will muddle their way through short-term issues. However, this person will not handle growth or change well. They don’t have the knowledge capital or personality to be able to do much. Next to the OO combo, this is probably the worst combination in a CEO that I can imagine in an organization in rapid growth or change mode.
“NM” Due to their management capabilities, these people will be able to handle slow growth or market change conditions. Remembering that they are operating at least one level higher in the organization than they have a skill set to attain, they are likely to err when having to make a decision on rapidly changing situations.
“NL” If this person exists, they are a rare breed. They would only be here under the nepotism criteria of getting into this group and that means that it would be a stroke of good fortune for the person that hired/promoted them into the position for this person to truly be a leader.
Promoted Group
“PO” This is another of the rare breed type as a CEO or executive level manager. An operator, by definition, should not be promoted.
“PM” A person that has been promoted through the ranks and can, at least, follow sound methodologies for planning and controlling the enterprise should be able to manage the organization in times of changing markets and controlled growth. However, they don’t have all of the skills to take the organization to the upper level of its growth potential with the resources at hand.
“PL” Unfortunately, many of us never have the opportunity to work for a person that has the Knowledge Capital and people skills that a PL exhibits. This person knows their core competencies and has surrounded themselves with complimentary skill sets. Beyond understanding the continuum of “Plan – Action – Control”, they invest in continuous improvement of key performance indicators, technology and methodology and utilize organizational resources – internal and external – to ensure that outside influences to the organization are monitored and appropriate action taken when shifts occur.
Contributing Factors
There are some contributing base personality factors that can make the management type an extreme case. Anger management issues, inappropriate language, ego and pride can turn situations from bad to ugly. These people should not show up in the Promoted Group but regularly show up in the other two groups. The worst possible CEO situation I can envision is the “OO” type person in a growth or rapid change mode that has any or all of these attributes. This person would not just be incompetent they could easily become a legal liability to the organization as stress to maintain control mounts. Conversely, an “OO” that finally figures out that they are over their heads in managing the organization and does not have these negative personality traits could eventually become an “OL”.
Summary
As I’ve mentioned, the above observations at just that…an informal study that I’ve conducted over my career spanning more than three decades. It’s important to all stakeholders in an organization to understand that the type of person leading from the CEO/President position sets the tone for the entire organization because change, when needed, has to start from the top. It’s also important for employees to understand the type of person they are working for, the speed of the change and growth factors affecting the organization and understand the impact that these factors will have on their quality of life.
I’ve been an employee working for a few of these types of people and have observed most of the others as a consultant. I was fortunate to begin my career working with a “PL” and enjoyed the mentoring approach which helped me not only climb the promotional ladder, but also showed me how to get the best performance from people…there wasn’t anything that he asked that I wouldn’t get done. I have also worked for an “OO” who also had and ego and a temper in a high growth situation…he couldn’t pay me enough to stay.
To papa-phrase a quote from Confucius: “Choose a management style you can work with and you never be stressed a day in your life”. Your upper management’s type and personality will have a direct impact on how many days you feel stressed and underappreciated.
About the author
Ken Cowman is Managing Director of Emercomm Business Consultants Inc. of Mississauga, Ontario ( www.emercomm.com ) . Ken has over 40 years of business experience with over 25 years in C-level positions. He can be reached via email kcowman@emercomm.com and his career profile can be found on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=13440900&trk=tab_pro
In this world of constant change, the CEO must also be able to determine product, market and sales strategy and tactics as rapidly as the change is occurring. If the organization is in a growth or decline, the CEO must also be able to determine effective resource strategies to ensure continued success or survival. Therefore, a CEO could be faced with rapid changes to the competitive environment and changes in the rate of growth simultaneously…and the two may not necessarily be related.
The problem is determining whether the CEO can effectively work in the current environment as well as the future environments that the organization may find itself.
Management Types
My quite unscientific study and categorization of management types is to divide them into three areas: Operators; Managers; and, Leaders.
THE OPERATOR is the most basic type of boss. I characterize this person as reactionary, lacking basic knowledge capital in some areas of the organization and tend to use catch phrases that they’ve picked up along the way to try to show that they know what they’re doing. In other words, they appear to be large ponds of water when they are really shallow puddles. The Operator is not a manager at all…they are bosses and are likely to be very controlling. If this person has an ego or temper, watch out!
A MANAGER understands the continuum of “Plan – Action – Control” and has adequate knowledge capital to be able to know what the next logical action would be in terms of dealing with a gradual change in market or revenue. This person normally has the personality skill set to be able to direct people to meet end goals. They are tactical managers but do not necessarily have the vision that is required to lead change, get the most out of their resources or recognize sudden shifts in their competitive position.
A LEADER is very comfortable in their own skin and don’t have serious issues in letting people know that they don’t know everything. They know where their core competency is and, more importantly, where they need to surround themselves with others that have complimentary core competencies to form an effective management team. By surrounding themselves with talent, they make themselves appear stronger and give themselves the ‘thinking space’ to be able to manage the organization at both strategic and tactical levels. Few people mind working for, or with, a leader. If they ask you to jump, you’ll gladly ask ‘how high’ on the way up because you have confidence in their judgement and personality.
How They Got There
The other category that I apply to understanding the CEO is how they became executives in the first place. Again, I divided this into three paths: The Owner; The Peter Principle; and, The Promoted.
THE OWNER is the CEO because they either own, or co-own, the business. They are the boss because they sign the cheques.
THE PETER PRINCIPLE CEO has been placed into the position for a number of potential reasons. Nepotism (hiring a family member), being a friend of the owner, being promoted because you’ve been in the business forever (best before date is well past) or being the consummate politician (also known as kissing butt) may get this person the title but they are at least one level of authority higher than they ever should attain.
THE PROMOTED CEO is a person that started in business at a substantially lower point in an organization. They have been watched over, motivated, mentored and promoted up the ladder over a period of time when they have shown the aptitude and ability to handle the responsibilities of that next level.
How They Likely Perform
As with anything unscientific, there are exceptions to what I’ve observed. However, when I put the Management Type with the How They Got There into a matrix and then look at how they perform in terms of handling pace of change and growth changes, I come up with the matrix shown and can predict with some certainty how these people are going to perform.
The Owner Group
“OO” The Owner/Operator is going to be okay in a small organization that has very little probability of rapid market changes or changing volume in a hurry. These people are good at operating the corner store or small ‘boutique’ operations (e.g. organizations with less than 10 people). However, growing an organization or reacting to change will present major challenges unless they upgrade their knowledge capital and become effective managers of people and resources. As the business gets steadily larger, or has progressively faster change in market, this person could go from competent to unable to manage and then to the state of becoming a liability to the organization as they botch resource and product decisions.
“OM” The Owner/Manager is going to be okay with steady changes in the growth of an organization. The “Plan – Action – Control” and knowledge capital that they have in the business will stand them in good stead. However, they may mishandle rapid market changes or be unable to react quickly enough to a change in fortune. If they do recognize, or have planned for, change they will likely have considered utilizing outside assistance. If they have some good outside council, they should be able to weather short storms but would need to bring in permanent assistance if the changes continued to rock the boat.
“OL” The Owner/Leader is likely to be focused on the growth of their organization within their vertical. Controlling growth will not be an issue because they will have hired other management personnel that have skill sets that are complimentary. The potential issue for this person is rapid change to their marketplace if they haven’t also invested in outside counsel to assist in identifying change and the proper plans to survive and/or thrive with the changes.
Peter Principle Group
“NO” As long as the organization is in a stable environment, this person will muddle their way through short-term issues. However, this person will not handle growth or change well. They don’t have the knowledge capital or personality to be able to do much. Next to the OO combo, this is probably the worst combination in a CEO that I can imagine in an organization in rapid growth or change mode.
“NM” Due to their management capabilities, these people will be able to handle slow growth or market change conditions. Remembering that they are operating at least one level higher in the organization than they have a skill set to attain, they are likely to err when having to make a decision on rapidly changing situations.
“NL” If this person exists, they are a rare breed. They would only be here under the nepotism criteria of getting into this group and that means that it would be a stroke of good fortune for the person that hired/promoted them into the position for this person to truly be a leader.
Promoted Group
“PO” This is another of the rare breed type as a CEO or executive level manager. An operator, by definition, should not be promoted.
“PM” A person that has been promoted through the ranks and can, at least, follow sound methodologies for planning and controlling the enterprise should be able to manage the organization in times of changing markets and controlled growth. However, they don’t have all of the skills to take the organization to the upper level of its growth potential with the resources at hand.
“PL” Unfortunately, many of us never have the opportunity to work for a person that has the Knowledge Capital and people skills that a PL exhibits. This person knows their core competencies and has surrounded themselves with complimentary skill sets. Beyond understanding the continuum of “Plan – Action – Control”, they invest in continuous improvement of key performance indicators, technology and methodology and utilize organizational resources – internal and external – to ensure that outside influences to the organization are monitored and appropriate action taken when shifts occur.
Contributing Factors
There are some contributing base personality factors that can make the management type an extreme case. Anger management issues, inappropriate language, ego and pride can turn situations from bad to ugly. These people should not show up in the Promoted Group but regularly show up in the other two groups. The worst possible CEO situation I can envision is the “OO” type person in a growth or rapid change mode that has any or all of these attributes. This person would not just be incompetent they could easily become a legal liability to the organization as stress to maintain control mounts. Conversely, an “OO” that finally figures out that they are over their heads in managing the organization and does not have these negative personality traits could eventually become an “OL”.
Summary
As I’ve mentioned, the above observations at just that…an informal study that I’ve conducted over my career spanning more than three decades. It’s important to all stakeholders in an organization to understand that the type of person leading from the CEO/President position sets the tone for the entire organization because change, when needed, has to start from the top. It’s also important for employees to understand the type of person they are working for, the speed of the change and growth factors affecting the organization and understand the impact that these factors will have on their quality of life.
I’ve been an employee working for a few of these types of people and have observed most of the others as a consultant. I was fortunate to begin my career working with a “PL” and enjoyed the mentoring approach which helped me not only climb the promotional ladder, but also showed me how to get the best performance from people…there wasn’t anything that he asked that I wouldn’t get done. I have also worked for an “OO” who also had and ego and a temper in a high growth situation…he couldn’t pay me enough to stay.
To papa-phrase a quote from Confucius: “Choose a management style you can work with and you never be stressed a day in your life”. Your upper management’s type and personality will have a direct impact on how many days you feel stressed and underappreciated.
About the author
Ken Cowman is Managing Director of Emercomm Business Consultants Inc. of Mississauga, Ontario ( www.emercomm.com ) . Ken has over 40 years of business experience with over 25 years in C-level positions. He can be reached via email kcowman@emercomm.com and his career profile can be found on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=13440900&trk=tab_pro
Single Point of Contact Service (SPOCS) Or…The Customer’s Time is Valuable
Have you ever called an organization and been shuffled from one department to another? Or, have you called one toll free number and then been given another toll free number to call because you got the wrong support group? How about the call you made to a customer support line where the person gives you a technically correct, but utterly useless, answer. Frustrating? Are your customers having the same frustration? If so, your organization is ignoring the first principle of Lean Management: Understand Your Value Proposition. Your customer’s time is valuable and you should not waste it.
Single Point Of Contact Service, as the name may suggest, is the implementation of a collaborative workflow that includes technology and knowledge. The outcome of the implementation of SPOCS is that a customer only has to make one contact with your business to accomplish one or more tasks.
For instance, one call allows the customer to: Inquire on availability and price of products or services; Place, change, inquire about or cancel an order for products or services; Set up, or inquire about, an account with your organization; Request information about employment, investment or public relations; Engage in concurrent engineering activities with your organization.
SPOCS is designed to overcome the frustration factors. Essentially, the person that picks up a call on the customer service telephone line needs to have the information available to give to the caller or access immediately to the person that can give the information and conference them into the conversation with the caller. The successful implementation of SPOCS is dependent upon first determining, and acknowledging, the frustration factors of your current and potential customers.
You also need to determine the best communication strategy for use. Some customers are very comfortable with Internet-based communication and this is the long-term lowest cost alternative for implementing SPOCS. However, if the product or service being provided is not compatible with this type of communication then the risk of failure is great.
Determining Frustration Factors
There are a number of methods available to determine the current and potential frustration factors that your customers and prospects are encountering and how they want them corrected. You could send out a customer satisfaction survey in which your organization gives a laundry list of potential issues and leaves space for commentary on issues not covered. You can also publish the survey on your company website. The problem with this survey is that you may not get a large enough response from the customer base to accurately define or rate the issues. The best method that we have found to work is the formation of a customer focus group that will meet with your company’s SPOCS team to determine the frustration factors and assist in the development of the solution.
Solution Requirements
The first step in developing the solution is to define the scope. For instance, will investor relations be part of the scope? In many organizations, because of the nature of the topic, the SPOCS operator would only forward the call to a person that specifically handles the situation and would then disconnect. Once the scope of the solution is defined, an internal team must be nominated. This team should include as a minimum: A management sponsor; Marketing and/or sales personnel; Customer service personnel; Personnel from various operational departments; Finance personnel; and, Information technology. Any people from departments impacted by the scope (e.g. human resources) should be added to the team.
Developing the solution
Once the internal team is commissioned, then bring in the customer focus group (CFG) or results from the survey. The method of preferred communication should be obvious from the survey or initial discussion with the CFG. This is the point where a decision will be made on the type of technology that is required and the information technology people start their research (web tools and/or telephone system capabilities and/or wireless capabilities). The SPOCS team (now including the CFG) now begins to develop a prioritized list of issues to be dealt with in the project. Once the priorities are set, root causes of the frustration are uncovered. Categorize the root causes into these sections: Causes the customer to call and can be eliminated; Causes the customer to call and cannot be eliminated and are deemed to require an immediate response; and, Causes the customer to call and cannot be eliminated and are deemed to not require an immediate response. This allows you to focus resources effectively. If the cause of the call can be eliminated then it should be a high priority of the organization to eliminate it.
Once the work flow is developed to respond in a timely manner, then implement by first testing the work flow and technology and then by educating everyone on their role and the importance of fulfilling the role effectively. Most importantly, hold people accountable for their effectiveness in fulfilling their SPOCS roles. The customer’s satisfaction level is only as good as the last contact that they had with your organization. Make it a good one.
About the author
Ken Cowman is Managing Director of Emercomm Business Consultants Inc. of Mississauga, Ontario ( www.emercomm.com ) . Ken has over 40 years of business experience with over 25 years in C-level positions. He can be reached via email kcowman@emercomm.com and his career profile can be found on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=13440900&trk=tab_pro
Single Point Of Contact Service, as the name may suggest, is the implementation of a collaborative workflow that includes technology and knowledge. The outcome of the implementation of SPOCS is that a customer only has to make one contact with your business to accomplish one or more tasks.
For instance, one call allows the customer to: Inquire on availability and price of products or services; Place, change, inquire about or cancel an order for products or services; Set up, or inquire about, an account with your organization; Request information about employment, investment or public relations; Engage in concurrent engineering activities with your organization.
SPOCS is designed to overcome the frustration factors. Essentially, the person that picks up a call on the customer service telephone line needs to have the information available to give to the caller or access immediately to the person that can give the information and conference them into the conversation with the caller. The successful implementation of SPOCS is dependent upon first determining, and acknowledging, the frustration factors of your current and potential customers.
You also need to determine the best communication strategy for use. Some customers are very comfortable with Internet-based communication and this is the long-term lowest cost alternative for implementing SPOCS. However, if the product or service being provided is not compatible with this type of communication then the risk of failure is great.
Determining Frustration Factors
There are a number of methods available to determine the current and potential frustration factors that your customers and prospects are encountering and how they want them corrected. You could send out a customer satisfaction survey in which your organization gives a laundry list of potential issues and leaves space for commentary on issues not covered. You can also publish the survey on your company website. The problem with this survey is that you may not get a large enough response from the customer base to accurately define or rate the issues. The best method that we have found to work is the formation of a customer focus group that will meet with your company’s SPOCS team to determine the frustration factors and assist in the development of the solution.
Solution Requirements
The first step in developing the solution is to define the scope. For instance, will investor relations be part of the scope? In many organizations, because of the nature of the topic, the SPOCS operator would only forward the call to a person that specifically handles the situation and would then disconnect. Once the scope of the solution is defined, an internal team must be nominated. This team should include as a minimum: A management sponsor; Marketing and/or sales personnel; Customer service personnel; Personnel from various operational departments; Finance personnel; and, Information technology. Any people from departments impacted by the scope (e.g. human resources) should be added to the team.
Developing the solution
Once the internal team is commissioned, then bring in the customer focus group (CFG) or results from the survey. The method of preferred communication should be obvious from the survey or initial discussion with the CFG. This is the point where a decision will be made on the type of technology that is required and the information technology people start their research (web tools and/or telephone system capabilities and/or wireless capabilities). The SPOCS team (now including the CFG) now begins to develop a prioritized list of issues to be dealt with in the project. Once the priorities are set, root causes of the frustration are uncovered. Categorize the root causes into these sections: Causes the customer to call and can be eliminated; Causes the customer to call and cannot be eliminated and are deemed to require an immediate response; and, Causes the customer to call and cannot be eliminated and are deemed to not require an immediate response. This allows you to focus resources effectively. If the cause of the call can be eliminated then it should be a high priority of the organization to eliminate it.
Once the work flow is developed to respond in a timely manner, then implement by first testing the work flow and technology and then by educating everyone on their role and the importance of fulfilling the role effectively. Most importantly, hold people accountable for their effectiveness in fulfilling their SPOCS roles. The customer’s satisfaction level is only as good as the last contact that they had with your organization. Make it a good one.
About the author
Ken Cowman is Managing Director of Emercomm Business Consultants Inc. of Mississauga, Ontario ( www.emercomm.com ) . Ken has over 40 years of business experience with over 25 years in C-level positions. He can be reached via email kcowman@emercomm.com and his career profile can be found on LinkedIn www.linkedin.com/profile/view?id=13440900&trk=tab_pro
Creating Training Programs for your Organization
Creating a training program for your organization can be extremely valuable but also a very time-consuming and potentially expensive endeavour.
This article will provide some tips to consider when creating a training program.
Needs and goals assessment
Defining your objectives before starting to create a training program is a must. Decide on the goals and objectives you’re trying to achieve and rank them as necessary.
Availability of resources
Determine whether your organization has the time available and the staff resources required to create and implement the program. Don’t underestimate the time and energy required to put together a well-executed training program.
Evaluate options
Evaluate all options available to make the best possible decisions for your organization, and be objective when evaluating them.
Location
Decide whether to have the training on-site or externally. An advantage to off-site training is that it can significantly reduce distractions, allowing for more focus from the participants. Consider technology issues for employees who may want to participate in the training from a remote location. Who will conduct training? There are several options as to who should conduct the training, including employees, managers or external consultants. Be aware of costs and time required in your choices.
Timing
It’s preferable to conduct training when it’s less busy in your organization, but also when you’re more likely to have maximum attendance. If possible, make the training compulsory. Numbers/Diversity in the Program To provide the best training possible, consider how many will attend the session(s) and the breakdown of attendees. Decide on a larger vs. smaller group, older/younger, more experienced/less experienced, male/female, or a combination of all.
Format
Will the training be visual, role plays, lecture style, other? Will there be humour or games involved? How will participants get involved? Remember that an engaged audience will take away more from the training than a group who is not engaged.
Other tips
• Determine who should attend – management only, non-management, or both.
• Provide a certificate to those who have participated.
• Keep it in short blocks and allow for breaks throughout the session.
• Use technology as much as possible.
• Reduce distractions by asking participants to turn off their smart phones.
• Give attendees homework to complete either in advance, during or after the training has been provided.
• Choose a name for the training that will give it credibility and is easily understood.
• Use consistent formats for slides, templates and handouts if you’re providing different internal training programs.
• Tailor the training as much possible to your organization rather than using canned training.
• Select one or two people to be responsible for the overall program and its objectives to ensure accountability.
• Do a pilot with a smaller number of participants to get feedback on how it can be improved.
• Ask employees receiving the training what they need, either in person, through surveys or focus groups.
• Budget appropriately for the costs associated with the program.
• Make the materials accessible online for employees who either missed the training or want to view it again later.
• Measure the successes afterwards and share the results through the organization.
• Use evaluations at the conclusion to get a sense of how the training can be improved.
Conclusion
There is considerable effort that goes into an effective training program. Following these tips and tailoring training to your organization’s needs will help make your program valuable to the employees who are participating.
*************************************************************
Marc Belaiche is a CPA, CA and is President of TorontoJobs.ca, an Internet recruitment business and recruiting firm located in the Greater Toronto Area in Canada. Marc has been in the recruitment industry since 1995. TorontoJobs.ca allows companies to post their positions online, search a resume database to find candidates, provides outplacement services and full temporary and permanent recruitment services. It also allows candidates to search and apply to positions directly online and get career, interviewing and resume tips all at no charge. Marc is also President of TorontoEntrepreneurs.ca, an organization geared towards business owners (see www.TorontoEntrepreneurs.ca). You can reach Marc at Marc.Belaiche@TorontoJobs.ca and check out TorontoJobs.ca at www.TorontoJobs.ca.
This article will provide some tips to consider when creating a training program.
Needs and goals assessment
Defining your objectives before starting to create a training program is a must. Decide on the goals and objectives you’re trying to achieve and rank them as necessary.
Availability of resources
Determine whether your organization has the time available and the staff resources required to create and implement the program. Don’t underestimate the time and energy required to put together a well-executed training program.
Evaluate options
Evaluate all options available to make the best possible decisions for your organization, and be objective when evaluating them.
Location
Decide whether to have the training on-site or externally. An advantage to off-site training is that it can significantly reduce distractions, allowing for more focus from the participants. Consider technology issues for employees who may want to participate in the training from a remote location. Who will conduct training? There are several options as to who should conduct the training, including employees, managers or external consultants. Be aware of costs and time required in your choices.
Timing
It’s preferable to conduct training when it’s less busy in your organization, but also when you’re more likely to have maximum attendance. If possible, make the training compulsory. Numbers/Diversity in the Program To provide the best training possible, consider how many will attend the session(s) and the breakdown of attendees. Decide on a larger vs. smaller group, older/younger, more experienced/less experienced, male/female, or a combination of all.
Format
Will the training be visual, role plays, lecture style, other? Will there be humour or games involved? How will participants get involved? Remember that an engaged audience will take away more from the training than a group who is not engaged.
Other tips
• Determine who should attend – management only, non-management, or both.
• Provide a certificate to those who have participated.
• Keep it in short blocks and allow for breaks throughout the session.
• Use technology as much as possible.
• Reduce distractions by asking participants to turn off their smart phones.
• Give attendees homework to complete either in advance, during or after the training has been provided.
• Choose a name for the training that will give it credibility and is easily understood.
• Use consistent formats for slides, templates and handouts if you’re providing different internal training programs.
• Tailor the training as much possible to your organization rather than using canned training.
• Select one or two people to be responsible for the overall program and its objectives to ensure accountability.
• Do a pilot with a smaller number of participants to get feedback on how it can be improved.
• Ask employees receiving the training what they need, either in person, through surveys or focus groups.
• Budget appropriately for the costs associated with the program.
• Make the materials accessible online for employees who either missed the training or want to view it again later.
• Measure the successes afterwards and share the results through the organization.
• Use evaluations at the conclusion to get a sense of how the training can be improved.
Conclusion
There is considerable effort that goes into an effective training program. Following these tips and tailoring training to your organization’s needs will help make your program valuable to the employees who are participating.
*************************************************************
Marc Belaiche is a CPA, CA and is President of TorontoJobs.ca, an Internet recruitment business and recruiting firm located in the Greater Toronto Area in Canada. Marc has been in the recruitment industry since 1995. TorontoJobs.ca allows companies to post their positions online, search a resume database to find candidates, provides outplacement services and full temporary and permanent recruitment services. It also allows candidates to search and apply to positions directly online and get career, interviewing and resume tips all at no charge. Marc is also President of TorontoEntrepreneurs.ca, an organization geared towards business owners (see www.TorontoEntrepreneurs.ca). You can reach Marc at Marc.Belaiche@TorontoJobs.ca and check out TorontoJobs.ca at www.TorontoJobs.ca.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)