How do You Train People to be Sincere and Caring?

Hello!



Wonderful idea you are exploring (in your previous blog, “Job Tasks vs. their Role in Customer Experience”). I find the most genuine sentiments come from staff from which this is least expected. They see the big picture because they are not overwhelmed by the details. The idea that you can train them to act positively is just great. And what a concept... including them on the team and making them aware of the mission.


Here's a case in point... I had to give a presentation to be webcast firm-wide with another lawyer that I am challenged with, and was a mess over it. I was in the office late on a Friday night with paper spread all over my desk with the look of desperation on my face. The guy whose "job" it is to pick up the garbage stood in my doorway and asked, "What's the matter, girly?" I explained my dilemma, and he put his hand on his hip and said, "Girly, all you got to do is smile, don't you know that?" Fixed! There's something though in the fact that this guy and his team have no political agenda. We believe them because there is nothing in it for them. How do you train people to be sincere and caring? Seems to me that they either have it, or don't. But then again, it works at Disney, doesn't it?


Ms. JP


A Law Firm in New York State

Dear Ms. JP:

How do you train people to be sincere and caring? Well, that’s a long answer, but here is my response.

First, I think you are right, the people who have it will always have it. For the rest of us multi-tasking, overachievers, you need to first build clear, unambiguous expectations from the customer’s perspective.

Build it clearly, coach the murkiness out of it, catch them doing it right more that wrong, and share how their behavior/attitude makes an impact on customers and other team members. In short: Define what you want, reward it when you see it, and hold them accountable when you don’t.

The greatest problem I see in this success formula is not defining what you want clearly enough (i.e. “Jim, you need to be nicer to clients…” -Huh?)

The Golden Rule

I hate the Golden Rule (do onto others as you’d like done onto yourself). Why? Well, if I treat others like I want to be treated, then I’m assuming they’re just like me, growing up on Lake Ontario with Irish/German parents, 6 brothers and sisters, a grandma, dog, and two cats.

I will never forget my first day on the job at Wegmans Supermarket. I was 16 years old. The phone rang in the produce department, I picked it up and it was for my co-worker, Tony. Instead walking 75 feet to tell Tony he had a phone call, I yelled across the store, “TONY, TELEPHONE!”

My boss was appalled - “Jake! What are you doing?” “What?” I asked. “That’s what we do in my house. I was doing what you told me in employee orientation, you know, the golden rule.” He took time to explain not only the desired behavior he wanted, but also that customers have a choice in supermarkets. The product we sold was common, our customers could go anywhere, so where we differentiated from other supermarkets was our great service. Our customers demanded great service and courtesy behaviors from me and everyone in the store, or they would take their business across the street. My behaviors had impact.

I did not see it then as clearly as I see it now, but he was a great manager for taking the time to explain it to me in those terms.

Favorable & Forbidden Phrases & Behaviors

I think most front-line staff can be groomed to be sincere if given a choice between what I call the Favorable and Forbidden Phrases and Behaviors. You learn this very fast at Disney; their culture is very explicit. Yet most companies don’t teach this because they think it just common sense. It may be common sense, it’s just not common practice.

• Never say, “That’s not my problem.”
  Instead, say, “Let me find someone who is responsible for that so they can help you.”
  
• Never say, “I don’t know.”
  Instead, say, “I don’t know, but let me find out for you.” (And if you do this, and someone asks again, you may know for next time.)
  
• Avoid looking at your watch, rolling your eyes, or pen clicking.
  Instead, sit or kneel so you are at the same level, look at the customer in the eye, smile and speak warmly.

The list goes on.

Most companies don’t have this kind of list, or if they do, they do not use it to train their employees. Typically, if an organization has this type of list, it doesn’t outline the favorable, only the forbidden.

We are one of the few firms who consider this a great client differentiator, and when we share this with front-line staff, this “no brainer” list actually helps build pride and team accountability.