More than skin deep
Back in the day (that day in around 1543), the anatomist Andreas Vesalius changed many a misconception about treating and healing the human body. After receiving his doctorate at the University of Padua, he began to investigate the human body by means of dissection. Armed with real evidence of what lies beneath the skin’s surface, Vesalius urged doctors to conduct systematic dissections of human corpses to gain detailed knowledge of human anatomy. The conventions he established for the representation of the human body were influential for many centuries to come.

Get those skeletons out of your closet
The same reasoning can be applied to gaining detailed knowledge of your business. As business owners, it is easy to get so wrapped up in moving forward. We lack the time to stop and scratch the surface. To really discover what is going on behind the scenes.

Have you ever ordered parcels from your own online shop and gone through the process of seeing how easy or tough it is to get a parcel delivered on time and in a good condition? Have you ever tried to exchange or refund an item to your outlet to experience your customers’ pain or joy? Have you tested your customer service to discover how your customers are being treated?

This is by no means a criticism of your systems and/or service. I understand that having nurtured your business from infant stage to where you are now means that it is hard not to take things personally. But imagine if the doctors in 1543 had been too attached to their ideas to change their methods. Chances are we wouldn’t be around to be having this conversation!

Fine tuning
It’s only by knowing exactly how your staff feel; how your organisation is viewed by your clients; what works and what doesn’t; that you can tweak things for optimum, sustainable results.

The human factor
Recently there have been a spate of air crashes which have turned out to be caused by pilot error. From the depressed German Wings co-pilot, to the latest FlyDubai cockpit crew who argued themselves to tragedy, human emotion has intruded. And that’s in a professional environment – imagine your regular customer service consultant. So the next step is to understand why your staff may be treating customers the way they are. Some areas to investigate include: 

• do the systems work for the staff, or are they actually slowing down productivity?
• are there even set systems and processes in place?
• are the targets set in the business driving or killing the business?
• are rules cast in stone, not to be broken no matter what the customer is going through?
• are staff properly motivated by their superiors?
• are staff getting support from other internal teams, or is everyone pointing fingers in the blame game?

While getting behind the scenes and understanding the challenges your staff face daily will revolutionise your business and the way you do things, it’s kind of difficult to do when you’re The Boss. 

I spy with my little eye
Instead of creating a sense of mistrust with spyware and staff monitoring software as we discussed here, it is crucial that your organisation's leaders understand the complexities and nuances on the front line from the bottom up. Sonja Shear’s Secret Service is a very practical package, driven at looking at your business with new eyes.

For more information on my Secret Service, please contact me today.

This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.   |  083 256-0378