Author Tim Blodgett tim.blodgett@q.com.

“She’s the first person I’m going to fire!!”

At this point, I don’t remember if I said those words out loud or just thought them to myself. Either way, that was my opinion. And, I was determined to make it happen.

So, who was she? “Sherri” was one of the Ramp Service Agents at the airline I was working for. She had been hired just a few months before. She also worked in one of the zones I was going to be supervising in less than 2 weeks when my promotion became official. Since her date of hire, Sherri had been injured on the job 3 times. Each time, her injury required a modified duty work assignment. This usually involved sitting in a chair at a baggage drop location so that she could radio the dispatch office whenever another airline had a bag to transfer to us. Most people would read books in their abundant amount of downtime. Sherri was no different.

Shortly after beginning my new role as Ramp Service Supervisor, I attended a mandatory Supervisor Training class. It was 5 days of lectures and role-playing scenarios. Most of the feedback from my peers was that it had been a waste of time. I was still undecided. Once I was back on the front lines, I was ready to start making changes. I figured that Sherri had no idea what I was planning for her. I have to admit, that made me smile a little bit.

As I was putting my plan of action together, I remembered some of the training I had just been through. Since I was still undecided about its usefulness, I determined to try it out and see how it worked first-hand. I had been observing Sherri’s work habits for a few weeks. I already had enough information to schedule a meeting with her. A few days later, when we had a break in the action, I sat down to talk with her in one of the ramp offices.

Working at a large airport can be pretty complicated at times. Your training usually consists of learning one of the many aspects of a flight at a time. Then, you’re sent out to the front lines with the hopes that you will connect the dots. And, if you worked for our airline, you could easily have up to 4 flights to work - at the same time. I told you it could be pretty complicated.

As we progressed through our conversation about her job performance, one thing became obviously clear about Sherri. She was scared. Not about the fact that she was having a meeting with her supervisor. No, she was scared by the work she was expected to do. She felt lost.

I asked a few more probing questions to validate my new suspicions. What I found was disheartening. In the time that Sherri had been on the front lines, no one had taken the time to help her connect the dots from her training. That was part of her reason for spending time on Modified Duty. At least there she wouldn’t be in anyone’s way or perform poorly at her job. She gave everything she had. She just didn’t have everything that she needed.

The next step I took was probably the most important. I asked Sherri what I could do to help her. I didn’t make her solely responsible for her progress. I took some of that responsibility, too. If I had placed the full burden of improvement on Sherri, I would have been setting her up to fail. Instead, I partnered with her and invested myself in her life.

Over the next few days and weeks, I worked directly with Sherri. She showed proficiency in all of the tasks. I began to help her understand when and why each thing needed to be done. From there, she was able to prioritize them and effectively work on more than one flight at a time. Something else happened that I didn’t really expect.

Most jobs have duties that tend to be ignored or neglected. This happens because people either don’t see the value in them, or they just don’t like doing them. Our job was no different. However, Sherri started taking care of those duties, too. Without being asked!! She was becoming a model employee.

A short time later, Sherri was injured in an accident on the job. I was almost certain she had broken a bone in her foot. I wrote up the injury report and then provided her with the list of doctors she could see for the Worker’s Compensation claim. She decided to pay for her own care instead of file a claim. Her reason? She didn’t ever want to be placed on Modified Duty again. Wow!!

Sherri started out as a target. Luckily, she was allowed to blossom. All it took was an investment into her life. Do you know anyone that could benefit from an investment of YOUR time and efforts?

Many years ago I was invited to join the family deer camp in Michigan’s Upper Peninsula.  It was a great honor and a bit intimidating as well.  The camp had been in existence for over 70 years with a rich heritage.  It was closed to all but members and guests.  On November 13th I was sitting in the passenger seat of a pickup truck headed north armed with an old shotgun, at least three times the equipment I needed and an old boy scout compass.

After a 10 hour drive and an overnight stay in a small hotel in town we headed into the woods toward the cabin.  We parked the trucks and walked the last mile to camp to set up and get ready for opening day.  One of the first things I was given was a photocopy of a hand drawn map showing the trails and critical landmarks.  My instructions were to carry the map and my compass at all times.  Because the cabin is 2 miles off the main road in the middle of hundreds of thousands of acres of heavy forest, wandering a mere few hundred yards from camp could get me very lost for a very long time.  I still think they were less concerned about my well being than losing precious euchre and beer time if they had to go looking for me.

Sure enough, on the second day of the season, while on a stroll,  I got lost.  Considering it was a pleasant day for northern Michigan in November, sunny and low 50s, I was in no real danger.  The only thing at risk was my pride and I knew the verbal beating would be brutal and sustained if I needed rescue.  In order to avoid certain shame I hauled out my map and compass and attempted  to figure out where I was and how to get back.  It took me hours to get un-lost for a very simple reason.  Compasses and maps are only good if you know where you currently are.  I could see the cabin on the map as well as other critical landmarks…I just could not see myself.  Using dead reckoning, and some good guessing, I arrived back at the cabin, tired and hungry, 2 1/2 hours later.

The next year I decided to take a brand new GPS unit with me.  I figured if I could mark the location of the cabin I would always know what direction to go in the event I got lost again.  I did have the sense to play with it before I needed it so I eagerly opened the packaging and inserted fresh batteries.  Turning the device on I noticed it not only took a long time to acquire satellite signals the big arrow would only point north regardless of the direction I turned.  In frustration I took a couple of steps to see if it was getting a clear signal from the sky.  Immediately the needle swung to the east and began pointing in the direction I was traveling.  I had found a limitation to the technology.   You see, GPS only knows where you are on the planet and the direction you are headed…if you are moving.  If I had refused to move until I had clear and concise directions I would have assumed the unit was defective and returned it for another.  Further, for a GPS unit to work properly you must tell it where you want to go and that means you have to program in coordinates or mark a location when you get there.  That meant I had to have help getting back to the cabin the following year so I could tell it where the cabin was before I set off into the woods.  The good thing was that when I wanted to return all I had to do was click a couple of buttons and the big black arrow would point me in the direction of the camp.

Life can be a bit like that GPS experience.  There are times when standing still can lead to frustration and confusion, it can even be dangerous.  There are times when, even if you do not know what direction to go, you must start moving in any direction to get your bearings.  Only then can you make course corrections.  Additionally, you must also know where you want to end up for the trip to be more than aimless wandering.

At times we all must make a blind move or two to gain vision.

Last month I suggested the cost of losing a patient could be substantial but somewhat hidden.  For this month’s installment I did some, admittedly shallow, informal research on the topic of what a doctor may lose as a result of poor customer service.  I was sharing this series of articles with my friend Al.  He has a heart condition that requires him to see a cardiologist three times per year.  His story illustrated my point very effectively.  He shared that the average cost of each visit to his doctor is around $1300 which means the cardiologist grosses close to $4000 per year on his office visits alone.  During his last visit he informed the doctor that he will be seeking the treatment and care of another specialist.  The reason he gave had nothing to do with the medical care he had received; it was totally tied to the fact that he felt ignored by the doctor.  Al never felt like he had a chance to talk with his Doctor and ask questions during routine visits.  He informed his cardiologist, in no uncertain terms, he will not be returning for additional care.

Some may say, “What’s the big deal, it’s only $4000”, but consider this.  Over the next ten years this lost customer relationship will cost the doctor $40,000 in office visits.  It will also eliminate any chance of him performing additional procedures Al may need over the next ten years.  Further, consider that Al is not shy about sharing his story with others.  He actively recommends against others engaging with this particular physician.  If only 10 people heed Al’s advice this represents a loss of nearly $400,000 over the next ten years.  All because Al wanted an extra few minutes of his care providers time to ask some questions and get answers and some assurance.

What could your office experience be costing you?  How can you analyze the situation and begin improving the customer experience in your practice?  Stay tuned, I will begin laying out a method for doing exactly this in the coming articles.

As a last thought this month, consider what Susan Dubin-Light posted on Facebook last month; “Here’s the deal…from now on, any DR. that makes me wait longer than 10 minutes, I will deduct my hourly rate from my bill. My time is just as important as yours! Waiting 45 minutes is UNACCEPTABLE!!”

Last month I told the story of my wife and her experience in “The Waiting Room”.  What I did not tell you is that it was 10 years ago and we are now divorced.  Ironically, as I was writing the first article my new wife was having the same experience for the same surgery.  Though the wait times have been shorter the impact on her has been the same.  After one two hour wait she told me she will be finding another care provider in the near future.  She has no complaints about the medical care she has received or the personal care from the doctor.  The entire problem stems from the waiting room experience.   May I suggest a question for us to consider, what is the impact of the waiting room experience on the doctors’ practice and, ultimately, their business? 

I suspect most medical practices struggle with building a successful business not because of the medical service they provide but because of the “soft touch” issues in their office.  As a consumer I expect a certain level of care and service from all my providers including even my doctor.  Think of the last time your cable quit working.  When you called the company you probably heard what we all have heard.  “Yes Mr. Walker, I understand your frustration and we want to get your TV working as quickly as possible.  What we can do is send out a technician to investigate the problem.  He will be in your area tomorrow and will stop in sometime between eight and noon.  Please make sure you are there when he arrives or we will have to re-schedule for next week.”  Do any of us have that much free time in our lives?  Do we really want to stay home all day for a problem that was in no way our fault?  Dare I answer for us all?  The answer is a resounding “NO”!  A very frustrating situation, right?

In most areas of the country we have perhaps one or two choices for cable service and have no real option but to wait or cancel the service entirely.  In my community there are dozens of choices when it comes to selecting a doctor, all within a few miles of my home.  If I don’t like the service I get from my current doctor I can simply drive a couple of blocks down the road and hire a new one.

What does it cost you to find and start working with a new patient?  How much does it cost you to replace a patient?  What is the cost of maintaining medical files for your patients (current as well as former)?  If you know the cost is very low and does not significantly impact your bottom line you can ignore the next several articles.  If the cost is significant and would like to start considering how to mitigate the problem, you will want to pay attention to the subsequent articles.

As a final thought, never forget that the person needs as much or more treatment than the body.

The call comes in from her doctor, “The results of the biopsy are in, we need to meet soon to discuss them.”  Panic, alarm, terror?  All normal emotions for a woman expecting the usual call to tell her all is normal and there is nothing to worry about.  Doctors never give bad news over the phone for good reason.

Later that week she sits in his office to get the news, “You have a pre-cancer in your uterus.  It’s not terminal, it’s not an emergency but you need a full hysterectomy; soon!”  News like this is never easy to hear but she gets some additional information and heads home.  They schedule the surgery suite and make plans for the procedure.

She and her husband arrive in her doctor’s office a couple of weeks later for a routine pre-op visit at eight am.  “What a good time for an appointment,” she thinks, “it will be early enough in the day so I can get in and out quickly.”  Two and a half hours later, with no apology or explanation, she is escorted to the examination room and instructed to disrobe.  Forty five minutes later, naked and shivering in the cold, there has been no sign of a doctor, a nurse, an office worker…no one.  Her husband, concerned about the time delay, asks to see her.  An office worker takes him into the room only to discover a woman in near hysterics, crying and frantic.  He talks with her in an attempt to calm her.  Within a few minutes she decides to get dressed and go home.  Scarier still, she decides to abandon the surgery all together. 

Through her tears she pours out her frustration.  Her furious husband asks a hypothetical question, “Why would a doctor have the lack of common courtesy to keep a patient, a customer, waiting for nearly four hours with no acknowledgement or consideration?  What other professional can treat their customers so rudely and stay in business?”  After helping his exhausted wife settle into bed he engages the doctor in a heated, twenty minute, phone conversation.  The doctor requests a conversation with the woman to discuss how she can return later in the day to complete the aborted pre-op visit.  Finally, she consents to the new appointment and the visit is handled professionally.  The surgery is a success and the patient gains a new lease on life.  I understand that this sounds like an extreme story…yet it is a true story from 10 years ago.  I know it is true because I was there; my wife was the patient.

Though I am sure your office experience is different and the industry has changed in the last 10 years since this happened, is there an element of commonality in your business?  Do patients wait for extended periods with little or no interaction with the waiting room staff?  What is this costing you?  How many patients do you lose every year due to non-medical related problems like this?  Would it benefit your business to know why patients choose you and stay with you?  In this series I will discuss one possible method for conducting the needed research to discover what makes patients come to you and why they stay or leave.  Hint; it may not simply be a matter of getting a cure, therapy, or treatment.  It always goes much deeper!

 Most of us can agree that if we really knew what our customers wanted to buy our business would be a lot simpler.  We could eliminate products and services that are not wanted and focus all of our attention on what people want to buy…need to buy.  There are many companies that supply systems that can conduct the type of research to answer the age old question, “What does my customer really want from my?  What do they want to buy?”  I might suggest the better question is, “What problems are my customers experiencing so I can generate a valuable solution?”  Most companies have great systems to conduct this research, some are not so great.

 The most prolific systems in use are the many survey companies in the world.  They will craft questions that attempt to get the respondent to tell us what they think without guiding them into answering what we want to hear.  They send survey forms out to a representative sample of the target audience and wait for the responses to flood in.  Then they complete a comprehensive analysis of the results to generate statistically significant representations of the general population as a whole.

One drawback to these systems is that they can be a bit difficult to interpret.  If you and I both answer 3 to a question they can not be sure that 3 represents the same thing to both of us.  If they find the average of a response is 3.35 out of 5 what does that truly mean to the population as a whole and, worse yet, what do they need to do to make it a 4.5.  There is not usually a feedback mechanism to get deeper answers to probing questions.  They are pretty much one shot deals.  Surveys have their uses, so long as the user understands their limitations.

Focus groups are another method that is popular.  The company gathers groups of people based on pre-selected profiles and have facilitated discussions with them.  The information is a bit more detailed than surveys and you can ask follow up questions.  However, it can be difficult to keep the noisy ones quiet and get the quiet ones to talk.  Also, it can be a bit difficult to obtain complete openness in a group setting.  Focus groups have their place and uses, so long as the user understands their limitations.

Like many other systems in the world that do what “The Customer’s Way” does another important method is individual interviews with carefully selected people.  These systems utilize a process that empowers the interview team to properly select the individuals that will likely yield the best and most representative information.  They also have a system of generating open ended questions that invite conversation rather than short and abrupt answers.  The best systems also have a robust process that enables the team to make sense of the huge amount of information that comes in from the interviews.

One risk to using this methodology is that it can be misrepresentative of the population,  if the preparation work is not done well prior to engaging the people you are interviewing.  Be sure you are working with a reputable company if you engage in this type of research.  Individual interviews have their uses, so long as the user understands their limitations.

The method I use is “The Customer’s Way”.  It is a proprietary system of interviewing key individuals (customers) to discover what they value and want from my clients.  It is one of many type systems also known as Voice Of the Customer or VOC.  Mine is the only one I have found that takes a unique approach of utilizing resources at the client company to accomplish the research and analysis.  The benefit of this unique feature is that the team becomes very engaged in collecting and analyzing the information.  Once they have invested time and energy in obtaining the information they are more likely to utilize it proactively within the organization. 

When selecting your research methodology and provider, know the benefits and limitations before you buy.

Remember the nostalgic days of yore when the old farmers gathered at the hardware store, you know, the one with the creaky wood floor.  They swapped stories about the weather, crop yields and such?  The old pickle barrel was the preferred social media site of the day.  Networking was a common thing, though they may have not used the term.

When the farmers and merchants got together to swap stories and share tips they were engaging in the same behaviors modern networkers employ today.  I can imagine them gathering every week or so for a game of checkers, a cold soda and a pickle.  They would start with light conversation, sharing the latest news and gossip.  The conversation would naturally lead to talk of recent weather, crop growth and struggles.  One of the farmers may say something like, ” I’m having the greatest problem getting my corn seeds to geminate this year.”  One of the more seasoned farmers might reply, “You know, I was havin’ the same problem last year.  Know what I did?  I poured them into a big barrel and…”  Can you see the scene?  Can you imagine the conversation?  Here is one farmer telling another farmer how to increase his yield or fight the latest blight.  He is a “competitor” in the market and yet he is sharing his secrets.  Does that sound insane?  Would you do the same?

The smart, older,  farmer knows this conversation will loop around next year when he has losses due to hail damage or draught.  He knows, as part of a community, we are all connected and need to support each other for greater success.  The pickle barrel has power for him.  The checker board is a source of inspiration and support.  He knows the merchant will tell him about the latest fertilizer or seed hybrid.  Other farmers will yield secrets and tips that will help the community.  There is a tremendous amount of information to be shared around that old pickle barrel.

Is the current method for social networking really working?  Is it the way we communicate or is it merely a forum to connect people who will, ultimately, connect on a deeper level?  Was that old pickle barrel and checker board merely a precursor to the modern day “Tweetup”?

Never forget the power of conversation.  Never forget the importance of sharing time with those who matter.  Always seek to sit across the pickle barrel from another human you care about and invest some time playing checkers.  Maybe even share a soda or two.  You never know what will happen…unless you stay home.

Debbie Lutze and I were having one of our many coffee chats when she shared a concept that refined my business vision.  She told me that friends are like a poker hand, you only have room for about five true friends.  The concept is quite simple.  If you are building a deep, lasting and meaningful friendship with another person you can only do this by investing significant time with them.  Because we have only so many hours in a day we are restricted to the number of people we can call true friends.  I suspect the actual number may be closer to three.  As is my custom, I drew a business concept from this conversation and refined my thinking about business relationships.
 
Early in my growth as a business owner I realized that I was unfocused and random in my selection of who I chose to spend time with.  I would sit with anyone, anytime to discuss business.  The results were a lack of paid work and very shallow relationships.  Over the years I have refined this thinking, and my behavior, to minimize wasted time and effort.  This latest refinement is a concept of “Threes”.  What this means is that I have chosen to fill my business with groups of three critical, key relationships in major categories. 
 
Here is how it works.  I look for only three key business partners, associates, referral partners, etc.  This simple change allows me to focus more time and energy on these limited number of relationships.  My desire is to afford myself the time necessary to build deep relationships with each key person so we can benefit each other in a more significant way.  The side effect is a lowering of stress and time away from home as well as increased business activities.
 
I challenge you to find the number that meets your needs and allows you to fill your life with people that will work with you toward mutual success.

My friend Sandra Mauer of Mauer Marketing Minutes interviewed me for her internet radio show recently.  I explained to her how I look for and screen potential clients.  It will be a good investment of 7 minutes.

 http://www.maurermarketingminutes.blogspot.com

Enjoy!!

So, there I was having lunch with a friend, John Boulahanis today.  In the middle of the conversation he says, “I have not seen an update to your blog in the last couple of months.”  There it was, staring me in the face…someone DOES read what I write.  What’s more…they like what I write and look forward to the next installment.  I have heard this from several others in the last couple of months.

Oddly, 2 months ago, I was having lunch with Bob Fish of Biggby Coffee and he told me of the importance of blogging consistently.  He told me it was not a as important that you blog often as it is you blog with purpose and regularity.  “If you are going to blog once per month, tell your audience so they can know what to expect of you,” he further explained.

Not unlike how we are to deal with our customers?  They need to know what they can expect from us and when they can expect us to do it. 

Lesson learned Bob and John.  Thank you for your mentorship and kindness by telling me where I was falling short and how to improve.

Here is the plan.  I write a monthly newsletter on topics that may benefit my audience.  I will make it a practice to copy the same article to my website blog.  You should expect that at least once per month you will get some insight or observation from this blog.  Perhaps, if the muse speaks to me, I will put additional information on it from time to time.  In any event you can expect that I will do a major posting at least once per month.

Thank you to all who follow my thoughts and ramblings.

Dan