Mary Kay Ash, when asked why her cosmetics business had been so phenomenally successful, answered, “I try to hire really nice people and I try to let them be as nice as they can be.” Sounds simple but it isn’t. Companies must first start with HIRING. And it’s hard to find “really nice”, competent people. But it’s worth the effort for companies like Mary Kay’s.

(If you have an instance of excellent customer service that you have received from an Indianapolis-area small business, please let Danny know about it at dannyomalia@gmail.com)

Another great Culture of Service is on display at Nordstrom’s. Too many companies specifically and too many industries generally (Google Customer Service Hall of Shame) have too many rules. Nordstrom V.P. James Nordstrom had this to say: “Rules give employees another reason to say ‘no’ to a customer. That’s why we hate rules!” In the book THE NORDSTROM WAY, I was able to find one rule: “Use good judgment in all situations!” Seems like one dandy rule to me!

Here in Indianapolis and in several other mid western cities, Mike’s Car Wash sets a terrific Customer Service standard. I’ve never pulled into Mike’s, no matter how hot or cold it was, when the employees weren’t very friendly and professional. I know Mike’s President Bill Dahm personally and I know his commitment to hiring the best, training them best and finally EMPOWERING them is second to none.

Being able to empower employees means a company has to make a huge commitment in time, money and resources to hiring, training and empowering. And the commitment must be ONGOING. You must constantly remind even the most senior employees that Customer Service must be JOB ONE. It’s not easy. You can’t empower without paying attention to these basics. “Hats off” to the minority that do. “Brickbats” to the majority who don’t!

Danny O’Malia
Indy’s Trusted Servant
(317) 413-9062
www.indystrustedservant.blogspot.com

All this got me to thinking about how it must be that Sears had dropped a refrigerator ball in St. Louis and a tread mill ball in Indianapolis for the same family in the same couple of weeks. And the answer came to me. Somehow, Sears has gotten its SERVICE CULTURE in this area all messed up. I understand that Nordic Track knows more about the machines than Sears does. But the company that SELLS you a product should stand behind it and not pawn it off on a third party delivery partner and then expect the customer to do all the legwork when the product doesn’t work. And Nordic Track needs to work on its service reps’ telephone skills!

(If you have an instance of excellent customer service that you have received from an Indianapolis-area small business, please let Danny know about it at dannyomalia@gmail.com)

I recommend that the folks in charge of customer service for Sears check out two of my favorite books on Customer Service Culture. These books feature two of my favorite companies– Nordstrom and Southwest Airlines.

THE NORDSTROM WAY by Robert Spector and Patrick McCarthy is subtitled “A Handbook for Implementing Great Service in Your Organization”. It begins with an exhortation by a Nordstrom Exec concerning culture: “You can’t TEACH culture. You have to LIVE it. You have to EXPERIENCE it. You have to SHARE it. You have to SHOW it” (p. 3).

The book also shares one of my favorite business concepts– Nordstrom’s INVERTED organizational pyramid (p. 124). Suffice it to say that this organizational pyramid puts customers at the top, those who serve them next to the top and the Chairman and the Board at the bottom. Somehow Sears’ handling of our tread mill purchase and my daughter’s refrigerator purchase didn’t make us feel like we were at the top of the Sears chart.

Finally, Chapter 7 is entitled “DUMP THE RULES” and quotes former co-Chairman James Nordstrom on rules: “The minute you come up with a rule, you give an employee a reason to say no to a customer. That’s the reason we hate rules.” I LOVE THIS!

Southwest Airlines has a great culture that, like Nordstrom, puts customers and employees first. There are two books about Southwest and I recommend them both. The founder, Herb Kelleher, wote NUTS several years ago. It’s a terrific read on culture. That was followed more recently with DO THE RIGHT THING by Kelleher’s successor, Robert Parker.

Like Nordstrom, whose overriding rule is “Use good judgmnent in all situations,” Southwest has one basic rule, emphasized on page 3 of the new book. “When in doubt, just do the right thing.” Southwest tries to do this with their employees and their employees try to do it with the customers. The chapter on how the company treated employees and employees treated customers the week of 0911 is a textbook example of how this works and it might bring tears to your eyes.

Chapter 20 is entitled “Interview for Attitude.” The Nordic Track employee I described as “less than empathetic” in my last entry was NOT interviewed for attitude OR somehow his employer RUINED his attitude. Either way, it’s not good!

I recommend EVERYONE who cares about his/ her company’s service start with these two books– and don’t stop there! Sears and Nordic Track– you could use these books and more. You have great products and great track records but your culture is breaking down in this former customer’s eyes!

Danny O’Malia
Indy’s Trusted Servant
(317) 413-9062
www.indystrustedservant.blogspot.com

But I think there’s an over riding reason service is so poor in most places
and the blame should be placed on the companies, not the employees, the
parents or the schools. Not all parents are failing. not all students are
failing. There are still plenty of great people looking to work for GREAT
COMPANIES.

Too many companies are driven by short term thinking rather than long term
thinking. Cutting inventory might make a quarterly bottom line look better
than it otherwise might. But it might also cause customers to shop
elsewhere, (and they might continue to do so), demoralize employees and
negatively impact a company’s suppliers. A sort of triple whammy that, in
the long term, can harm a company greatly.

Then there’s fear of making a commitment to building a CULTURE of customer
service. It might cost more. it might mean changing some things within the
company and change, even positive change, can be scary. It might mean
everyone has to work even harder than ever. That’s plain scary too.

Building such a culture could run afoul of, say, the corporate bean counter
who can’t see past the next quarter, or the department head who really
doesn’t see what all the fuss is about. It’s not for the feint of heart. But
a company that wants to succeed over the long haul must set itself apart
from the competition.

But, as my late father Joe O’Malia used to say, “It STARTS AT THE TOP.
Someone has to take the lead for outstanding customer service and that
someone seems to be missing in action at most companies with whom I
interact. Not to pick on one unwieldy behemoth at the expense of so many
other, but there are actually companies making a living charging people and
business to have them deal with AT & T. I just met a lady whose company does
just that. AMAZING!

And AT & T is not alone. Want to have some fun? Type in “Customer Service
Hall of Shame” and see who made the list of the 10 most disliked companies
this year. whole industries are well represented. Banking, phones and Cable
TV come to mind.

How does a southwest airlines stand out in that business? How does a
Nordstrom stand out in retail? It’s simple, at least on paper but so very
hard to pull off. It’s the CULTURES of these organizations. From the
Chairman to the newest baggage handler, Southwest is a TEAM and a FAMILY.
Same with nordstrom, which has only one rule for its employees: “USE GOOD
JUDGMENT IN ALL SITUATIONS!”

Both these companies have managed to be able to EMPOWER every employee to
make a difference. As Mary Kay Ash, the founder of Mary Kay Cosmetics, said
when asked why she’d been so successful,” Simple. I tried to hire really
nice people and then let them be as nice as they could be!”

As Joe O’Malia was fond of saying over and over, “People don’t care how much
you know until they know how much you care.” He wasn’t talking only about
customers. He was referring to employees as well. How many companies treat
their employees as well as Nordstrom and Southwest? Not many, especially in
those industries! Those employees are the ones who serve your customers.
They have to be part of an organization they deem to be worth their efforts.

Finally, you’re never done building and improving your company’s culture. If
you stop, you’ll lose it. I don’t know how many business owners have mad the
mistake of thinking that their service was fine and their was nothing more
to do. Your employees must be reminded CONSTANTLY that service is a major
issue or the service they render will suffer. Again, more hard work! It
can’t be a half hearted, “all talk/ no action” buzzword. Customer Service
must be a key part of your company’s culture. If you’re not willing to
commit to that, just keep doing what you’re doing.

Danny O’Malia
Indy’s Trusted Servant
(317) 413-9062
www.indystrustedservant.blogspot.com