We are told that this is the longest recession ever experienced by the UK since records began. The UK economy is reckoned to have shrunk by 4.75%. The chancellor is likley to stick to his forecasts of 1-1.5% growth next year.
We are also being told that other countries are coming out of recession, France, Germany, the US & that economic powerhouse Slovakia. I'm not here to debate what we aren't doing that they all are but rather to ask the question, when will it all end ?
My fledgling training busines has noticed an increase in demand for my services over the last 2 months. Am I a microcosm of economic recovery ? Let's hope so.
The statistics are encouraging. Retail sales up by o.4% (according to the ONS). The latest survey by the purchasing managers index showed that manufacturing output increased at its fastest rate for over 2 years. Job losses seem to have stabilised too.
Fingers crossed for 2010 & beyond. Do any of you have a view or a reliable crystal ball?
Friday 27 November 2009
Tuesday 17 November 2009
Technology has made it so much easier than last time !
Take yourself back to the last recession an imagine you've been made redundant. In fact worse than that, you were marched off the premises. No chance to say goodbye to colleagues, let alone get a telephone number to help you stay in touch. Fortunately I wasn't made redundant in the last recession but I do remember it, I wasn't worried about losing my job but was glum because I had a flat that was worth less than the mortgage outstanding on it.
But I had the good fortune to be made redundant in the current economic malaise. I was fortunate for a number of reasons: I got a package (the prize of 20 years service), I saw it coming and was already mentally preparing myself and I kept at bay that sense of isolation and rejection by making the technological advances work for me and by staying positive.
Let me explain, 20 years ago, there was no email this has enabled me to keep in touch with former colleagues. It has also enabled me to connect with new people too. 20 years ago there were no mobile phones (there may have been mobile bricks purchased by the earlier adopters), i've been able to keep in touch with people either verbally or by text. Then throw into the mix, facebook. I set myself up and have been able to keep in touch with former colleagues and to let them know what i've been dong since my May 1 departure. Then there's linkedin, i've connected with new and old people via linkedin (i've got 112 connections so far). I've started to exploit linkedin and start using some of its other features. I'm on twitter now and have linked my twitter page to linkedin. In addition to all this cyber networking i've done the old fashioned attending meetings of professional bodies (CIPD, ILM, CII etc).
All this has really helped me pursue my dream of working for myself as a freelance trainer, so alleluia for the internet, social networking, coffee shops and redundancy. This is all so different to the last recession.
Oh yes, forgot to mention Skype.
But I had the good fortune to be made redundant in the current economic malaise. I was fortunate for a number of reasons: I got a package (the prize of 20 years service), I saw it coming and was already mentally preparing myself and I kept at bay that sense of isolation and rejection by making the technological advances work for me and by staying positive.
Let me explain, 20 years ago, there was no email this has enabled me to keep in touch with former colleagues. It has also enabled me to connect with new people too. 20 years ago there were no mobile phones (there may have been mobile bricks purchased by the earlier adopters), i've been able to keep in touch with people either verbally or by text. Then throw into the mix, facebook. I set myself up and have been able to keep in touch with former colleagues and to let them know what i've been dong since my May 1 departure. Then there's linkedin, i've connected with new and old people via linkedin (i've got 112 connections so far). I've started to exploit linkedin and start using some of its other features. I'm on twitter now and have linked my twitter page to linkedin. In addition to all this cyber networking i've done the old fashioned attending meetings of professional bodies (CIPD, ILM, CII etc).
All this has really helped me pursue my dream of working for myself as a freelance trainer, so alleluia for the internet, social networking, coffee shops and redundancy. This is all so different to the last recession.
Oh yes, forgot to mention Skype.
Monday 10 August 2009
The price of failure with B&Q
On the 31 July I ordered a garden shed online with B&Q. The process was pretty straightforward a bit like ordering something from Amazon. As we've all come to expect efficiency from websites this experience wasn't any great shakes, efficient at best - a bit of a Ronseal moment - the website did exactly what it would have said on its tin if it had one.
The confirmation email came a couple of minutes later. It promised delivery within three weeks (like anyone with a new purchase i'd have preferred it sooner but it was only a shed I couldn't park it on the street to impress my neighbours could I ?). The email said that the store would contact me within three days to arrange delivery. 10 days later (10 August) I rang the number on the email (an 0870 number) to find out why I hadn't heard anything.
I was greeted by the usual menu options, 7 in total, I needed option 3. The phone was answered within thirty seconds. The lady informed me that the shed I wanted would be coming to me directly from the manufacturer (no apology for the fact that i'd had to ring because i'd heard nothing). "Would you like me to speak to them she asked ?", i'll put you on hold. She came back a couple of minutes later informing me that the manufacturer would write to me informing me when it would it be delivered. I expressed my concern, about missing the letter whilst on holiday and the shed turning up. She informed me that it wouldn't be delivered until they'd spoken to me. "was there anything else I could help you with" she asked ? I said no and put the phone down a bit miffed to be honest ! Why had I needed to phone them, their email implies that I would get a call from THEM within three days not the manufacturer ?.
Such a situation is describes a very simple concept but as with anything it's simplicity allows you to see a situation in an entirely new way (what Stephen Covey would describe as a paradigm shift). Failure demand describes a call on the resources of an organisation caused by its own failures. Resources in this case are the people of that company who are deployed to answer customer questions verbally or electronically caused by failings of the organisation.
The phone call i'd made to B&Q was an example of failure demand. Whilst the person was helpful, such phone calls are adding costs to B&Q's business. B&Q has to employ extra people to field questions about things that went wrong or didn't happen at all. I was just one example of failure demand, how much time does B&Q spend on dealing with customer complaints, questions etc all as a result of failure demand ? How much does this cost ? All of these costs should be built into a case for change - and a case for investing more in improving the customer experience but don't take my word for it - so says Colin Shaw too (author of The DNA of Customer Experience).
I now it was only a shed but my experience holds true for any customer interaction with an organisation.
The confirmation email came a couple of minutes later. It promised delivery within three weeks (like anyone with a new purchase i'd have preferred it sooner but it was only a shed I couldn't park it on the street to impress my neighbours could I ?). The email said that the store would contact me within three days to arrange delivery. 10 days later (10 August) I rang the number on the email (an 0870 number) to find out why I hadn't heard anything.
I was greeted by the usual menu options, 7 in total, I needed option 3. The phone was answered within thirty seconds. The lady informed me that the shed I wanted would be coming to me directly from the manufacturer (no apology for the fact that i'd had to ring because i'd heard nothing). "Would you like me to speak to them she asked ?", i'll put you on hold. She came back a couple of minutes later informing me that the manufacturer would write to me informing me when it would it be delivered. I expressed my concern, about missing the letter whilst on holiday and the shed turning up. She informed me that it wouldn't be delivered until they'd spoken to me. "was there anything else I could help you with" she asked ? I said no and put the phone down a bit miffed to be honest ! Why had I needed to phone them, their email implies that I would get a call from THEM within three days not the manufacturer ?.
Such a situation is describes a very simple concept but as with anything it's simplicity allows you to see a situation in an entirely new way (what Stephen Covey would describe as a paradigm shift). Failure demand describes a call on the resources of an organisation caused by its own failures. Resources in this case are the people of that company who are deployed to answer customer questions verbally or electronically caused by failings of the organisation.
The phone call i'd made to B&Q was an example of failure demand. Whilst the person was helpful, such phone calls are adding costs to B&Q's business. B&Q has to employ extra people to field questions about things that went wrong or didn't happen at all. I was just one example of failure demand, how much time does B&Q spend on dealing with customer complaints, questions etc all as a result of failure demand ? How much does this cost ? All of these costs should be built into a case for change - and a case for investing more in improving the customer experience but don't take my word for it - so says Colin Shaw too (author of The DNA of Customer Experience).
I now it was only a shed but my experience holds true for any customer interaction with an organisation.
Monday 27 July 2009
Customer Experience the Carphone Warehouse way - part 2
Let's cut to the chase i've now got my mobile back - and it now works. I got it back (rather went to collect it on 22 July) the offer of delivery was never made, that might have been a partial recovery given i'd been down there twice before to collect a supposedly fixed mobile.
It was given back to me (admittedly by a different assistant) without any word of apology for all the hassle i'd had. It wasn't his fault, he didn't know me from Adam, but surely there was a way for the repair department or the customer care department to have provided some information to the store. No offer of compensation or a gesture of good will was made.This smacks of two things, one a total lack of customer care and secondly the absence of any joined up thinking.
How did I feel after this, well and truly processed. Not cared about and not important. I'm sure this wouldn't have been the customer experience Charles Dunstone (their CEO) would have wanted for a customer. At the end of the day the buck has to stop somewhere and I think at his door is as good a place as any.
What started off as a real wow left me as the late Freddie Trueman used to say "non plussed". My mobile phone contract is up at the end of the month, needless to say i'll be shopping around manically !
It was given back to me (admittedly by a different assistant) without any word of apology for all the hassle i'd had. It wasn't his fault, he didn't know me from Adam, but surely there was a way for the repair department or the customer care department to have provided some information to the store. No offer of compensation or a gesture of good will was made.This smacks of two things, one a total lack of customer care and secondly the absence of any joined up thinking.
How did I feel after this, well and truly processed. Not cared about and not important. I'm sure this wouldn't have been the customer experience Charles Dunstone (their CEO) would have wanted for a customer. At the end of the day the buck has to stop somewhere and I think at his door is as good a place as any.
What started off as a real wow left me as the late Freddie Trueman used to say "non plussed". My mobile phone contract is up at the end of the month, needless to say i'll be shopping around manically !
Wednesday 24 June 2009
Customer experience of the carphone warehouse
We'll it's been a bit of a roller coaster of emotions ranging from delight (a wow to use Chris Daffy's terminology) to total frustration (an ouch). Here's my story so far. My mobile is essential to me for work and non work activities, particularly work as I'm self employed. Imagine my horror on the 19 May when it stopped working.
Stressed I took it to Carphone Warehouse, one of their USPs is that they repair mobiles even if they are not purchased from them. Imagine my delight when the attentive customer adviser informed me that it was within guarantee and could be repaired without charge, that's a wow, I hadn't anticipated that. He gave me the shop's direct telephone number rather than me have to use an 0870 number ( 9p per minute but don't get me started on that one !). I rang a few days later and was told It was ready, this was still looking like a wow. These interactions are what Jan Carlson calls "moments of truth" (those times when your organisations reputation is on the line).
Here comes the ouch. It wasn't fixed it had exactly the same fault as before. Craig the assistant was extremely apologetic and said he'd escalate this for me but that it would have to be sent away and that it could be as long as 10 days. A wasted trip not to mention an ouch of gigantic proportions.
I got a text over the weekend 20/21 June to say it was ready & went to collect it with high hopes. They'd fitted some new board in it but .....You've guessed it, it still had the same fault. Craig was extremely apologetic and escalated it again. He informed me that this was happening a lot at the moment, not much comfort. Surely there is a feedback mechanism within the organisation for making the people that need to know this ? Anyway, he suggested I complained and that it was I did today 24 June to an 0870 number with an IVR system which was difficult to navigate around and took me two attempts and cost me £1.50 in total.
Stressed I took it to Carphone Warehouse, one of their USPs is that they repair mobiles even if they are not purchased from them. Imagine my delight when the attentive customer adviser informed me that it was within guarantee and could be repaired without charge, that's a wow, I hadn't anticipated that. He gave me the shop's direct telephone number rather than me have to use an 0870 number ( 9p per minute but don't get me started on that one !). I rang a few days later and was told It was ready, this was still looking like a wow. These interactions are what Jan Carlson calls "moments of truth" (those times when your organisations reputation is on the line).
Here comes the ouch. It wasn't fixed it had exactly the same fault as before. Craig the assistant was extremely apologetic and said he'd escalate this for me but that it would have to be sent away and that it could be as long as 10 days. A wasted trip not to mention an ouch of gigantic proportions.
I got a text over the weekend 20/21 June to say it was ready & went to collect it with high hopes. They'd fitted some new board in it but .....You've guessed it, it still had the same fault. Craig was extremely apologetic and escalated it again. He informed me that this was happening a lot at the moment, not much comfort. Surely there is a feedback mechanism within the organisation for making the people that need to know this ? Anyway, he suggested I complained and that it was I did today 24 June to an 0870 number with an IVR system which was difficult to navigate around and took me two attempts and cost me £1.50 in total.
In case you're wondering why I haven't gone for their jugular, i've been fortunate enough to be able to use an old mobile belonging to my wife.
Will I recommend them to a friend. It really does all depend on whether they are able to perform a recovery here of epic proportions. I still haven't pushed the fact that i've had two wasted trips, petrol, time and telephone call costs surely i'll be entiltled to something ?
Next steps, i've got to phone that 087o number next Tuesday. Watch this space.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
