Restoring the human touch in business – Part II
In Restoring the human touch in business Part I, I explored drawbacks associated with the overuse of communications advances. For example, as we become more and more technically savvy and automated, our oral and written skills are prone to weaken and the human factor seems to be removed from our business dealings.
A pledge to our customers
Sales organizations need to do better. We need to achieve a proper balance between streamlining our communications and keeping good old-fashioned customer service. While we will continue to keep up with the technological advances, we pledge to keep the human touch in our business.
Decision Making - We will always value the human factor in our decision making process. Many advanced decision making tools and grids lack the ability to measure the human aspect, because it’s too qualitative. Some human factors, like loyalty, reputation, and ethics are immeasurable, and we will factor them into the equation.
Common Courtesy - While it is common courtesy to turn off our smartphones while attending meetings how many times have you been in a meeting and been distracted by the vibration or audible tone of another’s phone? We will be mindful and in the moment. Our customers deserve our full attention. Linc Energy representatives will turn off their phones while in the presence of our customers.
The Phone – Knowing that emails lack tone, we recognize that a phone call can provide more information about situations than written words. While an email may be more an efficient way to respond to a situation, we will make it a point to reach out and touch someone with a good old-fashioned phone call when it’s appropriate.
A Handshake – Companies have become more creative and are using new technology, like Skype to conduct business. Certainly when you’re covering an expansive territory, like our own, we’ve needed to explore new cost-effective ways to interact with our customers. But we realize that no technology will replace a face-to-face meeting with a customer. We’ll reserve Skyping for emergencies, and we’ll meet with our customers wearing a smile and offering a friendly handshake.
“If you think in terms of a year, plant a seed;
if in terms of ten years, plant trees;
if in terms of 100 years, teach the people.”
--Confucius
These are my company’s pledges to our customers. In the New Year, we choose to do things better. We choose to interface with our customers not only through new technology but also by sharing a cup of joe and learning what our customers need.
With the only constant in business being change, we will not lose sight of the human touch and will strive to teach people to foster long term growth.
Tags: long term growth, customer service, web 2.0, communications
