Tag Archives: Omotenashi

Customer (dis)service: when the owner is chasing the dog!

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We moved last year, a process that can best be described as wading through treacle. I lost track of the amount of time I spent listening to scratchy blasts of Vivaldi attempting to correct basic errors from service providers. Each time I was reassured my call was important, that they were experiencing unusually high demand, and that the call would be recorded for training and monitoring purposes.

It seems my experience of dealing with customer facing organisations is not uncommon. Miranda Green in an excellent FT Weekend piece entitled “Your call is important to us… please hold” quotes from a New Britain Project Report which notes the average Briton spends between 28-41 minutes a week battling inefficient customer service systems.

She says, “The 1.5bn hours that Britons spend each year dealing with personal admin leave many close to cracking up“.

The digital revolution and remote working was supposed to improve productivity. Has it or are customers now entangled in a web of endless options with faceless systems? Let’s examine.

I’m going to share a couple of unrelated stories with one common theme – each of the organisations invested heavily in client facing technology to improve service.

The Conveyancing Story: “I will send an email to see if we’ve received an email”

As part of the move I rearranged financing on a previous home. Our finance broker set everything in place and an offer was forthcoming from a lender (BMS) I’d previously used. This time they instructed a different conveyancing company (let’s call them Optimus Prime-OP).

All went well at first. An online tracking system was set up in our name; it allowed us to upload relevant documents and see how our financing was progressing.

The tracker system was updated with details of all communication. Great, we thought! There was no chain involved so they were predicting a quick completion. The mortgage offer was sent. And then….

I uploaded proof of ID and address on March 4th. They spotted an error (not of my making). Somehow, due to an input error during the application process I’d become 10 years younger. OP required authority from BMS to accept my passport Date of Birth as being correct.

On March 7th the lender emailed OP to give them that authority.

On 10th I rang OP for an update having checked the tracking system which was unchanged. I’m told “we haven’t heard from BMS” which surprised me. I asked the broker to double check. He did and confirmed the email address BMS sent it to was indeed an OP email address.

When I relayed that message to my case handler at OP the following day I am told, “That’s an admin email address which I don’t have access to.” I was further told “I will have to email them the admin team to gain access to it.”

By now it’s March 24th and my patience has worn thin so I escalate the request to a very helpful team member:

Good morning Mr Corney, thank you for your phone call. I can confirm that the email from BMS regarding your date of birth is not on the file, I can confirm that I have emailed the admin team in order to re-check the inbox…

Yet another round of Broker / Lender / Conveyancer discusssions ensue and I am promised a call by a Senior Legal Officer to discuss. No date or time is given.

As I was unavailable when they called (on March 25th) I get this message:

I have recently attempted to contact you to discuss the expression of dissatisfaction that has been raised on your file, however it appears you were unavailable. As an update on your file the issues surrounding your ID check have been resolved and your file is now at the final stages where we will perform a final review of the file to ensure that we have everything required to supply you with a completion date and you should be hearing from us within the next couple of days to discuss the possibility of completion for your file.

Completion duly took place before the Stamp Duty increase came into play on April 1st.

Rather than revisit my issues, here’s what a dissatisfied customer just posted on TrustPilot:

AVOID! AVOID! AVOID! A simple remortgage has taken 5 months! We ended up having to pay variable rates for 3 months. There is no sense of urgency unless you raise a complaint. There’s no one to speak to or email about progress. Everything is done via a very inefficient portal. I can’t believe — recommended them!

The Soccer Story: “Paying twice to sit in the same seat!”

I purchased three digital tickets for a Premier League fixture from a top ten club. One for me and two for a friend and his adult son. My friend downloaded his and his son’s and I mine. I’ll let “Kevin” take up the story:

The evening before the match, we discovered my son was unable to attend because of a last-minute appointment…

During the afternoon, I checked the wallet on my phone, only to discover that the ticket in my son‘s name had been designated as expired. I thought this may be my fault so I called the supporters’ line again and was advised that this was not so. I was told that the ticket was still valid and I should go to the turnstile on the evening, or the ticket office, if there was a problem. The three of us arrived at the ground and approached the turnstile. My ticket worked but the second did not. The steward very helpfully allowed me out, through a door to go along with my friends to the ticket office. We courteously explained what had happened and the attendant called for an assistant manager.

He asked if we could talk to my son to confirm that he would not be using the ticket. We managed to achieve this – only for —to then tell us that resale was not possible and we would have to purchase a ticket again. Reluctantly, I did so, paying a further £40 for the ticket, only for my friend’s wife to enter the ground with us and sit in the very same empty seat that we’d already purchased!

And here’s an extract from the reply:

…Once a ticket has been purchased, we are unable to make changes to it. All tickets are non-transferable and non-refundable and this is stated in our terms and conditions. 

When anyone arrives at the ticket office on a matchday, of course we are immediately trying to find a resolution to a problem and to do our best to assist where possible.  We need to have confirmation from the ticket owner before we process anything via their account – Once I had spoken to your son, I realised that the ticket exchange had recently closed and therefore my suggestion of reselling the ticket was no longer possible. The only alternative was then to sell Ana a ticket for the match.

I understand your frustration, however I hope you understand that we are not trying to be difficult, but must be consistent with our policies… 

Where is the common sense in all of this? Having asked to speak to the ‘owner’, the offer to transfer the ticket was subsequently withdrawn because of an arbitrary computer deadline.

Empowerment be dammed

A couple of years ago I wrote a piece: “Gloves and Mail Sacks: What happens when you don’t empower your team”

Contrasting other experiences to the Japanese practice/culture of Omotenashi; the pursuit of excellence in customer service by anticipating and exceeding customer needs, I bemoaned the erosion of a service culture across businesses due to a lack of empowerment at the front line.

Two years on I fear with the ubiquity of CRM technology we are at the point where the owner is now chasing the techonogical dog. No one seems to have authority or inclination to question processes that are manifestly dumb.

If business owners don’t empower front line management to make common sense decisions and override computer systems then how can they aspire to excellent customer service?

And finally

Lest we shrug our shoulders, recognise our impotence and accept this is the cost of progress, the New Britain Project report draws a correlation between quiet desparation and disaffection.

Voters are increasingly fed up with a system that wastes their time. The danger is that this frustration is no longer just background noise, it’s now shaping political behaviour. This isn’t just annoying, it’s political. If ministers don’t fix the systems people deal with every day, they risk losing voters to parties that want to tear the whole system down.”

Will “Kevin” go to that club’s matches again? I’m not so sure!

Will I go anywhere near OP again? I am sure – I won’t!

Gloves and Mail Sacks: What happens when you don’t empower your team

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I’ve previously written about the Japanese practice/culture of Omotenashi; the pursuit of excellence in customer service by anticipating and exceeding customer needs. Where such a culture is not the norm and you aspire to high standards it is important customer facing team members are confident they have the authority to make clients or guests feel special and keen to return.

Here’s what can happen when they don’t feel they have the autonomy to make on the spot decisions.

The golf glove story

I’ve been in Sesimbra, Portugal for an annual trip with a few of my golfing buddies. Bear with me, this is not about the golf or the astonishing Sesimbra Carnaval which took place concurrent with our arrival and continued with gusto all night outside our hotel window!

Despite having some of the best courses around, golf in Portugal has not attained the same cult following as in other European countries. And it’s very difficult if you play left handed to acquire accessories such as golf gloves.

I’d managed to acquire one near to our home in Lisboa, so, fired up and ready to go I was looking forward to the next day’s game at Qunita Do Peru with renewed optimism.

Arriving in good time for our tee slot at “…one of the most prestigious golf courses” whose mission includes the phrase “Provide premium and unique experiences…”, clubs and glove were loaded onto our buggy while we went for a pre round bica. Almost immediately a very affable South African lady (Caddy Master) came to tell us she’d moved our bags and shoes to another cart. Coffee drunk, we went out to collect our gear only to discover my recently acquired (and unused) golf glove was nowhere to be seen.

Caddy Master was confused; she remembered transferring it to the new buggy and could not explain its dissapearance. Not wishing to create a fuss I asked her to make a few enquiries to see if it had been handed in at reception / pro shop. It had not!

The professional had a right hand glove in my size. Great I thought, problem solved. Except it wasn’t. I was then asked to pay. When I queried why, since they had moved my original glove, I was told it was on the replacement buggy and it was not their fault it had gone missing.

The giveaway phrase: “we would have to pay for the replacement”!

The mail bag story

Every 6 weeks or so, Bees Homes writes a letter to selected homeowners in which we provide an insight on the housing market as well as tips on how they might effectively present their property in the event they decide to sell.

Though time consuming, it has proved to be a valuable way of demonstrating expertise and generating future clientelle.

We usually manage to fill a couple of sacks with envelopes and the local post office (before it was closed) gave us sacks to make it easier and avoid clogging up post boxes.

A few weeks back I took two sackfulls into Ringmer Post Office housed (as most now are) in a convenience store. Greeted by a closed sign, the welcome was less than effusive. However a kind soul ‘John’ said if all we wanted was to deposit the sacks that was ok.

I thanked him and asked for replacement sacks. He was about to hand some over when a surly woman, perched behind the closed sign, said “Be careful John, we don’t have many sacks left”.

Fortunately, John ignored her and handed me a couple of replacements.

And the moral is?

In the first example at Quinta Do Peru, while everyone was very pleasant their response in a crisis was kilometres away from what they espoused to be. As a result none of us felt like going into the clubhouse for a meal and drink at the end of our round.

In the second, it was the crass stupidity of the remark and the way it was delivered that struck me. Had John not have offered replacements I would have asked him to put our sackfull into theirs and asked for mine back!

Reflecting on these and many other similar situations over the past few months I am left wondering where the disconnect occurs between the coporate narrative and those charged with delivering the service.

I think it comes down to empowerment and ownership: we hire expensive brand consultants to develop vision and mission statements but, absent a service culture, the lofty ideals they come up with fail to land with the people charged with implementing them. They don’t own the story!

How would your team behave in these situations. Are they empowered to make on the spot decisions and feel confident to do so knowing you have their back?

And finally

It would be remiss not to give a shout out to Alexandra Goncalves of Orizonte Golf the organiser of our Sesimbra sojourn. She ensured we were well briefed about the traffic restrictions around our hotel caused by Carnaval that might hinder our arrival and arranged for temporary storage of our golf clubs at Aroeira.

March of The Clowns: View from Sana Sesimbra Carnaval Feburary 23

Post script (March 23)

Alexandra shared my post with Quinta do Peru’s Director of Golf, Hugo Amaral. He responded to me as follows:

Dear Paul,

I was just told today by Alexandra about what happened on your visit to Quinta do Peru and I was shocked to know all the information.

I remember clearly such date as on the same day hosting a tournament for Edge college, and it was a very busy day. May that’s explains why I haven’t been informed on spot about what happened as I was probably on the course with the Tournament organizers.

I feel ashamed by all this situation and do hope that that incident didn’t ruined your experience at Quinta do Peru.

The fact that the Pro Shop isn’t owned by us, and of course we would have to reimburse the shop owner for the glove, shouldn’t be used as an excuse to incur you on an extra expense, and it should be our responsibility to fully replace your lost good.

I do hope that next time you are in the region you pay us a new visit as I would be more than happy welcome you and compensate you of this extra (forced) cost.

Please accept my apologies and my kindest regards,

Hugo

Hugo’s response was appreciated and reminded me of an experience in Cuba after which I wrote a piece on “A complaint is a gift“.

Striving for Omotenashi excellence: the value of “Pause & Reflect” sessions

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“As a child, I often would go back home to spend my summers in Tokyo with my grandparents. A memory that stays with me are the trips we would take to Kamakura and Hayama. Hotels and ryokans treated every guest like a VIP—no matter if this was the first stay or the 100th stay. The attentive staff was neither pushy nor clingy nor obtrusive. It was a perfect balance. Everything from the first warm greeting to the way meals were prepared and served was an experience, executed smoothly and with such precision it never felt forced or unnatural. Moreover, the hotels had this uncanny sense of knowing what the guests needed. Every time I left, I couldn’t wait to come back again.“

The quote (bold emphasis is mine) is taken from a blog post by Mari Yamaguchi, who comes from a Customer Experience Design and Voice of the Customer background, and gives a good illustration of the five basic principles that underpin the Japanese custom of Omotensahi.

  • Greet the customers
  • Be friendly / smile
  • Use appropriate language
  • Be presentable
  • Act appropriately

As business managers / owners I wonder how many of your team aspire to provide that level of service? Is it part of your culture too? Do your clients say, “I couldn’t wait to come back again?”

Are you able to say we have “..an implicit understanding that there are no menial tasks if the result ensures a great experience…”

In search of excellence

It doesn’t matter the size of your business or industry, operational and decision making processes can always be improved. Taking time to reflect in a non judgemental way is an essential part of the technique Knowledge & Information Professionals call Learning Before, During & After.

As a relatively young business (5 years old this month) Bees Homes has set out to provide exceptional customer service and to use it as a market differentiator. A quick glimpse of its current portfolio amplifies the strapline “Selling Beautiful Properties from the Downs to The Weald”!

First impressions count. Since 90% of property sales originate from online searches it’s essential to stand out from the crowd. Great presentation is key to getting a listing noticed and potential buyers interested and willing to pay a premium.

Bees Homes ‘Tailored Marketing’ (part of a trademarked process – 5Hive) is subject to continual improvment and refinement. Core, is the art of presenting the client’s home to its maximum potential. And to achieve that, a wide range of experienced and talented professionals with complimentary skill sets are deployed at the photoshoot along with an array of accessories and artifacts for staging and styling.

Each event is planned with military precision with estimated timings for each phase, the order in which rooms are to be staged and the role to be played by each professional.

The lead agent needs to ‘see through the lens’ of the photographer and imagine how an image will look online and in the bespoke coffee table brochure that’s produced for each property.

She/he needs to capture enough of the DNA of the property that the Copywriter and Designer can incorporate it in the brochure. And she/he needs to ensure the client is delighted with both the event and the resulting marketing collateral.

Each of these events throw up learnings that are fed back into operational processes. Here’s how:

Learning after: “Pause & Reflect”

Each Pause & Reflect session is run no more than 2/3 weeks after the event and lasts for a maximum of two hours.

It is led by someone who was not at the event and features those who were.

So many organisations fail to engage with the people who work alongside them. In the above example James (our photographer) was able to input a number of valuable insights and suggestions that will improve the conduct future projects and the result for the client.

As an illustration, a list of 10 enhancements emerged from the latest session all of which have been fed back into Bees Homes Tailored Marketing process. The latest brochure of a very desirable property in Rye reflects a couple.

And finally

Bees Homes is fortunate to be led by Ana Aguilar-Corney who is a qualified Interior Designer and experienced design blogger. Ana is able to use her skills to help the team present a property in a compelling way so that prospective buyers can imagine themselves living there.

Successful businesses draw on a variety of skills and give voice to the people who work alongside them. They are willing to hold up their hands when things don’t work out the way they’d planned but (and this is a differentiator) they are constantly seeking a pathway to excellence through process improvement. Dare I say it, to a culture of Omotenashi?