8

Responsiveness

Kelsey walked into the classroom a few minutes early on Tuesday, hoping to catch her professor before the other students arrived. He was sitting at the desk, looking at his computer.

“Hi, Kelsey. You’re here early,” Professor Hartley said as he stood up.

“I’d hoped to talk with you for a few minutes before class started,” Kelsey began. “I was just wondering how well you know Mr. Murray. I think you said you’d worked with him; is that right?”

“Yes, we worked together when we were in college, but we go back even further than that,” said the professor. “We actually grew up together in the Midwest and have stayed good friends all these years. Why do you ask?”

“Yesterday at work, we had a visit from the vice president of operations for Ferguson’s. He has the same title as Mr. Murray, but they’re nothing alike. Mr. Glatch was so tough and uncaring. He didn’t even acknowledge the things we’d been doing well. Mr. Murray seems so positive and down to earth. Is he that way around his employees?”

“Absolutely. Remember what I said to the class on the very first day of the semester?”

Kelsey thought for a moment. “You mean the part about relationships?”

“Exactly. It’s how you treat people—in this case, internal customers—that makes them feel valued. You didn’t feel that Mr. Glatch cared about you or your coworkers or that he appreciated your hard work. Dan understands the importance of making sure his people are recognized and praised for their efforts. If they know they’re appreciated, they’ll pass along those positive feelings to their customers.”

Kelsey stood in silence.

“Kelsey, have you thought about working at ShopSmart? I think you’d fit in well with the culture there. I’d be happy to call Dan for you if you think it might help.” The professor had read Kelsey’s mind. She was surprised by his offer—but she wasn’t ready to make that leap quite yet.

“Thanks, Dr. Hartley. That’s really nice of you. I’ll think about it.”

Just then, a few other people walked into the room, laughing and talking.

“Sounds good, Kelsey. Just let me know.”

Professor Hartley started off the class with a quick review of what they’d learned so far about Legendary Service, including the definitions of Ideal Service, Culture of Service, and Attentiveness—the first three segments of the ICARE model.

“Now I’m going to put you all on the spot,” the professor said. “Who has a good service story that can illustrate any of the concepts we’ve learned so far?”

A woman in the back of the room raised her hand.

“Thank you, Connie. Please stand up and tell us your story.”

Looking a bit uncomfortable, Connie stood up. “A couple of weeks ago I was picking up some takeout for dinner. As I was standing at the counter waiting for my order, I got a call on my cell phone. Even though I was talking quietly, I think it was obvious to the woman behind the counter that I wasn’t happy with the person on the other end of the line. When I hung up, she looked at me and said, ‘Tough day?’ very sincerely. I said, ‘Yes.’ I paid, and she handed me my order—and then she looked me straight in the eye and said, ‘I hope you have a fabulous weekend.’ It was such a small thing, but I felt as if she truly cared about me and how I was feeling. I actually walked out of there feeling better because of her”

“Thanks, Connie” the professor said as he turned to the class. “When you are the service provider, a simple word or gesture on your part is sometimes all that’s needed to show customers that you’re in tune with them and you care about them as people, not just as customers. That kind of connection can instantly create customer loyalty.

“This is a great way to make the transition into the next segment in the ICARE model.” He tapped his laptop, and the words on the screen read:

“Being responsive to your customers goes hand in hand with being attentive to their needs and preferences,” said the professor as he tapped once more to show the next slide.

“I want you all to think of a time when you were the customer and you felt that a service provider was truly focused on you. Write down everything the person did that made you feel as if they wanted to help you and wanted to meet or exceed your expectations.”

He gave the students a few minutes to write, then asked them to call out their answers.

“He listened to my concerns and needs.”

“She took care of my problem right away.”

“She made me feel cared about—like she was on my side.”

“Those are all great examples,” said the professor. “Being a good listener, dealing with difficult situations, and caring for your customers are all parts of Responsiveness.

“Now think about someone you know who is a good listener. What is it about them that makes you put them in this category?”

Kelsey immediately thought of her grandma. When she was younger, she would stay with her grandma for a month every summer. Her grandma knew how to ask questions about school or friends that would get Kelsey talking. She would sometimes respond with comments such as, “That sounds like fun,” to let Kelsey know she was listening. Those conversations had always made Kelsey feel special. She smiled as she realized that her grandma was still doing the same thing these days—asking about her work, school, and friends, and always being there to listen. She still seemed to be truly interested in everything that was going on in Kelsey’s life.

When Kelsey’s mind returned to the classroom, she heard people calling out their responses to the professor’s question.

“He asks questions to show he’s listening.”

“She makes eye contact and comments on what I’m saying.”

“Okay, I think we all get the picture,” Professor Hartley responded. “To be as responsive as possible to your customers, listen carefully when they tell you what they need. If you have an unhappy customer, keep a positive attitude and remember that they need to be able to tell their story and feel heard. Either way, ask open-ended questions that will engage the customer in discussion. Pull information from them to gain a better understanding of their needs and their situation.

“As the customer shares information with you, acknowledge what they’re saying through nonverbal communication—such as nodding your head—as well as verbal communication. Paraphrase what the customer just said—reflect their feelings so that they know you’re actively listening. If they’re unhappy, show empathy, or even apologize if it seems appropriate.

“After you think you have enough information and you know that the person feels they’ve been heard, offer to help them. Give the person a couple of options, if possible. The better you know your customer, the better you’ll know the way to respond.

“Most unhappy customers just want the matter resolved. Keep in mind that the situation, not the customer, is the problem. Your job is to find a solution as quickly as possible—that’s the key to leaving a positive impression. Statistics show that if you can kindly resolve their problem, 70 percent of unhappy customers will do business with you again. If you can kindly resolve their problem on the spot, 95 percent will do business with you again.

“When you take the time to listen to customers, you’re showing them you care about them. Look them in the eye, smile, be sincere, and focus on the customers and their point of view. That’s Responsiveness in action.”

“Hi, Grandma Kate, I’m home,” called Kelsey as she closed the front door behind her.

“I’m in here, honey,” Grandma Kate called from the living room. “Come see what I got in the mail today.”

As Kelsey walked into the room, her grandmother was holding up a card. “Can you believe that the people at the clinic sent me a birthday card? How on earth did they know my birthday was this week?”

“That’s so nice,” said Kelsey. “How did they know that?”

“I don’t know, but it sure was a nice surprise,” said Grandma Kate.

Kelsey quickly realized that Grandma Kate’s date of birth was on file at the clinic. Still, it was definitely exceeding expectations for the clinic staff to send birthday cards to patients—a great example of how they put their Relationships value into action.

Because Steven had canceled their huddle on Monday, Kelsey was determined to get a few minutes with him on Wednesday to talk about the service initiative he was going to present to senior management. She’d put together a packet of everything she had studied in her course so far and had been putting a lot of thought into what Steven might want to say. It was just before lunch when she finally spotted him.

“Steven, would you have a few minutes today to talk about the service initiative presentation? I’d like to get your—”

“Kelsey,” Steven interrupted, “I know we haven’t had a chance to connect, and I’m really sorry, but today’s not a good day. I’m going to be in meetings all afternoon. As a matter of fact,” he said as he looked at his watch, “I’m running late right now. We’ll have to touch base another time.”

With that, he was gone. True to his word, he didn’t appear for the rest of Kelsey’s shift.

Kelsey left work feeling disappointed that another day had gone by with no progress. She wished she knew more about what was going on. All she knew was that morale at Ferguson’s couldn’t be lower.

Iris turned her attention to Grandma Kate as soon as she and Kelsey were settled in the therapy room at the clinic. Alex had joined them. “Before Alex gets started with your session today, I thought we’d spend a few minutes so that you can tell me how you’re feeling about the progress we’re making with your wrist,” said Iris.

For the next 10 minutes or so, Iris asked questions and listened intently, even taking notes, as Grandma Kate answered them. Every now and then she would comment on something, but mostly she listened and Grandma Kate talked. Grandma Kate went into some detail about how her wrist felt today compared with the past few weeks and said she was sure the exercises she had been doing between sessions were helping her recovery. Iris listened patiently to her lament about how much she missed gardening, quilting, and other activities that needed both hands. Kelsey observed it all and thought, Iris is showing more patience with Grandma Kate than I sometimes do.

At the end of their talk, Iris said, “Well, Kate, based on what I’ve observed in the last few visits and what I just heard you say, I think you’re definitely coming down the home stretch with your therapy. I’m going to modify your routine and see if we can get you out of that brace within the next week or two. Does that sound like a good plan to you?”

“That sounds wonderful,” said Grandma Kate. “You know, I really appreciate your listening to my concerns. And I love how you never treat me like an old lady. I feel as if I’m your partner in getting my wrist back in working order.”

“You’re definitely our partner, especially since you’re doing most of the work” said Alex with a smile.

“Listening to our patients is part of our job,” said Iris. “If we don’t know what they’re thinking and feeling, we can’t be effective in what we do.” She stood up. “I’ll leave you with Alex now, and he’ll show you a few new exercises.”

Kelsey decided to stay and watch their session today. She loved watching her grandma interact with both Alex and Iris. They were so kind to her and made her laugh, even at times when the movements were uncomfortable for her. Alex had come to know Grandma Kate well enough that he would distract her from the less pleasant exercises by asking questions so that she would start talking. Kelsey thought her grandma might actually miss coming to these appointments after her wrist was healed.

When the session was over and they were on their way home, Grandma Kate said, “Iris and Alex have such a nice way about them. They want to know how I feel about things—and they take time to listen to me and make me feel special, as if I’m their only patient.”

“This is what I’m learning about in my class right now—Responsiveness,” said Kelsey. “Remember me telling you about the ICARE model? Iris and Alex are showing that they care about you. And you’re healing ahead of schedule!”

“Why won’t you tell me where we’re going?” asked Grandma Kate. Kelsey had told her to be ready at nine o’clock Saturday morning, and they were now in the car, heading toward town.

“Because it’s your birthday surprise” said Kelsey with a sneaky smile.

As Kelsey turned onto an unfamiliar street, Grandma Kate saw a large sign and exclaimed, “Oh, Kelsey. I haven’t been to the zoo in years. What a wonderful birthday present.”

“I bought tickets for the bus tour in advance, Grandma,” Kelsey said. “That way we won’t have to walk very far and we can see all the animals.”

After they parked and entered the zoo, they made their way to the tour bus station. As they approached the large open-air bus, they were greeted by a jovial man with a handlebar mustache who held out his hand to Grandma Kate. He was wearing a uniform with a bow tie and a cap.

“Good morning, ladies. Allow me to assist you,” he said. Grandma Kate took his hand, stepped up into the bus, and sat in the front seat next to the open window. Kelsey sat next to her grandma on the aisle. A middle-aged couple sat down across from them, directly behind the driver’s seat.

The woman across from Kelsey said to her husband, “Ned, don’t you think it would be nice to let me sit next to the window?”

The woman’s husband immediately stood up and maneuvered his way past her so that she could slide over. He sat down in the aisle seat. More passengers boarded the bus until it was about half full.

“I don’t understand why they don’t make these seats more comfortable,” the woman complained to her husband as the man with the mustache stepped up into the bus and sat in the driver’s seat.

“This is going to be so much fun!” said Grandma Kate as she squeezed Kelsey’s hand. Grandma Kate wasn’t easy to shop for, so Kelsey was happy she’d chosen this for a birthday gift.

The driver pulled the bus out of the station and picked up his microphone to begin his tour guide spiel.

“Good morning, everyone! I hope you’re all looking forward to a great day today here at the zoo. I’ve talked with all the animals this morning, and they’ve agreed to be on their best behavior and to pose for photo opportunities whenever we stop. The only one who was a little cranky about it was the musk ox, so I didn’t argue with him,” he chuckled. “You don’t ever want to be on that guy’s bad side!” Snickers and murmurs came from the passengers.

The woman sitting behind the bus driver leaned forward and said, “I hope you don’t drive this fast all day. I feel like I’m going to get whiplash.”

The bus driver turned off the microphone and said, “So sorry, ma’am; I’ll watch my speed from now on. Most of the time I’ll be going slowly so that everyone can take pictures. Sometimes in the morning I’m just eager to get to the animals so that you folks can start having fun. My apologies.” He turned on the microphone and said, “We’re getting close to the peacock and flamingo lagoon now, folks. I wonder if the peacock will put on a show for us. He told me he would.”

Kelsey was impressed that the driver didn’t seem to mind the woman’s comment. As the tour went along, she noticed that he not only knew hundreds of details about the animals but also was able to answer everyone’s questions. Throughout his interactions with the passengers, he kept a playful attitude and didn’t miss a beat. He really likes his job, Kelsey thought.

Later in the tour, when the bus was stopped and Grandma Kate had turned away to take pictures of the giraffes and zebras, Kelsey leaned over and told the driver it was her grandmother’s birthday. She had a hunch he might do something special for people’s birthdays.

Sure enough, a few minutes later the bus stopped in front of the brown bear enclosure. The bear approached the front of the enclosure—a deep moat separating him from the road—and sat down as if he were posing for photos. The bus driver said, “This is our one-trick bear, Buster. Why do you all think I call him our ‘one-trick bear’?

“Because he only has one trick!” some passengers called out. Everyone laughed.

The driver addressed the bear. “Hey, Buster—did you know there’s a birthday girl on our bus? Her name is Kate” Grandma Kate gasped.

“Everybody, let’s wave at Buster and see if we can get him to wave at Kate for her birthday. Hi, Buster!” The bus driver began to wave at the bear, and soon nearly everyone on the bus was waving. After a moment or two, Buster lifted his huge paw in the air and tossed his head. Kelsey and the other passengers snapped a picture at just the right moment.

Grandma Kate was delighted. “That was wonderful” she said to the driver. “Thank you for making my birthday special. How did you know?”

“A little bird told me,” said the driver as he winked at Kelsey and put the bus in gear.

The remainder of the tour was just as enjoyable. When Kelsey got off the bus, she thanked the driver.

“How long have you been doing this job?” she asked.

As he held out his hand for the next passenger stepping off, the driver smiled and said, “I’ve been here 13 years as of last month. Best job I’ve ever had.”

“I think people can tell you’re having fun,” said Kelsey. “You relate so well with your passengers—and you don’t let the cranky ones get to you.”

“Ha!” The driver laughed. “Well, you know, it’s like I was saying about our old musk ox—sometimes it’s best not to argue with someone. Listen to what they’re really saying and try to meet their needs and stay on their good side. I just try to show people I care about them. It makes everyone’s day better and helps keep the focus on the fun.”

Just then, the woman who had been sitting behind the driver got off the bus, smiled at him, and said, “Thank you.”

The driver smiled at the woman and said, “You’re very welcome, ma’am.” He raised his eyebrows and smiled at Kelsey.

Grandma Kate and Kelsey spent some time in the aviary and stopped by the petting zoo before they went home. It had been a wonderful day for both of them, and the tour guide’s caring attitude had made a positive, lasting impression.

Monday was a long and challenging day at work for Kelsey. Not only did Steven not come in early for their huddle, but he canceled the regular Monday morning meeting altogether. He’d never done that before. Kelsey knew something big must be going on; she just didn’t know what it was.

That afternoon, just before her shift was over, Kelsey saw her teammate Rob talking with a customer who was holding a large table lamp.

“I’m sorry, ma’am—we can’t match prices from our competitors anymore,” said Rob. “We just changed that policy. I’m very sorry.”

“That’s too bad” said the woman, frowning. “I really wanted a nice lamp like this for my office. Your price is $50, and Lamp World has one just like it for $40. I was hoping you could match their price so that I wouldn’t have to drive all the way back there to get it, but I guess now I’ll have to. I hate it when stores change their policies and don’t tell customers about it.” With some effort, she put the large lamp back on the shelf.

“I absolutely understand your frustration,” Rob said in a sympathetic tone. He paused and said, “Lamp World—that’s the big warehouse store across town, isn’t it?”

“Yes. They have a huge selection—I’m sure that’s why their prices are lower than yours,” said the customer.

“If you don’t mind my asking, ma’am—don’t they price their lamps and lampshades separately?”

“Yes, they do, so that you can choose the combination you want,” said the customer. “What are you getting at?”

“Were they asking $40 for the lamp and the shade, or just for the lamp?”

“Oh,” said the customer, looking pensive. “Now that I think about it, I guess it was just for the lamp. Their shades are $20 extra. So I guess the total cost would’ve been $60.”

Rob’s face brightened as he gestured toward the lamp. “Our price on this lamp includes the shade. Do you like this combination?”

“Actually, I love this shade—it’s very stylish.” She smiled broadly. “So, in fact, I’m getting a better deal here at Ferguson’s.”

“Yes, you are,” said Rob, lifting the lamp off the shelf. “If you’re through with your shopping, I’ll be happy to go through checkout with you and carry the lamp out to your car.”

As the two walked away, Kelsey could hear the woman laughing and continuing to talk to Rob. Kelsey was impressed—not only with the way Rob had listened to his customer and solved the problem to her satisfaction but also with his knowledge of the other store’s pricing policy. His attitude toward service had changed 180 degrees in just the last couple of months. Kelsey wondered if it could have had anything to do with the ideas she was passing along. I’ve got to tell Steven about this so that he can mention it at the next Monday morning meeting, Kelsey thought. That’s Responsiveness if I’ve ever seen it!

By the time Kelsey and Grandma Kate got home from the clinic early that evening, Kelsey was so exhausted, all she wanted to do was eat dinner and go to bed. Unfortunately, she had a paper to write for class the next morning. After dinner, she forced herself to go to her room and study while Grandma Kate watched a movie in the living room.

Kelsey had just cracked open her textbook when her cell phone buzzed with a text. She didn’t recognize the phone number, but the text read: Hi Kelsey. This is Steven. Sorry to interrupt but do you have a few minutes to talk?

Curious as to why her boss would need to call her on a Monday night, she texted back: Sure.

Within a minute, her phone rang.

“Hello?”

“Hi, Kelsey. I’m sorry to bother you.”

“No worries; I was just studying. Is everything okay?”

“First, I want to apologize for being so short with you when we spoke last Wednesday. There’s a lot of stuff going on right now. I had a meeting to get to, but I realized afterward that I’d cut you off in mid sentence. I feel bad we haven’t had a chance to meet lately so that you could fill me in about what you’re learning. I just want you to know I think you’re a great employee and I really value having you in the department as part of our team.”

At first, Kelsey didn’t know what to say—she was surprised to hear Steven apologize.

“Thanks, Steven. I really appreciate your calling. I know things are crazy in the store right now, but when you have time, I’ve got some more information to share with you that we can use to build the service initiative. In fact, we can talk about it right now if you want to.” She tapped her laptop and opened the folder containing her notes from class.

“That’s the other reason I’m calling you,” he said. “I guess there’s no other way to say this—I can’t ask you to spend any more time on this plan. There isn’t any point. I spoke with the store manager today and told him you and I were putting together a customer service initiative. He shut me down and said right now, all they can focus on is increasing revenue and cutting costs. They just don’t understand the importance of creating customer loyalty; it’s all about the numbers to them.”

Kelsey was quiet on the other end, taking in what Steven had said.

“I can’t tell you how disappointed I am about this, Kelsey—especially with all the thought and effort you’ve been putting into it.”

“That makes two of us,” said Kelsey.

“Anyway, I hope you don’t let this get you down too much. You know I still appreciate your enthusiasm and your good ideas—and I want you to keep sharing your suggestions with the team and me, so that at least our department can shine in spite of everything else that’s going on. Things are bound to calm down, and when they do, maybe we can try again.”

“Well, thanks for believing in me, Steven,” said Kelsey sadly. “I guess we’ll just keep doing the best we can in our department and see what happens.”

Kelsey was so disturbed by Steven’s news that it took her a while to open her book after she put down the phone. She appreciated his calling and apologizing, though—he really was a nice man and a good manager. He deserves better than this—and maybe I do, too, she thought. How ironic that I’m studying about the benefits of being a good listener and none of the leaders at my store want to listen to common sense. She and Steven both knew Ferguson’s was going down the wrong path, but nobody who was in a position to do anything about it seemed to care.

She forced herself to finish her paper and then jotted down some thoughts about a new plan that was forming in her head. She was going to call Iris in the morning to see when they could meet—she needed an outsider’s perspective.