August 18, 2010

A Dazzling Recovery Strategy Requires Ten Deliberate Steps

Chip Bell, in his latest customer service book, “Take Their Breath Away” refers to the process to ensure that the appropriate organizational mechanisms to recover from a service mishap, broken promise or breakdown as ‘Betrayal Management’.

Here is my short-hand version of the Leadership Acts that must be played out if Dazzling Recovery is to be a way of life in any business:

> Service Strategy - dazzling recovery doesn’t happen through serendipity. It requires a comprehensive strategy defining the outcomes expected and the way to achieve them. Focus on EXECUTION. EXECUTION.
> Togetherness - the relationship between the customer, the breakdown event and the organization must be TIGHT. Seamless recovery demands all components working unbelievably well together.
> Connectivity - establish hyper-communications to enable the recovery process: customer contact when the disaster event happens, follow up, status reports and final resolution.
> ‘Secrets’ - if you don’t know the secrets of the person screwed over, you have little chance to dazzle. Find out what would the customer would NOT expect. Remember, a Dazzling Recovery = Fixing the mistake + Doing the Unexpected. The Surprise Factor.
> Problem Solving - amazing skill wanted in this area that are second-to-none.
> Celebration - recognize and reward Service Recovery Heroes.
> Story Telling - dazzling recovery stories are continually filling the airwaves breathing life into the Recovery Strategy.
> Training - give employees the skills to EXECUTE dazzling recovery is a high priority.
> ‘The Right to Act’ - empower people responsibly to ensure that the earth is moved to enact the dazzle process.
> Measurement - set recovery objectives and measure constantly. Post results in the workplace.
> Accountability - bake recovery expectations into leader Performance Plans. Make it matter.

Final point: make sure you have people in the recovery process that ‘like humans’. Employees that actually care about rectifying the breakdown event and going the extra mile to blow the customer away are needed. Human being indifference will only result in a more infuriated customer who will leave and tell others how bad you are.

Cheers, Roy

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Posted 8.18.10 at 05:36 am by Roy Osing | Read Comments (0) | Leave a Comment