Status meetings: Value-add or productivity drain?

May 23, 2012

A group of co-workers stare down a deadline. How will the project get done? This project has huge expectations. If this one fails, we’re all doomed.

The struggle: How to keep all stakeholders involved and engaged?

Are you tracking to a date or a destination?

The typical answer: the status meeting.

On a recent flight, I happened to be sitting next to a woman who was painstakingly drafting meeting minutes from a recent status meeting.

I wasn’t deliberately peering into my seatmate’s laptop, yet I happened to steal a glance as I looked out the window. When I saw the meeting title: Status Meeting I did a double take? Did people conduct status meetings anymore? Was this a concept that people still believed in for true team accountability and transparency?

For the past 5 years, I’ve been fully engrossed in the world of agile, and I hope to never go back.

In agile, there are no status meetings. They’d be considered a waste of valuable time and resources.

A major upgrade from the dull, dry status meeting is the daily standup, a daily, short, focused meeting that centers the team to answer 3 questions:

  • What have you completed since yesterday?
  • What do you plan on completing today?
  • Is there anything that’s impeding your work?

Who wants to sit in a room and get status with 10 other colleagues? Conversations drift; people stare at watches; (when will this end?)  Disengagement lingers; morale plummets.

Stop the status meetings. Look into agile. It’s not a scary, scientific concept. Bottom line: it drives results for you, your team, and your business.

Until next time,

Dan Naden

Leave a Comment » | Achievement, Communication, communications, customer experience, meetings, personal, personal connection | Tagged: , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Dan Naden

Make your product invisible

May 9, 2012

Like electricity, the use of a dataphone has almost become that predictable, consistent, expected. When you want to make a call, set an appointment, get an answer to anything, you pull out your phone. It’s a modern day equivalent of flipping the light switch.

I’ve noticed some ‘heavy’ smartphone zones: airports, stoplights, doctor’s waiting rooms.

In one of these zones, you only notice the people who aren’t on a smartphone.

When your product's 'switch' is flipped, does it just click for the customer?

The use of these phones/devices has become invisible. When people seek the pivotal (departure time of a flight or directions when lost on a dark, deserted street) or the mundane (score of a football game or the real name of Seinfeld’s Kramer) they have a method to get an answer quickly, painlessly. Events, situations, scenarios that used to take hours, now take seconds.

Not all products can achieve such luxury or esteemed status, yet your product or service can inch closer towards being invisible. When a product’s invisible, it just works. No hassle. No fuss. No confusion. When you have a need to be filled or a problem to be solved, you turn to a product, and the product meets your need.

So what can other industries learn from the smartphone to make their products closer to invisibility?

  • Can a customer service line detect your personal information from the phone number where you dialed? It’s frustrating to have to re-enter a phone number when you’re tired, frustrated or angry.
  • Can your car rental company know your preferred XM satellite stations and have them preset upon your arrival? If you’re late to a meeting, and want to relax, the last thing you want to do is scan the dial while you navigate unfamiliar roads.
  • Can a fast food restaurant with a huge in-store line shift the order of the foods even though they’re out of sequence? For example, I recently ordered a yogurt from McDonald’s, which I could see from the counter in a fridge, yet I had to wait 10 minutes until all the other people received their time-intensive pancakes and sausage?

These micro-improvements, which can yield substantial gains, are sometime overlooked when product or business owners look to improve. The big wins are appreciated, yet they are few and far between. Seeking to make small wins on a frequent cadence will pave your path to product invisibility.

Until next time,

Dan Naden

Leave a Comment » | behavior, customer experience, knowing your customers, marketing, phones, retail, small business | Tagged: , | Permalink
Posted by Dan Naden

@WaltDisneyWorld: How My Mom Witnessed Customer Service Mastery

April 25, 2012

When's the last time you were blown away by a restaurant experience?

A stack full of pancakes…

A heaping portion of hash browns…

A delectable blueberry muffin that crumbles perfectly…

Millions don’t take a second to consider these ideal breakfast choices.

My Mom, however, can’t even go near these delicious concoctions.

A few years ago, she was diagnosed with Celiac disease. Within days, she had to dramatically affect her eating habits – and her life.

Mom’s kept an indefatigable spirit throughout this change in her life. She’s connected with peers in the same situation and adjusted to this new way of eating and drinking. I can’t speak for her, but, I know it hasn’t been easy to undergo such a forced transformation.

Thankfully, there are a growing number of restaurants that are catering to people with these restrictions. Outback Steakhouse, Panera Bread, Carrabbas, Chili’s, PF Chang’s are some locales that present options for those with dietary restrictions.

When I dine with my Mom, here’s a typical conversation between us and the waitstaff:

Waiter: “Can I take your order?”

Mom: “Yes, hello. I can’t eat anything that contains gluten. Do you have a menu that lists gluten-free options?

Waiter: “Hmm. I think we have a menu somewhere. Hold on.”

The waiter usually returns with a menu that looks as if it’s been unearthed from an ancient tomb. Yellowed and crumpled; it’s barely legible.

Yet, sometimes, establishments go to extraordinary levels to make people with special dietary needs feel welcome.

On my parents’ recent visit to Walt Disney World, they dined out 4 times. Each time, when my Mom posed the question about gluten-free foods, the wait staff member responded: “Yes, we do. Let me go get the chef. He can recommend a few options for you.” The chef arrived eager to please and grateful for the opportunity to serve.

Which option would you prefer?

  1. You get handed a dusty, moldy menu with faded writing by an inattentive, clueless member of the wait staff.
  2. You get a personal visit from the head chef with recommendations that meet your specific needs.

Every marketer should spend a few days at Walt Disney World and just listen. Listen to how the employees treat the customers. Listen to how staffers treat and WOW people with special needs. Listen to how accommodating the workers are when a customer poses a problem.

This is true service. What is your business doing to meet the customer at his problem with a solution at the ready?

Until next time,

Dan Naden

Leave a Comment » | breakfast, customer experience, Customer Service, Disney, marketing, Panera Bread, restaurants, Uncategorized | Tagged: , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Dan Naden

The big question: How’s business going?

March 14, 2012

I make it a point to pose the following question to an unsuspecting waiter, hostess, cook, or ‘owner-looking’ person:

How’s business going?

The question freezes most in their tracks.  I guess they are so accustomed to hearing complaints and groans from customers that a genuine question is startling.  This is a departure from the standard fare: “The weather sure is warm today.”

When 'THE' question is asked, how will you respond?

Typical responses:

“Oh, fine. I guess.”

“We’ve been fairly steady. I think it’ll pick up later.”

“It’s a little slow now, but I am hopeful.”

“Great. We’ve been steady all day.”

“Oh, I don’t know. You’ll have to ask the manager.”

If you’re a manager, owner of an establishment, what’s your coaching to employees about how to answer this question?

Should you lie and say “everything’s rosy” all the time?

Should you give your honest assessment?

Should you gently smile and say the first thing that comes to mind?

I believe an employee should be honest, but sprinkle in some optimism.

For example, if the first person to walk into your establishment for the day asks the question: “How’s business?”

Don’t respond: “It’s been very slow. You are the first person to visit us today.”

Try: “We expect great things today; we have some great specials available on some of our most popular products. What brought you in our store today?”

Immediately, the employee has engaged with the customer and starts to understand his needs while introducing some of the fantastic offers available. This friendly tone won’t seem fake or pushy. The customer ‘should’ see this as warm, genuine conversation from someone who has his best interests at heart. In a world that’s sometimes too cynical and sarcastic, you’ll stand out with a fresh dose of optimism and enthusiasm.

Until next time,

Dan Naden

Leave a Comment » | advertising, community, convenience stores, customer experience, Customer Service, marketing, shopping, user experience, welcome | Tagged: , , , | Permalink
Posted by Dan Naden

@Disney: 3 ways to turn your wait in line into a world of wonderment

February 1, 2012

Waiting in line for something thrilling is sometimes difficult.

Your mind races with excitement in anticipation of what’s next.

  • The movie premiere that you’ve been longing to see is now just 30 minutes away.
  • The newest version of the iPhone that you can’t live without just went on-sale and you are nearly to the front of the line.
  • The clock on your oven counts down 5,4,3,2,1 signaling that your juicy, succulent Thanksgiving turkey is about ready.

As I recently stood in line to ride the much-hyped Disney World coaster, Expedition Everest, “The Waiting”, a familiar song from a Florida native son, Tom Petty bounced through my head:

“The waiting is the hardest part
Every day you get one more yard
You take it on faith, you take it to the heart
The waiting is the hardest part.”

Waiting in line is time-consuming at Disney, although not nearly as bad as expected when I saw the immense group of visitors. The crowds were heavy during our stay, yet, surprisingly, we never waited for more than 30 minutes for a ride – sometimes even without a Fast Pass.

The Alphabet of Fun should start with D for Disney.

The wait for Expedition Everest was one of the longer ones, yet once immersed within the world of Yeti footprints, Himalayan explorers and snow-capped peaks time seems to melt away. You find yourself pondering the existence of the Yeti instead of searching for a clock, which you’ll be hard-pressed to find at Disney World.

@Disney: Why not try these ideas to make wait times seem even shorter and thrill the customer in the process?

  1. Can characters entertain the guests as they wait in line? The youngsters might want to frolic with Donald Duck and Mickey Mouse, but I am thinking more characters that are true to the theme. How about a pirate mingling with the line as they wait for the Pirates of the Caribbean? Or a bearded explorer in search of the Yeti for the masses waiting for Expedition Everest?
  2. I realize I am biased living in Austin, Texas, the live musical capital of the world, but can Disney World weave music into the experience of waiting? The Pirates of the Caribbean already has an entire movie soundtrack guaranteed to make everyone say, “AARRRGGGGHHH.” Music over the loudspeaker could add ambiance, but imagine the impact of a live band playing imposing ‘pirate music.’
  3. Surprise customers that had to wait the longest for a ride on Space Mountain with a Fast Pass to another great ride at the resort. You’ll turn a happy customer into a Disney evangelist.

The customer service of Disney is legendary in concept and execution. Despite the lines, I’ll still wait for the rides and shows at Disney World. The thrills that await are unforgettable. Perhaps trying a few new customer experience angles will even enhance its excellence.

Until next time,

Dan Naden

Leave a Comment » | community, Connection, customer experience, Customer Service, Disney, family, Kid-friendly | Tagged: , , , , , , | Permalink
Posted by Dan Naden

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