publication of the International Legal Technology Association
Issue link: https://epubs.iltanet.org/i/535467
ILTA WHITE PAPER: JUNE 2015 WWW.ILTANET.ORG 24 SUSTAINING A CUSTOMER SERVICE CULTURE OF YES followed, we must pay attention to the choices our customers are making and integrate those opportunities into our core solution process. We also have to watch our solutions at work. Get out on the floor. Try to tour each office with a small group of support-minded, friendly faces. Before our trips, we study the offices' helpdesk tickets and seek one or two areas where they are struggling, recognizing that each location has different challenges and focusing on simple, achievable solutions. We do what works to get people to meet us, such as lunches or happy hours. We take the genius bar on the road for one-on-one support opportunities. By coming closer to our customers' daily experiences, we monitor how our solutions and services are working — or why they are being sidelined. ADJUST As our customers' needs and expectations evolve at the speed of light, we have to evolve, too. Our worst sin is asking for feedback and ignoring what we are told, and one of our biggest victories is in thanking people for feedback, receiving feedback without defensiveness and responding to it. Even when our responses are not exactly what our customers had in mind, we often exceed customer service expectations by showing we care enough to have another conversation. There is a difference between a culture of yes and a culture of unthinking reactivity. As Steve Jobs explained, doing things well requires being selective: "People think focus means saying yes to the thing you've got to focus on. But that's not what it means at all. It means saying no to the hundred other good ideas that there are. You have to pick carefully. I'm actually as proud of the things we haven't done as the things I have done. Innovation is saying no to 1,000 things." Our customers know that we have to prioritize. When taking on a project, we should do it with a true understanding of the customer's needs. When declining a project, we have to be professional in explaining why and ensure that the customer can move forward. FIND YOUR WAY TO YES We have spread the word about our customer- driven adjustments. We find flag carriers for our successes and are transparent about negative experiences. During our office tours, we verify that solutions to problems discussed on a previous trip are working. This checks on our success and communicates that we listened and acted. We repeat the cycle by asking what else can we do, always searching for a way to get to yes. Our worst sin is asking for feedback and ignoring what we are told, and one of our biggest victories is in thanking people for feedback, receiving feedback without defensiveness and responding to it.