Why customer experience is also key to career management

My online adventures have connected me with many wonderful people who have broaden my horizons. Two of those people are Brent Peterson from Stand & Inspire and Gavin Ryan from Customer Checkpoint.

Both of these men write inspiring and thoughtful posts and they interconnected as I read Brent’s latest post, You Can’t Have Your Cake and Eat It Too about his experience with his daughter when out to eat in Virginia. Here’s what he says it is usually like:

On Saturdays my 6-year daughter and I eat lunch together at Suzannes. It’s also across the street from the public library where we pick out new books. It’s one of my absolute favorite times of the week. All the stress of the work week wash away at that moment together.

Focusing on inspiring

But it wasn’t that day. I will let you go read his post for yourself but suffice it to say, he and his daughter are no longer making it part of their routine. Brent’s reason for his blog is this: “My purpose is to equip you with habits that inspire others and help your life soar.” It’s one of the reasons I read it. He always connects with my way of thinking.

Gavin is a business consultant in London who specializes in Customer Experience. He also has a daughter who appears in his blog periodically. He talks about Selling without Selling in his post, The chorizo, paella & Apple lesson! :

My daughter had her eye set on something she wanted. Paella to be precise. The man selling the paella was very friendly and didn’t stop smiling as he worked on his stall. My daughter gave him her order, but he wouldn’t let us buy the paella, until we tried it. “No, you must try it first,” he said.

This is an example of what should have happened with Brent and his daughter. But you’ve been there, haven’t you? I sure have. Whether you are out to eat, out shopping, or even interacting with others online, there seems to be every increasing numbers of people who don’t see the impression they are leaving or understand the concept of customer experience.

Tyrannical following of rules or “this is just the way I am” mindsets

It seems to stem from at least two vantage points. One is the idea that you have to follow the rules. If the rules say you have to do it that way, then you think you are justified to rant at the customer or belittle him until you get compliance. The other is that people who seem to think that their personality traits are so ingrained and can’t be modified that they are justified in being rude wherever they are and to whoever they are speaking saying “this is just the way I am.”

Neither create a good customer experience or a good interpersonal experience. If you want to grow in your ability to interface with people on a higher level with more compassion and concern for the bigger picture, expand your view point and look at things from another’s perspective.

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