Obscuring the view

After seven weeks of lockdown, my study window was becoming opaque. My view of the world was distorted, to say nothing of how the world (well, birds and monkeys in my back garden) saw me.

I thought it was just the outside, but it was just as filthy on the inside.

Through what windows is your business viewed?

Normally, organisations have multiple access points, and if one is not working so well, there are others which (we hope) will offset any negatives. During the Covid-19 lockdown, however, most of our customers are limited to our internet presence. And when there is only one view of a business (or a person), the focus there is more intense.

I recently turned to video teaching. (You can find my introductory ‘Hiring as a strategic resource’ here.) In the classroom there is much to distract participants. On video, the presenter’s facial expressions and voice are all they get, all the time. Just licking one’s lips or touching one’s face (not during Covid-19, surely?) is distracting.

How others see you (and whether they can see you) really matters.

Are your windows clear? Do they attract visitors and encourage interaction?

And the inside? How do you and your staff view the world? Perhaps that view needs ‘cleaning up’.

The first and last question in every department should be, ‘How can we better serve the customer?’

Too often we make statements to customers: ‘Look what we’ve got; look what we do.’ Challenge everyone to move from statements to questions: ‘What do you need?’ and ‘How can we help?’

What questions could you put to your customers? Add to the comments below.

Contact Ian on ian@simplycommunicate.co.za or via the contact page for help with your customer focus.