Get more information…One more time…

Get more information…Deliver better service

When that emergency call comes in, it’s time to pause. Of course the customer on the other end is more often than not either worried, angry or panicked. That pause, can pay off – but only if we use it to get more facts so that we can better understand the underlying problem. That’s because in their anxiety – or just lack of knowledge, what they say the problem is may or may not be what’s really happening.

That extra minute to ask probing questions can often unearth what’s really going on – and what we might need to bring with us to address the problem. And if the situation is truly dire (like that erupting siphon breaker) it gives us the chance to work them through a triage until we can arrive.

In addition to getting a handle on the situation, we might learn that the problem is well short of a real emergency. If it’s spotting or streaked tableware in a dinner only bistro, and that call comes in at nine in the morning, we have some time to address it. Or if it’s minor linen staining in a small extended care facility, it’s likely a problem that can be addressed, but in good time.

The bottom line is that we have to pause and find out what we’re facing so that we can immediately address the real crisis situations as they deserve- and the lesser complaints in good order.

One more time…Or maybe more

Any time we make that first attempt to put a new skill to the test, there’s always some expected apprehension. It’s only natural that we won’t be all that good at almost anything newly learned until we’ve practiced it a few times.

If it’s programming a laundry wash formula, it might take a bit of hit or miss tries to get it down pat. And if it’s the first time we’re interviewing a potential new employee, until we’ve done it a few times, we probably won’t be very good at it out of the box. And that’s true even if we read a book on the topic or listened to the advice of someone who’s a gifted interviewer. It’ll still take repetition to master that or any other difficult skill.

And while the ten-thousand-hour rule may not have to be followed for mastering all new competencies’; it’ll still take a bit of repetition to master almost new skill – or at least to get kind of dangerous at it.

Next up: That ten-thousand-hour rule.