SM2 Strategic » Blog

Think Critically, Act Locally

Shareef Mahdavi — Thu, 17 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

The most important college course I took had nothing to do with my psychology major or my interest in organizational behavior and what makes workers happy. It was during my sophomore year that I signed up for “Critical Thinking 212,

What Is Your Story?

Shareef Mahdavi — Thu, 03 May 2012 04:00:00 +0000

Storytelling is a mode of communication that has been around as long as people have gathered around the fire. We love a good story, which is why the storytellers among us can hold the attention of audiences large and small. Tags: Attention, communication

One From the Bucket List

Shareef Mahdavi — Wed, 11 Apr 2012 04:00:00 +0000

I had an opportunity last week to walk the grounds of the Augusta National Golf Club. The good news is that it was on the first day of The Masters, a championship that I explained to my kids as “the super bowl of golf.”

Marketing of Premium Cataract Surgery | Hawaiian Eye 2012

admin — Tue, 31 Jan 2012 07:47:40 +0000

Shareef Mahdavi’s Presentation at Hawaiian Eye 2012 Comprehensive Ophthalmologist Program

Date: Jan 20 2012 - Length | 7 minutes

Progam Details here: https://www.osnhawaiianeye.com/compOphth_agenda_fri.asp

The Real “Real Thing”

Shareef Mahdavi — Wed, 25 Jan 2012 04:00:00 +0000

The Coca Cola Corporation spends untold millions of dollars each year trying to convince the public that their product is the real thing. The length of the soda section in most supermarkets attests to the success in building their bra Tags: Product, success

Made in America: The Return of Innovation

Shareef Mahdavi — Tue, 20 Dec 2011 04:00:00 +0000

If you find yourself wondering what’s happened to innovation and the ability for Americans to invent new products, you will want to watch this video tour of Tech Shop SF, a member-based place (Kinda like your high school woodshop… On ste

The Best Things in Life…Aren’t Things!

Shareef Mahdavi — Tue, 29 Nov 2011 04:00:00 +0000

Last month, I experienced an amazing pair of concert events: one to start my week, the other to end it. More than just great shows, they were rich enough in customer experience principles to make them worthy of sharing Tags: Customer, Customer Experience, Experience

Blowing the Save…A Failure in Listening

Shareef Mahdavi — Fri, 28 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0000

When a major league pitcher is brought in late in the game to help his team secure their lead and win the game, he earns what is known in baseball parlance as a “save.” If he allows the other team to score runs and loses the lead,

Meet Ray, the Usher from Section 121

Shareef Mahdavi — Wed, 19 Oct 2011 04:00:00 +0000

Ahhh, the Fall Classic is upon us once again. Sadly, the San Francisco Giants didn’t make the cut and will not be repeating last year’s World Series triumph. This season was too full of injuries and a lack of offense to

Dad, what’s an Album?”

admin — Thu, 01 Jan 2009 03:02:38 +0000

My son, who received an iPOD last Christmas, innocently blurted this question as I was searching for specific music to load onto the device. Wow, how fast the world has changed! Indeed, it was a bit sobering for me to explain how recorded music has shifted from LP (long play) records to cassette tapes and now CDs. It was a mini-history lesson that was probably lost on him but really hit home with me. Today’s kids and young adults have never known a world without a personal computer, cell phone, DVDs, video games and even the iPOD (at least for the 7 year-olds like my son). They absorb technology like no generation before them; my kids routinely beat me on the Wii, and my daughter effortlessly set up my new MacBook laptop. I’m sure it’s the same for many of you as well.

As great as all this technology and gadgetry is, there’s a hidden cost emerging among all the podcasting and texting and video gaming that’s going on around us. It’s creating a lack of interaction skills where people actually talk and listen to other people. And it’s being felt throughout retailing and in any environment that requires customer service. Let me explain. According to Customer Service authority John DiJulius, today we have 1/20th the human interaction we had just twenty years ago. Think about it: we used to go to the movies, now we use Netflix. Full service gas stations have been replaced by pay-at-the-pump. Bookstores are being supplanted by Amazon.com, and bank tellers have given way to ATMs and online banking.

DiJulius summarizes it this way: twenty years ago we had workers with excellent people skills using marginal technology. Today we have workers with marginal people skills using excellent technology.

The problem results in an interesting dilemma. Today, we can’t automatically expect younger workers to know what it means to give world class customer service because they’ve never been trained in the “software” skills required to deliver it. They may understand the “hardware” (e.g., how to take an order) but lack the basic communication skills required to truly elevate the experience for the customer. Our kids may not know what a record album is (or was), but they and all younger workers need help developing the knowledge and talent to be able to provide world class service in their jobs and careers.

DiJulius’ latest book, “What’s the Secret? To Providing a World Class Customer Experience,” is an amazon.com best seller and worth the read to learn how he addresses this problem with clients and in his own top-ranked salons. It’s an eye-opening account of the crisis in customer service and the revolution taking place among world-class companies to expand customer loyalty.

Download the full article

Tags: Customer, Crisis, Experience, Customer Service, Technology, Customer Experience, Amazon.com, Service, Communication Skills, Deliver