“At the appointed time, I entered through the doors of a business that had contacted me for assistance.  Apparently, their Cashflow was running low and they needed help attracting investors and large corporate clients. Immediately before me, sat a little modular table with a guest book for security purposes. Placing my briefcase on the floor, I scanned the previous companies to assess the number and type of companies that had visited lately, and signed in. 

I entered a second set of doors and looked around for a reception area or front office.  The business specialized in designing and manufacturing high-end components in a business-to-business sector.  To that end, there were no original oil paintings; no sculptures resting on pedestals within recessed glass-lit nooks, and not a single mahogany desk or leather armchair in sight to impress wealthy clientele. 

Instead, cubicles of computers and equipment filled every nook and cranny, extending as far as the eye could see.  Around the perimeter, glass offices obviously held various persons of the management persuasion, from financial gurus to engineers, where they could continually oversee their subordinates; their high-priced specialists appeared to go on and on.

As I stood there, I noticed the cubicles nearest the door were currently vacant, though their spaces indicated usage, as they were cluttered with electronics. Gauges balanced precariously on one another, wires dangled and extension cords littered the floor, producing a worker’s compensation case manager with abundant makings for a heart attack.  Every computer screen faced me, each glowing with a diagram; the effect was a maze of intellectual property, which one assumed were supposedly confidential.  Where was my spy camera when I needed it?

The minutes ticked by as I stood patiently waiting to be noticed.  It was obvious that many had heard the door open, as I received surreptitious glances over shoulders.  When the owners realized I wasn’t one of their accepted comrades, the owners’ backs, usually covered in androgynous hoodies, rapidly returned into hunched lumps of perceived invisibility. 

I had to chuckle at the sign on the cubicle closest to the entrance, which humorously read “No. 1 in Customer Service”.

Just as I considered leaving, as I was now late for my appointment with the Chief Executive Officer, and with another appointment scheduled on its heels, an unfortunate soul raced into the arena from a nearby office, nearly running me down.  His panicked eyes searched around for rescue.  Upon seeing no feasible option without appearing to be completely rude, he shuffled a foot, muttered something about if I’d been served, and voilà, I entered the inner sanctum, where I was greeted like a long-lost friend. 

During the meetings that followed, the same experience became the norm, until I took it upon myself to walk directly into the CEO’s office in the far corner and interrupt whatever was happening.  When trying to set up or confirm meetings with investors, phone calls and text messages were never answered, everyone ducked visitors as though they suffered from the plague, and documents and answers were rarely received on the dates promised. 

To resolve these issues, during the course of one meeting I carefully suggested the consideration of a single investment totalling less than $50,000 per year including overhead.  A drop in the bucket compared to the millions already spent in research and development, facilities and equipment, professional staff, and endless international travel.  For I dared recommend the addition of one customer service, reception-type person to potentially prevent the loss of customers, investors, partners and other influential contacts.  This was met with blatant shock, and I was told in no uncertain terms that they provided excellent customer service, in fact, they had just demonstrated their products to some engineers that morning . . . but, of course, I wasn’t a customer.”

This short story illustrates issues beyond standard customer service that are not taken seriously by many companies because it is outside their core focus. Customers and other sources of money, may not come solely from presentations or through channels such as websites or webinars.  The ‘customer experience’ is the culmination of all the various interactions and observations, made by everyone that has contact with your company.

If you have observed these, or believe there may be other customer related issues impacting your customer and revenue growth, Anne would love to hear from you.  Alternatively, you may wish to consider one of her training workshops @  www.allusiveimage.ca/ training/.

Anne Ismay, AInstIB.