Archive for August 9, 2012

Meen’s Summer Reflection 08/09/12

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In preparation for the Information Commons this year, I read Delivering Knock Your Socks Off Service.  I thought the book really geared towards businesses focusing on services particularly.  The information was really interesting, although some were somewhat irrelevant to IC workers particularly but one could always apply it to the real world experience.

 

The researches were very interesting and I really enjoyed the quotes at the beginning and the end of every chapter. I thought a lot of them were very powerful and inspirational.  I absolutely love the tip “How you feel about yourself in your job is as important to your self-esteem as the way you feel about yourself as a parent, a spouse, or a friend. No job is important enough to lie for, no paycheck big enough to compensate for feeling bad about your treatment of another human being. Perhaps the best reason to be honest with your customers is that it allows you to be honest with yourself.”  This made me think of my experience working this summer. Some of my co-workers did not particularly enjoy/like the job but when I asked, they said they did.  Although you can figure out what they really feel through the way they are treating their customers.  Honesty within yourself really is the core for success.

 

For the most part the author explained everything in details, which was quite beneficial for the most part (the rest felt as if the details were space fillers).  A lot of information on how to handle different types of people (different generations and personality for example), which I thought was the most beneficial part of this book.

 

Although I don’t necessary agree with everything the book said. As Keegan pointed out earlier that with certain phrase such as “I don’t know” would be an appropriate thing to say if you are sincere and are trying your best to help and guide the customers in the direction that they need to go (ask for help from someone who knows the answer for example.)  The telephone chapter did not apply to Infocommons really since we don’t deal too much with phone but it was beneficial.  Having to work as a commodity merchandiser this past summer at ADM for my internship really helped me see how I can apply these concepts into real life with angry customers over the phone.

 

Reading Kate’s reflection I think that iBrain sounds very interesting as well. Overall I thought this book gave nice information about services on the technical side. Although, personally I would rate the book from last year about social media to be more insightful and intuitive.  This book has many general common sense rules rather than exploring why the people do the things they do and how we can use that to our advantage by understanding how people works. I think the last book give a greater perception of how to handle different situations within the scope of technology and it was more helpful to me.  However, Delivering Knock Your Socks Off Service did a good job of reminding you the little things that make a difference for getting and keeping the customers as well.

Jessica Marie’s Reflection

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For my summer reading assignment, I read Delivering Knock Your Socks Off Service by the Performance Research Associates, Inc.  I found this book to be incredibly interesting and pertinent to my job in Information Commons.

Last summer’s book related to this one in many ways.  Both books talked about customer service and the use of technology within the service industry.  In Information Commons, we are constantly dealing with customers. Not in terms of those who we rely on to make money, but we are an important service to students at Butler University.  We also use technology and social networking a great deal in IC.

One of the most interesting parts of the book, in my opinion, was the discussion of “forbidden phrases” in Chapter 15.  Some of these phrases are the ones that drive me crazy.  I can’t stand being called “honey” or “sweetheart” by total strangers.  If you are the cashier serving me, as an adult I do not want to be called “honey” as if I am that person’s child.  I think it is important to choose the words you use very wisely especially when working in customer service.  If you offend the person you are serving, you have a chance of losing a customer.

I look forward to discussing this book further with coworkers at our retreat in a week!

Joe’s Reflection

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For my summer reading, I read the book Delivering Knock Your Socks Off Service which to me is a version of Customer Service for Dummies.  It outlines everything that should be common sense when you are the face of your workplace.  It really gives a whole new importance to what you are charged with doing, and gives good examples of what to, and more importantly, not to do.  The book really wants to make sure that you impress, but also to not unimpress because you never get a chance to make another first impression.

The importance of patience is obvious in this book because you have to have it when dealing with all different problems, and make sure you keep yourself under control no matter what the situation.  It also made apparent the effect of negative phrases that can destroy the confidence of a customer or client, the most obvious being simply “I don’t know.”  How much confidence does that inspire when you are on the receiving end of that?  The answer is none.  The author make sure that the points of keeping the client or customer involved is paramount, as well as being positive and accommodating to their individual needs.  A lot of these lessons can carry over into people’s lives outside of the workplace and into your everyday interactions with people.

One thing that really caught my attention was the mention of Nordstrom customer service, which I have had the pleasure of receiving on a couple of occasions, and this book puts it in great context.

Another thing I wish the book would have included as a lesson in detail is a company in the UK called McLaren International.  The facilities are a lesson in functionality and management.  The factory floor is white tile floors that you can eat off of.  For them, perfection isn’t good enough in the production or service department.  Ron Dennis is the chief executive of McLaren, and the attention to detail is unbelievable.  They also show how an air of confidence can go a long way.  They also make sure their employees also show humility while still producing some of the best cars in the world, which is really hard to emphasize the impact that can have on customers and sponsors for them.  The company strives to be the best in the world, which is to me a reflection of what everyone should strive for, which is perfection without an ego to go along with it.  This is a lesson given to me by one of my friends, Keith Pulford, who used to work for Bonhams, one of the premier auction houses in the world.  This is one lesson I wish was more explicit in the book, but overall it was a great intro so sales and customer service.

Lindsey’s Reflection

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Delivering Knock Your Socks off Service, is quite the name for a book that briefly touches on many different customer service scenarios, tactics, and outcomes.  Before beginning the book, I was skeptical after working with thousands of customers, over the course of my five years at Deep River Waterpark.  I did not believe this book would have much to offer me.  After the initial chapters, I did begin to gain knowledge of how to better handle situations.  One of the sections that I found most interesting discussed dealing with customers of different generations.  Although there may be less of a variety working in Information Commons, I found this section applicable to my summer job, and can see the benefits of it for future job scenarios.  It is easy to get caught up in a customer service situation, and to approach the customer as you would want to be approached.  Prior to reading this book, I did not give much thought about how the customer would feel or how they would prefer being addressed.

Although when reading, the outcome or approach may seem obvious, it is sometimes harder to come up with resolutions on the spot.  After reading this book, I tried to put into effect the tips suggested on customers at my work this summer.  I always knew that I should listen carefully, empathize, and so on, but I did not realize how little I often show customers this.  This made me more aware, and I began to make an effort to make it clear that I understood and was sorry for whatever inconvenience was experienced.  This proved effective; once I became more self-aware, I was better able to serve the customer and their needs.  Although the book did readdress many tactics I was already aware of, it was beneficial to become reacquainted with them.  I began to not only analyze my response to customers, but also to watch more closely to see how the customer responded to me.  This book has made me more aware of what a customer wants from me, and will assist me in providing better and more effective service to customers.

Kate’s Reflection

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In preparation for the Information Commons retreat, I read iBrain which focusses on technology and how it affects the brain.

While it was interesting to learn about the brain and technology, I found the comparisons between “Digital Immigrants” and “Digital Natives” to be the most fascinating part of the book. The chapter that focusses most on these two types of technology users is Chapter 2: Technology Dividing Generations. This chapter discusses how society can be divided into two different categories: Digital Immigrants and Digital Natives. Digital Immigrants are classified as individuals who were introduced to computer technology as adults and Digital Natives are those who were born into a world of computer technology.

I found this particular chapter very interesting because I see our generation of students as falling somewhere in the middle of these two categories. For me personally, I was introduced to computer technology somewhere around 3rd grade. I vividly remember that is when my family got our first family computer and I already knew how to use it better than my parents did. iBrain would say that based upon my prior knowledge at age 9, I am a Digital Native and my parents would therefore be placed in the Digital Immigrant category. Recently, I have noticed small things that differentiate me from my parents in terms of social media usage. For instance, I grew up in a time when social media was a part of my homework completion. iBrain talks about how students today multi-task with multiple things going on at once. For instance, a student could be on Facebook, listening to an iPod, on Wikipedia, and doing homework all at the same time. While some believe that this is not an appropriate way to focus, I think that it is simply a barrier that confuses Digital Immigrants.

Learning about the age barriers between those who have been around computer technology all of their lives and those who have not is an interesting way to learn how to better serve people of all ages. This will be especially helpful in the Library when a student asks a computer technology question versus if a parent has a similar computer technology question.

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