You may well be
wondering what a popular business book can possibly teach home care providers.
Well, bear in mind that domiciliary care providers are part of the service
industry. The service industry is built upon customer service. No small number
of these publications touch on the theme of customer service. And for a very
good reason, for where customer service is poor, the service, whatever it may
be, is poor.
There have
always been popular business books. This is, perhaps, a touch of an exaggeration
if taken literally. At any rate, for a large chunk of the twentieth century and
into our present century there have been popular business books. They’re
popular because there is a big market for the magic bullet that will make you
into the next [at this point insert the name of your favourite entrepreneur or
business guru], or make your business as successful as [at this point enter your
favourite success story].
Today there is
a mass popular business book publishing industry like never before. I have to say that I’ve
never been that keen on this particular type of book, with a few notable
exceptions, one of which is In Search of
Excellence by Tom Peters and Robert Waterman, the book that some
commentators credit with creating that aforementioned publishing phenomenon.
The book has
come in for a bit of criticism in recent years, not least because some of the
companies held up by the authors as paragons of excellence have seen their
fortunes dip in the years since the book’s publication in 1982. However, many
of the books principles, I should suggest, are sound, and offer businesses in
general, and home care providers in particular, a source of first rate advice
for improving their customer service. I confess that I have drunk deeply from
the cup that is In Search of Excellence
and become intoxicated on the “… eight common themes which [Peters and
Waterman] argued were responsible for
the success of [their] chosen corporations, which have become pointers for
managers ever since.” http://www.businessballs.com/tompetersinsearchofexcellence.htm
In this article I
look at just four of those eight themes.
A Bias for Action
For me this is
the most important of the themes. Let me begin at the outset by saying that
organizations are not successful: it is the people in the organizations that
are successful. Organizations have a legal existence; we talk about organization
in anthropomorphic terms; we talk about good and bad companies, but the truth
is that an organization is its people. And the single, irreducible minimum is
that if the people in the organization do not act; the organization does not
act.
A bias for
action doesn’t mean rushing around and making mistakes. It does mean that when
you say you will do something you get it done. And that includes simple things
like returning telephone calls, turning up on time and completing jobs to
schedule. If you promise to call on your customer next Wednesday at 9.00, then
that is exactly what you do. I know the world can conspire against you. We are
not blessed with the gift of foresight. But in the usual course of events, what
you say is what you do.
It also means
that you do not spend day after day in analysing your business. That’s not to
say that you should not bring to bear a degree of critical, analytical reflection
on to your business. But when analysis leads to paralysis you have gone too
far.
Keep Close to the Customer
I don’t know
who first said that the customer is always right; but I do know that far too
many companies over the years have paid lip service to this injunction.
Everyone in business from the person who sweeps up to the CEO should ask
themselves a simple question: why are we here? The answer is to satisfy the
needs of customers at a profit. Do note that you are not a public service or a
charity. Making a profit is perfectly acceptable. However, that profit that
your company makes is only justified because of the outstanding service you provide
to your customers.
In
Search of Excellence makes the simple
point that listening to your customers can give you some very good ideas about
improving your business. With
the internet and social media, it has never been easier for companies to find
out what their customers think. And for home care providers, there are daily
opportunities to talk with their customers.
Staff Autonomy and Entrepreneurialism
Managers across the world will say that
they want their staff to be creative and innovative; managers across the world
say this and then keep their staff on such short reins that any spark of
initiative is snuffed out. It’s not easy for managers to let go. Where there
are rewards there are risks.
I stayed in a hotel a few years back in
Paris, France. By mistake I booked a double room. It needed to be a twin. There
were no other twin rooms available. The receptionist took it on herself to get
the double bed taken out and replaced with two singles. Instead of saying, I’m
sorry there’s nothing I can do: she said don’t worry give me half an hour and I’ll
fix it. I did and she did.
Don’t get me wrong, here. I am not
suggesting that your staff should go off and plough their own furrows: far from
it. Being creative and innovative does not mean doing things that are
inconsistent with the aims of the business. Staff who are creative and
innovative further the purposes of the business.
Staff Are a Company’s Most Precious Assets
Another injunction to which lip service is
paid more often than not. Like me, you have probably worked in places where
there exists a them and us culture. I’m not saying that there should be no
managers or leaders; of course there should. What I am saying is that everyone
in the organization has a role to play – if they haven’t they shouldn’t be
there.
Those in the rank and file of any company
are the people who are directly responsible for the quality of the company’s services.
Managers would do well to remember that their companies are only as good as the
people who work for those companies. The motto of all organizations should be
respect the individual.
I’d certainly recommend to anyone in
business that they should read In Search
of Excellence. And if you are in the home care business I should make that
recommendation to you with interest. If you found yourself thinking that this
is pretty obvious stuff when you read the last few paragraphs the reason is
that it is pretty obvious stuff. That’s why the book’s so good.
Garry Costain is the Managing Director of Caremark Thanet, a domiciliary care provider with offices in Margate, Kent. Caremark Thanet provides home care services throughout the Isle of Thanet. Garry can be contacted on 01843 235910 or email garry.costain@caremark.co.uk. You can also visit Caremark Thanet's website at www.caremark.co.uk/thanet.
No comments:
Post a Comment