You2Me the sequel - Viewpoint - careers advice blog Viewpoint careers advice blog

You2Me â€" the sequel - Viewpoint - careers advice blog In my previous post, I wrote about the fact that technology is really the enabler, but trust still has to be built and earned between people. Well that still holds true when managing corporate relationships with customers. It may be that you’ve signed a contract with a company, but it is still the people involved who will make it work. I’m amazed at the lack of common quality of service that I’d always taken to be the baseline For most of my professional career, I’ve been responsible for engaging with customers and ensuring they get more than they needed from their relationship with Hays, and from me. I spent a lot of time trying to achieve that and thinking about how I could do better by providing a level of service to our customers that went beyond the base level of any agreements. I’m positive I didn’t get it right all the time, not by any means, but since the roles have been reversed I’ve often been so disappointed. Either my expectations are ridiculously high, or I’ve been badly let down by the way some companies expect their staff to run their customer relationships. There are a few glorious exceptions of course, but on the whole I’m amazed at the lack of common quality of service that I’d always taken to be the baseline. Regardless of the technology that enables a great customer relationship, these were my principles along the way, and I see them repeated in the relationships that are the most successful. Act with integrity It’s at the top for a reason. Integrity in dealings with anybody should be the absolute bare minimum and never more so than with a customer. Everyone has a lot at stake and being honest and open is, to me, a prerequisite. Respond Even if you aren’t sure of the answer to a question, or the solution to a problem, lack of responsiveness is the most frustrating thing to have to deal with when you are managing a supplier. Be good to your word Integrity in dealings with anybody should be the absolute bare minimum If you can’t, at least have the decency  to pick up the phone and check in with your customer to let them know and jointly assess the impact. Keep asking what more you can do Ideally, you’ll understand your customer well enough to be able to offer solutions to problems that you identify, but asking never hurts and helps you to understand their priorities. Expect change and manage it Your sponsor will leave, your account managers will leave, things change so be ready! Listen, question and document as much as you can, it’s the flavour and colour around your knowledge that makes all the difference. Evolve, innovate and challenge yourself Think as though you’re a competitor. How would you undermine you? What are your weak points? Everyone has them, know yours and meet them head on. Influence is everything Think as though youre a competitor Its not just your customer organisation that influencing is critical in, its also your own. You need to know what else might be happening in your organisation that may impact your customer’s. Nothing will blow your credibility more quickly than looking as though you don’t know what’s going on in your own backyard. Once again, all the smart technology, analytics, platforms and data can never replace the trust and relationships that people create, build and nurture. //