The Constant of Service in a Sea of Change

It seems trite to quote Jean-Baptiste Alphonse Karr ("the more things change, the more they remain the same") as businesses and individuals alike try to navigate the "new normal" of work and life, even as the pandemic continues to make its presence known. A couple years ago, I put together a presentation highlighting 10 principles of service that have served me well during my three decades of practicing law and working with businesses large and small, particularly in the workers’ compensation space. Reviewing these principles 15 months into the pandemic, I find them to be service touchstones that provide guidance beyond our business interactions, reminding us of the importance of cultivating and maintaining relationships, as well.

#10 Learn the Business

• Learn your job
• Learn your business
• Learn your customer’s business
• Be curious!

#9 Relationships Are Critical

•  People want to do business with people they enjoy working with: colleagues and co-workers, business owners and policyholders, agents, attorneys and other consultants.
• Don’t use being likeable as an excuse for an inferior product or lackluster service.
• Respect is more important than likeability.
• Be civil; be kind.

#8 Don’t Worry About Competitors

• Study your peers, learn from their wins and mistakes, but focus your energies on serving the customer.
• Focus on your strengths and what you have to offer.  Don’t bash your competitors.

#7 Listen

• Communication is a two-way street.
• What does the customer want? It might not be what you think. Ask; don’t assume.
• What the customer needs to hear, though, is not always what they want to hear. Acknowledge that and spend some time trying to understand their perspective.
• Empathy is not a limited resource; draw on it generously, from your communications with injured workers, to stressed small business owners, to anxious agents, to overwhelmed colleagues.

#6 Be Attentive

• Everyone’s busy in their own way – try not to complain about your "busyness" at the risk of discouraging customers from reaching out to you when they need your services or advice.
• Timely manage expectations.

#5 Never Burn Bridges

• People move from company to company, or to different roles within a company.
• Always assume you may work with that business or person again.

#4 Have Integrity

• We all make mistakes, honesty about them is critical.
• Fix the mistake, solve the problem. That’s what the customer remembers.
• A reputation can take years to build and be destroyed overnight. Protect it.

#3 Be Open to Change

• What worked yesterday might not be the best for today.
• Don’t get stuck in a cookie-cutter approach to problems.
• As your business changes, or the customer’s business changes, or technology changes, service models or styles may need to change with them.

#2 Go the Extra Mile

• Be proactive
• Anticipate challenges
• Provide solutions
• Exceed expectations

Sub-zero?! No problem! How many miles do you need??

#1 Look for Ways to Be Better

Simon Sinek’s “better not best” is an evergreen approach to navigating periods of uncertainty and change.

“Pushing yourself and those around you to be the best is unsustainable. Pushing yourself and those around you to be better is the only way to be the best.” ~ Simon Sinek

Particularly with the speed of change in the world today, striving to be better will naturally create the agility one needs to adapt to things that may transform even as we are working to be our best!

Doing and being better goes hand in hand with a guiding principle that SFM Mutual Insurance Company's CEO Terry Miller regularly references: "Do the next right thing." Pair Miller’s mantra with Sinek’s aspiration of continual improvement, and you have the base for a service-focused culture that will set you on a course to navigate that often-turbulent sea of change without losing sight of the important relational touchpoints along the way.