You know you have a problem when you hear your regular customers say, “I didn’t know the price has changed.”
You know you have a situation when your customers say, “But you moved your address and I could not contact you.”
You will be panicking when you hear your clients say, “I’m sorry, but there have been changes within our company, and when we needed to reorder from you your account officer was not available. So we’re currently doing business with your competitor.”
What does all of this mean?
Doing your job right means making sure you’re aware of the latest developments affecting you and your customers. Benjamin Franklin once said, “Nothing is certain but death and taxes.” If Ben were still around today, he’d have to amend that statement. Today, nothing is certain but death, taxes – and change.
Today, nothing is permanent. Everything is transitory. Even the very landscape of businesses change. Business organizations themselves change. They merge, they acquire; they get merged, they get acquired; and the people we do business with are replaced with new faces and new personalities, flushing all those years of relationship equity we’ve built down the drain, leaving us back at square one.
Very few jobs stay the same very long. The products being sold, the equipment being used, the procedures being followed – all these constantly change. To do our jobs right, we have to make it a point to keep ourselves updated on what’s happening today. Because yesterday’s rules might just be already outdated.
When the account officer is clueless to the changes taking place, it simply means he is not doing his job. Sure, account officers are only human so they commit slip-ups once in a while. Sometimes they assume that someone else has passed the word along. Sometimes, in the rush of business, they simply forget. But bottom line is, they should actually be the first party to anticipate and know the changes taking place in their home front or in that of their clients.
It’s really embarrassing for the account officer to be caught unaware of such changes. So don’t get yourself caught with your pants down! Have your radars and sensors ready for the following changes:
• Changes in procedure: There may be a new software/system that makes an old job easier. Or maybe it’s just a better way of doing an old procedure. Whatever it may be, make sure to take note of changes in procedure.
• Changes in services: When a customer inquires about something he saw your company has advertised, make sure you have an answer about it. It’s really awkward to have the customer tell the service person about the latest company news.
• Changes in policy: Do not be the service person who doesn’t know that the company has just instituted a cash-only policy while a stack of charge slips collects on his or her desk.
Do your job. And your job is to know. Anticipate changes and get the word out.
Always be ready and flexible with change. Don’t fight it. Don’t be afraid of it. In today’s fast-changing world, it’s important to keep up with developments so you can give the latest information to your customers.
It takes a lot of effort to be informed, to stay informed and to inform about changes in the industry, in your client’s situation and even in your own job. But in the end, you’ll be glad you did.
(Spend two whole days with Francis Kong developing your leadership skills this March 28-29 at the EDSA Shangri-La Hotel. For further inquiries contact Inspire Leadership Consultancy Inc. at 632-6872614 or 09178511115.)