By Luke O’Donnell, one of our in-house customer centre superheroes on what rugby and customer service have in common.
Rugby demands many things, some of which prove costly (teeth, crooked noses and fancy boots for example), but discipline and dedication are among its more admirable traits. In this respect rugby reflects successful business, and discipline and dedication are crucial to both the oval ball and world class customer service alike. Here
are our five Ts comprising the star qualities common to both; be it headgear or
headset.
Rugby demands many things, some of which prove costly (teeth, crooked noses and fancy boots for example), but discipline and dedication are among its more admirable traits. In this respect rugby reflects successful business, and discipline and dedication are crucial to both the oval ball and world class customer service alike. Here
are our five Ts comprising the star qualities common to both; be it headgear or
headset.
Training is integral to establishing
a robust workplace structure and inspiring customer confidence. Customers
finance the business, they’re important. They shouldn’t be passed about like a
pig’s bladder from one person to the next. Adequate training (and ongoing
development) gets everybody up to speed and able to tackle whatever comes their
way.
Teamwork is a no-brainer. Whether
it’s rookies getting up to speed learning from experienced colleagues, or
interaction between management and staff, teamwork promotes support and
strength.
Trust. Good operations stand and
fall on their ability to depend on systems and the people entrusted to make
them work. Trust your team to catch the ball, bank on them tackling their
player, and slap each other on the back for a job well done. Likewise the
customer has to trust the product, depend on the service, and presume it will
continue without hiccup.
Tenacity, because let’s face it,
there’ll be hurdles, there’ll be glitches, and contingency will conspire
against you. Tenacity empowers you to dust yourself off, take on water and get
straight back into the action. How a business bounces back from adversity says
as much for its history as its future. A business which has ignored or avoided
problems in the past rather than acknowledging and fixing them immediately, is
one fast running out of a future altogether.
Talk. The Wright Brothers didn’t invent the stealth bomber
and Thomas Edison can’t claim floodlights, but each had a hand in the finished
product. Take stock and test your products, discuss your theories and don’t be
afraid to TWEAK them. Even the very good, can probably get better.
