We all know that feeling when our name is put forward to attend yet another Customer Service workshop! There is very little that we haven’t heard before, now with the help of neuroscience we can understand why the principles of good customer service are so important and identify ways of leveraging our actions to stand out from the crowd.

The brain can be compared to a roadmap, it consists of a complex network of connections, making over 100 million new connections every second. The brain’s underlying functionality is one of finding associations, connections and links between small pieces of information. Information coming into the brain is compared to our existing “maps” and if the links are strong enough, the information will be absorbed into who we are and “our way” of thinking.

1.    Make it Easy

Creating new maps can be hard work and draining on our energy, which means that we are often reluctant to create a new map unless we can identify a clear need to do so. What this means for customer service is that we have to focus on making it easy for the customer to do business with us, no complex ordering processes, no having to search out an assistant. If we want to make things easy for the customer we have to do things in a way that the customer is familiar with and can therefore use an existing map or if we want customers to do things in a different way, we have to make sure that it is as simple as possible to carry out.

Could this provide us with insights into why when introducing self service, customers are reluctant  or indifferent at best to the changes?  Although the basic principles of self service are very easy, often due to lack of insufficient planning, incompatible technology, or the inability of staff to let go and fully empower the customer, the process becomes over complicated. Hence the customers don’t want to engage with the process. Is it just too much hard work to create a new map when the customer perceives little or no benefit?

2.    Empower customers to have an “Aha” moment

We have all experienced that light bulb moment when someone says something and suddenly the situation becomes clear and you know exactly what you should do. In neuroscience this experience is referred to an “Aha” moment, occurring when unconnected information links together to form a new idea. When we experience the “Aha” moment we create a new idea. There is a big release of energy, which intrinsically motivates and we are at our most likely to act upon the idea.

In a customer service or sales situation, we need to create the right environment to enable the customer to have their own breakthrough “Aha” moments to move them towards the sale. An example of this is when we focus on providing the benefits for our customers rather than selling the features of our product or service. By focusing on benefits we empower the customer to make the connections between our products and services and the challenges that have been keeping them awake at night.

3.     All Brains are different

Our environment shapes our brain, the smells, sound, sights, feelings, all influence the maps in our brains. Whilst we might think that all brains are the same and we all think in similar ways, it is said that “The difference in brains, can be as significant as two laptops which have been used for 40 years.” (Rock 2009). In customer service and sales situations we try to help our customers by thinking through their challenges and thinking what we would do or want in that situation.  We can often be heard informing our customers of what they should do, offering our solution and expect that they should be convinced.  And if the customer starts to question our suggestions, we start to resent it and feel unappreciated. But what we forget is that our brain is not the same as the customer’s brain, therefore when we input data into our brain it is processed according to our maps and produces the solution which is best suited to our experiences and terms of reference.

To overcome this we need to work more with our customers, providing them with individual bits of data and let them make the linkages for themselves.

4.    The Brain tries to make sense of a situation using existing maps

If a customer has had a previous “poor” experience with your organisation or a similar organisation, the brain will automatically start to search for the tenuous links between the present time and past experiences. The brain looks for evidence to support what we think. If you walk into a shop expecting the service to be slow, as you enter the shop your brain will be looking for information to support your belief. You will notice that there is only one assistant in the shop and that there are three customers, and that one customer looks to be buying half of the store …………….

In a customer service or sales situation we need to find ways of influencing the perception of the customer. Referrals, testimonials, and getting involved in the community are just a few ways of making a positive impact upon how customers perceive your organisation. One area which lets many organisations down is “off” duty staff in uniform or the office Christmas party, where staff, have let their guard down, and forget that they could well be surrounded by potential customers with impressionable brains, soaking up all of the data available!

5.    Social Connectivity

At the heart of most human interaction are the “Social” aspects or domains. The five domains of social experience have been identified by (Rock 2009*) as being Status, Certainty, Autonomy, Relatedness and Fairness. The brain although a very complex organ has a basic organising principle for managing all of the information received. Information coming into the brain is organised into either something which is a potential threat and hence we will want to move away from it or a potential reward, which we will move towards.

In a customer service situation this means that everyone involved in any part of our customer service, sales, marketing, management ……… should be fully aware of the impact of their every action and communication. A seemingly innocent few words by the sales person could result in an unhappy or lost customer. This is a vast area and in order to give it justice will be the topic of our May blog.

We have put together a few ideas you may want to have a think about in relation to your service delivery.

If you would like to discuss how you could take your service delivery onto a new level, contact Michelle McArthur-Morgan at discovery@jigsawatwork.com or telephone 01924 864444.

Reference;  David Rock( 2009) Your Brain at Work Harper Business

Having now found a quiet space in my working week, I would like to share a few of my thoughts and experiences of Introverts v Extroverts.

Cain, argues that workplace environments are geared towards the Extrovert preferences and give little or no consideration for the third of the population which have more Introvert preferences. Certainly open plan offices, working in teams, the desire for outgoing, sociable staff, spontaneous meetings, noisy staff rest rooms ……………. may well provide the high level of stimulation required by the Extrovert, but where are the quiet spaces for the Introverts who have a need for much lower levels of stimulation.

Responsible organisations value the individuality of their people and create environments which accommodate the needs of both the Introvert and the Extrovert.

Tips for creating an environment where both Introverts and Extroverts can thrive:

• Do not have large open offices, smaller open areas are better, with quiet rooms where staff can go to be alone and have some thinking time / space. Large open plan offices are not necessarily a great environment for Extroverts because they can provide too many distractions which affects overall performance.
• Provide staff with a greater freedom and autonomy in the workplace, it is not necessary for everyone to work together all the time, staff should be allowed time to work on their own
• Staff rest rooms, ensure that a quieter space is provided as well as the larger areas which are often noisy and have TV’s, music or other forms of entertainment.
• Allow staff to take a “Mindful” break, to help quieten the mind

Carl Jung once said “The shoe that fits one person pinches another” and the same is true of our working preferences. It is in identifying and accepting differences, we can turn them into strengths, learn to deal with given situations and ultimately as managers support team members.

Introverts have many, great strengths which they bring to the workplace, but in many cases they have had to learn Extrovert ways, which is very tiring on the individual and uses up energy which could be more effectively used if the Introvert preferences were given more consideration.

Janet Thompson, a senior manager, commented that she “had to wait in meetings to find the right opportunity to join in.” Which was something that troubled her, as no one else seemed to struggle in the same way.  Janet attended a Jigsaw@work, workshop and it was whilst taking part in one of the activities that she had her “light bulb” moment, and realised that there was nothing wrong with the way she worked, she just did things differently to the majority of her colleagues who were Extroverts. Following the workshop, Janet developed a number of coping strategies which she now uses to deal with situations she previously found difficult.

Janet commented “I genuinely discovered what being an Introvert meant and was able to see that like many people my approach may be different but it can be equally effective.”

If you have not yet had an opportunity to see Susan Cain speak about her Introvert experiences, I strongly suggest taking a few minutes to take a look.

To promote peace in the Middle East many organisations have been involved in the bringing together of Israelis and Palestinians to foster understanding of the two nationalities. A common approach used has been to provide an opportunity for the Israelis and the Palestinians to share stories about their lives with each other.

The sharing of experiences has been the focus of a piece of research, recently published in the Journal of Experimental Social Psychology. The findings of the research show that the benefits from exchange are much greater when members of the less empowered group share their stories with the traditionally dominant group than when the reverse occurs. The biggest barrier to reconciliation is the belief that the concerns of the disempowered group are being ignored.

This recent research supports evidence from previous studies which have indicated that less empowered groups benefited greater more from perspective giving rather than perspective giving.

So why in many organisations today, do managers insist on “Sharing their vision” and do not give time to listen to the perspectives or stories of their staff first? Is there any wonder that we have low staff morale, conflict and cultures of “Them” and “Us”.

In the current global economic conditions it is easy to understand why senior managers have taken away autonomy and are less inclined to empower their teams, in uncertain times we tend to revert to the “belt and braces mentality” and a “control and command” culture. The impact of this approach can be that staff feel they are being treated unfairly, they have lost their voice, they opinions are not valued and generally frustration sets in and if allowed to continue a “Them” and “Us” culture can quickly develop causing lack of trust and loss of goodwill within the team.

Learning to be a good listener can make a difference, unfortunately many managers believe that they are good listeners, but it is a skill which should not just be taken as a “given”. Listening is a skill which most of us need to practice.

Top tips to being a Good Listener

• Keep the other person(s) your whole focus of attention
• Stay quiet whilst the other person(s) is talking
• Give the other person(s) time and space to talk
• Reduce the volume of your internal voice
• Interrupting can suggest a lack of respect
• Show you are listening through your body language and facial expressions
• Notice when the other person’s body language and facial expressions appear to be at odds with their words

It is now 4.00pm and you are working on a presentation for a major new client, which is required in two days time. Just as you are checking your watch, your manager drops by your office to inform you that the presentation needs to be ready for tomorrow. You inform them that it cannot be done, but your manager is adamant!

As the conversation continues, you start to feel bullied, your heart starts pounding and the palms of your hands begin to sweat. You are left feeling angry and frustrated, in a no win situation.

You try to refocus and return to your presentation, with increasing difficulty as your mind keeps returning to the conversation you have just had and the anger you feel towards your manager.

You eventually arrive home, berating yourself for being so late, as you see your partner walking towards you, you can’t help yourself from screaming at them “It’s not my fault!” a full blown argument ensues.  Sounds familiar?

In times of stress, our ability to concentrate and focus are depleted and we become cognitively disabled. We instinctually react to situations, shouting and snapping at those around us at work and at home. Our instinctual reactions may well have served us well in the past when we were living in caves and fighting off Lions and tigers, but in today’s corporate world, there are no lions about to eat us, just colleagues who are also working under similar pressures and feeling just as frazzled.

Frazzle and reactivity is enormously wasteful. It produces inefficiencies, mistakes and endless needless hassle. The cost to organisations is immense.

Dealing with Frazzle

Next time you find yourself frazzled and unable to focus, take a few minutes out and follow our simple relaxation techniques.

Ten good reasons why Human Potentials makes sense

• Reduces levels of anxiety and stress, leading to increased resilience to stress and the ability to cope under pressure which in turn lowers illness related absenteeism
• Enables insightful problem solving
• Enhances receptiveness to new experiences
• Improves relationships and ability to address conflict
• Increased communication effectiveness
• Enhances innovation and creative ability
• Enables more effective decision making
• Increases openness
• Enables individuals to gain a better understanding of complex situations
• Stops habitual patterns of thoughts and reactions

Source: The business case for mindfulness in the workplace. Juliet Adams, Mindfulnet.org January 2012.

So will the Human Potentials approach be met with some resistance by senior leaders? What do you think will hinder the wide spread adoption of the approach?

I would be interested to hear your thoughts.

Forbes contributor Carol Kinsey Goman, a self-described “professional change agent” hired to help leaders communicate more effectively, shares these five lessons from her experience coaching business professionals.

1. People matter more than strategy. “Organisational change efforts fail more often than they succeed — and rarely because of poor strategy,” Goman says. “Rather, it’s almost always a ‘people’ issue.”
2. Emotion has more impact than logic. Both have their place, she explains, but “employees need to understand the marketplace realities that are the driving forces of change. They need to know the consequences of not changing.” They also need to know how these changes will or will not affect their duties, their job security, and if they will need to learn new skill sets.
3. Behavior is more persuasive than words. “If the stated message is ‘Let’s all collaborate!’ and employees see that senior leadership doesn’t work well together, the collaboration message hasn’t a chance,” Goman says.
4. Informal networks are more influential than formal communication channels. While formal approaches such as authentic speeches from senior leaders, well-researched articles in newsletters, and first-line supervisors who are excellent communicators are integral and helpful, “none of them deals with the complex web of social interactions and informal networks that are the conduit for up to 70 percent of all organisation information,” Goman explains.
5. And finally, nonverbal communication is more powerful than verbal communication. “The key to successful change communication may be found in the kinds of signals ordinarily overlooked, especially tone of voice and body language,” she says.

The reason I find this article particularly refreshing is that in many organisations the focus and energy is placed on developing the strategy and the process of transition. Everyone knows the importance of engaging the people and taking them with you, but unfortunately there are no shortcuts. Managers need to invest a serious amount of time in:

• Building open honest relationships with their  people
• Listening from the heart – by that I mean understanding the true impact of the changes on each individual
• Communicating using both the formal and informal channels of communication, even if there is nothing new, people like to be reassured that things are not happening without their knowledge
• Thinking before speaking, how will their words be understood by their people.
• Avoiding use of management speak and waffle
• Checking their personal engagement with the changes. If the managers are not truly engaged them don’t attempt to engage others. Remember your people are a reflection of you!
• Displaying the positive behaviours they wish to see in others
• Understanding the team dynamics, informal networks and communication channels and knowing who the influencers are within the team
• Keeping people focused on the Vision, Planning and Detail and away from the Problem and Drama

In summary, managers need to be “Up close and personal” with their people. Spend time getting to know them as individuals, their issues, worries, challenges, likes, dislikes, preferences and motivators.

One of the challenges facing managers is that most of the popular management models in use today were developed in an age where change was at a much slower pace and rarely as complex as today. The old management models focused more on process, not people. There are new models emerging based on Neuro-scientific evidence and already producing measurable results. Human Potentials leadership or sometimes referred to as Attentional or Interior models has emerged as a result of the interest in Emotional Intelligence[1] and leaders aspiring to become “Level Five” leaders[2] which has humility and determination at the heart. It is important that managers learn how to tune in more and Human Potential models are the answer.

Whilst Human Potentials leadership is still relatively new, there is already evidence available of the validity of such models in the workplace. Transport for London[3] conducted an internal review in 2003 and found that mental health was one of the top two issues affecting company employees. TFL offered staff a six week group stress reduction workshop, which was open to any of the 20,000 employees who met the referral criteria.

The workshop programme, included psycho-educational and cognitive behavioural therapy alongside the teaching of Mindfulness techniques.

The outcomes:

• Number of days off for stress and anxiety, amongst the employees attending fell by 71%
• Absences for all conditions dropped by 50%
• 80% reported improvements in their relationships
• 79% improvements in their ability to relax
• 64% improvements in sleep patterns
• 53% improvements in happiness at work

The common thread of all of Human Potential models such as Authentic Leadership and Resonant Leadership is Mindfulness, which “spontaneously arises out of a Being mode when we learn to pay attention, on purpose, in the present moment, without judgement, to things as they actually are. It is the ability to see the world as it is, not as we expect it to be or want it to be or fear it might become.” (Williams & Penman 2011)[4]

Why should organisations be taking note of these new approaches? Look out for the answers in our next blog.

Would this apply to change?  Maybe it’s an idea that is worth discussing.  This idea of Generation X and Generation Y suggests each generation are looking for something different.  The poor Y’s may have also wanted what we believe is important to Generation X, but they just didn’t have the choice.  The boundaries were firmly fixed and no-one could think of life beyond those boundaries.  It wasn’t up for negotiation.  To think outside the box was not an option.  However, those days have changed.  The directing ‘tell and do’ cultures of organisations have not always proved to be successful.  You might think of Alan Sugar as a contradiction to that, but I imagine he is a great advocate in seeking the best ideas from those around him in order to maintain the success of his multi million pound empire. 

We now articulate what we have all thought all along.  If people feel empowered, recognised, their ideas valued, their voice heard, things could be different.  Even Stephen Covey has added an 8^th habit ‘find your voice and inspire others to find theirs’.

Of course there is a balance to be had.  We cannot empower people indefinitely, without limits.  Can we?  The Senior Executives of an organisation will use their expertise, their strategic approach, their knowledge of the market forces, their long term view to decide what the strategy of an organisation needs to be.  The ‘Mission’ of an organisation, its reason for being will provide the right direction, the guiding light of where the organisation should be going.  Once the strategy has been decided, it’s at that point we could potentially miss a trick.

Once the strategy has been decided, very often organisations tell everyone how to achieve it.  Really?  Could we not be more transformational and empowering at this stage?  If we tell everyone how to achieve the strategy, are we not applying a broad brush approach to the whole of the business.  As we know there are many unique, different and incomparable aspects to an organisation.  Is every bank the same on a high street?  Is every department the same in a building?  Is each ship the same in a cruise line company?  Is every shop the same in a retail organisation?  They may look the same.  Even be the same square footage.  But as we know as soon as we walk in, they can feel very different.  The history, legacy, culture, manager and people are all very different.  How can someone remotely tell these people how to achieve the strategy?  Those closest to the opportunity, know how to achieve it.  Of course guidance and support must and need to be offered.  But as Stephen Covey identifies the people’s voice must be heard.  Perhaps in this difficult climate, when organisations feel their most nervous, they could take their bravest step, and truly trust people.  By asking people the question ‘How can we achieve our goals?  Please tell us’, they might achieve it easier than they thought.  People might just ‘buy in’ to change, when they have the freedom to choose it, when they own it.  Ideally we want every person to take full responsibility.  Only then will people feel part of the strategy or vision, rather than something that is done to them.  Maybe it you will hear less of what ‘they’ are doing, but what ‘we’ are doing.

Admittedly by asking the question above, we may hear too many answers.  This is where the different levels of management come into play, to be empowered to rise to the challenge, to listen, encourage discussion and take the best ideas forward through constructive consensus.  The Manager needs to be encouraged to be the best they can be, encouraged to feel confident.  Although they maybe be more aware of budgetary restrictions and timelines, maybe this information can also be disclosed to their teams, so they truly understand the nature of the challenges ahead.

Earlier I asked the question, can we empower people indefinitely without limits?  Maybe we can.  This is already being done by the more forward thinking companies.  One organisation even allows their people to choose how much they work and how many holidays they can take.  Really.  There are some zero tolerance behaviours and full accountability is expected.  However, by truly giving the freedom to choose, also means that the people choose their outcome.  Guess which outcome they choose?

With apologies to Martin Johnson: Very few ‘great players’ go on to make ‘great managers’. Just as most of the successful managers were not outstanding players. Supporters of Martin Johnson said that the Rugby Union should have recognised when appointing Martin to be England Manager, that he would need support as he had no previous management experience.

And yet in the business world the reason for selecting a manager is very often based upon length of service, possessing important technical skills or even just being a “good” team member.

In times when there is an increasing need for teams to deliver more, more effectively, more efficiently and more profitably the manager needs the skills to engage & lead the team to success.

Often in today’s economic climate and fast changing world, teams are subject to sudden and significant change – both in actual team members and in what the organisation asks of them.

Pressures are greater than ever for a team to work together decisively and effectively and to respond to changing needs and goals.

So you were not a great player but you want to be a great “Manager” – team building is in fact a great skill and relies upon developing strong management and leadership capabilities.  – there is no ‘right’ or ‘wrong’ way to build your team, but here are some pointers to help you in the right direction.

• Everyone must share a common vision and be focused on a common goal.
• When building teams, every member must have clarity about his or her role and responsibilities in order to pull their weight.
• Ensure all team members want to participate in the team – recruit the right people

See our top ten tips for ‘Building a Top Team’

As organisations need to do more with less, strong leadership and team member engagement may be the only difference between surviving and thriving. Organisations need employees who can deliver as individuals and as members of a team, supporting customer service and in turn the profitability or efficiency of an organisation. The Jigsaw discovery Tool and and workshops can help to achieve this by improving:

• Teamwork
• Leadership
• Communication and relationships
• The management of change
• Corporate culture
• And enhancing the customer experience

Find out more about the Jigsaw Discovery Tool and our Jigsaw Development Programmes.

Commented Michelle “We like many other small companies are approached on a regular basis to sponsor various projects. In these austere times when we are time rich, cash poor, to give a few hours to help a cause is relatively easy.”