..... eine unendliche Geschichte, ..

.... in der es bislang nicht wirklich einen Kunden gibt (zumindest fühlte ich mich nicht als solcher).

07.02.2010 gegen 17:00 Uhr: Internet via WLAN irgendwie verdammt langsam; was'n los? Blick auf den Router: KEINE GRÜNE Lampe bei WLAN/DSL:-(

07.02.2010 17:00 Uhr Anruf bei 0800-330 1000 (immerhin kostet diese Nummer nix für den "Kunden"), ich werde aufgefordert, meinen Anschluss anzusagen bzw. per Tastatur einzugeben, nach einigen Minuten in der Warteschleife gelange ich an einen Kollegen. Der will komischerweise nochmals meine Nummer erfahren. "Komisch, habe ich die eben nicht schon angegeben?", denke ich mir. Ich schilderte kurz mein Anliegen und bevor ich noch seinen Namen und Standort (irgendwo in Mecklenburg, soviel wollte er mir noch gerade verraten!) wurde ich direkt an die Hardware-Abteilung weitergeleitet. Wo in der Republik ist mir weiterhin ein Rätsel.

07.02.2010 ca. 17:20 Uhr Kollege, Herr Albert aus dem Callcenter in Görlitz,  an der Hardware-Hotline stellt fest, dass keine Syncronität der  DSL-Leitung besteht. Er macht nach einem erfolglosen Versuch (Ursache auch für ihn nicht nachvollziehbar) in seinem System ein Ticket auf, damit mir ein neuer Router zugesendet wird. Der sollte spätestens Dienstag bei uns eintreffen.

Wir unterhalten uns noch kurz über das Callcenter Görlitz, und dass Freunde da momentan mit der Gestaltung der Räumlichkeiten beschäftigt sind, um künftig noch besseren Service zu bieten. CoWorking in Görlitz ist auch ein Thema, Herr Albert ist neugierig und aufgeschlossen.

Mich beschleicht der Gedanke, wie wohl die Telekom künftig Profite einfährt, wenn Callcenter und Coworking Spaces kreativ zusammenarbeiten und eine wikibasierte Wissensbörse, und über ein geschlossenes Microblogging Wissen vom Kunden hin zum Anbieter und zurück fließen kann?!

07.02.2010 der Sonntag geht zu Ende und ich bin guter Hoffnung

.... Fortsetzung folgt in Kürze;-)

Customer on the train - an alien or money bringer?

Graham Hill (Twitter), a former Toyota executive and now independend consultant has written about a disturbing experience of a friend with the German Railway (Deutsche Bahn AG). The story is not that unfamiliar and we all know of even harsher stories where kids where thrown out of the train some kilometers from their final destination for not having the right ticket (even other passengers were not allowed to pay for them).

Strange behavior and yet just a negative symptom of a system that is not focusing on its sales base (the CUSTOMER) rather the cost savings and getting money in the first place.

What are the possible structures that make such behavior of conductors happen in real life?

Pressure to stick to the rules (otherwise layed-off -especially in areas with  high unemployment a rather big threat)

We have done it in the past, will continue to do in the future

The plan of going public urges railway people to get customers to pay

Too many different laws, rules (especially where different bodies of operations, that the German Railways operate for exist, such as in the Ruhrgebiet, Rhein-Main Area)

.....how could that present reality be changed towards a more customer orientated behavior that would also have mid-/long-term benefit for the German Railways as well?

Best

Ralf

PS.: Due to present changing of responsibilities and people around the German Railways, even if you try to make some ideas present to the management - nobody knows who is the RIGHT person and if you get the right person, this one is notoriously overworked (MURI, as we Lean Thinkers say) and you don't get a positive answer as well.

...couldn't there be a positive change? It would be quite easy, as customers' voices would be heard by management:-))

Innovative Wege aus der Krise?

Alright here comes a dream:

Im August 2008, bot sich mir überraschend die Möglichkeit Team Academy in Finnland zu besuchen. Dort herrschte 1993 eine ähnliche Krisenstimmung (nur eher lokal auf Finnland begrenzt) und Johannes Partanen, Professor für Marketing an der Jyväskylä Politech (FH) dachte, "Da muss sich was ändern!". Hängte einen Zettel am Schwarzen Brett für Veranstaltungen aus mit dem Text "Do you want to travel around the world and learn a bit of marketing on the way?"

Das war der Beginn für einen der erfolgreichsten neuen und ganz anderen Wege, um Arbeitslosigkeit zu bekämpfen bzw. zu reduzieren.

Da ich zum damaligen Zeitpunkt arbeitslos war nutzte ich die Chance, lernte mehr darüber und versuchte das Konzept dem betreuenden Arbeitsamt zu vermitteln.

Nicht ganz so einfach, denn noch ist die Struktur der Arbeitslosenunterstützung in Form von Weiterbildung in einer etablierten Struktur von Bildungsträgern und Bildungsinstituten verankert. Diese Flottte liegt im sicheren Hafen und fährt zu den bekannten Zielen aus - Team Academy ist das ein recht unbekanntes Terrain.

Nun begann im Spätherbst die Krise heraufzuziehen und ich sah im Dezember (als ich mich dann letztendlich selbständig machte) die Chance das Thema der Geschäftsleitung des Arbeitsamts Leipzigs zu vermitteln.

So kam es, dass ich mich hinsetzte und Kontakt mit der Geschäftsführung der Arbeitsagentur Leipzig aufnahm .....

....nicht lange, denn bereits am nächsten Tag erhielt ich eine persönliche, freundliche -wenn auch bestimmte- Ablehnung meines Vorschlags von der Geschäftsführung.

Was ist mein Angebot, das so irritiert hat und fremd klang, dass es nicht einmal zu einem Gespräch -bisher- kam?

Team Lea(r)ning Experience ist eine neue Form von Team Academy, die in Dresden etabliert werden wird, um in einer "Consulting-Denkfabrik" in Dresden Interessierte und Lernen-Wollende zusammenbringt, um Unternehmen zu ermöglichen in Sachsen künftig erfolgreich zu wirtschaften (mit steigenden Erträgen) und darüber hinaus z.B. Arbeitslosen und Kurzarbeitern die Möglichkeit bietet an konkreten Projekten mit Unternehmen für sich zu lernen, wie sich die Toyota Way Prinzipien auch in Sachsen erfolgreich umsetzen lassen.

Wie geht es weiter?

Vom 22.-24. April 2009 wird es in Leipzig einen 3-tägigen Workshop geben, bei dem dieses Konzept vorgestellt und am praktischen Beispiel umgesetzt wird.

Anmeldung über:

Ralf Lippold

ChancenWandler(hoch)n

Mail team@teamlearningexperience.org

Mobil 0163-351 351 0

Fax 032-12-351 351 0

Beste Grüße

Ralf Lippold

Customer Service - can it be delivered in public service?

Sure can:-))

In Germany, probably like in most other countries, one is obliged to register at the place of living. 

So normally that is just a thing you HAVE to do. The agents in the city council office treat you as you would be just a mere "case" for them. More work on the desk.

Not so in Dresden, where I had my most enjoyable memories getting my passport some 12 years ago during the carneval time and it was a whole lot of laughter and joy over there.

Yesterday I was heading towards the same place to register and make myself a "Citizen of Dresden". As it is the time between Xmas and New Year's Eve I wondered whether the place would be open and phoned the general city information. Got through (in Leipzig that line was either taken or you waited for ages, by the way I lived in Leipzig for the last four years, not feeling like a "Leipziger".

Alright I got off the tram in front of the town hall (all the Dresden suburbs used to independant cities and therefor had their own town hall from the late 19th century). All lights shut off in the building - almost;-) I wondered ("Didn't they tell you there would be service until 6 PM? Now it is 5 PM. Almost all dark. Strange."), stepped up the staircase and -surprise- the main door was open.

So I went in, looked around and found my way to the ticket machine (to make the queuing easier). Pulled my number, and expected to wait (saw dozens of people in Leipzig earlier that day when I was over there). No way, a few seconds later I was invited to next free service agent and waived in.

..and off we went, quickly she got the data into the computer, checked name and signed the piece a paper (on a WACOM tablet - so the electronic signatur is right in the computer, without copying and scanning the paper - great lean stuff:-)). We had a nice short chat and told her about my previous visit and how much I enjoyed it.

Five minutes later I was out of the office again and thought:

"Whow. that was customer service I would like to see not only in a city council but also at companies who have paying customers, like car manufacturers, railway companies and any other business type company"

A great example how easily the customer can be appreciated and takes his experience into the world (sure will post the City of Dresden about that story:-)).

Best regards and let's see where there are other fine examples around the world. Feel free to comment and write your story.

Ralf

Memorable Rail Journey - anything changed?

Dear readers of that customer orientated blog,

Have you ever felt the emptiness of your words when talking to a service employee at -any- railway corporation? You feel like a piece of luggage and nobody -from the official body- is appreciating that you are actually paying their monthy salary. I guess I am not the only one around with such memories (and to be honest as I travel quite a lot on the railway tracks, due to my green attitude;-), I happen so see regularly events that are not driving potential customers into the trains but rather drive them out in their car-pooling, using their own car, or just abandon the railways (and talking bad mouth about their experience:-().

It doesn't have to be that way:-))

The only thing it needs is the willingness and courage to see things, talk about them in open public (why not publish in the papers?) and make officials aware that the CUSTOMER is an asset!

Thalys Journey says more on what happened during an almost 10-hour-trainride (could have gone to Boston in the same time almost - not quite as the qeues at the airport in Boston could take another two hours:-().

Toyota, the world leader in corporate learning and empowering people to their strengths, sees in problems always to become better in the future. Am I wrong when I have a different feeling concerning the service problems at railways around the world? Especially the ones in Europe that are talking like they would be THE FIRST customer orientated corporations in the country don't play to REAL CUSTOMER SATISFACTION.

What was good?

Concerning that specific journey the connections between trains (in Frankfurt/Main and Cologne) was about the only thing that was good. Besides that I had to chance to have some rest and could read an interesting book (wouldn't have had the chance in a car;-()

What was bad?

Mis- and Non-Communication was the main driver to dissatisfaction and constant negative rememberance about the journey that started so well.

What have I learned?

Hm, difficult to say. Seems to be that every such event is like closed silo of information (nothing is leaking into the bigger organization and so nothing is changed, as far as customers can sense - you would surely run into similar difficulties again in the future. It is like my former boss always, "We have tackled the problem now, why find out what has been the root cause? Everything is fine now!")

Taking the initiative writing proposal letters to the railway officials seems useless and yet I can tell from own experience after some none-reaction efforts and letters you get to the RIGHT PERSON somewhere in the corporation jungle:-) And things can change, if the pressure is really too hard and you are not the only one who is making noise. 

Getting papers involved in the issue is quite useful as an event showed during the flooding in Dresden in 2002. In official press bulletin of the German Railway it was that helpers who would help in the aftermath in Dresden would be transported free of charge by German Railway. Turned out -after a call to the press officer- that this offer was just valid to the Red Cross, THW, and other "official" bodies. As soon as I got -while I was in charge of the help organization- the first helper on the phone I told him the story and advised him to get in contact with either a newspaper or a radio station telling them about it.

Guess what? Only a few hours later we got a phone call by the office of the CEO asking what would be the problem about the issue. I told him and had -as we worked officially with the City Council of Dresden together- a few possible solutions to make sure that people wouldn't use the offer for free travels around the republic.

Everything worked out fine and I was surprised what is possible in terms of change and attitude towards customer needs:-))

Wonder how this could work out this time?

What is the next action out of this journey?

Interesting question and I would say, let go and see which intervention would be most useful to get the most for customers (potential, present and future) and the Thalys (by the way, German Railways, are also in need for some change towards customer orientation -but that is another story to be posted soon;-))

Please feel free to tell your stories (let me know and I will add you as contributor and writer on the blog).

Best regards and save and joyful travels around whereever you may be

Ralf

Customers voice - sometimes difficult to understand

Ten minutes ago I have arrived by taxi from Leipzig Main Station. On my way I asked the driver about the model we were going in. It was a Volkswagen Sharan (pretty nice actually and solid quality so it seems).

I ask the driver, "Nice car. Anything you would like to be better or more appropriate?"

His answer, "It is o.k."

My insisting 2nd question, "Hm, there is probably something that could be better or is already perfect?"

Driver, "Could use less gas or diesel."

Me, "Anything else, as I would like to make the "perfect" car?"

Driver, "No, and this will never work! Nothing will be perfect!"

Me, "Hm, there is a company in India that is willing to design the perfect car and actually produce it in Germany. That is the reason, I am asking you as a customer."

Driver, "...."

....and the talk died:-(

Strange, how can we deliver customer value if the customer isn't willing to articulate what he really wishes? Are we doomed to produce guessing what customers really want? Do we have to get into other media to hear customer's voice?

A strange experience and I wonder how other have experienced similar things.

Best regards,

Ralf

Transparency and quick customer reply

@safttante has mentioned and brought into the open, what has happened to one of their customers who had bought hot spiced wine earlier.

Walther's, a great producer of fruit juices based in Arnsdorf/Sachsen about half an hour east of Dresden sells flexible 3-l containers that don't have to be refrigerated due to the innovative clip.

Unfortunately this clip is different on the 10-l box and this one has to be finished in one gulp;-)

Real customer service orientated this "error" has been directly communicated with the customer who has complained, put on the Saftblog and -probably- is already well under way to be changed in the near future.

A great example for what LEAN THINKING is: CUSTOMER SERVICE OF ITS BEST.

Looking for more examples of that in Saxony, Germany and the World.