The 50/50 Relationship and Eliminating Excuse-Based Behavior

by Clint Maun, CSP

One-way communication is seldom as effective as people connecting in a 50/50 relationship. To assist individuals in avoiding excuse-based behavior we need to provide them an alternative way of handling certain tough situations. We believe that can be handled through the implementation of a "five-step customer satisfaction process." When you are put in a situation of dealing with a customer we have an approach that can be used on a consistent basis.

The five-step process includes:

1. Empathy
2. Honesty
3. Initiative (or follow-up)
4. Responsibility to do something now
5. Involvement of the customer in the problem solving process

For more information on this process check out:

Providing Effective Customer Service (click here)

This five-step model allows us to progress to the fifth step, which is the most important one. The five step process sets up the opportunity to use involvement questions, such as:

• What do you recommend?
• What would you do if you were in our shoes?
  
• What could we do today that would make it so you would recognize the improvement tomorrow?

This five-step process helps employees, who once might have been feeling "un-empowered" and "unknowledgeable," know what to do when they have an opportunity to develop the 50/50 relationship. You can't achieve a 50/50 relationship if you are not working with the employee. You also can't achieve a 50/50 relationship if you are not working with the customer by involving them in a solution-oriented conversation. This five-step model allows that process to happen. Many organizations we work with are using the ComCards (click here) we have developed as a way to cue employees to the "five-step customer satisfaction process."

In addition to teaching your staff, we also strongly suggest the five-step model be taught to customers during their orientation process. If we orient the customers to how we are going to use the five-step model it sets up accountability for the entire system to utilize that process. It sets up an expectation from the beginning that there is a 50/50 relationship needed in all improvement efforts.

Copyright 2001 Maun-Lemke, Inc.