I found this phrase on a post it note with the words "2 Rules - Look the part and put the money in the till" written on it.
It was from a presentation that I had heard earlier this year when I had only got some post it notes to write on and this one was loose in my bag. But how right these rules are when you consider customer service and customer care.
The speaker was John Timpson, Chariman of Timpsons the shoe repair people, and these were the 2 key rules that he had for his workforce. He went on to say that he employed people with personality and wouldn't employ a grumpy cobbler. "Customers return to the cobblers with personality" he said.
In recent months I have had some interesting experiences from both ends of the spectrum but how do we do at Crowther Beard? Customer care has been high on my agenda for over 15 years now and one of the criteria I judge team performance on is how we look after our clients and care for our colleagues. Let us look at the 2 rules and the statement at the top.
Look the part. What do people expect from accountants? The current trend of professionals towards open necked shirts does not mean that people don't look the part but I had to draw the line a couple of years ago when a newly appointed manager said that he couldn't afford a suit and didn't possess a jacket. I still think that most clients expect their solicitor and accountant to wear a suit, collar and tie.
Put the money in the till. Too many accountants and lawyers are hopeless at telling clients in advance what their bill will be and getting agreement to it. The pressure on them is to bill their time and not worry about the consequences. The problem with this approach is that collecting a fee that is contested costs in administration time and in terms of goodwill. Wouldn't it be much better to be up front about the cost of your service and agree a fee in advance?
Employ people with personality. There are two parts to this. A grumpy team member will bring his or her colleagues down with them, you will never manage to lift them out of being grumpy. However the effect on the client or customer is more telling. There is "no can do" with these people, I always liked the TV commercial which went "the answer is Yes, now what is the question". If I don't know, or the matter is beyond my experience, then in most situations I will know someone who does know, so all of my clients can get what they want indirectly from me if not directly.
Any customer facing industry or profession needs the can do approach and the more personality you have in your team the better it is for the interaction with your clients and customers. At Crowther Beard we set out to look the part, agree fees in advance and enjoy working with our clients and colleagues. After all this will make us all very happy.
Oh, and the manager who couldn't do? He is no longer is a member of our team.
