If you were to review the memories of your youth, chances are there was a teacher, friend or family acquaintance whose name you still remember.  

There is probably one person who played a key role in shaping the person you have become, a person who in some way acted as a coach to support your personal growth.  

This same concept, coaching for success, should be alive and well at your company if you wish to develop a team that creates a winning environment. But wait, isn’t that what managers do every day? Aren’t managers also coaches?  

A manager achieves day-to-day results, often relying heavily on him or herself to figure everything out. The manager who knows how to coach helps his staff develop the skills and talents to support the overall mission of not just that manager but in the bigger picture, of the whole company. Giving supervisors and managers the skills to be effective coaches for employees who would benefit from that approach is critical to decreasing employee turnover and increasing employee morale.  

Consider these ideas for improving the coaching skills of your management team:  

Give managers the tools for the job. In a research study conducted by InTelegy Corp., ineffective management and processes was one of the most common reasons for people leaving a company. Employees felt supervisors received no skills training on how to manage people. Hire a coaching specialist who can provide your managers with the skills to be more effective coaches. Check out www.coachu.com or online or CD-ROM learning programs that offer those types of classes.  

Understand learning styles. We all learn and absorb information differently. A good coach understands the learning style of the individual they’re coaching. If someone is a visual learner, they learn by what they see or read. Auditory learners learn by listening.  Kinesthetic learners learn by feeling or experience. For most of us, one of those styles is dominant. An individual will learn and retain more if information is presented in the learning style that they are accustomed to.  

Understand individual values. A good coach knows that each of the players on their team is an individual and that each has different values when it comes to motivation and encouragement. The style that a coach uses to motivate and inspire one individual may not work for anyone else. Managers who are good coaches make sure they invest in one-on-one dialog with the individuals on their team. A good coach asks questions, listens to understand what is important to each person and then incorporates that knowledge into their coaching style for each individual.  

It starts at the top. Coaching isn’t confined to middle management. The concept of coaching for success must start at the very top of the company. Does senior management at your company model the skills of a good coach? Do they recognize the rest of the management team for their hard work? Do they coach their managers on how to be more effective coaches for their employees?  

Regardless of which category your utility falls within, it is imperative to take care of mistakes and problems with professionalism and dedication.” Saxby offers the following thoughts and suggestions about making the most of problem solving with customers.

Only 4 Percent of Customers Complain. “Your utility may never hear from 96 percent of its customers who are unhappy about something,” Saxby says. “Many unhappy customers who do not raise a fuss may just quietly go away because they feel complaining will not do them any good. In fact, complainers are more likely to continue doing business with you than non-complainers.”
Most Customers Who Complain Will Do Business Again. “Fifty-four to 70 percent of customers who complain will do business with you again if you resolve their complaint,” Saxby notes. “If they feel you acted quickly, showed empathy, took ownership and resolved the problem to their satisfaction, loyalty will skyrocket. These customers also will refer new customers.”

Develop Customer Retention Programs. Often, customer service is thought of as a complaint-handling system rather than a marketing technique, Saxby says. “Complaint handling is only one small part of customer service,” Saxby explains. “If you make the decision to develop customer retention programs that are proactive rather than reactive, you will reap the benefit in many ways – increased sales and profits, happier employees and customers, less stressful work environments and more time on your hands to think creatively.”

Reactive Customer Service. “Reactive customer service comes after the fact, after a customer has a problem or is generally dissatisfied,” Saxby says. “This type of service is in reaction to your customer and, therefore, is likely to be affected by both parties’ emotional states.”

Proactive Customer Service. Proactive service may come either before or after the fact, but it is always about taking action to improve the customer’s experience and outcome, according to Saxby. “Proactive service anticipates the customer’s current and future needs,” Saxby says. “Proactive service means your utility is prepared to do everything to satisfy and keep the customer. When it happens after the fact, proactive service sometimes involves making decisions that benefit the customer at the expense of the company.”

People are loyal to a business when they feel they are treated well and receive good value for their money, Saxby says.
“When mistakes happen, do you already have the mindset that you will do everything possible to resolve the situation and leave your customer feeling satisfied?” Saxby asks. “Do you understand the value of the 4 percent of your customers who will even bother to complain?”
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Measure-X is a measurement, training and recognition company that specializes in customer service and sales skills. For more information on Measure-X, call 888-644-5499 or visit its Web site at http://www.measure-x.com/.