Tonight is the night Christians celebrate a miraculous night 2,000 years
ago. The night a precious young lady delivered a baby who would become
the Savior of the world. This historical event happened in a plain
stable where all those who got a room in the inn kept their animals,
their vehicles of the day. Had it been today I suppose baby Jesus would
have been born in the parking garage of a hotel. God had planned this
evening since the beginning of time. He created the world, then created
a couple of people who would sire a population in need of hope, love,
peace and forgiveness. We need hope, love, peace and forgiveness all
the more today.
I plan on enjoying some time with my
family opening gifts, eating lots of delicious foods and visiting with those I love. But I also plan and encourage you to plan on
reflecting on what happened this day and night in another land at
another time. Be thankful for all your blessings and spread this hope,
love, peace and forgiveness in your circle of the world.
Still learning,
Honey
www.interaction-training.com
Tuesday, December 24, 2013
Thursday, December 19, 2013
Meeting Matters!
When
something needs to be discussed we better call a meeting, right? Perhaps, perhaps not, but if you decide
you do need a meeting, make sure it is efficient. We have all spent hours in meetings that were not more than
a waste of time.
business coach gives
7 ways to assure efficiency in your meeting.
1. Is It Necessary?
Ask, “Is this meeting necessary?” Many meetings turn out in retrospect to be unnecessary. There are other ways to achieve the same goal. Sometimes you can achieve it by circulating a memo. You can have a conference call. You can speak to people individually. You can even postpone it to another meting or another time altogether. If a meeting is not necessary, avoid holding it whenever possible.
If the meeting is necessary, ask, “Is it necessary for me to attend this meeting?” If it is not necessary for you to attend, don’t go in the first place. If it is not necessary for someone else to attend a particular meeting, make sure that he knows so that he does not have to be there.
2. Write an Agenda
If you have determined that the meeting is necessary, establish a clear purpose for the meeting and write up an agenda. An excellent time management tool is for you to write a one paragraph statement of purpose for the meeting. Complete the sentence, “We are having this meeting to achieve this specific goal:” and then write out the objective of the meeting.
This is a tremendous discipline. Make out an agenda or a list of everything that has to be covered in the meeting. Next to each item, put the name of the person who is expected to address that particular issue. Distribute the agenda, if possible, at least 24 hours in advance so that each person knows what they will be expected to contribute. They will know what the objective of the meeting is and what will be discussed. This applies to one on one meetings with your boss, with your subordinates, with your customers, with your suppliers and whoever else.
3. Start and Stop on Time
Start and stop the meeting on time. Set a schedule for the beginning of the meeting, and set a time for the end of the meeting. If the meeting is going to run from eight until nine, start it at eight o’clock sharp and end it at nine o’clock sharp.
The worst type of meetings are the ones that start at a specific time but have no clearly determined ending time.
Here is another rule: don’t wait for the latecomer. Assume the latecomer is not coming at all, and start at the designated time. It is unfair to punish the people who are there on time by making them wait for the person who gets there late, if at all.
Many companies establish the policy of locking the meeting room from the inside at the exact time the meeting is scheduled to start. The people who show up late are not allowed in. You can be sure that they don’t show up late the next time.
4. Cover Important Items First
Cover the most important items first. When you draw up the agenda, apply the 80/20 Rule. Organize the agenda so that the top 20% of items are the first items to be discussed. This way, if you run out of time, you will have covered the items that represent 80% of the value of the meeting before the time runs out.
5. Summarize Each Conclusion
When you discuss each item, summarize the discussion and get closure. Get agreement and completion on each item before you go onto the next one. Restate what has been decided upon and agreed to with each item before you proceed.
6. Assign Specific Responsibility
If you have made a decision, assign responsibility for the specific actions agreed upon and set deadlines. Remember, discussion and agreement without an assignment of responsibility and a deadline for completion is merely a conversation. Be clear about who is going to do what and by when.
7. Keep Notes and Circulate Minutes
A key to assuring maximum effectiveness from meetings is to keep accurate notes and to circulate the minutes of the meeting within 24 hours whenever possible. The person with accurate minutes from a meeting that can be pulled out a week or a month later can resolve a lot of potential misunderstandings.
Agendas prepared in advance, followed by meeting minutes shortly afterwards, assure that everyone is clear about their agreed upon responsibilities and deadlines.
As I
reflected over these 7 ways to assure efficiency in your meeting I had a
thought. Who do you need to meet
with that you are avoiding? Clear
up any guilt you have concerning procrastinating about meetings people need or
want to have with you or vice versa.
Don’t put it off!
Still
learning,
Honey
Labels:
agenda,
don't waste time,
efficient meetings,
meetings,
prioritize,
summarize
Monday, December 16, 2013
Christmas Cheer
Christmas should be a time of celebration and sharing but
that is not always the way it goes.
Some may be strapped for cash and so they are anxious about getting
gifts for family and friends. Some
may have experienced a loss and so they are sad to spend the holiday without
their loved one. Some may be
estranged from their family and are feeling lonely. As customers come into your financial institution this
Christmas season observe their attitude.
Be sensitive and do your part to help make their day brighter.
One way to get people away from their sadness is to offer
them an opportunity to give to someone who is needy. You could have a toy drive for Toys for Tots at your company. You could have a contribution jar for Wounded Warriors. Have the Salvation Army red
kettle at
your teller stations. Select an organization that is well
established and known so people feel comfortable giving. This year InterAction Training is
hosting a Christmas party for all the Houston-area graduates of the PrisonEntrepreneurship Program. I don’t question it will be the
highlight of the holiday season for me.
My favorite gas/service station has a toy drive every year
for Toys for Tots. Picking one
organization and making it a tradition is a great idea. Every year your customers will get used
to seeing your charity promotion and think ahead to how they will help.
Helping out will not only give your customers an opportunity
it will also help unite your staff with a common purpose. If you have a Christmas party be sure
and have them bring a toy or canned good for distribution to your chosen
organization.
Of course Christmas is not the only time these organizations
need donations. When opportunities
arise think of ways your group can lend a hand. Become an organization known for giving back to the
community.
I am not completely certain of the definition of an adult
but I think it might be “one who became aware it is by far better to give than
to receive.”
Still learning,
Honey
Tuesday, December 10, 2013
Fail to plan....
Plan to fail. This quote, attributed to Benjamin Franklin, contains very wise words. Sure, you can "luck" into some success but when you decide to plan, your chances for success increase tremendously. If you don't have a plan with some goals how do you even know if you have achieved what you wanted?
So how do you make a plan? There are of course as many ways to make a plan as there are people. We are all unique, so our paths to success are all unique. This week I called together a group of wise professionals who have worked with me over the years. I asked them to join me in brainstorming time for my future business plan. It was incredibly inspiring to hear different viewpoints. I have experienced some great success over the years in the banking and credit union industries. I have presented countless seminars encouraging professionals to plan. I understand the value in setting aside time to plan.
Can you imagine me going into speak to a group without thinking through what I would say? Since I've been a speaker for decades I could "wing it" and may make some sense. But optimum teaching is only going to happen when I plan my lessons, practice my presentation and tune in to my audience.
As the year comes to an end take some time to think through how you spent your days this year. As the new year begins plan how you could be more effective, more professionals and more successful. Think through your circle of acquaintances. Ask them to honestly give you some input on your work ethic. To improve we must listen to criticism and make adjustments to better ourselves.
Still learning.
Honey
www.interaction-training.com
Supervisors plan for success by coming to my January bootcamp
So how do you make a plan? There are of course as many ways to make a plan as there are people. We are all unique, so our paths to success are all unique. This week I called together a group of wise professionals who have worked with me over the years. I asked them to join me in brainstorming time for my future business plan. It was incredibly inspiring to hear different viewpoints. I have experienced some great success over the years in the banking and credit union industries. I have presented countless seminars encouraging professionals to plan. I understand the value in setting aside time to plan.
Can you imagine me going into speak to a group without thinking through what I would say? Since I've been a speaker for decades I could "wing it" and may make some sense. But optimum teaching is only going to happen when I plan my lessons, practice my presentation and tune in to my audience.
As the year comes to an end take some time to think through how you spent your days this year. As the new year begins plan how you could be more effective, more professionals and more successful. Think through your circle of acquaintances. Ask them to honestly give you some input on your work ethic. To improve we must listen to criticism and make adjustments to better ourselves.
Still learning.
Honey
www.interaction-training.com
Supervisors plan for success by coming to my January bootcamp
Tuesday, December 3, 2013
Be More Productive
Before I can get anything produced I must get organized and come up with a plan. A creative mind is sometimes very hard to tame. I'm always on the search for useful tools in maximizing productivity while fostering creativity. I have posted on my site a very useful software for that process. "MindGenius" is a "mind mapping" software program. The program easily helps your team organize a project into managable pieces. The software helps you to graphically visualize the scope of a project, then divide and catagorize the tasks. The software has a tool for brainstorming then organizing the ideas generated. I have been frozen by a team project that was too big to get my mind around. This software is a tool that can get the ball rolling. All data input into the software is stored and transferrable easily into any Microsoft Office software you choose to use.
The software has a 30 day free trial. Trying before I buy is my favorite way to really see if something is right for me.
After you try it out let me know how it fit with your needs.
Moving forward,
Honey Shelton
www.interaction-training.com
The software has a 30 day free trial. Trying before I buy is my favorite way to really see if something is right for me.
After you try it out let me know how it fit with your needs.
Moving forward,
Honey Shelton
www.interaction-training.com
Monday, November 25, 2013
Thanksgiving
Happy Thanksgiving to all my blog readers. I have several facebook friends who have been doing 30 days of thankfulness on their page this month. What a great practice! Take time everyday to think of at least one thing for which you are thankful. I am thankful for family and friends. I appreciate my business, my work acquaintances both old and new. I am thankful for freedom and all those who've fought to ensure my freedom. I am thankful I can work and make a decent living. I enjoy having a home that is warm when it is cold outside and cool when the heat wave hits.
Think about those who have lost family members or good friends, are out of work, are homeless or live in countries with few freedoms.
It is easy to take for granted the blessings we have unless we practice gratitude. Focus on how much you have rather than on what you don't have. Try to spend this week being thankful and never uttering an ungrateful word.
Still learning,
Honey
www.interaction-training.com
Think about those who have lost family members or good friends, are out of work, are homeless or live in countries with few freedoms.
It is easy to take for granted the blessings we have unless we practice gratitude. Focus on how much you have rather than on what you don't have. Try to spend this week being thankful and never uttering an ungrateful word.
Still learning,
Honey
www.interaction-training.com
Thursday, November 21, 2013
Boot Camp
Take some time to shape up for the New Year. The military have boot camps to get
their troops ready for a mission.
They have drills, build camaraderie and map out strategies to get their
mission accomplished. I have boot
camps for bank professionals with similar goals in mind. Get reenergized for your mission as a
financial expert. Get away
from your daily grind to brainstorm with others who work in a similar
area. Enjoy hearing ideas that may
be just what you need to get your team more productive.
In December I am looking forward to spending 3 days in
Galveston with other trainers. The
salty sea air is good for invigorating a training program. Training is a critical element in your
bank or credit union success. A
team can’t behave like a team unless they have received training that gives
them tools for success. Come join
us for a couple of refreshing days.
I ring in the New Year with a Supervisor Boot Camp Jan 8 – 9
in Houston. Supervisors set
the culture for the team. When a
supervisor is well trained they can then pass on confidence and skills
necessary to their group.
If you have any questions about any of the training or have
input for me on how I could best serve the financial community post a comment
or contact me by phone or email.
Click on these links for more information, schedule, who should attend and what we will cover
Still learning,
Honey
www.interaction-training.com
713-597-0534
honey@interaction-training.com
Tuesday, November 19, 2013
Technogy and Cost controls
In my last blog I discussed the critical
importance of keeping up with technologies. I have a technology associate who
recently wrote on how to utilize technology to control the costs of running
your bank or credit union branch. Of
particular interest is the recognition of the opportunity to not only save
money but make some money by getting customers to use their debit cards. Here are some excerpts from “Trent's
Comments” in January – February 2013
Internet Banking
Internet Banking, properly deployed, should greatly reduce your costs of customer service by allowing customers to handle more of their banking activities on their own. In particular, the ability to transfer funds, and see images of paid items will mean that, like mobile banking above, your customers require much less call center contact to address their banking needs. This reduces your costs and improves customer satisfaction. Another key part of Internet Banking is bill pay. Many banks have had poor experience, penetration wise, with bill pay, as their initial offerings were cumbersome, required advanced payment, and may have even cost extra to use. The reality is this... many of your customers have been driven to on-line payments through the biller's sites, and won't change their habits unless you find a way to make it easier ( I think aggregation of bills on a hand held device might have a shot) For now, concentrate on those of your customers who are still check writers, and promote the ease of bill pay to them. Each time you convert a check to an electronic form of payment your transaction costs go down significantly.
Debit Cards
Debit cards are immensely popular with customers. Generally, when banks promote debit card utilization, it goes up in response. When promotions cease, it then levels off - it does not go back to prior levels. Thus, we can acquaint usage with adoption. Even the most expensive debit card transaction (customer enters their PIN) is significantly less expensive than processing a check. Signature based debit card transactions actually generate revenue, via interchange fees. Efforts to convert check writers to debit card users will, at a minimum, reduce your transaction processing costs, and may even increase your interchange income. Continuous promotion of debit cards is always productive. Don't overlook debit cards for your businesses, as well. Most ATM/EFT
providers offer you a better interchange fee on such cards, and transactions are usually larger, so there is good revenue to be had.
As you invest in new technologies, much of the
focus is on the “sign-up” phase – getting customers to sign up for mobile banking, e-statements, or Internet Banking.
Clearly, it is important to get folks signed up as the first step. This is not the desired
result though . . . the intent is to get folks to adopt behaviors that reduce
your operating costs, and improve customer satisfaction. Effective employee
education and targeted marketing campaigns can help you to achieve your goals.
Let's look at four currently popular technologies
as examples:
Mobile Banking
While you certainly need to have mobile banking from a competitive standpoint, it is not until a substantial percentage of your customer base begin to actively use mobile banking that you will see cost benefits from the technology. Measuring unit costs is difficult. However, as customers become more comfortable with using their mobile phones to perform increasingly complex banking functions, visits to your branches and calls to your call center should decline. This will lower the cost of serving customers, and increase customer satisfaction, as they are able to quickly and easily handle many of their banking needs with no outside help. Our society is increasingly reliant on mobile devices, so it is important that you reserve your “place” on these devices. You will then be poised to offer additional mobile-based services.
While you certainly need to have mobile banking from a competitive standpoint, it is not until a substantial percentage of your customer base begin to actively use mobile banking that you will see cost benefits from the technology. Measuring unit costs is difficult. However, as customers become more comfortable with using their mobile phones to perform increasingly complex banking functions, visits to your branches and calls to your call center should decline. This will lower the cost of serving customers, and increase customer satisfaction, as they are able to quickly and easily handle many of their banking needs with no outside help. Our society is increasingly reliant on mobile devices, so it is important that you reserve your “place” on these devices. You will then be poised to offer additional mobile-based services.
E-Statements
E-statements offer you a significant cost savings, every month, over paper statements. Thus, getting customers to accept electronic statement delivery is a worthy goal. Think about the number of times companies that you do business with (utilities, delivery companies, etc.) encourage you to accept electronic statement delivery. Your customers are getting this pressure from all sides, and most are willing to go along with it, for everything from cost to privacy reasons. As a bonus, e-statement delivery paves the way for delivering other notices electronically, reducing costs and improving customer service (same day notification of returned items, for example.) In general, you should be able to reduce the costs of statement production by at least 50-75 cents per account, per month. Do the math. You want to save this money, and your customers want electronic statements. In addition to straightforward promotion of e-statements, you should include e-statements as the standard offering for new accounts, and use them as an incentive to customers who may be seeking a free account, by including accepting electronic statement delivery as one of the required terms for a free account.
E-statements offer you a significant cost savings, every month, over paper statements. Thus, getting customers to accept electronic statement delivery is a worthy goal. Think about the number of times companies that you do business with (utilities, delivery companies, etc.) encourage you to accept electronic statement delivery. Your customers are getting this pressure from all sides, and most are willing to go along with it, for everything from cost to privacy reasons. As a bonus, e-statement delivery paves the way for delivering other notices electronically, reducing costs and improving customer service (same day notification of returned items, for example.) In general, you should be able to reduce the costs of statement production by at least 50-75 cents per account, per month. Do the math. You want to save this money, and your customers want electronic statements. In addition to straightforward promotion of e-statements, you should include e-statements as the standard offering for new accounts, and use them as an incentive to customers who may be seeking a free account, by including accepting electronic statement delivery as one of the required terms for a free account.
Internet Banking
Internet Banking, properly deployed, should greatly reduce your costs of customer service by allowing customers to handle more of their banking activities on their own. In particular, the ability to transfer funds, and see images of paid items will mean that, like mobile banking above, your customers require much less call center contact to address their banking needs. This reduces your costs and improves customer satisfaction. Another key part of Internet Banking is bill pay. Many banks have had poor experience, penetration wise, with bill pay, as their initial offerings were cumbersome, required advanced payment, and may have even cost extra to use. The reality is this... many of your customers have been driven to on-line payments through the biller's sites, and won't change their habits unless you find a way to make it easier ( I think aggregation of bills on a hand held device might have a shot) For now, concentrate on those of your customers who are still check writers, and promote the ease of bill pay to them. Each time you convert a check to an electronic form of payment your transaction costs go down significantly.
Debit Cards
Debit cards are immensely popular with customers. Generally, when banks promote debit card utilization, it goes up in response. When promotions cease, it then levels off - it does not go back to prior levels. Thus, we can acquaint usage with adoption. Even the most expensive debit card transaction (customer enters their PIN) is significantly less expensive than processing a check. Signature based debit card transactions actually generate revenue, via interchange fees. Efforts to convert check writers to debit card users will, at a minimum, reduce your transaction processing costs, and may even increase your interchange income. Continuous promotion of debit cards is always productive. Don't overlook debit cards for your businesses, as well. Most ATM/EFT
providers offer you a better interchange fee on such cards, and transactions are usually larger, so there is good revenue to be had.
Still learning,
Honey
www.interaction-training.com
Tuesday, November 12, 2013
Bank Technology
Keeping up with changing technology can feel like catching a bullet train. Technology in financial institutions is incredibly helpful to us and to our customer. But in order for the technology to be a help, we must stay current in our understanding. The more we understand and are able to comfortably show our customer, the more confidence they will have in their own ability and in the financial institution’s ability to serve them well.
For tips on how your team can excel at taking care of your clients
check out my previously recorded webinars.
I try to educate myself by reading whatever I can find on
technology trends. By reading about
trends I can start to understand what is coming early on. I can think of many things I heard about but
didn’t understand. Now those same things
are common knowledge. For instance, I
started hearing about blue tooth technology.
I had no idea what blue tooth technology was at the time. I still don’t understand how blue tooth works
but I do know that it is wireless capabilities.
Many of the newest technologies make banking easier and more
accessible. Clients use direct deposit, mobile
banking, banking online and ATMs. All
those technologies lessen the likelihood of them coming into the branch. So the end result means we have less
opportunity to interface with clients.
That is why it is all the more important to make every interaction the
best possible.
I’d be interested in knowing what you read to learn about
technology trends.
Still learning,
Honey
www.interaction-training.com
Tuesday, November 5, 2013
Red Flags for the Elder Abuse
Elder abuse includes the illegal or improper use of an older adult's funds, property or assets. Recent studies suggest that financial exploitation is the most common form of elder abuse that only a small fraction of incidents are reported. Financial institutions can play a key role in preventing and detecting elder financial exploitation. Financial institutions often spot the red flags for abuse sooner than anyone else.
Check out previously recorded webinar for tellers: It’s More Than a Balancing Act and our manual Essential Teller Issues.
Possible signs of elder abuse might include the following:
Still learning,
- Frequent large withdrawals
- Sudden non-sufficient fund activity
- Uncharacteristic nonpayment for services
- Uncharacteristic attempts to wire large sums of money
- Closing of CDs or accounts with no regard to penalties
- Caregiver or other individuals shows excessive interest in the older adult's finances
- The financial institution is unable to speak directly with the older adult, despite repeated attempts to contact him or her.
- A new caregiver, relative or friend suddenly begins conducting financial transaction on behalf of the older adult without proper documentation
- The older adult's financial management changes suddenly, such as through a change of power of attorney to a different family member or new individual
- The older adult lacks knowledge about his or her financial status, or shows a sudden reluctance to discuss financial matters.
Honey
Honey Shelton
InterAction Training
20826 Sweet Violet Court
Humble, TX 77346
281-812-0211
Labels:
bank teller,
caregiver,
elder abuse,
financial exploitation,
illegal
Thursday, October 31, 2013
Bank Silos
Banks tend to develop into a "silo"
mentality. Each team mixed together in its distinct discipline.
Building team effort is very important in most any environment because within a
group there are people whose skills are quite different. When we build a
team, we have varied skills represented. The mix of skill produces
greater output than one person’s skills alone. The downside of building
teams is that a company then can become very compartmentalized. Each
group doing their own thing, developing their own culture, focused on what
matters most to them with limited interaction with other groups.
In his article Serendipitous Innovation, Kenneth Cline talks with Frans Johansson
about the “silo” tendency in banks and other corporations.
Historically, banking has been
a very "siloed" industry. How can you get people in their discreet disciplines to
interact with people in the other silos?
Johansson: Well, the fact is that people
in a lot of industries work in silos, it’s not just bankers. Silos actually
result, in part, from success. By that I mean that every company that is
successful tends to try to replicate their success. And in order to do that,
you need to scale, which leads to separate business units housing distinct
skills. That’s not just in banks, but in virtually every single company I’ve
seen.
That creates tension within the
company because people intuitively know that they would benefit by connecting
with people from other parts of the organization, yet they also know that to be
successful in their area, they supposedly can’t take their eyes off the ball
even for a second. What they don’t realize is that
people take their eyes off the ball all the time in ways they don’t reflect
upon. For example, when they go home to their families, they’re not focusing on
work anymore. Or, during a meeting you get bored and play Angry
Birds on your
smartphone. Those are all moments when you have opportunities to explore
something else.
What are you doing with those
opportunities? You need to find ways to connect with people outside your
discipline and make those connections meaningful, and it doesn’t have to be for
days. It can be ten minutes, it can be fifteen minutes and that’s all.
I think Johansson made some
very good points. I suggest you
shake up the “silo mentality” and think through ways you can encourage
intermingling among your different banking groups. Perhaps you have a
quarterly breakfast with several departments. You will most likely need
to build in an interaction exercise or each team will huddle, as usual, with
their own team. I can consult with you on ways to get intermingling
started and maintained.
Give me a call or attend one of
my workshops that address issues specific
to your teams.
Still
learning,
Honey
InterAction Training
20826 Sweet Violet Court
Humble, TX 77346
281-812-0211
www.interaction-training.com http://www.interaction-training.com
Labels:
bank silos,
culture,
intermingle,
skills,
team building,
team success
Tuesday, October 29, 2013
Yikes, I Hired the Wrong Person!
--> Hiring a misfit can be disastrous on many levels. The whole culture of your workplace can be affected. Good employees may leave out of frustration. The new hire can cause havoc and make costly mistakes. And you may be charged with firing the one you hired.
Avoid bad hires by taking the time to prepare for interviews and recruiting the most suitable candidates.
Your first order of business is to write a thorough job description including as much as you can on what will be required of the employee. You will never hire the best fit for the job if you don’t have a clear idea on what is needed.
After you have a good job description then you need to find candidates. Gather input from team members, other staffers and trustworthy industry contacts. A highly successful approach in choosing new hires is the APPEAL formula – Assess, Prepare, Probe, Evaluate, Agree, Launch. This same formula can be applied when promoting or reassigning an employee.
By applying the APPEAL formula, interviewers will become better prepared as they probe with better questions that result in better answers enabling interviewers to evaluate more effectively how well the prospective new hire will match up with the job and the company.
Put the time in on the front end so you don’t end up with an employee that upsets your team.
I have a previously recorded webinar you will find helpful on Managing & Motivating Your Team. Check it out.
Still learning.
Honey
www.interaction-training.com
Labels:
APPEAL,
Firing,
Hiring,
job descriptions,
misfit employees
Thursday, October 17, 2013
5 Minutes More
Do what you say and say what you do. If your business hours
are 9 to 5 then you better for sure be open on time and not close early.
Even better, beat your posted hours by 5 little minutes. That is a
classic case of under promise and over
deliver!
Learn more about how to be the best supervisor
"Five minutes can make a huge impact on how clients view your
branch." In the August edition of the Branch Manager's Letter Paul W. Craig,
President of Sydeme Consulting Company in McKinney, Texas addresses bankers on
ways to create "wow" moments with customers. "Open the
branch five minutes before normal opening time and close five minutes after
normal closing time," recommends Paul W. Craig. This approach
to opening and closing times will be a positive experience for the client as
they arrive at the branch and see that the doors are opened fire minutes
earlier than the posted time.
A five minute extension can also be a positive experience if a
client is rushing to the branch at the end of the day. They're a couple
of minutes late but thankfully see that the doors are still open.
Positive surprises create positive feelings. Those extra minutes lead to
"WOW" moments.
"If a client experiences the door being locked a few seconds
before they get there it becomes a big negative. The client feels like
they do not matter and will remember the experience as a negative," Craig
says. “It’s the small things that add up to form a perception of the
organization's culture."
Small things matter big to employees as well, come learn all about how to "wow" your employees.
Learn more about how to be the best supervisor
Still learning,
Honey
www.interaction-training.com
Honey
www.interaction-training.com
InterAction Training
20826 Sweet Violet Court
Humble, TX 77346
281-812-0211
Tuesday, October 15, 2013
Simple Tips for Success
I am very committed and involved in the
Prison Entrepreneurship Program. I
volunteer monthly. I recently went to hear 87-year old W. Wilson, Jr.
give advice to the graduates of this program. I think his is great advice for anyone so today I will share
his wise words with you. I wish
you could have heard the speech as I did, he was amazing.
9 Pieces of Advice for Entrepreneurs
(from Welcome W. Wilson, Sr.)
The
following excerpt is from the keynote speech that Mr. Welcome W. Wilson, Sr. delivered on September 24,
2013 at the
Prison Entrepreneurship Program‘s 2013 eSchool Graduation presented
by Amerisource Funding.
This is
your graduation, so I am going to give some advice to you new
entrepreneurs.
Number 1.
If the term had been invented in the 1940’s, I would’ve been known
as a schmoozer.
So my first word of advice to this graduating class is to learn how to schmooze people that can help you. Sometimes this can be hard work, but let me promise you it
is worth the time and effort.
Number 2.
As an entrepreneur, don’t
ever go against your instincts, if an
expert gives you advice; don’t act on it unless you agree with it. When I say
experts I mean; lawyers, accountants, architects, engineers. These were the
experts that I relied on in my early days and for the first few years I would
always follow their advice religiously. Even if I felt they were wrong in my
gut. That is a mistake. Never go against your gut feeling.
Number 3:
After you have a modest amount of success, you will begin to feel that you are
invincible. It happened to me. When Lyndon Johnson was president the economy
was booming, every business was succeeding. I gave all the credit to myself. I
thought I was smart enough, fast enough, to get out of any situation. I was
wrong. There are certain things of which you have no control of, particularly
the economy. So don’t
think you are invincible because
you are not.
Number 4:
If you have a setback or a failure, large or small, don’t suck your thumb about
it. Analyze the failure, develop your next plan, and forget about the failure.
Number 5:
Never burn a bridge, and never lose your temper. Lyndon Johnson used to tell me
that, “You can tell a man to go to hell, but you can’t make him go.” The person
who hates you today is likely to be your good friend and supporter five years
from now.
Number 6:
Be persistent. Don’t give up, have faith and persevere. After World War
II Winston Churchill addressed the military academy at WestPoint. He was given
an elaborate introduction that last two minutes and he walked to the podium and
after a pause he said, “Never give up, never give up. Never, never give up”.
And he walked back to his seat and sat down.
Number 7:
Never argue with a stranger. Save your arguments for people you love. The idea of
getting emotionally upset with someone you have never met before in your life
and will unlikely ever see again makes no sense. Just smile and walk away.
Number 8:
Remember people’s names. When you meet someone, tell yourself that, in the next
minutes, you’re going to have to stand up in front of 50 people and introduce
them. Anybody can remember names If they take the trouble to do so. A trick I
use is when I meet Sam; I will start the next 5 sentences with his name. Sam,
XYZ, Sam, PDQ. Remember
the most beautiful sound in the world is a person’s own name.
Number 9:
Don’t under-dress. Dress like you
are an important person. When I was a student at the University of Houston I
learned that by wearing a necktie with a dress shirt, everyone on campus
assumed that I was an employee of the university. I could go to the head of the
line in the cafeteria; I could go behind the counter in the bookstore. If you
wore a tie on campus, they assumed you were somebody important.
Still learning,
Honey
InterAction Training
20826 Sweet Violet Court
Humble, TX 77346
281-812-0211
Friday, October 11, 2013
Excessive Expectations
Some places are great at greeting every client that comes in the door.
That is key. I don’t think anyone
is offended by being greeted kindly.
Even if the employee is busy, an acknowledgement lets that customer know
that you noticed their entrance.
After the greeting, a customer service representative must
be astute to figure out if a customer wants to be engaged or left alone to do
self-serve banking. Be available
and let them know you are there to answer any questions should that be needed.
Every time you figure out a customer’s expectation and meet
that need you begin a relationship that could solidify a customer for life.
Hoping your weekend meets all your expectations.
Still learning,
Honey
InterAction Training
20826 Sweet Violet Court
Humble, TX 77346
281-812-0211
Labels:
banking,
customer for life,
customer service,
expectations
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