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By Kenneth Kaufman
One of the COVID pandemic’s most bitter lessons has been the complete inadequacy and dysfunction of the U.S. public health system, if the word “system” can even be applied. Prior to COVID, these shortcomings were hiding in plain sight. Now, they are evident to all and exacerbated as the nation struggles to protect the health of its citizens in the face of a pandemic entering its third year. At the outset of the pandemic, research showed a $4.5 billion funding shortfall to provide what authors of a study in The Milbank Quarterly called “a minimum standard of foundational public health capabilities.” Further, more than 85% of public health funding comes from state and local sources, leading to significant variation by geography. For example, states including New York, New Hampshire, and Montana spend more than $129 per person to public health, while states including Nevada, Missouri, and Indiana spend less than $59. This geographic variation in funding indicates a significant inequity in the types and levels of public health services. Certainly, the existing public health infrastructure did not protect historically vulnerable populations from the effects of COVID, with Hispanic and Black individuals at least twice as likely to die from COVID as whites and almost three times as likely to be hospitalized, according to a Kaiser Family Foundation analysis of CDC data. Public health agencies also suffer from chronic understaffing. In the decade prior to COVID, state public health agencies lost 16% of their full-time positions, and county and city public health agencies lost 20% of their positions in the past 15 years. The result has been an inadequate, unequitable, and fragmented collection of services that, when COVID hit, was unable to deliver what the country desperately needed: prompt, consistent, and widespread testing and vaccination; effective contact tracing; and clear communication with the public about healthy practices. The politicization of health has made a bad situation worse. As of September 2021, 26 states passed laws that limited public health powers, and 303 state and local public health department leaders resigned, retired, or had been fired. Hospitals have always been the organizations that truly matter when it comes to healthcare delivery. And now, highlighted by COVID, hospitals have become the organizations that truly matter when it comes to public health. Consider some of the core services of public health, as defined by the CDC:
Perhaps more important than economic incentive has been the mission incentive of not-for-profit providers. Almost universally, not-for-profit hospitals and health systems articulate a mission to improve the health and wellbeing of communities. Increasingly, this mission has led hospitals into the challenging public health arena. The COVID crisis has taken these new health system responsibilities to a different level. Health systems were instrumental in developing and administering COVID tests, tracing COVID’s path, educating communities about the virus and how to avoid it, and providing front-line care for the huge swath of Americans affected by the virus. Moving forward, hospitals will be asked by communities all over the country to be the organizations that deal with a broader set of national problems related to the wellbeing of patients and communities—problems that COVID has made much worse, problems that the public sector has never been able to solve. With this new set of responsibilities comes an entirely new set of strategic, operational, and financial implications for hospitals and health systems. Meeting these challenges will require a new level of health system ideas, a new level of health system aggressiveness, and a new level of health system ambition. More than ever, health systems will need to have to address social determinants of health; access and analyze data about health conditions, reimagine access to preventive care, develop care models tailored to specific populations. The costs will be enormous, and the need for intellectual capital considerable. America is looking to someone or something to take on what is now a paramount set of national healthcare problems. It is up to the hospital sector to bring its charitable mission, its resources, and its passion to bear on this awesome responsibility. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success!
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By Ron Culberson. With a master’s degree in social work, Ron Culberson spent the first part of his career working in a large hospice organization as a clinical social worker, middle manager, and senior leader. As a speaker, humorist, and author of "Do it Well. Make it Fun.The Key to Success in Life, Death, and Almost Everything in Between", he has delivered more than 1,000 presentations to associations, government agencies, non-profit organizations, and corporations. His mission is to change the workplace culture so that organizations are more productive and staff are more content. He was also the 2012-2013 president of the National Speakers Association and is a recognized expert on the benefits of humor and laughter.
When I mow the yard, I think. And I think. And I think. Between the repetitive movement across the grass and the loud noise from the mower, there is not much else to do. It’s not like I can call up a neighbor and engage in a pleasant conversation about how his grass is growing. So, I think. The problem is, I can think myself into a stressful state of mind if I’m not careful. And this is the problem with overthinking. It can take us to a place where we might not need to go. Now don’t get me wrong. I suspect most of us are proud of our place at the top of the animal hierarchy and attribute most of our success to the ability to think. I’m sure the lowly beetle who mechanically goes about his daily tasks would love to have our gray matter and might just take issue with the fact that we’re not better at managing the thinking process. It’s like the line in Spiderman, “With great power comes great responsibility.” But let’s get back to my yard. The last time I mowed, I kept replaying in my head a conversation I recently had with a friend. Now, before I tell you what I said, let me give you some context about my particular style of communicating with others. I’m a big believer in asking questions to expand my understanding of people, situations, and the world in general. I learned this technique during my social work training when our professors repeatedly encouraged it. They taught us to explore another person’s experience rather than assuming that we know where the individual is coming from. So, whenever someone has a different life experience than me (which is, by the way, always), I tend to ask questions about their experience. Over the years, I’ve had candid conversations about sexual orientation, race, religion, politics, and even the highly controversial debate on whether to mow one’s yard horizontally or diagonally—all because I was willing to ask. And surprisingly, no one has ever hit me! Instead, I think it helped me build better relationships and a greater understanding of others. Now, back to conversation I was replaying in my head as I mowed. My friend is Korean and I was curious about something I had read about status and hierarchy in Asian cultures. Specifically, I wanted to know if it was taboo to challenge authority. I had recently been involved in a situation where I suspected this might have happened and wanted my friend’s perspective. For what it’s worth, I did mention that I realized this was a generalization but was curious what he thought. He gave me several different insights that all made good sense. So, I thanked him for his input and then asked him whether he mowed his yard horizontally or diagonally. He seemed perplexed by the new line of questioning. As I headed home that day, I began to wonder if I had inadvertently offended him by asking a potentially stereotypical question. I had explained to him questions like this are my way of gaining a better understanding of others as well as to explore my own biases. He seemed to appreciate my explanation but later, I worried that he was just being nice. So, as I criss-crossed my yard a few days later, I kept thinking about the conversation and ultimately convinced myself that he thought I was a rude. Then, a couple of days after that, the news media reported several incidences of violence against Asian American people and I was sure my questions now had the potential of being both terribly untimely and outright offensive. After not being able to get this off my mind, I finally followed up with my friend to see if he thought my questions were insensitive. He said he was surprised that I would even think that. He said that he appreciated the questions and further, that he had enjoyed our conversation. Go figure. So, the worry bouncing around in my head was way off base. I had created a problem that did not exist. And the culprit was the the solitary act of mowing. OK, the real problem was my thinking. By creating an issue that wasn’t an issue, I worked myself into a frenzy. But it doesn’t have to be this way. Luckily, we can rein in the thinking process the same way we use a bag to catch the grass when we mow. However, before we can address the problem we must first notice that it’s happening. You see, our reality at any given moment may not resemble the thinking that’s going on in our head. For example, if someone waves at you in a crowded mall and you have no idea who they are, you can easily spend the next hour searching Facebook or scrolling through your address book trying to figure out who the heck it was. But what if they were waving to someone behind you? Your mind created a problem that did not really exist and you lost an hour of your life dealing with it. I think the most reasonable way to handle our mind’s overactive imagination is to do one of two things. First, we can confirm our suspicions by asking, exploring, and seeking validation of the thinking. This will either confirm or deny our worries. The second way to handle it is to acknowledge that it’s happening but not allow ourselves to be drawn down the rabbit hole of worry. So, if I was worried that I had offended my friend, I could have asked him in the moment. Or, I could recognize my mind’s tendency to create stress while simultaneously recognizing that I had approached him in a sincere and respectful way, and therefore, he was not likely bothered by it. Either of these techniques would have made my mowing experience so much more relaxing. So, is this mind taming thing simple to do? Not really. In fact, as you can see, I’ve struggled with it as recently as my last yard mowing experience. Achieving an awareness of how our mind works and mastering the process to manage it can take years of practice. But just like life, and mowing our yards for that matter, it’s an ongoing work in progress. And just in case you’re wondering, I alternate the direction of my mower each week making sure to cover diagonal, vertical, and horizontal directions. I know, it’s brilliant! Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Steve Gilliland
Employees are one of the most important assets of an organization. You depend on them to accomplish complex tasks and put in their time and effort to help your business grow. Employee motivation is a crucial part of a successful business. A motivated and content employee can help improve an organization’s performance and efficiency. Good and qualified employees are hard to find these days, and, as an employer, it’s your job to increase employee retention and keep the attrition rate to a minimum. How do you achieve this? Keep reading this blog to learn about some tried and tested ways to keep your employees motivated... Work on the Ambiance Would you want to spend time in a boring, dingy and dull office for hours? It’s not just you; no one wants to spend hours sitting in a cubicle or office that’s basic and dreary. Such spaces dampen the mood and aren’t conducive to creative thinking. Make your workspaces more pleasant, aesthetically pleasing and functional to get employees excited to work there. You don’t need to spend tons of money to spruce up the place. Find some practical, quality furniture at flea markets and other low-cost, unconventional sources. Add some paintings and decorative items by local artists. Keep your office neat. All of this can do wonders to motivate your employees. Be Supportive Encouragement and support from managers can go a long way toward improving employee performance and efficiency. Respect, clear communication, support and honesty will instill a sense of loyalty in your employees, and they’ll be more motivated to stay with your organization for a long time. Acknowledge Achievements It’s common to think that monetary benefits are the most important to keep employees motivated. However, that’s not the case. According to a study about motivational elements, money and benefits constitute only 4 percent. Acknowledging and appreciating employee achievements can compel them to work harder and enjoy the work they do. However, if they feel their hard work isn’t recognized, it’ll put a damper on their work spirit. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Amy Dee
Find Your Purpose Pain gives us a choice. The first choice is to give up. The second and better alternative is to take up a positive, proactive mission that converts aches into action. Deliberately locking into a cause that energizes and pushes you forward can transform agony into achievement and injury into innovation. Your mission becomes the fuel that empowers your resilience. It can be either personal or public. Personally, you may want to get into shape, create more harmony in your family, or quit drinking. Publicly, you may want to mentor high school students, register people to vote, or start a soup kitchen in your community. Having a purpose will increase your energy and passion. You will become more focused and determined! Finding your calling boosts your self-love, which encourages more self-forgiveness and forgiveness of others. Choosing a meaningful goal fires up your energy! Your heart floods with passion! Not only that, connecting to a mission will enrich your life and fire you up! The Science Behind Finding Meaning Psychological studies reveal that having a crystal clear focus and fully committing to the purpose of strengthens resilience. In fact, finding meaning is a basic human need. Because without purpose, we can become despairing and alienated. Studies also show a difference between seeing your work as a job, career, or a calling.
Find meaning in Trauma Trauma causes people to respond differently. Some eventually find value in Trauma. They become strengthened by it. As a result, they use it as motivation for growth. Others seek out the meaning in the Trauma they’ve experienced. They use their tragedy as a catalyst to help others. They deliberately turn their atrocity into positive actions. Faith in A Higher Power Connect to a higher power. It doesn’t matter what it is. Your higher power should be something that inspires, motivates, and shelters you during hard times. Anything meaningful and powerful to you will work. Your higher power may be God, nature, or the concept of love. On the other hand, you may connect to moral principles, internal drive, or your Pledge to serve others. Whatever you believe in, this should be one of your most important relationships. If you’ve not identified something bigger than yourself, consider taking the time to do so. Life is a short but magnificent journey. Perhaps even more important than offering support during tough times, connection to something bigger enriches our short adventure on earth. Resilience Requires ConnectionMost of us believe there is something bigger than ourselves. But if you just can’t get there, consider believing in the concept of connection. The recognition that we are all connected can give you strength during difficult times. That idea of connection can lead you to better opportunities and choices you’ve not considered. Seeing more positive opportunities or even relief from pain increases hope, and hope strengthens resilience. Believing in something bigger than yourself allows you to rise above our everyday self. Fear, anger, and anxiety become weaker when we remember that connection. This connection changes our perspective. Our perspective shifts so that mistakes, disappointments, and failures don’t have the power they once did. This higher power helps us realize our lives have greater meaning that our current pain. We understand that there is a greater purpose for who we want to become. Funny Motivational Speaker Amy Dee calls you to “Take Action” Every day there is a situation where taking action is an option. Choosing to act increases resilience. There are great reasons to pick a goal and plan out the steps to reach it. But too often, we get so caught up in the planning and forget about the action. The truth is, planning to achieve some mental satisfaction. For years I would plan to start a diet every Monday. During the weekend, I’d research diets, shop for healthy food, and make a meal plan. While planning satisfying, it wasn’t enough. One Monday rolled into the next Monday because planning isn’t an action. Instead of sitting around gabbing about your next step, take the next step. Instead of planning for later, focus on the next minute. What can you do right now, in the next moment? Action in the Next Moment It’s challenging to keep your cool in the middle of an argument. Instead, decide to keep your cool for the next moment, then the moment after that. Like it or not, fears, worries, and anxiety is part of being human. Instead of thinking about how to fix this in the long run, take action in the short run. Here’s a metaphor that may help. Let’s say you’re a bus driver who has to complete a route. You make a stop, open the bus door, and anxiety steps into your bus as a jerky passenger. It’s not possible to kick anxiety off the bus, so you don’t waste your time. But you do have a choice. You can allow this nasty passenger to sit directly behind you, whispering horrors into your ear. Or, you can escort anxiety to the back of the bus and keep on rolling. Resilient people recognize that anxieties, worry, and fear are unwanted passengers on everyone’s bus. Instead of wrestling with them, they accept them and continue to produce. When I am fearful, an action makes me feel in control. Movement can be anything positive, do something. Forgiveness Forgiveness is voluntary. Sometimes we choose to forgive when we become ready to move forward. Then again, forgiveness may occur when our heart embraces more love than hate. Let’s face it; revenge often feels satisfying and justified. It is commonly our immediate reaction to being hurt. While stories of forgiveness warm our hearts, these stories make the news because we consider them unique. In our world, the need for revenge feels pretty “normal” to us. It takes strength and courage to forgive. That said, it is important to realize that we pay the price for our desire to retaliate. Namely, revenge poisons our minds. Carrying a grudge is a heaviness that weighs you down. When you hold onto anger and resentment, it gnaws away your ability to progress. Instead of concentrating on the next thing, you become stuck in the past thing. Bitterness blocks your power. For all these reasons, forgiveness is crucial to resilience. Throughout our lifetime, we will all have lots of opportunities to practice forgiving each other. Like it or not, hurting each other is part of the human condition. For this reason, it is helpful to approach day to day forgiveness as an outlook. If ahead of time, you commit to forgiving someone who hurts you, whether it is your co-worker, family member, friend, or stranger, you’ll be ahead of the game. Instead of clinging to anger, embracing an attitude of forgiveness, and you’ll become more resilient. Science and Forgiveness Fred Luskin’s forgiveness studies are pretty amazing. These studies show that the participants who learned forgiveness strategies had reductions in:
Perception Matters in Forgiveness As an aside, it appears that our perception matters when it comes to forgiveness. According to the Baumeister study, there is something called the magnitude gap. To summarize, when we are the victim, we tend to remember the hurt easily and in detail. When someone hurts us, we tend to feel it is intentional and even malicious. On the other hand, if we are the victimizer, the details are fuzzy. Even if we do remember it when we know our hurtful actions were not intentional. Because of this, we may believe our victims are overreacting. The truth is, most of us don’t walk around trying to hurt people. Nonetheless, sometimes our actions are hurtful. We all know there are some jerks in the world. That said, most people don’t walk about intentionally trying to cause us pain. Even so, though, their behavior is sometimes hurtful. In fact, sometimes they aren’t even aware that they hurt us. Once we let go of anger, we can move forward and become more productive. Instead of pouring our energy into the past, we can’t change; we can use it to empower a future we can change. Also, when you forgive others, you can better forgive yourself. For this reason, next time someone hurts you, consider their intent. Note: Forgiveness is not you are approving the wrong you’ve experienced. I was a psychiatric RN who worked in an acute care psychiatric hospital. Every day, I listened to stories from victims who’d experienced unbelievable horrors at others’ hands. Disgusting, irredeemable behavior is never okay. That said, forgiveness is not a gift to the perpetrator. Forgiveness is a gift to yourself. Because, once again, holding a grudge weighs YOU down, not the offender. Four Tips to dig into your resources 1. What is your mission or purpose?Where are you feeling pain? How can you channel the problem into something that benefits you or your community? It can be an inner mission, i.e., to take better care of your health. Or, it can be an external cause, where you convert your pain into helping your community. Or, take advice from Viktor Frankl. Instead, searching for meaning by asking, “What is the meaning of my life?” Ask, “What does life expect from me?” You enter this world called with gifts that this world needs. Abilities that only you alone can give. 2. Higher PowerWho or what is your “higher power”? How can you strengthen this connection in your life? Can your higher power help you confront the weakness you are facing? Consider beginning each day with positive readings. Perhaps end your day by writing down moments that made you smile. Small experiences often hold great magic. 3. ActionWhat’s a task you’ve been avoiding due to a lack of experience, motivation, or resources? Do you tend to procrastinate tackling the task, waiting for the ideal moment that never seems to come? 4. ForgiveIs there someone you need to forgive? Do you need to forgive yourself? Resilience Becomes You You appeared on this earth, at this time and place, and with a unique set of skills and talents. You’ve had a particular set of experiences that you’ve interpreted from your unique perspective. Your job throughout your life is to learn the reason you are here. In this world, you represent you. It doesn’t matter what you have. It matters what you do with what you have. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By John O'Leary. This was originally posted on JohnOLearyInspires.com. When John O'Leary was 9 years old, he suffered burns over 100% of his body and was expected to die. He is now an inspirational speaker and bestselling author, teaching more than 50,000 people around the world each year how to live inspired. John's first book, ON FIRE: The 7 Choices to Ignite a Radically Inspired Life was published March 15, 2016. John is a contributing writer for Huff Post and Parade.com. John is a proud husband and father of four and resides in St. Louis, MO. Order John’s book today anywhere books are sold.
One in a thousand. That’s your mathematical chance of catching a ball if you attend a Major League Baseball game. Those aren’t great odds. If you really want to take home a baseball, let me give you some advice: Bring a few extra bucks and buy one from the souvenir shop. Perhaps that’s why I felt a little cynical when I saw my son Patrick carting his baseball glove as we loaded up the car. Every summer I take an overnight trip with each of my children. My kids review my speaking schedule, pick the location they want to visit, research the city, and make plans for what we’ll do when we get there. I act as if the trip is for them, but really, it’s a gift for me. During the summer of 2017, Patrick chose Kansas City. It was an easy call: One of his favorite cousins lived there, there was a Legoland downtown, and the St. Louis Cardinals were scheduled to play the Royals the evening of our arrival. When I saw him exit the house with his baseball glove, I knew what he was thinking. “Bud,” I said with a smile, “let’s leave the glove at home. The best-case scenario is you’ll get hot with it on during the game, and the worst case is you’ll leave it behind in the stands.” What kids can teach us about “luck” and anticipation what it means for your approach to life. Not persuaded by my logic, Patrick shook his head and said confidently: “Dad, I’m gonna need it.” Well, in the eighth inning that evening, his words proved prophetic. A ball careened off the field, bounced high over the stands, and spun directly toward us. As I ducked to avoid impact, I heard the crisp sound of ball smacking leather. I looked over at my son. The ball had plopped perfectly into his waiting glove, and Patrick’s face was lit up with the sheer joy of a dream coming true. Man, I thought, what a lucky kid. I’ve been to hundreds of games over my lifetime and have never returned home with a baseball. I gave him a hug and celebrated with him. What a lucky kid. One in a thousand. Hope he savors this moment . . . because it will never happen again. Ralph Waldo Emerson wrote: “Shallow men believe in luck, believe in circumstances. . . . Strong men believe in cause and effect.” I didn’t realize how shallow I was. The lesson of anticipation was further made the following summer with the same glove at a different baseball stadium.The following summer, as we prepared for our annual trip, our destination was Pittsburgh, hundreds of miles away. As soon as Patrick got in the car, I saw it. Already on his left hand, even though we had eight hours of windshield time in front of us. His glove. I bit my tongue and allowed him to have his fun. He wore that glove for the eight-hour drive, and each time I saw it, I smiled at his unbridled optimism. Little did he know our seats were high up in the right-field stands and about as far from home plate as you can get! We arrived just as the game was starting. We watched several innings from our seats in the outfield before taking a lap around the stunning ballpark. We got some snacks, took some pictures, and returned to our seats a few innings later. What a pop fly can teach us about life and luck. Just as we sat down, the Pirates’ third baseman crushed a ball toward us. The ball soared just over our heads, bounced off several sets of hands, and was corralled by a bear of a man seated three rows behind us and about ten seats over. Wow, that was pretty close, I thought, my heart racing as fireworks exploded in the sky and the Pirates fans celebrated. As things settled down, we took our seats. Out of the corner of my eye I saw the man who had just caught the ball standing at the end of our row. He was looking at us and pointing at Patrick, who stood out from the locals in his bright red Cardinals baseball cap. “Hey, kid!” he yelled. “If you can catch this, it’s yours. I want you to have something to remember this game by besides your team losing!” He then underhanded the ball toward us. Patrick reached high and brought the ball down in his mitt. I looked over at Patrick, his face aglow. And now, in his glove, against overwhelming odds, another freaking baseball. He was now, unequivocally, the luckiest kid I’d ever met. Shallow people believe in luck and in circumstances. Strong people believe in cause and effect. We always assume it is luck; in actuality it is something quite different. Today I am convinced it wasn’t luck that brought those balls Patrick’s way. Sure, a bit of good fortune enters into the equation. But you’ll never catch a ball if you aren’t in the stadium. You won’t see the ball if you aren’t actively watching the game. And you can’t grab it easily unless you bring your glove. Then why don’t adults bring their gloves to the game? Well, in addition to the fact that a big, bulky glove may not go with our outfit, we know the odds. We don’t want to look like fools, hoping for a miracle. Seriously, when was the last time you saw adults walking into a stadium with their baseball gloves on? It doesn’t hap- pen. And if it did, what would you think about them? Be honest! And yet, have you seen the transformation that takes place when adults see a ball coming their way? For a moment they turn back into little kids. They widen their eyes, jump to their feet, spill their drinks, drop their hot dogs, raise their hands high, all for the extraordinary chance . . . the life-changing opportunity . . . to catch a used baseball! The anticipation rouses them from the complacency shrouding their day, and awakens the child within. They turn from cynics into believers in the span of a few seconds. I’m not saying that we should walk around expecting to win the lottery every day. (In fact, I encourage you not to play the lottery!) But there is something powerful about moving through life, through work, through relationships, through each day, not readying ourselves for disappointment, but expecting adventure. The optimistic mindset of a child can be life-changing. There is something life-changing that happens when we return to that audacious, unguarded, optimistic mindset of a child. The stadiums of life today are mostly packed with bystanders, arms crossed, gloves long ago stored away. Rather than expecting adventure, we aim for realism. We try to protect ourselves from experiencing false hope. Instead of focusing on the bumps and bruises we’ve endured and the scars and wounds that we think have wised us up, let’s return to what we once believed; that life was a great adventure waiting to unfold. Because in fact, it is… Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Mary Kelly
Position alone doesn’t make you a good leader. Today we’ll learn how clarifying your personal mission is the foundational step to helping your team align with goals and then execute them. Reflection: Creating an environment of success and communicating purpose to others requires first understanding yourself and what motivates you. When you know what YOU want to accomplish, and why, you can communicate purpose and values to those you lead, so they embrace team goals. To gain insight into what you want to achieve, ponder what your life might look like 10 or 20 years down the road. The desire for significance in life is universal – and critical to achieving your goals over the long term. Defining what brings significance to your life will help you focus on ways you can achieve your life purpose. Answer a few questions to help you determine your personal missionas the first step toward cultivating effective leadership. Action: A personal mission statement is not a list of specific goals or tasks. It’s broader than that. It’s a philosophy of life that guides your planning and goal setting. Steven Covey calls it “…your constitution, the solid expression of your vision and values.” Here are two examples of mission statements, one work-related and one related to family:
Take a few minutes right now. Step away from everyday pressures and write answers to the questions below. Use these questions to help you craft your personal mission statement:
My personal mission: Once you’ve stated it clearly, ask yourself: Am I bringing my personal mission to bear in all areas of my life? Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Shep Hyken
Reducing friction is all about creating an easier experience for the customer. In my book, The Convenience Revolution, I identify six ways to create convenience. The first, reducing friction, is tied to all five other principles. And, all of them focus on creating convenience and reducing friction for customers. But how about we look inside our organizations and the way we conduct business internally? Do we think about the friction we cause our employees? What extra work do they do because of antiquated systems and processes? For our outside customers, when we reduce friction, they find it easier to do business with us. Internally, when we reduce friction for employees, we make it easier for them to do their jobs, which has a direct impact on the customer. That brings me to an excellent article posted by Josh Linkner, innovation guru, who wrote about how tiny air bubbles led to a potential $28 billion cost savings. Noah Silberschmidt is the founder and CEO of Silverstream Technologies, a company that reduces friction – not for customers, but for large oceangoing ships that move people and cargo through the seas. Apparently, large ships going through water create a lot of friction and drag. Silverstream Technologies has an air lubrication system that reduces friction by blowing tiny bubbles, less than one millimeter in diameter, in front of the ship, creating an “air carpet” for the ship to ride on. This reduces fuel consumption by as much as 10%. If the 50,000 large oceangoing vessels in the sea used this technology, there would be approximately $28 billion in fuel cost savings. That’s a lot of money – and a lot of bubbles! Here’s the Point We use convenience to create a better customer experience. We reduce friction by eliminating unnecessary effort. But, convenience and lower friction need to go beyond the customer experience. I really encourage you to look at the internal side of what you do. What friction can be eliminated for your employees, making it easier for them to do their jobs? What processes could be updated to save time and effort? Freeing up employees from cumbersome processes, systems and operations has a positive impact on many levels. In some cases, it eliminates frustrating tasks. It can save time – and time is money! It makes employees more productive, and a byproduct of feeling productive is fulfillment. That means employees are happier, and subsequently more engaged in their jobs and with customers. And, happiness means less employee turnover. So, your innovation may not be blasting bubbles into the ocean, but it has the same impact. It makes your company and employees more efficient and potentially saves you money. And, who doesn’t want that? Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! By Laurie Guest
As I think about what’s ahead for businesses, one thing is certain: the time is now to prepare for a post-pandemic world. Retailers and service organizations need to see this as a chance to evolve their approach to customer service, including creating a multichannel retail customer experience that is always on. One strategy to accomplish this is to make sure your team is prepared to go into the battle with carefully chosen armor. While our interactions with customers should never be seen as a “battle,” I think it’s essential that we look at the near-term challenges as ones that will require a suit of armor. Returning to “business as usual” is likely to present a variety of situations and interactions, not all of them positive. Some guests will be enthusiastic to be back and grant us extra patience when systems are different than B.C. (before COVID). Others, however, may be handling emotions that are raw, making them quick to anger, and frustrated with challenges they’ve been dealt. To me, the armor you prepare your team with now is what will enable them to best deliver on the promises made to your customers, clients, and guests in the coming months. So what will customers be expecting? In our research, we identified three main areas customer service teams need to be prepared to address in response to the predicted post-pandemic expectations: transparency, automation, and the human connection (with a touch of personalization). We’ll take a deeper dive into each of these areas to help you understand how you can prepare your business. Then it’s up to you to get your team “armored” up. Create an army of trained professionals who know how to get things off to a positive (re)start! Transparency: What has changed and what should I expect now? Following any crisis, transparency invites others to trust. Open, direct communication builds credibility and fosters relationships. Staff working from home is predicted to be a long-term change as a result of the pandemic. Just like after 9/11 when flying was never the same, I am confident that the savings alone will lead many companies to continue to support a remote workforce. If you’re one of them, be transparent about it and stop using it as an excuse for “extended wait times” or “larger than usual call volume.” Change those robotic hold messages to be positive and helpful. “We are pleased to offer shorter wait times due to our amazing remote workforce. We will be with you shortly.” In some cases, you may be able to add appropriate humor. I’m a big believer that Creativity + Humor = Connection. To achieve that, the next sentence in your outbound recording might be: “And if you hear a dog bark in the background, we hope you understand. Pets keep us smiling…no matter what questions you ask!” Be clear about changes. If your customers are unaware of the new rules or the reasons behind the change, they’re less likely to graciously comply. This is not the time to “act first and apologize later.” If you anticipate a problem as a result of your changed operations, address it head on. It’s critical that your team work together to find the best words for the common trouble spots surrounding new service situations. For example, replace negative statements like, “Sorry, we no longer offer a free breakfast at our hotel,” with positive, but honest comments like: “In order to keep you as safe as possible and still get your day off to a great start, we have switched to a convenient ‘grab and go bag’ breakfast.” Bonus Action Personalize this experience by asking at check-in which three breakfast items suit your guest’s dietary needs best and offer a selection of fruit, yogurt, granola, or pastries—the same options you provided pre-pandemic. Prep the bags, write the room number on the side, and guests can “grab and go” with a smile! Automation: When can speed be achieved with a smoother process? Consumers like an automated approach if it means a faster and easier transaction. Our local grocery store just added six more self-checkout stations, which immediately removed the stretched lines of shoppers created by the “6 feet apart” rule. Consumers have also become more savvy about navigating online tools and have come to expect they can reach a resolution to most of their issues on your website without connecting to human support. That’s why chatbots, customer portals, and other tools are trending. But just having the tools isn’t enough. You need to find ways to use them to improve your old processes. We board our dog, Otis, at a wonderful place, for which I give glowing testimonials, except for one small thing: every time I board him, I am required to go to their website and fill out several pages of information. They do not have an automated system to allow his record to be kept on file or even the ability for me to scan pages and upload them into the registration platform. So even though Otis is a frequent flyer, I must fill out the information repeatedly. This makes no sense to me! While this complaint has nothing to do with the pandemic, disruption is the perfect time to reset your service levels. Bonus Action Automation doesn’t eliminate human contact. When a self-directed transaction has occurred, consider an after-sale connection. For example, as a small business owner I am acutely aware whenever a purchase is made through my online store. In an effort to provide great service, we have automated systems to give buyers immediate access to the virtual training purchased even if I am sleeping in a different time zone! However, I personalize the experience by sending either a handwritten thank you note or an email letting the buyer know I appreciate their business. This has often led to additional sales opportunities or at the very least keeps me connected to my target market. If everything is left to computers, we quickly loose the rapport on which good business is built. Human Connection: Who needs interaction the most? It’s a bit ironic that a desire for human interaction came up again and again in our research, given that we just learned customers want automation. Which is it? I believe it’s both. Most people want the ability to “do it themselves” when things are going smoothly, but the moment they hit a wall, they want a real, engaged human to help. Here’s what I mean: I love that I can mostly monitor my wireless phone service automatically. I can check my data on the app, pay my bill online, and even shop for new devices without ever leaving my recliner or talking to a salesperson. But several months ago when I saw a huge overcharge on my account, I quickly got frustrated with the chatbot on my provider’s website. I worked very hard to TALK. TO. SOMEONE! After several failed attempts, I finally found a reasonable, intelligent agent to help me. Within minutes of explaining my situation, I had a $175 credit on my next bill. I wish this had been an easier transaction. And, I know I was lucky. Often, customers are volleyed from agent to agent before their issue can be resolved because service teams are so siloed they can’t help with issues that “aren’t in their department.” This drives customers crazy! Cross-train your humans. Of course, the challenge with making human connections is the labor cost. Depending on the size of your company or the product you sell, one-on-one service may be impractical. But I urge you to push yourself with this simple question: Have you put automated systems in place for your sake or your customers? Years ago, I did a lot of consulting work in the optometric field. I found multiple clients with automated phone answering systems to handle all inbound calls. Yet some of these practices maintained schedules that accommodated fewer than 20 people a day. I pushed back on this choice. A well-trained, professional assistant could easily handle the inbound inquires for a practice of that size. If you have the time and capacity, talk to people. The power of the personal touch during this post-pandemic time is significant when it comes to easing tension and answering questions. Bonus Action It makes sense that the higher the personalization of the human connection, the greater the impact, right? Here’s a story that illustrates that perfectly: my appliance repairman, Dave, and I have built a humorous rapport over his two decades of house calls. Last week, when he called at 7:30 a.m. to confirm his arrival time that morning, he didn’t just tell me what time to expect him and hang up. Instead, he added an “air of familiarity” statement by saying, “When I saw your name on the call list I thought to myself, ‘It better not be that darn ice maker causing her trouble again!’” I laughed and replied, “Nope! It’s the dryer this time.” We both giggled a little and an hour later he was ringing the doorbell. What’s interesting is that the owner of the appliance store acts like he has never seen me before when I stop in for more filters, even though we have purchased thousands of dollars of appliances from him over the years. I continue to do business there because of Dave. His personal touch in a mundane interaction is stellar! Map Out Your Strategy and Strap on Your Armor Transparency, automation, and personalized human connections are not new concepts in customer service. But post-pandemic, your team must look at them through a new lens to meet customers where they are. Now is the time to do the work! Is your team ready? Have you started mapping out new policies or processes you want to implement? What staff training will it require? How will you communicate it all to your customers? Your team’s “suit of armor” is complete when you’ve dedicated time to looking at how your organization is handling each of these elements. (Next, add strategic communication, which includes brand reputation and the best words to use in difficult conversations.) Your success in the coming year can’t be left to chance! No matter what lies ahead, you can set your team up to thrive. Planning your next event? Get in touch with us at the Capitol City Speakers Bureau today to schedule your ideal speaker and make your event a success! |
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