Whatever it takes to get the job done…Right
Written by Robert D. Sollars
This is a phrase I’ve used, and preached, for more than 3 decades in trying to raise the level of customer service with any group of people I managed. I usually get the question, what does that mean, whatever it takes? People are confused about the phrase and possibly unknowingly, a little scared of it.
You have some employees who refuse to change their way of doing things thinking that it actually works, and it’s corporate dogma that they’ll get fired if they deviate. For their customers maybe it does, but I’m not counting on that. Change can be frightening, especially for those who are like cats…never wanna change, and generally, older employees, have a harder time in making the adjustment than younger ones.
Whatever it takes to get the job done …right, simply means this, whatever it takes to do your job, and right the first time, and not the second or third times, you have to do it, whether you want to or not. You must be willing to go above and beyond the normal protocol of your position. If you have to break a few rules, do something that’s not considered best or standard practice, or violate conventional wisdom then you must be willing to do it.
Throughout my career, I’ve been called a troublemaker, rabble-rouser, not a team player, and so on because I refuse to follow conventional wisdom or best practice. I constantly look for different ways of doing things and expediting service delivery to the customers & officers that I was responsible for.
In doing your job you must also do it right the first time. Far too many companies will do the job you want them to, but they don’t necessarily do it right. Think of, as an extreme example, a surgeon who performs the right surgery, but on the wrong body part. Would you, the hospital, the staff, or their insurance carrier be very happy with the surgeon?
In performing customer service, the idea is to satisfy the customer with a job that is well done. And doing it right the first time so it doesn’t have to be corrected and revised at a later date if it can be. And there is a difference between getting the job done right and just getting it done.
If your employees & managers are allowed to do a job and say Good enough for government work, or just good enough, then you are slighting not only the customer, company, & client but also your co-workers, managers, company, & yourself.
The phrase to both live and work by is the best isn’t and good enough never is. You should strive to be your best and never settle for simply doing the job and only what is required, which means doing everything you can do to go above & beyond what your duties call for.
This post is named what it is for one reason. Meaning that no matter how long you have to work, you have to work to get it done, and done right. And you can’t be scared to go above, around, or through, standard practice to get things done. And get them done the right way in order to satisfy the customer.
That means you may have to break or bend so far out of shape it’s unrecognizable, company policies/procedures or rules/regulations. It could mean finding a unique solution that may not have been thought of before, even if it is old school which may be better than the new school. Can you say out-of-the-box thinking? It also means taking the industry’s best practices and turning them on their head.
That is a long-winded way of stating what the title of this post is about. Are you willing to put yourself on the line to provide excellent customer service? Are you willing to break the rules and do what is needed to satisfy the customer?
But, you must also remember that what the customer wants is not always the best thing for either them or you. You have to weigh the pros and cons of satisfying them. If the differences are only slight then do it. If the differences are illegal or demand a decision based on ethics, is it worth it?
An example I encountered; I was the Operations Supervisor for a major national security company. I was told by our biggest client that we needed to remove an officer from the account. When I inquired as to the reason why I was told, very succinctly, that it was because he was black and had red hair. Simple as that. I told him that I, and we, couldn’t do that.
A few days later I was informed that we needed to find a replacement for that officer. He was being replaced because he was loitering, not completing his patrols and he was bothering female employees in the parking lot. The Branch Manager removed him and I was never told by the client to remove anyone else.
The obvious conclusion is doing whatever it takes to get the job done, right. As long as it’s not illegal, immoral, or unethical then it shouldn’t be an issue. Don’t be scared to take a leap of faith based on what needs to be done. If you’re scared to jump, then you’ll never accomplish anything i.e. Steve Jobs or Albert Einstein. You can easily see what they accomplished by taking risks and being willing to do whatever it took to get it done right.
Decide what’s right, and then do it! – Shawn Upchurch
Waiting gives the devil time. If you have a good idea, believe in yourself, and are prepared, you should take the leap – Unknown
This blog and all the blogs this month are based on my book published in 2018 and available on Amazon entitled Unconventional Customer Service: How-to Break the Rules to Provide Unparalleled Service
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