Avis Experiment: Will the survey trigger a response?

Background: I've unsuccessfully tried four times to resolve a problem with Avis. I signed up for "Preferred" status so I could bypass the rental counter, but I've had to go to the rental counter anyway. Now, I'm using my blog to chronicle my attempts to see if Avis will finally resolve the issue or cause me to find a new "Preferred" rental car company.

I received an email from Avis inviting me to take a short survey to let them know how they did on my recent rental in Honolulu. This is a great way to kick-off my experiment. I just had to remind myself to rate everything objectively.

It was a pretty decent survey overall. Here are some things I liked about it:

• It took me less than 5 minutes to complete.
• I had the opportunity to add specific comments.
• The survey asked me a follow-up question based on the poor rating of my pick-up experience.

My real question is whether or not I'll hear from Avis. Customer surveys can be very powerful if someone follows up with upset customers. Customers might get even more upset if you survey them but don't follow-up because the survey re-opens the wound. I'll keep you posted!

Live Experiment: Will Avis finally try hard enough?

I’ve been experiencing the same customer service issue with the Avis rental car company since last November.  It’s not a particularly outrageous issue, but the fact that it’s still unresolved after four attempts makes it worse and worse.  My options at this point are to choose another rental car company or to use my blog to chronicle my last ditch attempts to resolve the problem.  C’mon!  You know which option I choose!

I encourage you to follow this experiment like you would a favorite sports team or a soap opera. You can get email updates or follow along on Twitter.

Background

It all started last year when I had to rent a car in Portland, Oregon.  Avis has a program called “Avis Preferred” where you can skip the rental counter and go straight to the car.  On a previous trip, it had taken me awhile to get through the line and get my car rented, so I thought this would be a great perk.  Unfortunately, on my first 'Preferred' rental, my car wasn’t ready and waiting when I arrived and I had to go to the rental counter anyway.  What was worse was the rental agent did a fairly poor job of trying to resolve the problem.  (See my previous post: Avis service recovery.)

Since then, I’ve rented with Avis on three occasions.  Each time, I feel like I’m in that old Bill Murray movie, Groundhog Day, where the same day keeps repeating over and over.  I arrive expecting my car to be ready and it’s not.  I go to the rental car counter and the agent tells me I had to go to the counter because it’s my first time renting a car as a Preferred member.  I explain it’s not the first time, but the agent shrugs and says, “It should be OK the next time.”  Of course it won’t be.  And on and on.

By now, I’ve rented four times and have been disappointed four times.  It’s not the end of the world, but it’s really annoying that this problem can’t be fixed. 

My Experiment

I’ve decided to use my blog as a platform to resolve this issue since face to face contact with company representatives hasn’t done the trick.  It will be fun to see how Avis responds.  I really hope they do find a way to resolve it.  Whatever happens, I'll be sure to shed some light on the types of trouble small issues can cause companies if they don’t have an effective way of identifying and resolving customer complaints when they happen.

I’ll start with the usual phone calls and emails and take it from there.  Of course, I’ll also leverage other platforms like Twitter to see what happens.  It should be fun!

Follow It

You can get email updates or follow along on Twitter. And, I definitely take suggestions, so please post a comment! 

Under pressure to do the wrong thing

We often feel pressure to make bad decisions, don't you think?

Most of the time when I blog I try to provide some insight into a particular challenge or situation. Not today. No, today I'm just going to put some situation on the table and invite you to share your insight by posting a comment. It could be that I'm trying to start some conversation on my blog or it could be that I have only a short amount of time to complete this post and I'm feeling a little pressure.

Examples

The other day I felt pressure to break the law and put myself in danger while stopped at a traffic light. I was at the front of a line of cars waiting to turn left. When the light turned green, the intersection wasn't clear, so I couldn't enter without stopping in the middle of the intersection. Unfortunately, the guy behind me didn't see it that way. He began honking, yelling, and gesturing at me to move forward.

I was engulfed with a strange sensation. Part of me felt the urge to enter the intersection to escape from this guy's incessant abuse, but I knew that would only put me in more danger. Part of me wanted to get out of my car and 'convince him' to knock it off, but I knew that idea was really unsafe.

Fortunately, the line of cars ahead of me soon moved forward and I was able to enter the intersection safely with no further incident.

It's strange how this happens in so many places, even at work.

This week I facilitated a two-day workshop at a large technology company. Most of the building where I worked was secured by electronically locked doors that required a key card to open them. Despite these obvious security precautions, most people were very willing to pause and hold the door open for me. Even though I was a complete stranger, the social awkwardness of demanding to see someone's credentials pressured people into an obvious security breach time and time again.

Examples like this abound at work. Employees disobey safety rules because they feel pressure to work faster or safety feels 'uncool' in front of their colleagues. Managers fail to properly train and supervise their employees because they feel pressure to spend most of their day in unproductive meetings or responding to hundreds of emails. Executives pressure their managers and employees to cut corners because they are under pressure from stockholders to maximize short-term profitability.

What can we do to overcome this pressure? I have a few ideas, but I'd much rather hear yours. Please leave your comments or share a resource.

Breaking the law + not calling back = bad service

My wife, Sally, and I are in the market for a new sliding glass door for our patio. We received a referral from a trusted source, so it seemed like finding a reputable company would be easy. It wasn't. And we're still in the market - do you know anyone good?

No call back #1
I made my initial call to request a quote and was told by someone in the office that the owner/salesperson was with a customer and would call me back. Unfortunately, that call never came. I would have written the company off, but the referral came from a trusted source. I wondered if the office person failed to give the owner the message. OK, I decided, I'll give them another shot.

The owner, Russ, was available the second time I called and we had a good chat. We set up a time for him to come out to the house, take a look at things, and provide an estimate. He arrived for the appointment on time, took some measurements, shared some options, and then left with a promise to submit a proposal within a couple of days.

Breakin' the law
The proposal arrived promptly a day or so later. It was simple, straightforward, and illegal. In California, a contractor can ask for a maximum of 10% up front. Russ wanted 50%. This was a giant red flag.

No call back #2
Sally called this time to speak with Russ and discuss the contract. Perhaps we are jaded from a horrific remodeling experience a couple years ago, but we still believed that good referrals were hard to come by and it was worth being patient. Russ was out of the office that day, but the person promised to have Russ return our call when he was back to the office.

Of course, Russ never called. (You knew that, didn't you?) After waiting a few days, I emailed a response to Russ's proposal and said, "No deal." I even outlined the reasons why. No response from Russ.

Word travels
I wanted to be sure my referral source knew about Russ, so I gave him a call and told him the story. He was surprised and said that sounded very unusual. He also asked if I was OK with him sharing this feedback with Russ. "Sure," I said, "it won't be anything I haven't already shared with him via email."

The plotten thickens with lame excuses
The next day I got a voice message from Russ. He said he had heard that I was unhappy, but said he hadn't gotten any messages from us or he would have called. He also defended his contract, saying he had done business this way for many years.

Needless to say, I didn't bother calling Russ back. After all, there was little to talk about and if he wasn't in he probably wouldn't get the message.

Lessons for business owners (but mainly Russ)

Here are a few lessons I take from this situation.

• Get really good at spotting weak links in the chain. This office person could be really hurting his business if Russ consistently misses out on callers who want to do business with him.
• Don't write illegal contracts. One, because it's ILLEGAL. Two, because it shows you don't understand your business. Three, because it demonstrates a lack of respect for your customers.
• Don't defend your illegal behavior on voice mail. Really, Russ? You've left a recording that I can take to the Contractor's State Licensing Board?

How NOT to handle a difficult customer

Jet Blue flight attendant Steven Slater gave us all a great demonstration of how to NOT handle a difficult customer on Monday when he fled the plane by sliding down an emergency escape chute.

According to a report in the Wall Street Journal, Slater got into an argument with a passenger while the passenger attempted to remove a bag from the overhead compartment while the arriving plane was still taxiing. This confrontation escalated to the point where Slater decided vent his frustration over the plane's PA system and cuss out the passenger. He then activated the plane's emergency chute, grabbed two beers, and fled the plane. Slater was later arrested at his home in Queens, New York for criminal mischief and reckless endangerment.

I wasn't on the plane, but let's assume for a moment that this passenger was completely in the wrong. Slater's horrible attempt at addressing the situation resulted in Slater being arrested, him receiving national media attention for being an idiot, and will likely cost him his job. Yeah, you sure showed him!

Squishy goals lead to disappointing results

One of the areas where I help my clients is  constructing, writing, and delivering performance evaluations. One of the most consistent challenges I encounter is the widespread use of squishy, undefined, and ambiguous goals.

Examples are "improve customer service", "continue to develop", or "drive strategic results". It's hard for employees to know what to do when they start the year with squishy goals. This leads to infrequent coaching on progress, since it's hard to really know if someone is "continuing to develop" without any specifics. This causes confusion at the end of the year when the boss sits down with the employee, lamely attempts to dissect past performance, and establishes a new set of squishy goals for the coming year.

Strong goals that drive performance follow the SMART model. (Download our primer here.)

S = Specific
M = Measurable
A = Attainable
R = Relevant (to your strategy, mission, or vision)
T = Time-bound or timely

Clearly, "improve customer service" isn't SMART. However, "improve our score on the annual customer satisfaction survey from 85% to 95% by December 31" is SMART. Not only does it fit the model, it's much easier to understand, it's easier to measure progress, and it's easier to tell if we've achieved it at the end of the year.

Check out your employee goals and see how SMART they are. You can use our worksheet to help you.

Is it fair to take shots at a service when its free?

The American Customer Satisfaction Indexreleased its first-ever social media satisfaction scores last week, and Facebook has taken some heat for finishing with a 64% satisfaction rating. Traditional news outlets and social media sites such as Twitter were ablaze with commentary about Facebook's relative poor showing.  (Interestingly, Twitter was not rated in the index.) 

I understand the desire to rate companies when people are paying for their products and services, but what about companies like Facebook whose service is free?  Shouldn't we expect less than amazing service since it's free?  And, are we really customers since it's FREE? It strikes me as odd that Facebook faces so much criticism since, ahem, IT'S FREE!

OK, I guess there are a couple of sides to this.

On one hand, it's natural for us to expect a lot out of an organization as influential as Facebook. Certainly, they've taken notice of all this discussion and will work to improve their perceived level of service in the future as part of their growth strategy.

On the other hand, there should be a limit to what people expect from a free service. We're not forced to use Facebook. I even know several normal, well-adjusted people with active social lives who don't even have Facebook accounts! (Which reminds me, I don't know what they've been up to lately.)

Perhaps as a middle ground we should reserve the right to offer constructive criticism while tempering the amount of expectations we place on a free service. So, the next time you have a gripe about Facebook (or Gmail, Yahoo, or Twitter for that matter), just remember that you get what you pay for.

Our weird relationship with time

I did a little experiment this morning in my kitchen. I guessed how long it would take me to make a delicious breakfast of coffee and English muffins with melted cheese. My estimate was three minutes. The actual time was nine. Was this how my day was going to go?

This little tale may come as a suprise to people who know me well. Over the years, I've crafted the illusion that I am very organized and punctual. A friend of mine once said, "If you are ever five minutes late to a meeting I'm going to call the police because I know something happened." Ah, but there's one big secret to my apparent organization. I keep it real with time.

Use the Rule of 3 to Avoid Disappointment
The next time you give someone a time estimate multiply your gut instinct by three. For example, if your gut says "1 hour" then propose you get back to the person in 3 hours. If your gut says 5 minutes, propose 15. I call this the rule of three.

Why do this? Our desire to please coupled with a lack of time-awareness leads us to make unrealistic promises and sets us up for failure. If I promise I'll get back to you in an hour because I want to appear responsive, I'll look like a slacker when it actually takes me three.  On the other hand, it's likely you'll be OK with a promised response time of three hours.  And, you'll be please if I actually do respond in an hour.

Avoid the Procrastination Chain Reaction
We often find ourselves in a time crunch when we procrastinate. A time crunch increases our stress levels and may impact the quality and thoroughness of our work. High stress and low quality is a perfect recipe for poor productivity. It's a mean chain reaction.

In his book Predictably Irrational, Dan Ariely details an experiment where he compared the grades of three classes that had different types of deadlines to submit their papers. Here are the results:

1. Pre-set deadlines. The class that was told when each paper was due got the best grades.
2. Set your own deadlines. The class that was allowed to set their own deadlines at the start of the semester got the second best grades.
3. No deadlines. The class with no deadlines at all received the worst grades.

The experiment highlights our problems not only with procrastination, but our inability to fully understand it. It also suggests that the way to avoid the pracrastination chain reaction is to set deadlines for yourself that represent incremental progress toward a goal.

Arrive Early not Late
I don't often worry about trying to get to a meeting on time because I plan to arrive early. The result of being early is I'm more focused and ultimately more productive. For example, I'm going to a meeting this evening that's about 45 minutes away from my office. Here are two ways I can approach it.

Just in Time
I could plan to leave my office 45 minutes before the meeting to arrive just in time. The problem with this plan is I might get caught up in a project, caught on a phone call, or caught in traffic on the way there. All of those situations would cause me to arrive late (annoying others) and a little stressed out.

Plenty of time
What I'll do instead is leave two hours early and drive to a Starbucks down the street from my meeting. I'll bring work with me and get caught up on a few things. Changing my environment to Starbucks will positively impact my productivity because it will refresh my mental state. I'll also be able to arrive a few minutes early to the meeting which means I'll get to do a little networking and will be in a positive frame of mind once the meeting begins.

Needs some help?

Check out our Time Management workshop. Better yet, contribute to the discussion and let me know what you do to keep it real!

What's new? (You should always have a good answer)

I attended a family reunion five years ago and found myself constantly answering the question, "What's new?" My extended family is pretty big (I have 34 first cousins), so I had to answer that question a lot. Unfortunately, my answer was "Not much." Not exactly a scintillating conversation starter! It was during this reunion that I decided I wanted to always have a great answer to "What's new?", so I vowed to start my own business.

As a business owner, it's still a great idea to have some irons in the fire. If I were to ask you "What's new?" what answer would you give? Do you have something cooking that I should know about? Can you tell me something more exciting than a tale about treading water in the grim economy? A good answer can breed curiousity which leads to a good conversation which may result in opportunity.

The answer to the "What's new?" question might be different depending on who is asking. Here are some of my answers. Next, I want to know yours.

• I might tell my friends in human resources that I'm launching an HR Management Certificate program on July 22 in partnership with Nonprofit Management Solutions. I love that "What's New" is a part of the URL for this program.
• I might tell my friends in customer service that I'm hosting a webinar on July 22 on How to build a service culture. I'd probably even send them a link where they could register for free.
• My friends who are business owners might hear about the webinar I'm hosting on July 29 called "Maximizing Employee Engagement". Again, I'd probably send them a link where they could register for free. (I'm a really good friend.)

So, what's new with you?

How standards can stifle performance

The movie Office Space does a great job of highlighting how workplace rules and procedures can lead to poor performance. For some of us, the movie gets even better because some of the scenes resemble our own work experiences.  

Here’s one of my favorite scenes.  (I don’t know if the poster has authority to post it, so please email me if the clip disappears.  Also, please go buy a copy of the movie Office Space so everyone stays happy.)

I love this scene because Stan (the manager) wants better performance from Joanna but he doesn’t know how to describe it.  The conversation quickly becomes frustrating for both Stan and Joanna and there’s no real resolution at the end.  It’s a great example of what happens when we focus on a somewhat arbitrary standard rather than our true intent. 

Here are some more examples:

• A call center rep may earn a 100% call monitoring score, but doesn’t solve the customer’s problem. 
• A front desk agent at a hotel may hit all the brand standards at check-in, but sounds like a robot and doesn’t make the guest feel welcome. 
• A salesperson may follow the sales script but fail to make the sale because she didn't listen carefully to the customer's answers.

Tasks vs. Outcomes

Many of the things we do at work resist being standardized in the same way you would standardize a widget production procedure in a factory.  A clear, step-by-step process makes sense for widgets since you want each one to be just like the others.  The problem we run into in a service environment is human interaction resists standardization.

I’m not an opponent of standardization, but we need to standardize human interaction in the right way.  If you call tech support to get help with a computer problem and tell the rep you have already rebooted your computer, why should he be required to ask you to reboot the computer?  The standard could be re-written so it asks the tech support rep to explore some basic fixes (like re-booting) before trying more complicated solutions. This gives him the flexibility to adapt to the situation and makes it more likely he helps you with your ultimate goal - getting your computer to work again.

Let’s go back to the video.  What does Stan really want Joanna to do?  He wants her to deliver on the Tchotchke’s promise of atmosphere and attitude.  How would he know if Joanna was doing this?  A good indicator might be if her guests are laughing and smiling.  Perhaps Stan should have discussed ways Joanna could better engage with her guests so they are smiling and laughing.

If you are an Office Space fan, I know what you are thinking. Joanna just wasn't cut out for working at Tchotchke's. In that case, at least Stan could have addressed her performance without getting hung up on a technicality like she was wearing the required pieces of flair!