Customer Service and your Organization

As most of my regular readers know, I’m a customer service author and keynote speaker: it’s been said I wrote the book on customer service, but that’s only half the story. I wrote the two books on the topic. At least, my favorite two.

So imagine my surprise when I learned last Wednesday that it was customer service week. Customer service week!

Every week should be customer service week! What is wrong with people!?!

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I find the following rich in ironic humor.

I was reading a local paper this weekend and found a story on a local “nonprofit” (knowing how this group operates, I beg to differ) that offers coaching to the boards of other citizen sector orgs.*

Here’s the funny part, speaking of customer service: “Physician, heal thyself!”

The first thing I want to know when I hire an expert consultant is, does this person live what she teaches? If you’re a wealth advisor, are you wealthy? If you’re an ethics trainer, how ethical are you? If you’re a management consultant and teach corporate culture, how healthy is your own firm’s culture?

So if you teach boards how to function most effectively, my question for you is, how well-run is your own organization?

For instance, do you know if your executive director is seen by her peers at other influential organizations around town as unprofessionally discourteous? Are you aware that your organization’s #2 is downright surly?

Do you know that quite a number of leaders in the nonprofit community resent your organization and even have a disparaging name for it, "The Predatory Foundation," because word on the street is that your organization is quite savvy at shaking affluent donors down for money, but much less dedicated to actually helping the community you are charged to serve?

Actually, to this organization’s credit, they do know that their #2 is a Bitch with a capital B.** I spoke with last-year’s board president. She confided as much without my having to name this “lady” first. I also spoke with another board member about this, who confirmed her colleague’s assessment.

…Which of course brings me to the question, “If you know one of your staff is unpleasant and making enemies all over town, why don’t you fire her post-haste?”

I'm not timid, so I actually asked both board members that very question. The former president said, "She'll be retiring in two years."

Okay, guys, give her early retirement!

That is today’s leadership, culture, and customer service lesson. If you have jerks representing your organization, fire them. Don’t feel bad about it, because we all choose our attitude, and jerks can choose to be nice if they like. So can them, right away: today. No warning - we learn to be nice before grade school; we shouldn't need a warning! - just get it done.

Only then should you advise others on how they can run their own organization.

The Predatory Foundation lacks authenticity. Steer clear, at least until they get their own house in order.


*There are a number of groups around town that do that, so hopefully I’m being vague enough that this group won’t feel implicated. In fact, their leaders will probably read this and cluck-cluck-cluck at the “other” organization I’m writing about.

**If she were a man, I would call her a Dick, so please don’t come down on me as sexist.