FOCUS

an act of concentrating interest or activity on something

I have often heard team leaders and members say;

 “I would like to be in a role where I can help people.”

“I want to be in a job with purpose.”

“I want to belong to a workplace where I can work with people and support them to reach company goals.”

These statements as I interpret it are about being of service to others, giving good service to ensure a positive experience. Like thinking about the other person’s situation at the time they are asking for help. Doing things that matter whether the gesture is big or small, to connect with people.

This is what customer focus is all about as the definition states – an act of concentrating interest or activity on something, in this case, our customer.

To focus on a customer whether they are our colleagues, our motorists, or members of our communities, we first must connect with them when they come to us for help, understanding where they are coming from and why they need help.

And to connect with them we must understand that customers are always in a “need state,” they need their problems solved, they need an answer to a question, they need their feedback to be heard, they need solutions. To focus on them we have to counter-balance it with the human connection. And human connection is about being in the moment with the customer, with what they are going through, and finding a solution to their need that makes sense to connect them to our brand of service. We must have an inner drive to help.

Here are some learnings I have collected from readings, seminars, and by observation of other organizations as well as our own:

1. Have passion to take care of people, a desire to truly help.
2. Practice consciousness of finding ways how can we make things better for others.
3. Empower team members, colleagues to do what is necessary to take care of the customers without crossing the line.
4. Do not stop learning, continue to seek knowledge, benchmark, and apply the key takeaways in the conduct of our service.
5. Recognize that we are responsible for the experience our customers will have when they seek help from us, moreover, anticipate what they will need so we satisfy their need even before they realize that they need it.

We are all the ambassadors of our brand. Focusing on our customers will lead us to fulfill our promise of excellent customer service.

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Incidentally, it is also National Zero-Waste month, and here are some reminders from the World Wild  Life Fund Philippines so we may lessen the volume of waste produced, eliminate toxicity in resulting waste, and conserve and recover resources.