Ask the QBQ for a better customer experience!
I enjoy re-reading business books of the past that I used to aid in my professional development at some point in my career. In searching the archives, I found the book QBQ! The Question Behind the Question, written by John G. Miller originally published in 2001. The book is about “putting persona accountability into daily action, with astonishing results: problems are solved, internal barriers come down, service improves, teamwork thrives, and people adapt to change more quickly.”
Some of those results caught my eye as they pertain to customer experience namely, all of them! These are the challenges we face every day when trying to execute a better experience for our customers and our employees. A guiding principle outlined by the author is, “The answers are in the questions. If we ask a better question, we get a better answer”. He provides the reader with 3 simple guidelines:
1. Being with “What” or “How” (not “Why”, “When” or “Who”)
2. Contain an I (not “they”, “them”, “we” or “you”)
3. Focus on action
How often have we heard “they” used by a customer service representative when we interact with service providers? For example, “They have a policy of no returns after 30 days” as if the representative worked for a different company. Our ability as leaders to train our employees to take personal accountability without negative repercussions is at the core of how they can deliver a better experience for our customers. It also will create a more positive work environment for our employees as they strive to satisfy the customers and better understand the questions, they are asking us.
Breaking the “circle of blame” is another applicable concept suggested by the author. I can remember being involved in executive escalations in the not too distant past. Executive escalations are the emails, letters and phone calls that irritated customers deliver to anyone they perceive to be a person of authority that can solve their problem when they’ve exhausted all other avenues. Initially these escalations would land on the CEO’s desk who in turn would send them to his direct reports seeking a rapid resolution. Too often, instead of solving the problem, executives would defer the issue to another department proclaiming they were innocent of all wrongdoing. Instead of taking personal accountability and owning the situation, they ran for cover in fear of the losing credibility with the CEO. Creating an atmosphere of ownership and accountability across all functions and departments can make us better leaders and create happier customers.
You’ve heard the saying, “The only constant is change”. In any customer experience transformation, change, lots of it, will be inevitable. Instead of asking, “Why do we have to go through all this change”, the QBQ is “How can I adapt to the changing world”. By helping leaders adapt to the new normal of a CX transformation, we will create a much more positive result for our efforts.
These are just a few of the nuggets of knowledge you’ll find in QBQ! Applying these and other concepts in the book can help improve an organization’s customer experience by:
· Ensuring a more sustainable, long-term improvement by understanding the true questions being asked by employees as they experience the transformation.
· Creating an environment of personal accountability to solve customer issues quickly and effectively.
· Utilizing questions that get to the heart of our internal process fails and focus on the what and the how not the who.
· Grow our organizations faster by understanding how to better serve both prospects and new customers through the questions we ask them.
· Becoming better leaders who ask, “how can I help you reach your goals so you can succeed” and adapt to the changes happening in the organization.
QBQ! Is a fast but impactful read that can “eliminate blame, complaining and procrastination”.
The next time your inclined to ask a question about customer experience, be sure it’s the right one!