Intention, the source of . . . . . Everything !

 

 

 

I’ve been thinking about intention for a couple of days now.  So, I may as well post.

I think great work of any lasting value comes through intention.  In fact, I believe clear intention may be a prerequisite to greatness.  I read somewhere, ”if you don’t know where you’re going, you’ll end up somewhere else”.  The place we end up may be a good place, but we will probably not be able to reproduce our results consistently.

Through intention we can transfer the “human-ness” of our effort to another person and increase the likelihood and strength of the potential emotion.  Simply because two people purposefully and intentionally interchanging in a common interest is emotional.  Intentional service.

Some touch-points are managed by technology, collateral materials and other innimate methods, but even then, our intention can be made to show through.

Without intention we run the risk of having our companies feel machine-like and impersonal, even when we do a good job.  Without intention we loose the opportunity to create and be part of a culture that is sustainable, reproducible and proud.

My intention is to serve my customer as I would like to be serviced myself.
Because it feels right and brings positive emotion to all involved.

Committed to XCS !
Rudy Vidal

To Err is Human, so is to Care.

My father called Quest to have a new phone installed at the house.

On Monday, as scheduled, the technician came and connected the new line on the outside of the house.  After some time, not knowing they had come, my father checked to see if the line was working and found the main line was not working, but the secondary line (available only in some of the rooms in our house) was now present. 

He called Quest and asked them to return and install the line correctly.  A new visit was scheduled on Thursday. 

On Thursday a technician knocked on the front door to let my father know he had finished re-installing and was leaving.  My father, who is not easily fooled twice, asked him to wait so they could test the line together.  They found once again, the connection was made incorrectly.  They both went outside and the technician quickly discovered the problem, fixed it and went on his way.

What is wrong with both of these customer experiences?

Most of us might say what went wrong was the technicians’ inability to complete their work correctly the first time.   However, when I talked to my father about it, he seemed to understand and accept the inevitability of human error.  What he was having trouble with was the lack of intention to provide a good service.  Both times the technicians were uninterested in the effectiveness of their effort and more interested in moving on to the next task.  The problem in my father’s mind did not seem to be lack of expertise as much as lack of intention.

Interestingly enough, if the right intention had been present, the problem, the costs associated with the second visit and the strain on the customer relationship would have been averted. 

Why then, would Quest not ask their technicians to check with the customer before and after doing the work?  The return on investment is certainly clear.

Intention overpowers errors and inefficiencies – because we are human and we value experiences more than error-free service.

Rudy Vidal

Committed to XCS !

Is XCS Honest or Just a Ploy to Catch Customers?

Could the XCS approach be seen as manipulative?  A marketing ploy?

I thought long and hard about it and conferred with a few friends.  

Manipulation could be cited anytime we try to influence others to act a certain way.  However, our motivation and alignment to the person’s wishes makes all the difference. 

In XCS, our motivation is to gain loyalty by exceeding the customer’s expectations.  By definition, our methodology is aligned with the customer’s expectations and wishes.

The XCS methodology is different from manipulation in that we look to exceed or perhaps, “over align” ourselves with the customer’s expectations.  A successful effort results in an emotional reaction, also of the customer’s choosing, which in turn results in loyalty and repeat purchase, once again, of the customer’s choosing and delight.

One could say it simply: Through XCS we are working to create a positive emotional state in the customer that results in a response, chosen and enjoyed, by the customer. 

My conclusion is that XCS is a welcomed influence, not a manipulation.

What a relief !

Sometimes you have to ask the questions you’re most afraid of.

Still committed to XCS !