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Positively Outrageous Service

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by Andrew Szabo & Michael Hoffman

41 episodes

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Create a culture of WOW experiences to build customer advocacy, loyalty and competitive differentiation!

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6/15/2017

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April 5, 2021

Inspiring Interactions Lead to Positively Outrageous Service

<blockquote> “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” ~ President John Quincy Adams</blockquote> <h2>The Influence of Inspiring Interactions on Positively Outrageous Service® and Relationships</h2> https://youtu.be/pKXWNjtrMck Recently I heard these words, “inspiring interactions” – WOW! Five thoughts immediately came to mind: <ul> <li>Inspiring interactions require superior communication to foster engagement.</li> <li>Inspiring interactions galvanizes influence.</li> <li>Inspiring interactions infects.</li> <li>Inspiring interactions cultivates Positively Outrageous Service.</li> <li>Inspiring interactions build relationships.</li> </ul> The information age heightens and escalates expectations for both customers and employees – and if your organization can’t meet them, they’re going to leave you for your competitors. To inspire another means they experience intense feelings of loyalty, a positive reaction that is motivating, or the urge or ability to do something creative. When you creatively inspire the interaction with a team member or customer, you elevate engagement and enhance the relationship. And it all starts with superior communication. The words we use in a conversation, meeting, or email either elevates or erodes our engagement with another person. Choose your words carefully. We all have influence. When we inspire a customer through an enhanced experience, they won’t dream of going anywhere else, and they’ll give you more business. However, you can’t inspire the customer without inspiring your team first. You can’t have what we call “two faces” – inspiring interactions internally infect our influence and interactions externally with the experience we create for our customers. Inspiring interactions through superior communication elevates engagement and infectiously influences our Positively Outrageous Service to our colleagues, teammates, and ultimately the customer. Positively Outrageous Service directly correlates to building relationships internally, first and secondarily to the customer. And by the way practicing inspiring interactions makes you a leader with influence. The essence of leadership is best described in 19 words by President John Quincy Adams “If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader.” Initiate inspiring interactions to invigorate your Positively Outrageous Service and intensify relationships!   <div style="text-align: right;" data-pm-slice="1 1 []" data-en-clipboard="true">© 2021 Positively Outrageous Service, Inc. All Rights Reserved.</div> <div style="text-align: right;">Positively Outrageous Service is a registered trademark of Positively Outrageous Service, Inc.</div>

March 27, 2021

How to Positively Outrageously Combat Virtual Meeting Fatigue

<h2>You Can Have Too Much of a Good Thing!</h2> https://youtu.be/jRnlQRtClME <blockquote>Boss: “What do you think?” Me: [going to the bathroom] Boss: “Can you hear me?” Me: [getting another beer] Boss: “I think he’s on mute.” Me: [getting chips] Boss: “Hello?” Me: “Sorry I was on mute” @RodneyLacroix</blockquote> Do you feel exhausted after attending too many back-to-back virtual video meetings? Virtual meeting fatigue became big news as significant sectors of the population attended school and worked remotely during the CoVid pandemic. Dr. Mitchell, a neurologist at Sunnybrook, says, “We require additional effort and sustained attention during video meetings,” “The added strain on our attentional systems and other cognitive processes can leave us feeling exhausted.” Imagine going to a three-day all-day conference. The sessions are all back-to-back, with no breaks, no time for personal interaction, no time to check your emails or call your spouse. Probably time to eat or go to the bathroom! That would be exhausting! Yes, there are some distinctive benefits to video calls as it’s more personal and interactive, it: <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Facilitates conversation details when you see the person’s face and body language.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Improves conversation engagement as it’s closer to the feeling of a real face-to-face meeting.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Improves Team Building </li> </ul> But, there are also pitfalls to avoid – you can have too much of a good thing as well! Here are our top tips based that are experiential and research-based that provide relief and make video calls less exhausting. Pick a few that YOU resonate with and would be easy to implement. Experiment and try others over time. <ol> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Avoid multitasking. Research reveals doing multiple things at once cuts into performance. Swapping between tasks can undermine as much as 40 percent of your productivity. Researchers at Stanford found that people who multitask can’t remember things as well as their more singularly focused peers. So on your next video conference call, close your other programs and tabs that will distract you. Yes, that includes your inbox and chat. Turn off your mobile phone. And be present, focused – and ultimately less exhausted. <img fetchpriority="high" decoding="async" class="wp-image-1078 aligncenter" src="https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-14m-H2CVMF-Multitask-Image-by-chenspec-from-Pixabay-1024x577.png" alt="" width="704" height="397" srcset="https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-14m-H2CVMF-Multitask-Image-by-chenspec-from-Pixabay-1024x577.png 1024w, https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-14m-H2CVMF-Multitask-Image-by-chenspec-from-Pixabay-300x169.png 300w, https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-14m-H2CVMF-Multitask-Image-by-chenspec-from-Pixabay-768x433.png 768w, https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-14m-H2CVMF-Multitask-Image-by-chenspec-from-Pixabay-1536x865.png 1536w, https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-14m-H2CVMF-Multitask-Image-by-chenspec-from-Pixabay.png 1997w" sizes="(max-width: 704px) 100vw, 704px" /></li> <li aria-level="1">Take a break! <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Schedule frequent short breaks. Do something else; work on that other project; check your Email; take a walk. Make lunch, an espresso, or a smoothie. What you eat also impacts fatigue. </li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Schedule and protect breaks on your calendar. Control your calendar, don’t let your calendar control you!<img decoding="async" class="wp-image-1077 aligncenter" src="https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-14m-H2CVMF-Break-Image-by-chenspec-from-Pixabay-1024x729.png" alt="" width="705" height="502" srcset="https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-14m-H2CVMF-Break-Image-by-chenspec-from-Pixabay-1024x729.png 1024w, https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-14m-H2CVMF-Break-Image-by-chenspec-from-Pixabay-300x213.png 300w, https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-14m-H2CVMF-Break-Image-by-chenspec-from-Pixabay-768x546.png 768w, https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-14m-H2CVMF-Break-Image-by-chenspec-from-Pixabay-1536x1093.png 1536w, https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-14m-H2CVMF-Break-Image-by-chenspec-from-Pixabay.png 1581w" sizes="(max-width: 705px) 100vw, 705px" /></li> </ul> </li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Limit the meeting duration. There is a tendency to default to 60-minute meetings. Schedule more 30-minute appointments – better yet, make it a 25-minute session; now you have time to go to the bathroom! If it has to be 60 minutes, make it 50 or at most 55 minutes.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2"> <img decoding="async" class="wp-image-1076 aligncenter" src="https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-14m-H2CVMF-30Mins-Photo-by-Peter-Galbraith-from-FreeImages-1024x759.png" alt="" width="704" height="523" srcset="https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-14m-H2CVMF-30Mins-Photo-by-Peter-Galbraith-from-FreeImages-1024x759.png 1024w, https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-14m-H2CVMF-30Mins-Photo-by-Peter-Galbraith-from-FreeImages-300x222.png 300w, https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-14m-H2CVMF-30Mins-Photo-by-Peter-Galbraith-from-FreeImages-768x569.png 768w, https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-14m-H2CVMF-30Mins-Photo-by-Peter-Galbraith-from-FreeImages.png 1518w" sizes="(max-width: 704px) 100vw, 704px" /></li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Stand up! In one 7-week study, participants who stood more often at their desks reported less fatigue and stress than those seated the entire day. Additionally, 87% of those standing reported increased vigor and energy throughout the day. If you don’t have a stand-up desk, use a cardboard box. That’s how the founder of VARIDESK® started! Additionally, if you’re making a virtual presentation, you will have way more energy in a standing position than sitting down! </li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Make space for fun. Start personal. It’s okay to come in a few minutes early. You would do that in a face-to-face meeting. Connect personally with others and make the conversation fun. As others join, we are talking at a personal level first – just like you would as you enter a real conference room. I change my virtual backdrop every week, which makes for a fun conversation starter – it might be from a vacation trip or an amusing crazy background that invites a fun initial conversation.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Mix it up. Switch to phone meetings over video conference sometimes, especially if it’s 1:1 with someone familiar. It’s 4.30 PM; you’re video-called out but have a scheduled one-on-one. Suggest this, “I’d cherish a break from video calls. Would you mind if we do this over the phone?” More than likely, the other person will be relieved by the suggestion, too!</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Position your camera directly at your eye level to look straight ahead into the camera. <ul> <li>You will look way better as a result.</li> <li>You’re not straining your neck and shoulder muscles when you are looking down or up, which causes fatigue. </li> <li>Stop looking at yourself – one idea is to cover up your portion of the screen with a sticky-note to avoid the distraction.</li> <li>When you’re speaking, look into the camera and not at others. You will convey greater connection.</li> </ul> </li> </ol> THREE ADDITIONAL BONUS TIPS <ol> <li>Who’s coming to the meeting? <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">If you’re the meeting organizer, get selective about who you invite. Ensure you don’t waste someone’s time. Title your meeting and objectives clearly, so it’s clear to the recipients why they’re attending. </li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">As the organizer, create an agenda ahead of time and share it with all participants.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">If you’re the participant, sometimes it’s okay to decline calls that appear to be “low value” –when possible, avoid meetings.</li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Make virtual social events opt-in. </li> </ul> </li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Extroverts can exhaust the introverts. Tiggers know your introverts. According to Thea Orozco, author of the book, The Introvert’s Guide to the Workplace, “Because it’s much harder to understand when someone is done talking on a video call, an introvert who needs to pause and collect their thoughts as they talk may struggle with being frequently interrupted, adding to the frustration.” Call on your extroverts first, allowing your introverts to process and not exasperate them. </li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="1">Use collaboration tools. <ul> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Employ breakout rooms frequently. They allow you to create sub-meetings within your meeting for smaller groups of participants to collaborate and have discussions – smaller groups foster relationships, connectivity, and creative energy. </li> <li style="font-weight: 400;" aria-level="2">Use other ideation and input applications like ConceptBoard and Mentimeter to elevate energy and participation. </li> </ul> </li> </ol> ACTION: “Transformation is the application of information.” Pick three to five to start with and experiment to see what works for you. Add others every few days. If it doesn’t work for you, delete it and add another one. There’s plenty to choose from! Share with us your experiences and other tips that have worked for you at MeetingFatigue @ PositivelyOutrageousService.com And we look forward to you being Positively Outrageous in combating video call fatigue! <hr /> Three additional resource articles for your perusal: How to Combat Zoom Fatigue, Harvard Business Review <a href="https://hbr.org/2020/04/how-to-combat-zoom-fatigue">https://hbr.org/2020/04/how-to-combat-zoom-fatigue</a> Dressing for the Camera, Wistia <a href="https://wistia.com/learn/production/wearing-color-camera">https://wistia.com/learn/production/wearing-color-camera</a> 9 Virtual Meeting Etiquette Tips for Your Next Zoom Call, Teambuilding.com <a href="https://teambuilding.com/blog/virtual-meeting-etiquette">https://teambuilding.com/blog/virtual-meeting-etiquette</a> <hr /> <div style="text-align: right;">© 2021 Positively Outrageous Service, Inc. All Rights Reserved.</div> <div style="text-align: right;">Positively Outrageous Service is a registered trademark of Positively Outrageous Service, Inc.</div>

March 27, 2021

What Is Customer-Centric?

https://youtu.be/5SgC6elyNVs <blockquote>“The key is to set realistic customer expectations, and then not to just meet them, but to exceed them—preferably in unexpected and helpful ways”. ~ Sir Richard Branson, founder of Virgin Group</blockquote> <h2>What Does Customer-Centric Mean?<img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-1142 alignright" src="https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-13m-Customer-Centric-Photo-by-Alexander-Krivitskiy-on-Unsplash-1024x658.png" alt="" width="700" height="450" srcset="https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-13m-Customer-Centric-Photo-by-Alexander-Krivitskiy-on-Unsplash-1024x658.png 1024w, https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-13m-Customer-Centric-Photo-by-Alexander-Krivitskiy-on-Unsplash-300x193.png 300w, https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-13m-Customer-Centric-Photo-by-Alexander-Krivitskiy-on-Unsplash-768x493.png 768w, https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-13m-Customer-Centric-Photo-by-Alexander-Krivitskiy-on-Unsplash-1536x986.png 1536w, https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-13m-Customer-Centric-Photo-by-Alexander-Krivitskiy-on-Unsplash.png 1752w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" /></h2> If you ask ten people, you may get ten different answers. If your organization’s vision is customer-centricity, then we’d better agree on a single definition and what that entails. According to Investopedia, “customer-centric is an approach to doing business that focuses on creating a positive experience for the customer by maximizing service and/or product offerings and building relationships.” Customer-centric organizations ensure the customer is the epicenter of the organization’s vision, processes, operations, and most importantly, service excellence. Customer-centric organizations understand that their customers are the primary reason for their existence. They use every means to deliver an exceptional experience – what we call Positively Outrageous Service® (POS) – an experience that generates an undeniable feeling. Feelings feed into experience. An elevated experience enhances the relationship. An enhanced relationship ensures intense customer loyalty, revenue growth, and recommendations to others, generating additional customer referrals. According to KPMG, 88% of CEOs are concerned about customer loyalty, recognizing that their customer needs and agendas are vital to success. Business is all about relationships. Your customer’s experience elevates or undermines that alliance. There is no middle ground. Every experience and interaction with your organization’s processes and people impact their experience of you and hence the relationship. The customer experience is not centered on your product offering – it’s the experience surrounding and enhancing your offering. We have a saying, “everything you do sends a message – everything you don’t do sends a message.” Every internal decision we make – how we handle every action, email, telephone call, delivery, problem, resolution, and process impacts the experience and, hence, the customer relationship. Just imagine you’re a customer and have an issue with a business, and it takes 14 emails back and forth to resolve it. We know the single biggest problem in communication is the illusion that it has taken place – context is lost in the maelstrom. There’s miscommunication and misinterpretation galore. You’d have a whole lot of pent-up frustration and emotion, wouldn’t you? Would you want to deal with that business again? <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class=" wp-image-1143 alignright" src="https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-13m-Customer-Centric-Photo-by-Andrea-Piacquadio-from-Pexels-1024x575.png" alt="" width="700" height="393" srcset="https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-13m-Customer-Centric-Photo-by-Andrea-Piacquadio-from-Pexels-1024x575.png 1024w, https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-13m-Customer-Centric-Photo-by-Andrea-Piacquadio-from-Pexels-300x168.png 300w, https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-13m-Customer-Centric-Photo-by-Andrea-Piacquadio-from-Pexels-768x431.png 768w, https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-13m-Customer-Centric-Photo-by-Andrea-Piacquadio-from-Pexels-1536x862.png 1536w, https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-13m-Customer-Centric-Photo-by-Andrea-Piacquadio-from-Pexels.png 1999w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 700px) 100vw, 700px" />The customer-centric agenda starts and ends with the needs of the customer. Customer-centricity is a business methodology that cultivates a positive customer experience at every phase of the customer journey. Every time a customer-centric organization makes a decision, it passionately considers its impact on the customer. Furthermore, customer-centric organizations realize that Positively Outrageous Service starts internally. Two things to remember: <ol> <li>Positively Outrageous Service is infectious. There is a direct correlation between a decision to Positively Outrageously Servicing your team and the impact on the customer. Studies show that for every two percent improvement in employee engagement and satisfaction correlates to a one percent increase in customer satisfaction that results in a two percent increase in customer revenue.</li> <li>Everyone has a customer. We sometimes hear that our team or an individual isn’t in the front-line serving a customer. Everyone has a customer. Everyone in an organization interacts with others. Everyone who gives another’s support, interface, process, or relationship is serving that internal customer.</li> </ol> To successfully attain the customer-centric vision through Positively Outrageous Service requires more than a periodic feel-good buzz or the program/initiative of the month or year – it requires a cultural change. “A culture is a community created and cultivated by what we consent to, communicate, champion, and celebrate.” Let’s get client-centric and passionately Positively Outrageous Service the message we send with every choice we make and its impact on the customer experience and ultimately the customer relationship. We look forward to you being Positively Outrageous in your client-centric decisions! <blockquote> “Customer satisfaction is worthless; customer loyalty is priceless.” ~ Jefferey Gitomer </blockquote> <img loading="lazy" decoding="async" class="size-large wp-image-1144 aligncenter" src="https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-13m-Customer-Centric-1024x576.png" alt="" width="1024" height="576" srcset="https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-13m-Customer-Centric-1024x576.png 1024w, https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-13m-Customer-Centric-300x169.png 300w, https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-13m-Customer-Centric-768x432.png 768w, https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-13m-Customer-Centric-1536x864.png 1536w, https://positivelyoutrageousservice.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/03/21-13m-Customer-Centric.png 1999w" sizes="auto, (max-width: 1024px) 100vw, 1024px" />   <h6>© 2021 Positively Outrageous Service, Inc. All Rights Reserved. Positively Outrageous Service is a registered trademark of Positively Outrageous Service, Inc.</h6>

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What is Positively Outrageous Service?: Create a culture of WOW experiences to build customer advocacy, loyalty and competitive differentiation!
How often does this podcast release new episodes?: This podcast updates daily.
Where can I listen to this podcast?: This podcast is available on 4 platforms including Apple Podcasts, Spotify, and more. You can also use the RSS feed directly.
Does this podcast accept guests?: No, this podcast does not typically feature guests.

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