Danger in the Comfort Zone: Is Complacency Contaminating Your Customer Experience?
by Kathleen M. Peterson, Chief Vision Officer, PowerHouse Consulting, Inc. -
November 23, 2009
Danger in the Comfort Zone: Is Complacency Contaminating Your Customer Experience?
By Kathleen M. Peterson
Chief Vision Officer, PowerHouse Consulting, Inc.
In my dictionary, complacency is defined quite simply as “self-satisfaction.” The self-satisfied are often those residing in their very own comfort zone, a place where all is well. But is this truly a comfort zone or is it the gateway to the danger zone?
I have no issue with self-satisfaction. I believe that we must all give ourselves a pat on the back from time to time. Then we need to move on and figure out what is next and what needs tending. When managers and leaders enter the comfort zone, they pave the way for others to follow. This encourages a kind of “complacent” uniformity of spirit within the operation. When complacency dominates a culture it is insidious, having a gradual and cumulative effect. Change is resisted and innovation and creativity become unknown commodities. Quality deteriorates, collaboration is unproductive, morale is flat, and a variety of other ailments fester beneath the surface. It is here that the comfort zone morphs into the danger zone. Truly, this is a subtle transformation and many leaders remain blindly satisfied.
This is not to suggest that leaders do not see the damage that is being done. For example, they may get complaints from customers and try to inform other departments of these issues. They may receive a “lax” response driven by the widespread adoption and acceptance of a complacent attitude. The acceptance may amount to a simple shoulder shrug and the unconscious decision not to conduct a deeper analysis of the situation. Now all parties involved can hunker back down into the comfort zone of complacency.
Every day consumers encounter mediocrity in customer service, be it a bank, an insurer, a hospital, a retailer, etc. This situation is rampant and makes those that pay close attention to providing top-notch customer experiences SHINE. I’m a huge fan of the Geek Squad. My experiences with them have been stellar; they are flexible, competent, call you back when they say they will, and show up! Zappos.com prides itself on providing service. The first time I ordered shoes from them, the package showed up the next morning - no charge. I was WOWED! Zappos.com has a multi-faceted approach to service. The company also services its employees, with lots of training, a strong focus on quality in customer service rather than on simplistic metrics, and even provides employees with free food! Zappos.com is #23 on Fortune Magazine’s 2009 “Great Places to Work” list and understands that excellence works from the inside out! Consider the Nordstrom shopping experience. They do whatever it takes to take care of customer needs; people are pleasant, well informed, and exceptionally well managed!
Quality organizations work every aspect of the experience, and understand that it is as much operational excellence as anything else that sets companies apart in a competitive market. These operations avoid complacency because they are in motion. Complacent operations are often “stalled.” They have serious cases of the “can’ts and the don’ts” (we can’t do that, I don’t have that, etc.). Examples of this are too frequent to review. We all have seen them as consumers and many of us don’t recognize these companies as leaders. Complacency must be eradicated if we are to improve survival rates during today’s economic conditions.
Complacency must first be recognized for what it is and evaluated in terms of its depth. Those at the “top of the shop” must be prepared to genuinely challenge themselves when evaluating overall performance. Has the company entered the comfort zone? How deeply has the condition penetrated?
Another danger looms in this crisis - complacent organizations will hire and promote those that are also complacent. This prevents the uncomfortable circumstance of someone pointing out real issues or disagreeing with the norm. Dissention must be welcome, while simultaneously being managed (no one wants the sniper or naysayer to dominate). Unfortunately, within complacent environments, arguments against change and the reluctance to challenge the status quo are often embraced rather than rejected. Those suggesting a shift are ousted or shunned. Look at the auto industry and other goliaths. Is it possible over the decades that they just “parked” themselves in the comfort zone? They may have allowed creativity in design, but seriously lack such a dynamic in operations.
Operations is where things actually happen in business. All the grandiose ideas, strategies, branding, financial objectives, and marketing campaigns are dependent on the enterprise’s ability to launch and manage activities from an operational perspective. When customers encounter experiences that do not match their expectations, their disappointment is rarely in the advertising campaign. It is more likely to be in product performance, price, delivery, support, etc., - all operational elements.
So how do you turn your danger zone into your comfort zone? First, you must fight complacency by challenging yourself and those around you. Assess the spirit, the culture, and the morale of your operation. Could it use a jolt? Could you use a jolt? Spring is a fantastic time to start something new. Even if you encourage more team meetings or “huddles,” ask for feedback, get people talking to one another, and interrupt bitch and gossip sessions. And if you are really a leader and genuinely want a long-term career - stop the bitching and gossiping!!
Stop tolerating behaviors that do not deliver on the customer experience. Get rid of those in your environment that prefer the status quo - they are the foundation of complacency. Evaluate your hiring. Who exactly are you hiring? Zappos.com asks every job candidate to rate themselves on a “weirdness” scale of 1 to 10. (They like weird people.) Tattoos and piercings do not eliminate candidates! The HR leader at Pret A Manger, a FANTASTIC UK-based sandwich shop, is known as “the treasure hunter.”
Speaking of HR, many organizations pride themselves on behavior-based interviewing, using questions to elicit specific examples of a person’s qualifications. Here’s an idea to help you jolt yourself out of complacency. Gather your management team in a room and ask them to answer those same questions, providing examples from their current positions. Have folks talk about how they dealt with resolving a difficult customer issue, what techniques they found effective in assuring a motivated team, and how they have been able to influence someone with a different point of view. This is truly a great exercise! It can be repeated several times a year and documented; after a couple of years you have a cool book to publish!! What fun! But this activity can’t happen if you’re too comfortable, complacent, or self-satisfied. Good luck!
“If it ain't broke, don't fix it' is the slogan of the complacent, the arrogant, or the scared. It's an excuse for inaction, a call to non-arms.” Colin Powell, Chairman of the U.S. Joint Chiefs of Staff (1989-93)
PowerHouse Consulting, Inc.
360 Route 101, Suite 6, Bedford, NH 03110
www.powerhouse1.com 1-800-449-9904
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