Posts by Service Elements and Christine Hill featuring the aviation business and airport customer service tip of the week.
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A 12 Minute Tool for Managers
By ServiceElements, Christine Hill - Wednesday June 19, 2013Surveys show that one of the top concerns of frontline staff is direct contact with their supervisor or manager. One way to combat this concern is a very simple 12 minute tool for the manager’s toolbox. This tool helps managers build that time into their daily routine to avoid losing touch with people, programs and projects---especially when work gets extremely busy. By structuring the time spent with staff, a manager/supervisor can ensure that all employees have direct contact with him/her. Setting a firm time is important. For example, each day before lunch from 11:48-12:00 (12 minutes) setting a meeting with a different member of the frontline staff. The time should be firm—12 minutes at the set hour. If there are 10 frontline... -
Moving Beyond Sameness
By ServiceElements, Christine Hill - Wednesday June 12, 2013Product Parity is when there is not much difference in products, price/cost or location. Many organizations fall into the trap of being ‘just like everyone else’ unless they can differentiate and create a competitive advantage. In our experience, we hear from many business and aviation professionals that “it is all about price” especially on big tag items such as fuel for an aircraft. They say, “We buy from the lowest price provider”. Or many may buy products based on the location of the service/product provider. Those consumers say, “I buy from that provider because it is convenient” or “the only one around”. Many products/services fall into these qualifications, but think for a minute how an organization might win... -
Leadership Skills – The Samurai Leader
By ServiceElements, Christine Hill - Wednesday June 5, 2013The Samurai were considered the ultimate warriors for over 700 years in Japan. Their code, Bushido , which means “to serve”, was a value system that defined their core values and how they lived. The Samurai became known for their rigid adherence to the Samurai code, in fact, their lives depended on it. The characteristics that made a good Samurai warrior in the 17th century can be applied to good leaders in the 21 st century. Here are just a few: Good Warriors are made, not born Good Leaders are made, not born – Just as the Samurai learned their code day in and day out, so must good leaders. Leaders learn by observing other leaders, by training in management training programs, by experiences on the job, by trial and error. It... -
Office Culture
By ServiceElements, Christine Hill - Wednesday May 29, 2013ServiceElements has built its business on helping organizations understand and better utilize their service culture. In a recent five-year, 11-country study, researchers at Steelcase, the office furniture company, have identified six dimensions of workplace culture that shape the dynamics of the office and therefore impact the culture. Understanding the dynamics of an organization’s culture can be useful for leadership in planning strategies for the organization. It can be useful for supervisors and managers in their advisory positions. Cultural awareness can also be beneficial to the front line in understanding how to work to the best of their ability within their organization. This will benefit them both professionally as well... -
Service Story: Profile of Excellence
By ServiceElements, Christine Hill - Wednesday May 15, 2013A co-worker recently discovered an article (Molloy Associates, 1988) written about her brother-in-law on his Commitment to Excellence for outstanding contributions to the Commercial Finance and Leasing Industry. He commented that his commitment to excellence goes back to his origins. His father, a former Southwestern Bell telephone lineman, provided the necessary focus by teaching his son that "whatever you do, just be the best". From those lessons, whether it was a game of golf, a $5,000 transaction or a $5 million transaction, he approached it with his best effort. People who worked with her brother-in-law over the years saw that more could be accomplished out of what seemed like less by "good old-fashioned hard work". In addition, he...
