Yellow

How to create a culture of service and stand up for the customers

David Gómez, Paul Jaramillo Birmaher, Sandra Beckwith

• Publisher: Bien Pensado
• Year: 2018
• ISBN:
  9783964548078
• Topic: Negocios y empresa
• Subtopic: Relaciones con los clientes

YELLOWHow to create a culture of service and stand up for the customers.A business parable inspired by real-life events.STOP COMPLAINING AND MAKE THINGS HAPPENCompanies make great efforts to win a client, only to lose it later because of a poor service attitude. Different areas work internally like silos, disconnected from reality and the needs of the people they claim to serve.But, what if after an exhausting day, you take a taxi and what happens inside the vehicle transforms the way you see your job? What if somebody showed you that it's possible to change your reality if you change your attitude? What if reality is not a cause, but a consequence? What if we got up every morning happy to do our jobs because it's not merely a monotonous task, but it fulfills a higher purpose? What then?What if a humble cab driver became our greatest teacher? Welcome to Yellow, a journey through our own reality.YELLOW is based on a real experience, with a real taxi driver; someone who despite all the adversities decided to make the difference for his passengers and make his work meaningful. This is the story of Miguel Gonzalez, a driver whose teachings transformed the lives of Neptune Packaging employees, a business like any other that needed desperately to connect with and get passionate about that weird specimen called the customer.

Higher purpose

“Hello! How are you doing? My name is Miguel Williams, and I’ll have the pleasure of driving you to your destination today. I hope you enjoy the ride!”

“Hi,” replies George, somewhat puzzled. He has never ridden with such an enthusiastic cab driver. “To Conception and Liberty, please.”

“Gladly, sir,” answers Miguel, starting the car. “With the traffic at this time, it’ll take a while, so please make yourself comfortable. Would you like to listen to some music, or maybe the news?” he asks.

George is lost in his thoughts and barely heard Miguel’s offering.

“Excuse me?”

Miguel smiles and asks again if he’d like to listen to something on the radio.

“Whatever you choose is fine,” George replies.

Miguel plays soft music at low volume as he says, “For a congested city, there’s nothing like some relaxing music. They say music is the food of the spirit.”

A few minutes go by and now in the middle of heavy traffic, George suddenly asks, “Don’t you get bored having to do the same thing day in and day out? Don’t get me wrong, but, spending so many hours inside the taxi, putting up with the traffic and the recklessness of some drivers . . . ?”

Miguel smiles again.

“Actually, I don’t. I really enjoy what I do. I’ve been a cab driver for many years and this is how I manage to provide for my family.”

“But in so many years there must’ve been some days when you didn’t want to do what you do,” interrupts George.

“Of course. We all have dark days. That’s why every time I feel I’m losing my motivation, I think about why I do what I do and how important it is for me and my family. I call it higher purpose,” replies Miguel.

A cab driver who talks about his work like that? This guy isn’t real, thought George.

“Higher purpose?” he asks, intrigued and a bit skeptical. “That sounds kind of esoteric. Has it got something to do with religion?” he adds.

Miguel laughs loudly and explains.

“Everyone sees it in a different way. For me, it’s like a special mission to accomplish,” he says, dramatizing his words with a superhero voice while he stretches his arm and holds his hand in a fist like he’s flying.

“I can tell you’re very passionate about the subject,” observes George.

“Completely. If I weren’t, life as a taxi driver would be unbearable. In fact, I believe that’s why my profession’s reputation isn’t the best. Unfortunately, the attitude of many of my colleagues doesn’t do the profession any good,” Miguel observes.

“It’s not an easy job,” replies his passenger.

“There’s no easy job,” Miguel notes. “And every job becomes monotonous at some point. The problem isn’t the job, though, but our attitude toward it.”

George pays attention.

“Every task we do, not matter how small it looks, touches the life of others, directly or indirectly, whether we want it to or not,” continues Miguel. “You could think that the mission of a cab driver is just to take people from one place to another. But it’s more than that, really. In between, many things happen that can make the trip pleasant or unpleasant. It’s not about what, but how. It’s about doing it in a nice, kind way. It’s about making every person’s day brighter,” he adds.

“But doing it for so long, so many times a day, with so many people, must be exhausting. As good as your mood is, there comes the moment when your patience wears out,” says George.

“You know? Every passenger is unique. That’s what makes it so interesting. Every trip is different. It’s like I have a special mission that lets me help. For example, I can help people get to work on time, or be in a good mood when they arrive home and greet their families after a hard day, or make it to a medical appointment on time, or run an errand before the place closes, or serve as a tour guide for those visiting our city for the first time. Contrary to what many of my colleagues think, passengers aren’t a necessary evil – they’re the reason we have a job. They’re also a great opportunity for getting to know other people. When you provide good service, a casual encounter becomes a long-term relationship of trust. That’s why I’m never short of customers. Every person who gets in my taxi gets my contact info, and many continue to use my services again.”

The traffic is hardly moving, but George isn’t at all bothered by it. He never imagined that a taxi ride home could turn out to be such a significant journey.

“Mobility has a big impact on peoples’ quality of life,” Miguel continues. “Unfortunately, that impact isn’t always positive. Many have to spend long hours sitting in traffic every day before they can get home to see their families and carry on with their lives. They’re worn out when they get home and still have to help their children with homework, or make dinner, or take charge of who knows what responsibilities.”

“But with this traffic, it’s impossible,” says George while smiling with a bit of irony.

“You’re right. I can’t make people arrive faster, but I can help them be in a better mood. If they have a pleasant moment, their mood might improve and they will start or finish their day better off, and chances are their attitude will infect others. For example, have you thought about how important it is for children that their parents greet them with a smile and a warm hug after a long day? Or how important it is for someone who has to arrive at their office early in the morning to deal with a difficult issue, to be able to do it in a positive way, and with a good attitude? That attitude makes the difference. Well, that’s exactly my mission as a cab driver – to make every passenger’s day brighter so that they’ll arrive at their destination happy.”

George’s expression gradually transforms into one of amazement.

Miguel goes on. “We’re like a big, long chain. Our lives are all connected, and in that context, we taxi drivers are an important link because we represent an important portion of the city’s transportation. If we all got clear on our purpose, we could really have a big impact on society. We would be an example of how to drive and respect the rules, but above all, we would brighten the lives of hundreds of thousands of people every day.”

“I understand your passion, but there are jobs for which it’s practically impossible to find a purpose,” remarks George, challenging Miguel’s theory.

“We all have a purpose. The fact that we don’t know it doesn’t mean that we don’t have it; we’re just not aware of it yet,” Miguel replies.

Different purposes

For George, Miguel’s ideas make sense, but he finds it hard to believe that they apply to all jobs. He thinks that not everyone is fortunate enough to be able to find a purpose in their work.

“I understand what you’re saying about purpose, but you can’t deny that some jobs are much more difficult than others. For example, what would you say is the purpose of the people who work on the city’s underground pipes to install the power, Internet, or telephone cables?” George asks.

“I think their mission is to improve the quality of life of the people who live in that neighborhood so they have electricity and can enjoy their appliances, they can communicate with friends and relatives, and their children can do their homework thanks to Internet access,” replies Miguel.

“And the person who spends eight hours a day in a mall clothing store waiting for shoppers to walk in?” asks George.

“Their mission could be to evaluate the customer as well as possible so that they find what they’re looking for, asking the right questions and understanding how they can help them. If it’s for a gift, ask whom the gift is for; if it’s for the shopper, be willing and well disposed to offer the customer different options and sizes. It’s all about achieving the objective, which could be to have the customer leave the store with a smile,” Miguel says.

“Hmm . . . What about a customer service representative? That seems like one of the most difficult jobs to me. All day, they have to deal with unhappy people who call to complain about something. Nobody calls customer service to congratulate them, to tell them how amazing they are, or to talk about how much they appreciate the company or its products. In that case, what could inspire that person?” insists George once again.

“You know, I’ve thought about that, too. Dealing with disappointed customers isn’t easy. That’s precisely why the purpose, in that case, should be one of the most evident. Customer service should be all about helping people who have a problem. When someone in a bad mood calls, it’s a great opportunity to surprise them. It won’t be easy, of course, but what if apart from answering with serenity and kindness, you provide precisely the information they need?” explains Miguel.

“You usually expect to be told that it’s not possible, that you have to call someone else, or that you just have to muddle through it,” says George thoughtfully.

“That’s right, but it doesn’t have to be that way,” explains Miguel. “As I see it, and I’m not an expert on the subject, of course, anyone working in customer service needs to almost be a psychologist. They have to learn to manage people’s emotions. Their mission is to listen and use their knowledge to help resolve the situation, to give support and hope, and to transform a difficult moment into something manageable. Depending on the situation, the purpose can be to reassure, advise, make the customer smile, and of course, solve the person’s problem.”

George looks into the street jammed with cars and remains in deep thought for a while.

“Working isn’t the only thing that motivates us, though, don’t you think?” he says all of a sudden, thinking about the meeting he had had with his team a while ago. “You don’t get up every day feeling inspired to change the world. Although, as you said, it’s a purpose that in theory is always there. There are moments when other reasons give meaning to what you do, reasons that aren’t directly related to work, but to what the money we earn allows us to do. Every job fulfills the basic survival needs: Pay the bills, provide our children with a good education, and enjoy entertainment. Every job, to a greater or lesser extent, fulfills that. Why would my current job motivate me if I can get the same anywhere else?” George wonders.

Now it’s Miguel who interrupts.

“Money is very important, but it isn’t necessarily what inspires us. Once we get what we want, economically speaking, the illusion ends, and we want even more. Not t...

Table of contents

• What if
• A few months later
• Neptune Packaging
• Higher purpose
• Exceed expectations
• Prepare
• Dream
• Take action
• The sweet smell of success
• At any given business
• The 5 lessons
• How to implement the 5 lessons
• Do a job you can feel proud of
• Someone who made a difference
• About the author
• Acknowledgments