Believe!The bells of good service ring for those who believe
Tue, 12/13/2011 - 12:36
He is nameless in the movie Polar Express and the closing credits only give him the name, “Hero Boy.” The adventures depicted in the movie follow the plight of a young boy who doesn’t believe in Santa Claus. Hero Boy cannot hear the bells of… The Information Technology ConundrumNew methods and thinking for failing IT projects
Wed, 11/02/2011 - 13:31
Information technology is failing us. Service organizations the world over have been left to sift through the carnage of IT projects that have failed. Undeterred, they seem to quickly embrace the next IT project before the last is given a proper… Six Counterintuitive Truths to Improve ServiceRethinking success
Fri, 09/23/2011 - 15:49
Improvement in any organization is difficult enough, but if you don’t know about these counterintuitive truths, you stand to make things worse.
I had long searched for a way to be able to improve service organizations the same way that W.… Charlie and the Management FactoryWhat the Ooompa-Loompas can teach us
Wed, 08/10/2011 - 11:56
Charlie Bucket and his adventures in a chocolate factory may be fantasy, but anyone watching realizes that the Oompa-Loompas provide most of the innovation and work at the factory. Yet in today’s service companies, the emphasis is less on the… A Three-Word Phrase That Destroys
Service SystemsDesigning systems for special causes increases costs
Mon, 06/27/2011 - 11:00
If a service company has been around long enough, there will be some story about how someone manipulated the system and embezzled money or committed some type of fraud. The story is often anecdotal, and the longer it has been since the actual… The Changing Game of Service QualityYou can excuse but you can’t hide poor service
Tue, 05/24/2011 - 06:00
Caveat emptor or “let the buyer beware” is a long-used phrase familiar to consumers. Your ability to get good service is proportional to your knowledge. Certain industries have poor reputations that make customers wary, but they remain reliant on… Are You a Sheet or Shelf Thinker?How you think will govern organizational performance
Tue, 05/03/2011 - 06:00
My first job was in industrial distribution, and with distribution came learning to count inventory. An annual inventory tax was levied, so an accurate count was important. I was given a computer list of items to count. An important lesson I learned… Who’s to Blame: Management or Labor?It’s management, it’s not even close... but not for the reason you're thinking
Wed, 03/16/2011 - 05:30
The real battle for quality doesn’t lie in processes; it lies in thinking. The recent rift in the state of Wisconsin and other places caused in part by increasing government costs leads one to ask: “Who is responsible? Is it management or labor… The Shared Services ParadoxVisible savings can hide the cost of poor design and workflow
Wed, 02/16/2011 - 05:00
The hordes of companies and governments moving to shared services are dizzying. So many have combined back offices, human resources (HR), information technology (IT), finance, and contact centers that most companies assume this is a good thing.… That Giant Sucking Sound from Missed OpportunityThe greatest area for improvement effort lies with management thinking
Tue, 01/04/2011 - 04:30
Missed opportunities for improvement represent a 20–60 percent chunk carved out of the bottom line. Scores of programs and projects that claim improvement but never materialize in the financials are a travesty. The Wall Street Journal reports that…
