There were four of us at dinner. Three ordered "regular" coffee, the fourth requested "decaf." Every so often a server, carrying two pitchers, refilled the coffee cups and knowingly poured three cups from one pitcher and one from the other. He never asked who wanted which type of coffee.
As we were leaving, one of us asked the server how he knew which of us preferred "decaf." "Simple, the three of you drinking "regular" coffee have black cups with white saucers, we serve "decaf" in white cups with black saucers." Instead of thinking outside the box these people have been thinking outside the cup and saucer.
What an elegant, easy solution. The server doesn't have to interrupt conversation to find who is having which coffee, there is no mix-up or confusion, and everyone gets what they want. More importantly, it demonstrates how deeply the "customer satisfaction" thought process has gone in that particular establishment and it is a lesson for everyone who manages a business.
Imagine how many opportunities for little confusions that exist in delivering any product or service, from not greeting a customer properly to forgetting to return a credit card, and everything in-between. Management that really wants to deliver a superior customer service experience systematically looks at every possible opportunity for confusion or error and attempts to eliminate them as they are identified. In the case of the cup and saucer solution there was no cost expended to solve the problem, just a little time and creativity.
An owners or managers challenge is to identify a little confusion or opportunity for error in your business that can be overcome by thinking through the process and developing a low cost / no cost solution. Instead of thinking outside the box, let's call it "thinking outside the cup."
Larry Galler coaches and consults with high-performance executives, professionals, and small businesses since 1993. He is the writer of the business column, "Front Lines with Larry Galler" Sign up for his newsletter at http://www.larrygaller.com
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
"Nothing is accidental ... use everything." -- Keith JohnstoneEven the... Read More
People often think that there is a creative type. This... Read More
Spontaneity occurs when ideas or behaviours are expressed without evaluation.... Read More
Have you ever arrived at place in your career and... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
Have you ever gotten a really great idea ? one... Read More
Every artifact, every tool, everything ever designed or created by... Read More
Throughout History we have imprisoned our brightest stars and thinkers.... Read More
Some are seeking love in a bottle. Others look for... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
You've heard of applied science, well how about applied Magick.... Read More
I had been given the task to organize a fire... Read More
Thomas Edison failed thousands of times before he revolutionized the... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
One of the ways a person must advance past perfectionism... Read More
Innovation, in a business context, is generally thought of as... Read More
When I first heard Jim Rohn talk about the importance... Read More
Excerpted from the Jim Rohn Weekend Seminar-Excelling in the New... Read More
Yesterday, I went above and beyond the call of duty... Read More
Are you a right-brainer or a left-brainer?The greatest thinkers are... Read More
Excerpted from the Jim Rohn Weekend Seminar-Excelling in the New... Read More
Great men and women succeed moment by moment, step by... Read More
Do you consider your vision perfect? You may never have... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
Yesterday, I went above and beyond the call of duty... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
When you have a problem, sometimes you need a new... Read More
Change, like almost every other life experience, is a learning... Read More
Owning your power, your power to be real, to be... Read More
Before I reveal it, shall we review some things that... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
You've heard of applied science, well how about applied Magick.... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
At 28, Ellen MacArthur is a world record holder. In... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
It's Friday night, you're sitting at a restaurant, and as... Read More
Coaching, training or learning about creativity and innovation involves mastery... Read More
Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More
We don't need to understand quantum physics entirely in order... Read More
The thought that every great thing that has ever happened,... Read More
Some are seeking love in a bottle. Others look for... Read More
Innovation Innovation |