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Going the "Extra Mile"
Feb. 5th, 2003 09:57 amI love the industry I am in. I love what I do. Herbs are something that I have a wonderful time in. I enjoy interacting and empowering the people I talk to daily so that they can be better aware to help themselves through supplements and herbs and such.
What I don't love is the endless amount of garbage that management teams come up with to have us "go the extra mile". I don't know of anyone in my department, given the tools that they have been given that does not go the extra mile, and yet what we do go isn't ever good enough. For the last four months running, I have had the most recorded customer comments, input, etc. of anyone in the department. I am customer focused. That is what I do, and I do it well. Our computer system, to put it POLITELY is a piece of crap. Its programmed about as badly as anything I have ever seen and the manual that we need to be familiar with in order to be able to function within it properly is thicker than the New York City residential phone book. No, I'm not kidding. I wish I were. I wish I were being sarcastic and complaining for no good reason.
So tomorrow, our management team, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to have a meeting, entitled "Going the Extra Mile". What that translates as is - you will do everything perfectly or we reserve the right to chew you out and toss you over our shoulders. No, we don't care that we pay you diddly for a wage - you will do all these things, lump your luggage, ours and like it,too. Employers are not reciprocal in going the extra mile with employees simply because in this day and age, and in this economy, they don't have to. I have, in the last week been informed that our benefits will decrease while going up in price and the expectation toward perfection will increase. It isn't customer service's fault that we are losing a potential 2,000 customers a month. Its the fault of the "genius" who thought that an herb company should get out of the capsule, tincture and homeopathic business. The discontinuation of these products is the largest contributing factor to the loss of customers - and yet, the powers that be would like to balance the shortsightedness of thier bad business decisions on those who listen to the customers daily. Some of us share their frustration at the company.
The only problem is, is anyone even bothering to listen, or do they keep hearing the same, tired, discordant tune that everyone else hates in their heads? Time will tell.
What I don't love is the endless amount of garbage that management teams come up with to have us "go the extra mile". I don't know of anyone in my department, given the tools that they have been given that does not go the extra mile, and yet what we do go isn't ever good enough. For the last four months running, I have had the most recorded customer comments, input, etc. of anyone in the department. I am customer focused. That is what I do, and I do it well. Our computer system, to put it POLITELY is a piece of crap. Its programmed about as badly as anything I have ever seen and the manual that we need to be familiar with in order to be able to function within it properly is thicker than the New York City residential phone book. No, I'm not kidding. I wish I were. I wish I were being sarcastic and complaining for no good reason.
So tomorrow, our management team, in its infinite wisdom, has decided to have a meeting, entitled "Going the Extra Mile". What that translates as is - you will do everything perfectly or we reserve the right to chew you out and toss you over our shoulders. No, we don't care that we pay you diddly for a wage - you will do all these things, lump your luggage, ours and like it,too. Employers are not reciprocal in going the extra mile with employees simply because in this day and age, and in this economy, they don't have to. I have, in the last week been informed that our benefits will decrease while going up in price and the expectation toward perfection will increase. It isn't customer service's fault that we are losing a potential 2,000 customers a month. Its the fault of the "genius" who thought that an herb company should get out of the capsule, tincture and homeopathic business. The discontinuation of these products is the largest contributing factor to the loss of customers - and yet, the powers that be would like to balance the shortsightedness of thier bad business decisions on those who listen to the customers daily. Some of us share their frustration at the company.
The only problem is, is anyone even bothering to listen, or do they keep hearing the same, tired, discordant tune that everyone else hates in their heads? Time will tell.
