Tag: quotes

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Customer service Engagement Marketing

“The Rock and Roll Guide to Customer Loyalty”

Seriously, it’s an e-book about customer service with a rock & roll twist written by Joe Heuer, the Rock and Roll Guru.

I fell in love with The Rock and Roll Guide to Customer Loyalty because it’s a fun read that carries a meaningful message about customer service. As a baby-boomer, I enjoy classic ‘60s music. As an advocate of internal marketing, I also love that Joe gets the value of engaging employees in generating customer loyalty.

Some of the groovy gems from this complimentary e-book (yes, it’s free!) include:

  • “Lip-synching: The rock & roll equivalent of the fake customer service smile.”
  • Concerts = encounters with customers, aka moments of truth wherein “your challenge is to create a memorable moment that makes your customer say, ‘WOW!’”
  • Band = employees who are your internal customers and coworkers. “Customer loyalty begins with internal loyalty. … What are you currently doing to make your workplace one that attracts and retains radically happy and loyal band members?”
  • A standing ovation = appreciation. “Be outrageous in demonstrating your love and appreciation for your customers … [and] internal customers.”

And my favorite quote: “Treating your internal customers like rock stars goes beyond providing red M&M’s and Dom Perignon. But that’s a good start.”

Pass around those M&Ms and champagne, and rock on!

[Note: Special thanks to Phil Gerbyshak for introducing me to Joe.]

Categories
Musings

Giving Thanks

“Feeling gratitude and not expressing it is like wrapping a present and not giving it.” – William Arthur Ward

This year, I’m especially grateful for:

  • celebrating happy occasions with family and friends (weddings, births, and other special milestones)
  • reconnecting with hometown classmates and campmates via FB (along with a few mini-reunions)
  • getting together with friends and colleagues at conferences and workshops
  • continuing to work with wonderful clients
  • experimenting with new technology (including my new company website, home to my first e-book, and teaching my first webinar).

And, as always, I’m most thankful for the love and support of my family and friends.

Happy Thanksgiving!

 

Categories
Engagement Marketing

Workplace Success Starts Here

A strong culture depends on leaders who strive for success from the inside out. They truly recognize and respect their employees and are diligent in engaging and partnering with them. Unfortunately, some CEOs only recognize their people as a “most valued asset” in the company’s annual report.

Note: Debra Semans and I will address how to build a strong workplace culture at the Internal Branding & Internal Marketing: Strategic Integration for Market Leadership program we’re presenting this week in San Francisco and again in Atlanta in February 2011.

“Companies that had a strong culture going into this terrible time over the last 18 months and companies that really do care for their employees are the ones that did much better through this difficult time.” 
– Diana Oreck, VP-Ritz-Carlton Hotel Global Learning & Leadership Center,
Marketing News interview

Re-Engage authors Leigh Branham and Mark Hirschfeld said it best:

“If you begin your branding process by declaring an ‘aspirational brand’ without aligning it with the reality of employees’ daily work experience, you are in danger of writing a check your culture can’t cash.”

 

Categories
Engagement

Observing Boss’s Day: Celebratory Lunch or Lawsuit?

Just in time for National Boss’s Day, October 16, 2010 – I know of an insurance company and law firm who are co-presenting a seminar entitled: “Suing the Boss – A Guide for Prevention.” This timely topic is based on an increase in employee-employer lawsuits spurred by the recession.

Despite all the “how-to-be-the-best-in-business” books, workshops, and executive coaches available, there are still many bad bosses. (Maybe that’s why we have all those books, workshops, and coaches?!)

Consider this conversation about a boss pushing back on the subject of employee engagement.

Boss: “It’s not my job to make my employees happy!”
Consultant: “It’s not your job to make them miserable either!”

My suggestion to the bad bosses out there: get your act together – if not because it’s the right thing to do, at least to minimize your liability.

And my suggestion to those employees fortunate to work for good bosses – let them know you appreciate them every day, not just Boss’s Day.

[Source of boss-consultant conversation adapted from Re-Engage by Leigh Branham and Mark Hirschfeld.]

Categories
Engagement

Questions on Employee Engagement

Before you can find the right answers, you need to ask the right questions. And that’s just what you get in this free e-book, Engaging Questions: The Question is the Answer, from the Employee Engagement Network.

Whether you need to begin the dialog or explore a specific issue related to employee engagement in your workplace, this e-book is a great source of more than 100 thought-provoking and starter questions.

Here’s a sample:

  • Who is responsible for employee engagement? (from Art Bingham, p. 22)
  • What would you need to see from management, so you would know that they were as engaged as they want you to be? (from Christine Dunn, p. 39)
  • What things do people in your work group do that make you feel connected to your company? (from Tim Houlihan, p. 26)
  • When we hire new employees, how can our onboarding process maintain the enthusiasm they have when they accept a position? (from Peggy Foster, p. 8)
  • Beyond knowing how many employees work in the company, do top managers know many employees are actually contributing to the company’s success? And what can they do to ensure the second number equals the first? (my question, p. 15).
Categories
Engagement

Nonprofit “Volunteer vs. Staff” Talent: Interview with Susan Ellis

I was introduced to volunteer expert Susan Ellis, president of Energize, Inc., when researching my volunteer engagement series. I had several follow-up questions for her, and she graciously gave her time to answer them in this interview.

QSM: It’s been said that nonprofits are likely to rely more on volunteers in lieu of hiring paid staff in today’s tough times. What are your thoughts on this issue?

Susan: The idea that anyone “chooses” to work with volunteers rather than paid staff is a non-starter. If there is work for a 35-40-hour-a-week position, it’s a job. Maybe you could get trained volunteers capable of doing the work, but you’d need at least 10 volunteers to juggle their part-time schedules to fill the 40 hours of work needed – and who’s going to supervise them?

On the other hand, there are lots of particular activities that are actually done more successfully by volunteers because of the “perception of credibility” that people assign to volunteers. So a nurse can help someone with AIDS, but that’s his/her job. When a volunteer is supportive of someone with AIDS, the impact is greater because it is perceived as a matter of will not obligation. Donors prefer to give money to volunteers who do not themselves stand to gain anything monetarily from the donation.

Organizations may be increasing volunteer numbers, but to do different things than employees had been doing. For example, when libraries close because of budget cuts, volunteers may be able to open the building doors on a Saturday so that people can use the resources and borrow/return books. But the services provided by librarians are missing during those times.

QSM: What do you advise in situations where there is resentment between paid staff and volunteers? 

Susan: The subject of tension between volunteers and employees is indeed the #1 most requested training topic in the field. Resentment is inherent in the roles unless anticipated and managed, but it can be overcome with great success. Volunteers do not WANT the staff’s jobs! They want to be of use to a cause they care about, for a few hours at a time. When staff feel threatened, they circle the wagons and won’t let volunteers be helpful, except in menial ways.

Resentment occurs if volunteers and employees are expected to do the same things – always a bad idea. I say that the most successful programs recruit volunteers for skills and talents totally different from the paid staff. Let paid social workers counsel and paid teachers teach. Get volunteers to teach “food shopping on a budget” or spend one-to-one time with a student who needs some extra help to practice a lesson, or talk to the class about what it’s like to be a police officer. Those sorts of roles do not cause resentment – they are welcomed by everyone.

Is there lousy volunteer management out there? Sure. But does that mean there is no value to it? NO. Getting (or giving) a salary is not the highest good in the world. I can pay an adult literacy tutor or a Big Brother/Big Sister, and the tasks done may be the same, but the adult loses a friend and the kid gets another teacher or babysitter. Again, perception of credibility.

QSM: Are there any resources that explain when to use staff and/or volunteer talent?

Susan: Self-servingly, I deal with exactly these issues in From the Top Down, and often in my Hot Topics, such as the one I wrote in December, When the Ax Falls: Budget Cutting and Volunteers.

QSM: In the latter article I especially like your comment, “Plan for volunteers when times are good if you want their help in times of crises.”

Susan: There have also been dozens if not more articles in the last year about how important volunteering is to the unemployed themselves. If the person selects the right volunteer role, this can be job training; it can assure that something meaningful appears on a resume in between losing a job and now. It immeasurably improves self-image and emotional well-being. (Note that the worse the economy becomes, the more people offer to volunteer. Really! And this has been true since the Great Depression and in all recessions.)

QSM: Thanks, Susan, for sharing your great advice and wisdom!

Categories
Engagement Marketing

Engaging Volunteers (5): The Volunteer-Staff Connection

“Without a disciplined and respectful approach to recruitment, orientation, support, assessment, and recognition, we will have lower performance and a disenchanted volunteer.”
– Francis Hesselbein in Hesselbein on Leadership.

The same can be said of employees.

Staff and volunteers require:

  • an investment of time for training and ongoing communication
  • attention in terms of feedback and recognition
  • and the tools (applicable resources) needed to accomplish the organization’s goals and advance its mission.

The challenge for nonprofit managers is that internal issues regarding staff engagement also impact volunteer engagement. Like it or not, volunteers pay close attention to the staff they work with and are sensitive to employee satisfaction cues. As one frustrated volunteer told me recently: “The organization seems to expect the volunteers to be a subset of their staff and we know how they treat their staff. So in retrospect, why do we expect them to treat us volunteers any differently?!”

Volunteer relations “mirror” employee relations – if your employees don’t feel valued, neither will your volunteers.

Coming up: in my last post in this series I’ll share a list of resource links for volunteer engagement and management.

Categories
Engagement Marketing Training & Development

Engaging Volunteers (3): Intentional Volunteer Management

 

“Too many organizations are thoughtless when it comes to volunteers.”
– Susan Ellis, president of Energize, Inc., a volunteer training & consulting firm.

Sadly, many former volunteers would agree with this statement. That’s why an intentional and proactive (rather than passive or reactive) effort is needed to effectively engage and retain volunteers.

Here are some guidelines to help you get started with intentional volunteer engagement and management.

  • Focus at the Board Level
    Volunteer expert Susan Ellis recommends volunteer involvement be a regular part of the board agenda so it can proactively focus on how to effectively recruit, engage, and maximize volunteer participation. “Don’t allow volunteer involvement to be the invisible personnel issue,” she says. She also suggests creating a board committee on volunteerism.
  • Learn who your volunteers are, their interest in your organization, and their volunteer expectations (as described in my previous post).
  • Clarify and clearly communicate your organization’s expectations of volunteers and what they can expect from you. Here’s a great example: After meeting with a nonprofit organization’s leaders, I received a follow-up letter inviting me to serve on their advisory council. This invitation described council members’ responsibilities and stated what the organization promised them in return, including “Appreciation of your time and our commitment not to abuse your time or generosity.”
  • Find ways to connect your volunteers to:
    • your organization’s mission, strategic direction, and goals. (Note: You can even include volunteers in your strategic planning process.)
    • your stakeholders (if applicable) to see your mission in action
    • your other volunteers for mentoring and partnering
    • your staff, particularly those with whom they’ll be working.
  • Provide the mission-focused training and tools your volunteers need to best serve the organization; e.g., orientation, ongoing communication, recognition, etc.
  • Proactively listen to your volunteers – obtain their feedback, ideas, concerns – and respond appropriately.

Volunteers require more than a simple “recruit ‘em and recognize ‘em” approach. Nonprofit leaders need to invest time and attention to engaging, managing, and retaining volunteer talent.

Stay tuned for my next post that will explore the challenge of engaging volunteers who are also brand partners.

Categories
Engagement Marketing

Engaging Volunteers (2): Understanding the Volunteer Experience

The second post in this volunteer engagement & management series focuses on the volunteer experience.

Workplace engagement applies to both nonprofit employees and volunteers. Like employees, volunteers are not immune to becoming disenchanted with the nonprofits they serve. Unlike employees, however, it’s easier for volunteers to leave when they become disengaged.

The Corporation for National and Community Service (CNSC) addressed the problem of volunteer turnover in a 2009 research brief:

“ … over one third of volunteers (35.5%) drop out of service each year and do not serve with any organizations the following year. While new volunteers may be walking through the door of an organization, they may not stay, or they may be replacing an existing volunteer. This high rate of volunteer turnover stunts the productivity of nonprofit organizations as they focus on replacing volunteers instead of maximizing impact.”

Nonprofits cannot afford to lose this talent in a down economy when they’re increasingly hard pressed to serve growing needs with fewer resources. That’s why the volunteer experience is receiving renewed attention.

To better manage this experience, you need to understand who your volunteers are, what motivates them to become involved and stay with your organization, and what contributes and detracts from the quality of their experience with you. Volunteer motivations vary by individual and intensity; reasons range from wanting to “give back” … to sharing skills and/or learning new ones … to needing to feel needed … to getting involved to stay busy. Regardless of their respective motivations, most volunteers choose to get involved in a particular organization because they share a belief in the cause/mission and wish to make a difference.

Nonprofits can learn about their volunteer talent through research and informal listening posts that include volunteer surveys, roundtables, staff and volunteer feedback, etc. Here are sample questions that will provide important insight on volunteer motivations and expectations:

  • What about this organization appealed to you to get you involved?
  • What about this organization keeps you involved? [for long term volunteers]
  • What do you expect to give and get from your volunteer involvement?
  • What do you enjoy most about your volunteer experience here?
  • What suggestions do you have for staff that can improve the volunteer experience?
  • Would you recommend this organization to other volunteers? Why or why not?

Also consider exit interviews with volunteers who leave your organization – whether through rotating volunteer service (fulfilling board or committee term limits), burn-out, a negative experience, or other reason. Sample questions include:

  • What do you know now about this organization that you wish you had known when you first became involved?
  • What did you enjoy most about your volunteer experience? (or) What will you miss most about your volunteer experience here? [ask only if the volunteer is leaving on good terms]
  • What suggestions do you have for staff that can improve the volunteer experience?
  • Would you recommend this organization to other volunteers? (Probe why or why not?)

Responses to these types of questions will enable you to build a knowledge base of volunteer motivations, expectations, and perceptions of your organization.

In my next post I’ll cover what nonprofits can do to better engage their volunteers through intentional management.

Categories
Engagement Marketing

Engaging Volunteers (1): A Volunteer Story

This blog post kicks off a six-part series in which I explore volunteer engagement and management.

It’s a critical topic for nonprofits that need to capture the attention and availability of more unemployed and underemployed workers willing to volunteer time and energy.

But the match of nonprofits and able volunteers won’t work if volunteer talent is not effectively managed.

I was excited to be a first-time volunteer at a special holiday party for children and their families hit hard by the economy. When I arrived at the banquet hall I was stunned by the number of buses already in the parking lot and the constant stream of bus loads arriving from churches and community groups. I entered the fray and squeezed my way through the crowd to find volunteer registration.

The volunteer table was chaos central. I introduced myself, explained I had signed up to serve the dinner shift, and asked about the check-in process. After shuffling paper and unable to find the sign-in sheet, one of the volunteers handed me a volunteer button, pointed to the dining hall, and told me to just go in and help out.

The room was set up with rows of tables to accommodate hundreds of people, and there seemed to be hundreds more milling about. Two long buffet stations were set up at one end of the banquet room lined with volunteers dishing out turkey, ham, stuffing, potatoes, green beans, rolls & butter; other volunteers ran back and forth to the kitchen to replenish the serving stations. More volunteers cleared dishes while groups of guests waited to be seated. I attached myself to a volunteer who had worked the event before, then quickly learned the ropes to make myself useful. Fortunately there were more than enough – even too many – volunteers to help out.

At the end of my shift, I thanked my fellow volunteer for taking me under her wing. There was no official “sign out” of volunteers, so I just waved to the people working the volunteer table and left the banquet hall. It was my first and last time at the event.

As a long time volunteer involved in a variety of organizations, I was surprised by the lack of advance communications, on-site instructions, and post-event acknowledgment encouraging volunteers to return. The good news is the holiday party attracts an abundance of volunteers; the bad news is not all of them return. Note: the event is organized and hosted through the generosity of a private company, not by a nonprofit. Nonetheless, it illustrates that volunteer engagement requires more than a “if-you-build-it-they-will-come” approach.

“Sadly, most nonprofits do not view their volunteers as strategic assets and have not developed ways to take full advantage of them.”
– excerpt from Stanford Social Innovation Review article “The New Volunteer Workforce.”

I hope you’ll join me in this “Engaging Volunteer” series that includes:

Throughout this special series, I invite you to share your experience as a volunteer. Comments from nonprofit managers are also welcome.