Yes, please, thank you
Or perhaps I should have titled this latest blog commercial office design cringers!
Thinking of commercial office design brings me back once again to say “Hello – Baxter from Bellfort is back”. Today I want to talk to you about something that seems to be lost on many occasions. Perhaps on the brink of extinction when it comes to commercial office design. Actually, it’s not just commercial office design but every aspect of life. It’s also a topic close to the heart of Bellfort because we believe 100% in it and our focus never strays from it.
Customer service is what I want to harp on about today. That’s right – plain old manners in the interior fitout industry. A lot of people are choosing to forget about these days and I’m not too happy about that fact.
And I bet anything I’ve got you all nodding your heads already. I think everyone has been on the receiving end of bad customer service. Given I’ve got a bee in my bonnet about this topic, I thought I would share some Baxter thoughts with you. You may like to keep these pointers in mind for the next time you are faced with shabby service.
The Crowd Pleaser
How often have you been faced with making a decision and the person assisting you has loved everything they have suggested? And left you with an addled brain? Last time I was in this situation, I was looking at tiles for a specific commercial office design project.
The person helping me ended up being no help at all. I had spread out existing finishes for a project and wanted to get the right colour tile for a splashback. I actually thought I would be out of that joint pretty quick with a tile clutched in my paw.
Well I wasn’t! A frustrating 45 minutes later I was still being shown different coloured tiles to what I wanted. I was being told how wonderful they would work with my scheme. Was this person playing with my time or what?
After a few deep breaths and a calm word in my own ear, I came to realisation. I was interacting with someone who felt they were doing the right thing, even though they hadn’t listened to me. It’s not worth getting mad at someone in this situation. However,. I highly recommend getting even – in a nice way of course!
Office design should be a positive experience
If your requests are being ignored, ignore their suggestions. Seek out what you want yourself. Within a very short time the person “helping” you will stop and realise that you aren’t listening to them. They may have a few awkward moments as they adjust their level of “help” and focus in on you. But that’s ok. Once you are past this, everything should soon be back on track and no angry feelings will be felt by anyone.
The Commercial Office Design Fitout Negative Nelly
I’m so not a fan of negativity! In fact I find dealing with a negative person kind of sucks all the air out of a room. That’s not a good thing because we need air! Last week I had a meeting with a group of people and it started with them drowning in negative thoughts and comments. In fact they were almost smothering each other. Smothering with enough negativity to put out the great fire of ’49 (not that I was around then but I heard it was pretty bad!).
What I have discovered is that when people jump on that negative bike, others easily follow. The trick here is to focus every atom of positivity at the source of negativity. I did manage to turn this meeting around. Firstly, by sympathising and acknowledging what Mr Negative had been talking about. This way they feel they are being heard. Often that’s really what they are wanting more than anything else.
Once they understand you are listening to their tirade, listen for openings in the conversation. These will allow you to slot in a punch of positive.
I also kept watch on the others in the meeting and found the Nodder.
Trust me, there is always a Nodder and once the nod is out there and noticed, they can’t take it away.
The outcome of the meeting was that people were able to express their views. And I was able to let everyone in that room see a positive solution. People did start agreeing with the Nodder and once you have a few, others follow. Basically, Mr Negative had to consider a different point of view. Ultimately, this allowed the meeting to continue and end with positive outcomes for all.
Customer service?
You might be wondering how this is good customer service, right? Well, in this instance, I have a content client who understands I will listen to whatever they have to say regarding commercial office design. And that should always happen. Even if they don’t really understand it. I also have a content client who believes I will provide a positive solution to their concerns. And I think that’s a really good thing!
The ‘She’ll be Right’ Mate (the SBR)
I’ve come across the SBR far too often. It never ceases to amaze me that there are people earning a living by not giving a damn about what they do. I have seen near accidents, poor workmanship and unfinished work. Bad manners and lack of interest in many different situations – from big to small. I used to think I expected too much. I would chastise myself with the usual “get a grip Baxter – you expect the impossible”. Now I believe that I don’t expect the impossible, but a reasonable result. Or a response that everyone should feel proud of. And I don’t think that’s too much to ask, whether it be a commercial interior design project or not.
The perfect example is that I wanted to get a new light for my bike the other day. I found the light and asked for it to be fitted which wasn’t a good thing because they didn’t do it properly. I asked the person who installed the light to fix it better. They just didn’t get it. They believed it was just fine. And it wasn’t!
So how should you tackle the SBR? Simple! Turn the tables on them and ask them to accept their own workmanship. I did this with the light installer and the silence following my question was not that comfortable. Hearing themselves say “No, I can’t use this light because I’ve installed it wrong” instantly resolved the problem. Don’t get me wrong, you still need to work with the SBR and help them understand what the end result should be. But I do think the key is ownership. If they don’t have it, she’ll never be right.
The Invisible Mist
How often have you been somewhere and needed some help on a product or item that you were considering buying? I would have to say this happens an awful lot with me. And I know there is a general belief that the less pleasant looking you are, the less service you get. But come on! Why is it that some people who work in the service world need their eyesight checked? Do they just want to avoid work or do they have an aversion to helping? And what do you do when you need their help?
Apart from walking out and going elsewhere, you are kind of stuck with sorting this person out yourself.
The last time this happened to me I found myself becoming rather loud and very friendly. I made a point of stopping them in their tracks, sticking out my hand and introducing myself so they had no option but to acknowledge me and provide the help I needed. Maybe this type of person is a bit shy and that’s what holds them back from being of help. Or maybe they just don’t like to help those from the lesser aesthetic.
A common courtesy!
Either way, you can get what you need by taking the lead and demonstrating that as you have manners, you expect them from others as well. I’m not saying that my approach to this situation will remove the invisible mist surrounding you forever. But what I can guarantee is that it will reaffirm your belief in yourself and the fact that you have a right to be helped, no matter what.
When it comes to commercial office design, this is my favourite type, of course! While the OWGIRT may have moments of madness now and then and possibly display some of the behaviours mentioned above, most of the time they are happy to help, understand the meaning of please and thank you and even top it off with a smile. The OWGIRT acknowledges the industry they are in and believes that a positive approach to life can’t help but benefit everyone they interact with. They provide a professional service and willingly listen so that help, advice and answers are quickly delivered.
Sounding far-fetched to you? It shouldn’t because I do think there are OWGIRT’s everywhere we go. We sometimes just don’t see them because other interesting characters have gotten in the way. OWGIRT’s don’t like to be hugged so if you feel overwhelmed by their service, avoid hugging them. Make sure however you thank them and acknowledge the manners they have shared with you as this keeps the circle turning. And I kind of like the thought of getting dizzy!
Well I feel rather cleansed following my manner-rant. In fact I highly recommend you trying it if you find yourself in a situation that is lacking the simple please and thank you. The more we talk about manners – good and bad, hopefully the more people will use them. If you would like to read more of my blogs, click here.
Pip, pip, cheerio
Baxter at Bellfort
79 St Georges Terrace, Perth WA 6000, Australia
