The more I search this nation for examples of superior customer service, the more I find just the opposite.
What in the world has happened to the concept of people taking pride in their products, services, and the company for which they work? It’s fast becoming a thing of the past!
Then, of course, when I least expect it … out of nowhere … emerges a perfect example that restores my faith in what can and is being done to raise the bar in a crucial area which is quick becoming a dying art … customer care, concern and service!
The week between Christmas and New Year’s Eve is seldom a favorite choice for organizations to offer training to their employees. It’s simply a hectic, transitional, and often stressful time that many consider non conducive to employee training.
However, this past holiday season I had the opportunity to spend a training day with an organization whose unconventional thinking has continued to pay off in the areas of growth, productivity, and continued success!
Due to the nature of its business, you may not have heard of this organization, but EBS Healthcare is the global leader in birth to 21-year-old programs and the largest provider of services to the pediatric population. It constantly demonstrates an unparalleled commitment to providing the highest quality services, training, mentorship, and support. It is known for its dedication in advancing the field and its passion for developing the best and brightest clinicians possible. Through its family of services it is positively impacting the lives of children. Its comprehensive programs include:
- Speech-Language Pathology
- Occupational Therapy
- Physical Therapy
- Special Education
- School Psychology
- Nursing
This particular seminar was my third opportunity to work with this unique Pennsylvania-based organization as I have spent time with them in Florida and Las Vegas over the past few years. On each occasion, I discovered more interesting aspects of this culture of pride, enthusiasm, focus on quality and growth, and a rare dedication to the satisfaction of each and every client it serves.
When you walk into a room where members of this organization are gathered, you can feel it in the air, hear it in the words, see it on the faces, and marvel at the results. What is it that thrives within a culture like this? What makes them stand out from the rest? There are others who posses these qualities and traits, but they are far and few between.
I guess sharing another day in this environment led me to the age-old question I posed in the title of this article. “What came first?… the chicken or the egg?”
Here’s an organization that already boasts “Raving Fans” all over the globe.
Its continuous training efforts continue to spark its growth and success.
They respect and cooperate with one another as a team at levels I seldom see.
They listen to and communicate with their clients for the benefit of everyone involved.
And yet they still assemble regularly in training sessions similar to the one I facilitated to enhance and support their efforts in all of the crucial areas noted above.
Obviously, they’re already doing these things and doing them better than most.
So did the respect, support, and involvement of employee training come from the heart of the culture OR did the culture result from the “continuous and never-ending improvement” derived from the pursuit of on-going training? The chicken or the egg—that is the question.
I’m not really certain the answer is that important because here we find one of those rare organizations which has mastered the marriage of the culture and continuous search for knowledge to discover and experience the success which follows.
These rare organizations exist in most every industry but they are, indeed, few and far between. Our country is in dire need of many more cultures like this in order to restores to the level of success we once enjoyed as a global leader.
Are you taking steps to achieve such lofty goals?
About Harry K. Jones
Harry K. Jones is a motivational speaker and consultant for AchieveMax®, Inc., a company of professional speakers who provide custom-designed seminars, keynote presentations, and consulting services. Harry's top requested topics include change management, customer service, creativity, employee retention, goal setting, leadership, stress management, teamwork, and time management. For more information on Harry's presentations, please call 800-886-2629 or fill out our contact form.
Some of life’s best lessons emerge daily and seldom appear in textbooks. Look around, read the news, watch TV, and get online. They say “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear!” Well, in this country, that can happen every day. Simply be ready.
In 2006, William Clay Ford stepped down from his responsibilities as President and CEO of Ford Motor Company. That must have been a very difficult decision for the great-grandson of the company’s founder Henry Ford.
In today’s chaotic environment, limiting this list to just ten reasons may seem a bit restrictive. I say that because our enthusiastic media is kind enough to provide us with dozens of reasons every day. Listed below are the TOP TEN reasons you should delay that critical pursuit of what you consider to be success.
Apparently, as a culture, we are quickly learning to adapt to the need of expanding our comfort zones and taking calculated risks. I’m sure much of that has evolved from the current chaotic state of existence in the U.S. today.
An intricate segment of our 
Our life can be divided into three crucial areas in relation to our future success.
There are so many reality shows on television today that most of us don’t even notice when new ones emerge almost every week. However, let’s imagine for a moment, that YOU were the focus of a reality show scheduled for prime time on the nation’s most popular network.
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The older I get, the easier it is for me to be empathetic. It wasn’t always that way. For more years than I’d like to admit, I was stubborn and bull-headed. For the longest time, it was “my way or the highway!” I still have flashes of that attitude. It doesn’t hurt to stand your ground from time to time. However, today I also strive to be more empathetic when needed.
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Don’t miss the boat.
Change is exciting. Change is threatening.
As infants and children, we would ride in cars with no car seats, booster seats, seat belts or air bags.
WE HAD FRIENDS, and we went outside and found them! We fell out of trees, got cut, broke bones and teeth, and there were no lawsuits from these accidents.