I am coming out of my self imposed August retirement to write about something that calls to me, deeply. And to share with you insights and learnings which show up for me as being valuable if you are up for improving service, orchestrating a caring customer experience, and improving organisational effectiveness.
What can we learn from an organisation that kills its customers?
The NHS is more than an organisation it is an institution. Like the BBC, it used to be an institution that was held in affection and even revered. It was an organisation and institution to be proud of. It is also an institution that has been draining resources and has been subjected to the management mindset obsessed with targets, measures and an obsession to drive down costs. The result? This institution has been killing its customers and driving out employees (managers, doctors, nurses) that raised concerns about the functioning of the organisation and the treatment of customers – the patients.
The Berwick report on patient care and patient safety in the NHS
How does the Berwick Report on patient care and safety begin? It begins with this assertion:
Place the quality of patient care, especially patient safety, above all other aims.
Engage, empower, and hear patients and carers at all times.
Foster whole-heartedly the growth and development of all staff, including their ability to support and improve the processes in which they work.
Embrace transparency unequivocally and everywhere in the service of accountability, trust and growth of knowledge.
How is this relevant to business and the customer experience?
When I read this opening passage it struck me that the same is true for organisations who genuinely want to compete with the likes of Amazon, USAA, and John Lewis. As such I have modified this opening passage so that it speaks to business:
Place the quality of customer care, especially the customer experience, above all other aims.
Engage, empower, and hear customers and customer facing employees at all times
Foster whole-heartedly the growth and development of all staff, including their ability to support and improve the processes in which they work.
Embrace transparency unequivocally and everywhere in the service of accountability, trust and growth of knowledge.
Who killed the customers? And what can we learn about what drive organisational behaviour and performance?
When breakdowns occur our temptation, those of us who live in the West and speak the English language, attribute agency and cause to people. Put differently, we blame people for the breakdowns. In the world of business the blame gets placed on the employees. In the NHS the politicians, the managers and the media have placed the blame on doctors and nurses.
What does the Berwick report say? It says “NHS staff are not to blame.”. It goes on to say:
Incorrect priorities do damage: other goals are important and the central focus must always be on patients.
In some instances……clear warning signals abounded and were not heeded, especially the voices of patients and carers.
Fear is toxic to both safety and improvement.
In the vast majority of cases it is the systems, procedures, conditions, environment and constraints that the NHS staff faced that led to patient safety.
As I read these words my experience working in and consulting with many businesses comes to mind. And I say that these sage words apply equally insightfully to the world of business.
I draw your attention to the assertion “Incorrect priorities do damage”. And the recommendation that “the central focus must always be on patients.” Now I ask you, is the central focus of your organisation on the needs/concerns of your customers? And how do the real priorities of your organisation match the talk about customer focus and customer experience? Is there a big gulf? That has been the case with the NHS for many years now. The Tops speak the right words, their actions have not been alignment with their words.
What are the recommendations?
Recognise with clarity and courage the need for wide systemic change.
Abandon blame as tool and trust the goodwill and good intentions of the staff.
Make sure pride and joy in work, not fear, infuse the NHS.
Reassert the primacy of working with patients and carers to achieve healthcare goals.
Use quantitative targets with caution. Such goals do have an important role en route to progress, but should never displace the primary goal of better care.
Recognise the transparency is essential and expect and insist on it.
Let’s rewrite that for business and private sector organisations which genuinely want to excel at the Customer Experience game:
Recognise with clarity and courage the need for wide systemic change if you are to orchestrate and deliver experiences that work for customers and call forth their loyalty.
Abandon blame as tool and trust the goodwill and good intentions of your staff.
Make sure pride and joy in work, not fear, infuse your workplace even the call-centres.
Prioritise working with your customers and customer facing staff to achieve your business goals.
Use quantitative targets – like first call resolution, AHT, NPS etc.- with caution. Such goals do have an important role en route to progress, but should never displace the primary goal of taking care of your customers.
Recognise the transparency is essential and expect and insist on it.
Summing up
Excellence in customer experience is no easy matter for most organisations. What is required is courageous leadership and wide systemic change that involves the entire organisation. It is easy to work on the people. And it is also stupid because organisational performance is driven by the priorities, structure, systems, processes and practices that exist and are maintained by the Tops.
How much VoC work-investment-feedback will it take for your organisation to get off its backside and act? Honestly, how much of VoC is really eye opening as opposed to already known within the organisation?
