Re-engineering to Success

by JJ Lauderbaugh, CMC

A large percentage of companies, in all industries, have re-engineered, restructured, reorganized, merged or been acquired by another company recently.

Layers of management have been eliminated, and teams have merged to reduce duplication of effort. They are doing more with fewer people. It has been a time of change for many corporations. It's time to be a "change agent" for your company.

James A. Champy, a founding father of the re-engineering revolution says the re-engineering process isn't going far enough or high enough in the corporate structure. Senior management isn't walking the talk.

A true re-engineering effort removes power from a few, and places responsibility for the work on front line individuals who daily interact with customers. The empowered front line personnel should be capable of successfully handling situations when they are given the right tools and service culture.

Champy said, "Instead of talking about strategy, structure and systems, managers in a re-engineered company need to talk about purpose, people, process and culture. They need to continually ask what business they are in, what the fundamental purpose of their enterprise is, what customers want and whether their products or services are meeting that need."

Developing a strong service culture for your people includes empowering them to take responsibility for the customer.

Empowering pitfalls to avoid:

* Not giving authority
* Abandoning them after the initial training
* Forgetting to ask for accountability regularly
* Forgetting to ask for opinions before decision is made
* Taking power back at first mistakes
* Not making decisions only management can make
* Not offering your help and guidance
* Not listening and responding with empathy
* Not painting pictures of your expectations of them
* Not assessing performance
* Not continuing to update front line tools/training
* Not building and maintaining their self esteem
* Not having fun and enjoying the process yourself

When a person reports to you, YOU are their greatest motivator!
Don't just guide them, EXCITE THEM!

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JJ Lauderbaugh, CMC

JJ Lauderbaugh is an international speaker, trainer and consultant
who specializes in customer service management.
JJ may be reached at:

Phone (408) 445-1590

E-mail: jj@jjlauderbaugh.com.

"Re-engineering to Success"

by JJ Lauderbaugh, CMC