Effectively Managing Your Moments of Truth 
By Bob Moore, CMC, MCC, The Effectiveness Coach®

Word Count:  405
Reading Time:  Less than 3 minutes

Over 20 years ago while CEO of Scandinavian Airlines System (SAS), Jan Carlzon wrote the book, Moments of Truth (available in paperback from Amazon for only $9.36).  The timeless concepts within the book have universal application and are worth revisiting by leaders of companies preparing to emerge from the recession. 

Carlzon defined a moment of truth as every opportunity an SAS employee had to make a difference when they came in contact with a customer.  By effectively managing their moments of truth, SAS was transformed from a lackluster state-run airline into a profitable business that consistently won passenger preference surveys. 

How effectively is your organization managing its moments of truth?  How is everyone actively involved in satisfying customers?  The answers to these questions determine whether you are helping to retain customers or sending them to the competition.  Your moments of truth can become defining moments which may become a tipping point for the customer to give you more business and become an advocate for your brand or to go elsewhere.

Consider the following example offered by the owner-manager of a very successful restaurant about to celebrate its 50^th anniversary who said, “It’s the little things that count, especially in a recession.  All of our employees are on notice that every little thing counts when it comes to service, like making sure they smile and saying “my pleasure” instead of “uh huh” or “no problem.”  They also pay attention to the noise level coming from the kitchen and the music that’s being played in the dining room.

Most of the tactics for managing moments of truth do not increase the cost of doing business.  However, execution of a high impact customer satisfaction strategy must begin by taking the customer’s perspective and having empowered and informed workers.  You must also create a culture of accountability with the right players in the right positions on your team who are mastering the essential skills.  Ordinary employees who are managed with an autocratic style are not likely to effectively manage your moments of truth.

To balance this perspective, in my book, Turning Good People Into Top Talent: Key Leadership Strategies for a Winning Company, I mention Hal Rosenbluth who turned a 100+ year-old third generation service company into a global leader by putting their people first.  He attributes his results to nurturing and developing his employees—another example of top talent taking care of customers and effectively managing moments of truth.

Enthusiastically,

Bob

Bob Moore, CMC®, President
Effectiveness, Inc/The Effectiveness Coach®
Aligning Human Capital with Strategic Objectives

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