Comments on: Bad Business http://www.bkh.co.uk/blog/2008/12/29/bad-business/ BKH Barrow Kwong Hing | Chris Barrow & Al Kwong Hing in UK Dentistry | Dental Practice Tue, 24 Jan 2012 05:25:12 +0000 hourly 1 http://wordpress.org/?v=3.3.1 By: Sital http://www.bkh.co.uk/blog/2008/12/29/bad-business/#comment-3669 Sital Wed, 31 Dec 2008 00:22:55 +0000 http://www.coachbarrow.com/blog/?p=1237#comment-3669 oops - i meant Aer Lingus, not Ryan Air! oops – i meant Aer Lingus, not Ryan Air!

]]> By: Sital http://www.bkh.co.uk/blog/2008/12/29/bad-business/#comment-3668 Sital Wed, 31 Dec 2008 00:20:20 +0000 http://www.coachbarrow.com/blog/?p=1237#comment-3668 The likes of South West Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Ikea and Asda have taken market share from their larger competitors in recent years because they: 1) Run their businesses based on 'Principles' instead of just 'Rules' Rules = are black and white. Little room for grey areas (or common sense) Principles = broad values and attitudes that define the business (attitude to customers, how you behave internally, general standards etc) 2) Hire people who share their values, can think for themselves, have common sense and can make decisions (i.e. don't just hire people who follow rules and can't think for themselves) 3) Indocrinate their people with the principles and values of their business (i.e. in the same way parents indocrinate their kids with their own value system) 4) Empower, train and trust their customer facing teams to make decisions that are right for each situation based on the company values and principles (i.e you can't prepare kids with rules for every situation - but give them the right values and in the long run they'll make the right decision most of time) 5) Let people screw up, get things wrong, learn from mistakes and course correct 6) Have modern leaders in the field who coach and facilitate the above Ryan Air (and many dental practices) may talk a good game on customer service and may have many of the above points in place. But it's usually points 5 and 6 that they fall down on and so revert to black and white rules they can 'control' even if it means losing business. The likes of South West Airlines, Virgin Atlantic, Ikea and Asda have taken market share from their larger competitors in recent years because they:

1) Run their businesses based on ‘Principles’ instead of just ‘Rules’

Rules = are black and white. Little room for grey areas (or common sense)
Principles = broad values and attitudes that define the business (attitude to customers, how you behave internally, general standards etc)

2) Hire people who share their values, can think for themselves, have common sense and can make decisions (i.e. don’t just hire people who follow rules and can’t think for themselves)

3) Indocrinate their people with the principles and values of their business (i.e. in the same way parents indocrinate their kids with their own value system)

4) Empower, train and trust their customer facing teams to make decisions that are right for each situation based on the company values and principles
(i.e you can’t prepare kids with rules for every situation – but give them the right values and in the long run they’ll make the right decision most of time)

5) Let people screw up, get things wrong, learn from mistakes and course correct

6) Have modern leaders in the field who coach and facilitate the above

Ryan Air (and many dental practices) may talk a good game on customer service and may have many of the above points in place. But it’s usually points 5 and 6 that they fall down on and so revert to black and white rules they can ‘control’ even if it means losing business.

]]> By: Paul Cole http://www.bkh.co.uk/blog/2008/12/29/bad-business/#comment-3666 Paul Cole Tue, 30 Dec 2008 13:07:51 +0000 http://www.coachbarrow.com/blog/?p=1237#comment-3666 Here's a thought... what would be your position if a patient arrived at the desk 10 minutes prior to their appointment for a filling and said that they did not want to pay £120, they would only pay £80 as they could have it done elsewhere at that price. Do you turn away the patient and have £0 and an empty chair, or do you accept the £80... 'Do you want the business?' Here’s a thought… what would be your position if a patient arrived at the desk 10 minutes prior to their appointment for a filling and said that they did not want to pay £120, they would only pay £80 as they could have it done elsewhere at that price. Do you turn away the patient and have £0 and an empty chair, or do you accept the £80… ‘Do you want the business?’

]]> By: Mark Oborn http://www.bkh.co.uk/blog/2008/12/29/bad-business/#comment-3659 Mark Oborn Mon, 29 Dec 2008 11:30:28 +0000 http://www.coachbarrow.com/blog/?p=1237#comment-3659 Excellent post Chris! It strikes me that as highly technical people dentists/technicians/hygienists are bound by processes and rules, we all know that if we cut corners at some point in the process that it will come back to bite us. We write rules and protocols for every procedure we do, and spend hours...no YEARS refining them so that our lives are made simple and predictable when we practice our science of dentistry. The problem is that we then translate this to our business. If we were a manufacturing industry with a highly standardised product this approach may work...but we are not, we are a service, and so many technical dental business owners treat their business as though we are making cardboard boxes, without empowering their workforce to make the RIGHT decision at a key point in the customer experience. I hope this post is read and taken note of by many....thank Chris. Regards, Mark Excellent post Chris! It strikes me that as highly technical people dentists/technicians/hygienists are bound by processes and rules, we all know that if we cut corners at some point in the process that it will come back to bite us. We write rules and protocols for every procedure we do, and spend hours…no YEARS refining them so that our lives are made simple and predictable when we practice our science of dentistry.

The problem is that we then translate this to our business. If we were a manufacturing industry with a highly standardised product this approach may work…but we are not, we are a service, and so many technical dental business owners treat their business as though we are making cardboard boxes, without empowering their workforce to make the RIGHT decision at a key point in the customer experience.

I hope this post is read and taken note of by many….thank Chris.

Regards,

Mark

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