‘The attention span of a gnat.’ That’s the way Millennials are often described. It’s a fair description…but only if you apply it to all of us… Boomers included. Why? Because short attention spans are not the result of a weird genetic mutation found only by autopsy of Millennials.
Short attention spans are mostly the result of allowing technology to dominate nearly every aspect of our lives.
Boomers are often portrayed as being slow to adopt new technology and new ideas while Millennials see themselves as expert multi-taskers.
The facts are different from the reality. There is no evidence that Millennials are expert multitaskers or that Boomers are better or worse at multi-tasking than Millennials. As for Boomers being slow to adopt new ideas answer this: which is probably closer to the truth: an employee is likely to be more comfortable with processes and procedures that have been successful for a long period of time than with those most recently adopted in the organization.
In the new economy, successful selling is likely the result of a series of brief infrequent encounters. The velocity of the sales cycle is shorter than ever while customer demands for low prices, high quality products, customization and personalization continue to increase. This means we have to get good, really good, at establishing rapport quickly. Get ‘em in, solve their problem, make them say wow and be ready to repeat the process in an instant.
Successfully managing brief infrequent encounters requires hiring and positioning employees who can handle the stress of dealing with large numbers of people. More to the point you will need people who actually enjoy juggling multiple inputs and performing a variety of tasks. We are looking for what we call Service Naturals… folks who thrive on the hustle.
Managing Brief, Infrequent Encounters.
Does your customer contact staff possess “selective” charm? Do they know how and when to play?
Does management present a strong, positive example? Have line supervisors demonstrated the ability and willingness to handle customers in need of special attention? If not, why not?
Are your employees rewarded for successfully delivering Positively Outrageous Service during Brief, Infrequent, Encounters?
We discovered that there is a perfect person for every job. This may be especially true for jobs involving brief, infrequent, encounters. If that describes your situation just make sure you hire those who are highly customer contact tolerant and teach them to deliver service at a tempo that makes your customers say wow!
