NCorres' Weblog

I hear a lot of theories in my line of work.  Consultants hear them and propose them.  It’s part of what we do. 

They are not always called theories.  Sometimes we call them strategies, sometimes they are called business plans.  They amount to the same thing – they require a certain understanding of concepts that most people take for granted.  Like the many scientific studies that report on subject matter that seems to be common sense, many theories in business seem to address ideas that should be self-evident.

“Customer Service” like “Gravity” is a theory that people do not concern themselves with unless they are confronted by an ugly situation involving their expectations about that theory.  For example – when you hit turbulence while sitting in a plane that is 10,000 feet in the air – suddenly you are reviewing everything you ever knew about gravity and the way airflight finds a loophole in the whole theory of objects falling.  Likewise, until a customer threatens to pull their business from you, Customer Service is simply taken for granted.  And if that customer represents a large percentage of your revenue, you will find yourself in a freefall situation, wondering if the oxygen masks will be making an appearance anytime soon. 

Before you get to the panic point, if you are a business owner or a department manager, set aside a time monthly to review those theories (or plans or strategies) that might need a plan B… just in case. 

I don’t fly with a parachute available, but I do always know how many seats away the nearest exit is, so if the lights go out and I need to find the exit, I can count my way there.  Likewise, if I am dependent on one client – I take pains to safeguard that relationship and to develop alternative business opportunities.