Welcome The Interruptions

I was sitting at Starbucks this morning, poised to write a blog post that was going to knock your socks off.  It was at that point that my neighbor Howard walked by.  Let me tell you about Howard.  He is one of the kindest people I know and it’s truly a treat to talk with him.  He is very passionate about the topic of public education and parenting and knowing that I have young children, he takes every opportunity to impart his wisdom and opinion on me.

Here’s the only problem with this.  When I have X number of minutes to write a blog post before I need to head to work, a 20-30 minute conversation doesn’t always fit into my schedule.  At this stage in my life and career I feel increasingly aware of the fact that a thirty minute interruption just means I’ll have to stay up an extra thirty minutes at night to make up that time.  If I’m being really honest, that probably means thirty less minutes of television or Facebook.

I’m realizing though that there’s something right about these interruptions.  In the world of customer service, our job above all other things is to build connections with our customers.  There’s no better way to build those connections than to talk with our customers.  Don’t forget that I consider my family, friends and the people I manage to be my customers.  With such a broad view of customer service, can we really afford to NOT be interrupted?  If I’m not allowing for “interruptions” from my kids and my wife, I’m not connecting with them.

My advice to you (and myself) is that you allow for these interruptions in your day.  How else are you going to connect with your customers?

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