The Importance of Unlocking Customer Non-Verbal Cues

Customers are the lifeblood to any business. If the customer walks away unhappy you may not only lose their lifetime patronage but also deter their friends from frequenting your business as well. The type of interaction between the company and the customer will often determine whether or not they will have a positive impression of your business. According to an article in the Journal of Marketing the ability of company employees to read the non-verbal cues of customers will influence customer affect (Puccinelli, et. al. 2013).

Most of us have experienced poor interaction with company employees from time-to-time. It isn’t always the big things a business does that makes or breaks our impressions. Most businesses know how to avoid these large issues through processes and procedures.. It is the small actions and interactions that can hurt or damage customer perception.

Poor customer interaction often is a result of under trained employees that don’t read the customers needs and don’t know how to respond to those needs appropriate. For example, an agitated customer won’t be happy if you try and sell them another product versus solving their problem. A single mistake in judgement can lose that customer forever and leave a bitter taste in their mouth.

Non-verbal communication is also reciprocal. A customer who is reading the company representative non-verbal cues and picks up on lack of interest, condescending behavior, or annoyance will likely apply that impression to the entire business. They will interpret such behavior as an indication of the amount of value the company places on their customers.

When customers think and reflect on the business there are two aspects that may come to mind. On one hand, they could consider the service itself and whether or not they need that service. On the other hand, they may think of the interactions they have with people who work for the company and whether or not their patronage is appreciated. If either of these interactions are negative there is a chance the customer will find another business to requent.

The study highlights the need to train customer facing employees with the ability to read and understand customer cues and respond to them appropriately. This may occur through scenarios, examples and role playing. When representatives can interpret signals appropriately they will be much better able to respond to the customers needs. When they give off the right signals they can prompt customers to their value leaving them with a higher affect.

Puccinelli, M., et. al. (2013). The value of knowing what customers really want: the impact of salesperson ability to read non-verbal cues of affect on service quality. Journal of Marketing Management, 29 (34).

The Economy Moves from Unemployment to Increasing Wages

As the economy speeds up  Federal Resereve Chair Janet Yellen discusses the growing need to increase interest rates. For now the idea will be reevaluated on a meeting-by-meeting basis to determine when that might happen. Her discussion with the Senate Banking Committee eludes to the idea that her annual target rate will be somewhere around 2% depending on the strength of the economy. For the near future the economy is expected to continue growing. 

The market forces related to the speed of the economy will determine these rates. Interest rates are the cost of borrowing money and is primarily based on demand and supply. As money is soaked up in the economy it becomes less liquid and shortages begin to raise the cost of borrowing that money to mitigate risks.

For example what you pay for a car today would cost you more tomorrow as the product price rises. You wouldn't get that money for free without paying some type of interest on it as the lender takes risks. Getting money today without having to save it yourself must have some cost in case it isn't paid back.

The government sets these rates through manipulating the federal fund rate that large institutions use to charge each other when borrowing money. When government buys securities they flood banks with money and when they sell securities they take money away from the market. The value of that money is impacted by its availability and fluidity.

The government considers adjusting the interest to make sure that inflation doesn't rise too rapidly and choke off employment. However, with unemployment at low levels rising inflation will help push wages upwards better balancing growth income and economic growth. For the moment it appears that unemployment has been solved for many people in society and government is no longer worried about it as much as they were in the past.

Call for Papers: Forum for Interdisciplinary Dialogue: Ethics and Development

Date: 10th to 11th April 2015 Location: Charlottesville, VA, United States of America

Organized by: Jefferson Scholars Foundation
Deadline for abstracts/proposals: 30th November 2014
Website: http://www.jsfconference.org/
 
The Jefferson Scholars Foundation and the Jefferson Society of Fellows at the University of Virginia present the fourth biannual Forum for Interdisciplinary Dialogue (FID) to be held on 22-23 September 2015 at the Jefferson Scholars Foundation Hall in Charlottesville, Virginia. The FID is an interdisciplinary conference for students, faculty, and community members from around the world. The theme for 2015 is Ethics and Development

Setting Goals and the Steps to Get There

Achieving goals is important part of one's career and keeps us moving forward in new directions. Those who set goals have a higher chance of being more successful than others who might muddle through life aimlessly. Setting appropriate goals and ensure that these goals are achievable requires a little planning and reflection to get where you want to go.

Clearly Defined: 

Goals should be specific and obtainable. People sometimes make goals that are broad, murky, or ill defined. It is hard for them to know whether or not they achieved a particular goal if there is no easy start or stop position. A clearly defined goal might be "complete a training class on basic accounting in the next 6 months" while an ill defined goal would look more like "understand more about accounting".

In the first example you know exactly when you achieved that goal while in the second case you will need to guess. Having a clearly defined goal will let you know when it is time to adjust that goal and move onto a new one. Each accomplished goal provides new experiences and opportunities for growth.

Plan of Action:

No goal will be achieved unless you put energy into it. The effort you put forward should not be haphazard and wasted. It is much better to focus on some specific plan of action. That plan can be broken into steps that help you get where you want to go.

Think of how graduating from a basic accounting class will need effort in enrollment, completing assignments, writing, etc... Knowing what will need to be accomplished on a daily basis will help in ensuring that you meet those goals. It may be as simple as spending an hour a day working on your project until it is completed or finding some other combination of effort.

Assess Your Progress:

It is beneficial every once in a while to assess your progress. Take a few moments to look at where you are and what additional effort or adjustments are needed to achieve that objective. Sometimes you will need to put additional effort in while at other times your current progress will be fine. Try and understand what is needed and when it is needed

The Health and Neighborhood Benefits of San Diego Bike Lanes

San Diego bike lanes can be an enhancement to the city and the lives of residents. According to the Center for Disease Control and Prevention over a third of Americans are obese (1) and this number may not be slowing.  Most people don’t get enough exercise and healthy food on a daily basis to keep the weight off and fight diseases. Ensuring that bike lanes are included in city planning helps to improve neighborhoods and encourage healthier lifestyle choices. 

New bike lanes encourage people to pull their bikes out of the garage and use them. A study in the Annals of Behavioral Medicine showed that bike riding increased on streets that offered bike lanes (Parker, et. al. 2013). When safe lanes were available more people considered pulling their bikes out of storage and using them to get around. 

If you have ever biked a busy street you might be well aware that cars don’t always give adequate protective space. The little space they do provide isn’t enough if they are zooming past at 40 miles an hour and the bike is moving at 15 miles an hour.  Installing lanes lets drivers know that the cyclist has the right-a-way and has full use of all the space in the lane.

San Diego is an excellent candidate for more bike lanes. A study of 90 cities found that safer cycling, students, less sprawl, high gas prices, and lower car ownership led to an increase in cycling (Buehler & Pucher, 2012). Getting more people to use their bikes helps save on the congestion and create safer neighborhoods. 

Cycling is an excellent sport that leads to higher forms of health. It is also a better way to get around the city when bike lanes are available.  San Diego has warm weather, congestion, infrastructure construction, and public transit that make cycling a viable alternative for city residents. Encouraging the building of bike lanes may improve lifestyles, encourage stronger neighborhoods and cut down on obesity.

Buehler, R. & Pucher, J. (2012). Cycling to work in 90 large American cities: new evidence on the role of bike paths and lanes. Transportation, 39 (2). 

Parker, K. et. al. (2013). Effect of bike lane infrastructure improvements on riders in one New Orleans neighborhood. Annals of Behavioral Medicine, 45.