The Problem

We (http://www.tamerpartners.com/) have spent the last seven years working with organizations to help them better service and sell to their customers. We are really good at what we do. People that hire us end up with a better customer experience, better employee experience and the most important result: higher profit. When you are on purpose about doing customer experience right you follow this mantra: "We provide the highest quality of service and sales at the least amount of cost that is profitable to our clients and profitable to our company. "

After seven years, we have had more companies not select our products and services than have joined our client base. For the sake of argument, we recognize there are other companies we compete with in the market, companies can and do excel without consulting and software companies assistance, and yes, we may be completely nuts and just not very good and that is why people did not work with us. Having acknowledged that there may be another answer, the clear reality is that we are very good at what we do, the results are incredible and companies that do work with us receive great value and would not hesitate to recommend us.

The reason that more companies did not work with us has more to do with the culture and perspective of the companies and how they relate to 'what we do" to achieve higher profitability. Our focus in achieving our goals has always centered on the synchronization of the customer, company and the employee. Valued and satisfied employees sell and service customers effectively and efficiently. Satisfied customers are only satisfied when their product or service works, they receive value and if or when they have a problem they are treated professionally. Satisfied and happy customers make for profitable companies.

This synchronization on paper makes sense. Companies buy into satisfied customers and obviously a desire to be a "profitable" company. Where the disconnect occurs is with the valued and satisfied employees. Many companies just don't value their sales and service employees. They would never admit it. They may "like them" but they don't respect them and they certainly don't value them as a competitive advantage. Most of our days are taken up with sales and service people that communicate with customers over the phone, web, or in a retail or public environment. This group quite often gets the short end of the stick and in many instances there is rarely a "carrot".

We often find that even companies that pride themselves on employee experience, may even win awards as a company may have a different approach and a gap in their sales and service areas. The ones that don't have this type of reputation can oftentreat everyone the same: as simply a number passing "through" or at worst; poorly.

Today the free market provides you with all the feedback and direction you need. For some there is no penalty. Profits are up, employees are plentiful. Business is good; no need to change. For the ones that struggle, they have sought other solutions besides employee empowerment, increasing customer satisfaction to increase sales and decrease costs. The free market keeps score.

The 'free market" may not be the only "free" a business owner/board of directors needs to focus on. A new world is emerging. There is a new "free" in town: The Employee Free choice act. Are you familiar with it? You should be.

This new 'free" is not free at all.