This weekend I ran in my first 10k.  Well, it wasn’t actually 10k.  Because the path through the woods that we ran didn’t quite come out to a conveniently round number, it was a 12.8k run. When I got back home after the run I tried to explain to my children what I had just done, however running 10 kilometers is not yet in the realm of their understanding.   So instead of saying that I ran for 90 minutes (yes, I was one of the slowest in the pack…), I said that I ran “to the Lollyhop (Bavaria’s answer to Chuck E. Cheese) and back, twice”.  My 10 year old daughter turned to me with a very critical look on her face and said “Daddy, du lügst!”

It was disappointing, but also interesting to see how firmly my daughter holds onto her view of the world.  She would rather accuse her father of lying to her than to accept something unproven and suspect into her realm of beliefs.  I guess I’ll have to bring her with me on my next 10k!

What does this have to do with Customer Service?

Especially when dealing in the highly technical realm, it is VERY easy to become jaundiced and quickly believe that you know everything.  And it is actually those who live high up in their technical ivory towers who are the greatest risk of this behavior.  The Germans have a wonderful term for this – “Fachidiot” – someone who is so deeply entwined in their own professional specialty that they cannot see two inches beyond their own professional nose.   These people are especially susceptible to being blindsided by disruptive innovations.

When the gap of technical knowledge that exists between yourself and your customer is very large, it is extremely easy to forget that your customer’s lack of exposure to your topic of expertise doesn’t automatically mean they are stupid.  Anyone who has been looked down upon and belittled by a doctor, lawyer, accountant, plumber, electrician, auto mechanic, etc… knows what I mean.

Those who have truly pushed the edge are aware that knowledge is actually progressive ignorance.  That is, the more you know, the more you appreciate that you really know nothing.

A few things we should all be doing:

1) When your customer says something that you think is completely stupid, think again.  Perhaps they don’t share your professional background and cannot express their issue using terms that are fully correct.  That doesn’t make them an idiot.  If you don’t understand what the customer is saying, then maybe you need to listen better!! Step back and give your customers room to be non-specialists.  Doctors are trained in “bedside manners”.  Technical folks could often use something similar.

2) Don’t confuse “I don’t know how” with “It is not possible”.  Far too often I’ve run into situations where customers have requested features or functionality and have been informed that what they are asking for is a physical impossibility, only to see the competition delivering the requested capabilities six weeks later.  If you don’t think something is possible, rephrase it into “How could this be made possible?”

3) When someone steps in it, don’t rub it in their face.  We all make mistakes.  Instead of rubbing someone else’s mistake in their face and earning their contempt for the rest of their life, be graceful and sidestep the issue, earning their respect for the rest of their life.  I mean, honestly, how do you feel when someone laughs in your face because of an innocent blunder?