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100 Ways to Succeed #122:

M.T.M.O.T.

Manage To Moments Of Truth/Managing To Moments Of Truth. Start by finding "them." Defining them. Mapping them. Testing them. Measuring them. Incenting them. Etc.

Most important, I'd urge you to "use it"—that is, the term Moments Of Truth. (Okay, Carlzon invented M.O.T. 20-odd years ago—fact is, the issue-idea never ages.)

Most important (II), pass every (E-V-E-R-Y) decision through the "M.O.T. Filter"—how does this system, this hiring practice, whatever, affect the M.O.T.s? If an issue on, say, a weekly operations meeting agenda is not related to improving M.O.T., ask why the issue is on the agenda or how it can be made relevant to M.O.T.s. If an issue under discussion does or may negatively affect M.O.T.s, reconsider it or reconfigure it. (Relative to the latter—negative impact—one CEO (name-company slips my mind) is adamant that positive M.O.T.s are far more important, not less important, in a downturn, when every customer counts double. Hence, for example, beware mindless cost-cutting that pisses off remaining customers!)

Tom Peters posted this on 06/02/08.

Comments

My local cafe has closed down today. About three years ago I began to go there each lunchtime to have a meal and coffee. The owner and staff knew me and welcomed me. Then the owner left front of shop to cook and the food wasn't quite as good, not so many MOT's, so I only went most days. Then, to save more money, they played radio 2 with all its talking rather than the music I enjoyed when I went there, but the staff still welcomed me and still knew what I would order so enough MOT's to put up with the change and I went most days. Then about 6 months ago the usual staff went and were replaced by young kids.Competant but no idea how to engage with customers. No MOT's left for me at the cafe. I stopped going. I kept in touch with the owner, she put the closure down to the smoking ban. But I didn't notice many smokers when I was eating there. Lose your MOT's, lose your business.

Posted by Andrew Baines at June 2, 2008 11:08 AM

Andrew.... you have said it all really... I have just gone through a similar cycle with and then without Moments of Truth in cafe near me..... yesterday my wife and I went to our favorite retailer and met a new front liner who was totally disengaged - no MOT and no future business from us.. we went around the corner and found a young women who was totally engaged and engaging... MOT and more business from us... Richard.

Posted by Richard Lipscombe at June 2, 2008 6:06 PM

Great story Andrew you are spot on. This really is a no brainer. I’m constantly amazed how some organisations treat front line employees like 3 year old children. What typifies a ‘non MOT’ type of organisation is too much procedure and process. Organisations that provide MOT’s by the dozen every hour are those which allow front line employees freedom and see them as adults. Front line employees know how to do this tuff - they just need ‘permission.’ Like you and Richard I see bad and good examples every day in vastly different organisations. The good experiences are where front liners are trusted to just get on with it and managers and processes keep the hell out of the way.

Posted by Trevor Gay at June 3, 2008 4:07 AM

Andrew, couldn't agree with you more. Jan Carlzon's brilliant "Moments of Truth" should be required reading for EVERY business owner; hell, probably for every worker.

What I don't understand is how the big behemoths like Bank of America have completely missed the ball on this; their own employees are constantly complaining about how they can no longer provide even the most basic positive Moments of Truth, and management is apparently well aware of this, which is a complete turnaround from the attitude found in the early 90s at the peak of the "excellence" movement.

I can't help but think it will take some sort of revolution to revitalize the customers into demanding the simplicity of good service. It's so simple, it's profitable in the long run (and often in the short run), yet it seems that fewer and fewer business owners, from the tiny cafe to the giant bank, get this simple and well-established principle.

Posted by Chip at June 9, 2008 4:24 AM