Change Management, an important competence.
More than a temporary need, a process, a company competence.
Do not forget that whatever change you want to implement, its success will depend on your team, human beings, a quite complex factor, which should not be underestimated.
Add to this scenario the fact that today, if you want to succeed, “change” will be on your plate quite often.
Change management concept, mindset and procedures must be embedded in current business management philosophy to support high adherence of a new status quo.
Customer Support & Services processes operate on very dynamic environment, and frequent changes are common to guarantee the alignment with the market needs. Every customer experience (independently if it is with your competitor or with any other market/product) will influence on his perceptions and expectations about your services and product and every time he is exposed to something new that experience will naturally become the reference which your service/product will be compared to demanding your reactions/changes.
Understand change management importance and make it happens is paramount to the path to Excellence in Customer Support and Services.
Let’s now elaborate more about Change Management, its principles, key aspects and tips in how to get it done.
Change Management is about leading the human factor in order to achieve the expected results.
During the process of change in the organization, people may experience anxiety, denial, fear, threat, guilt, depression, which if not well managed, if not mitigated, will for sure affect the results of the change and the company.
The organization needs commitment, happiness, motivation, ownership to move forward and this although sounds simple is quite complex to guarantee, especially during changes.
The process of change will see resistance, chaos before you fully implement the change.
The change management goal is to shorten as much possible this valley and build a strong foundation for the new status quo working on company mindset and processes.
More than having a well established change management process, the company must have leaders who have the mindset, the competence, the knowledge to manage the situation successfully.
You expect them to be communicative, influential, creative, empathetic, open minded, committed.
They will be references for the teams, the ones who will motivate, energize the teams towards the benefits of the change by:
· Following up the process and results, communicating – you must turn people to believers, to defenders of the new concept, idea, organization.
· Identifying the changes characteristics and core concept, evaluating the organization and the impacts, the risks of the change, then evaluating the resistance and identifying special tactics to manage it.
· Starting as early as possible, engaging front line leadership, communicate more frequently, walk the talk.
· Managing each change individually, creating a sense of urgency, forming a team to coordinate, generate short-term wins, measuring the change.
Once you get the momentum, surf on it and accelerate.
Prepare the leaders, build the competences:
· Treat as a project
· Treat as a change
· Create processes
· Create a training program exploring culture, vision, business, scenario, constant changes demanded by the market, the readiness to the market and the benefits as consequence.
· Make sure high management sponsorship is happening, present, supportive, appreciative
Communication, the key aspect:
Demonstrate support to the change, support the employees throughout the change, listen to their concerns and address them properly, reinforce the change, encourage the team to be supportive by demonstrating the benefits and the needs for the change, make them to feel participant of the change.
Remember, there will be doubts, questions about the change. It is recommended that the leadership is prepared to address them (with the same speech).
Be ready for questions like:
· Why is the change happening now?
· What is the risk of not changing?
· What will the change mean to me?
· What are my options?
· What are the benefits of supporting the change?
· What if I do not agree with the change?
· What if they have failed before?
· What if I am forced to do more with the same salary?
Ideally the teams will be familiar with changes, defending them, thrusting company’s leadership and understanding that they are for better future for everyone.
I didn’t mean to exhaust the concepts and procedures for a successful change management, just to call the attention to such an important aspect of business management.
As changes are so often, every leader, the company must be master in managing them, to the point that if they don’t happen people will ask what is happening.
It is certainly an important aspect to the Path of Excellence in Customer Support & Services.
Do not underestimate the power of the change management and the impacts of the lack of it.
April/2019
References:
Are you planning a change? Make sure your organization is ready.
Martini Consulting can support you understand the situation and how to better address.