This type of training, we will call “Above the Wing Training.” This includes all the technical training required to keep our aircraft flying safely and securely in the air. Some of this specialized training occurs in technical schools (or the military) prior to the employees being hired to their positions. Ongoing technical training may be done by outside professionals proficient in the specific requirements. Much of ongoing training is also learned on the job or internally from co-workers or supervisors. This internal training is necessary for employees to understand the particular way that the organizational culture calls for things to be done.

However, there is another type of training that we call, “Under the Wing Training.” This type of training has received more attention in recent years—with good reason. Most of the challenges that come into play when dealing with the organization’s culture, customers, employees and co-workers involve communication issues and people skills. These “skills” are quite different from technical skills.

The aviation industry is quite strong in developing and nurturing technical skills. However, this industry has been a bit slower to accept competency training in what are typically referred to as “soft skills”. The term “soft skills” has a negative connotation to it. Being soft is usually associated with being weak or inadequate. “Core skills” more adequately describes these necessary proficiencies. Just as the bodybuilder understands that a strong “core” of the body is essential to being successful at strengthening other muscles in the body, we must come to the realization that “core skills” are the foundation of our service strength (or weakness).

Once an organization has committed to improving the quality of developing its people’s skills, there is the issue of how to best develop a training initiative that (1) will help propel the company to a higher level of performance and (2) that delivers results of undeniable value. The bottom line and goal for learning is the delivery of results.

Getting to that objective of delivering results is difficult when training is implemented internally (by people within the organization). Politics between employees in the organization could prevent human core skills development or organizational development training from being effective. Those individuals developing the curriculum /facilitating the learning may be seen as having an “agenda” to fulfill since they are from within.

Also, as an example, taking someone away from their job in the organization to develop/facilitate a customer service program is keeping them from doing what they were hired to do. There are training organizations (like ServiceElements) that do this training as their core competency. They are up to date on the latest studies and findings in their subject specialties. Someone who does an aviation job and is then asked to develop/facilitate may not have the background or core competency of training and facilitating in the diverse subjects involved with human service and core skills training. Even companies with a training staff have difficult remaining proficient in applying core skills to aviation issues and settings.

By utilizing an outside training company for “Under the Wing” training–the foundational training–the front line also sees that the organization is committed to improvement and development of a service culture. Assigning someone within the organization may be viewed as a “cheap” way to show that steps are being taken to improve service. Unless leaders are willing to walk the talk and look for the best possible alternatives for training, then employees may not take the training seriously. When this happens, the training is doomed before it even begins.

Learners’ commitment to setting and attaining high-quality goals depends on their self-motivational beliefs. If employees understand from leadership that there is value to the task or skill or that it will benefit their work/personal life, they will be more committed to the initiative. When the learners are committed, then the outcome expectancies are much higher.

When considering “Under the Wing” training or human interaction/organizational development, it is important to look to the experts (like ServiceElements!) who can help make a real impact.

ORM Defined

As the shift to the word Organizational implies, ORM is an approach to guiding the entire entity to success.  Some slight, but significant, modifications derive a basic definition of ORM as: A management system that makes optimum use of all available resources – equipment, procedures and people – to achieve organizational goals and enhance the efficiency and value of operations.

Like CRM, ORM focuses on the cognitive and interpersonal skills rather than technical skills and knowledge.  It encompasses a wide range of human behaviors and attitudes that include culture & values, strategy & goals, communication, team-work, decision making, problem solving and service. Importantly, ORM starts with leadership.  If effective ORM practices are in place, effective CRM is sure to follow.

Culture and Values

What are the organizational culture and the underlying values that define your company?  Not necessarily what hangs on the wall in the lobby, or what you personally believe, but what the company really stands for in the view of employees and customers.  In other words, what do you ‘broadcast’ as important to your company?  The answer may or may not be explicitly stated, but it is implicit in the behaviors of the leadership and demonstrated by what gets recognized and rewarded throughout the company.

Strategy and Goals

With culture and values in place, you are in a position to develop your central strategy.  A clear strategy is essential to defining what the organization is all about.  Why are we in business?  What do we offer our customer that is unique?  What are our strengths and weaknesses?  What are we capable of?  How do we define success?  These are some of the questions that must be part of the strategy discussion.  The strategy need not be complex; in fact, the simpler the better.  It should be compelling and, most importantly, familiar to and clearly understood by everyone in the organization.

A solid central strategy must be well executed and monitored if it is to succeed.  This requires the establishment of organizationalgoals. At their best, visionary goals provide the path to achieving the overarching strategy.  Properly developed they can guide and even motivate people to realize the strategic vision.  To do this, goals must strike a balance between a number of things – aggressive and realistic, long term and short term, individual and team based.  Most importantly, the goals must be shared.  This can only be accomplished by including all levels of the organization in the goal setting process.   foundation for teamwork.

Teamwork and Communication

People must work together if organizational goals are to be met, but leaders know that this is much easier said than done.  Trueteam work is achieved when the result produced by the group is greater than the sum of what is accomplished by the individual contributors working in isolation.  This only happens when goals, roles and responsibilities are well understood.  And it requires empowerment in an environment of trust, respect and shared information–communication.

Problem Solving and Decisions

Much of daily business activity is devoted to problem solving at all levels.  That includes providing solutions for a customer’s problem or need, or solving internal issues that stand between you and your goals. Arriving at the right solution, quickly, requires a shared framework for defining, measuring, analyzing, implementing and controlling the process.  It need not be complex, but for larger organizations, databases and systems support are often needed tools.

Service

Customer service is a cornerstone for competiveness and a primary differentiator in any given market.  Most everyone seems to know this, but few ever truly use it their maximum advantage.  That’s because the challenges of providing excellent customer service are formidable.  One major challenge is that various people and organizations define service differently.  Another, perhaps greater challenge is that many businesses think they know what customer service is and that they are doing a good job of delivering it.  They are often surprised to discover that they do not, and are not, because it is much more complex than they realized.

In fact, customer service is a culture.  A culture takes time to build, and the right tools are needed.  A service culture does not occur after a one-day seminar. A service culture requires an individual and an organizational commitment to concepts, and a process that must be sustained over time. Serving others effectively is an ongoing effort; it is not a destination, but a journey.

Conclusion

The concepts of ORM are similar to, and an extension of, CRM.  They focus on cognitive and interpersonal skills, rather than simply technical knowledge.  And, they are applied much more comprehensively to overall organizational issues rather than to safety only.  ServiceElements uses ORM to assist leadership in understanding the issues, solving problems and making good decisions.  Most significantly, the tenets of ORM enable the creation of positive working relationships based upon service, core values, common goals and shared information.  The outcome is consistent high performance and sustainable results.

“Are You A Good Customer?”

In the 1980s and 1990s, businesses across the country were taught the now-common-mantra that “The customer is king.” This mindset established a couple of principles that everyone in business was to follow:

• Any product or service’s design, production, distribution, marketing, and advertising should have the customer as the central focus for all decision-making

• The customer is boss

• The customer is always right

The evidence is clear: employees and service providers who really believe that the customer is king do a better job at delivering service and establishing greater customer loyalty. At the same time, experience has also shown that the customer is not always right—especially in complex, high tech, high frequency, high touch industries. Stu Leonard’s, the veritable grocer whose headquarters is in Connecticut, asks the question: “Is the customer always right? No, but our job is to make them feel right!”

All of this means that good service creates good customers; good customers create stability, revenue growth and job security. But is the reverse true? Do good customers receive good service precisely because they are good customers? Put yourself not in the service provider’s shoes for the moment, but in the customer’s shoes. This perspective is important because in the aviation industry, we all have suppliers and vendors on whom we rely to do our jobs or serve our customers. We pay these suppliers and vendors good money to deliver on promises so that we can run our businesses. Perhaps you work in an FBO, and your suppliers are caterers or fuel suppliers. If you work in a flight department, you probably buy fuel and flight planning services from another organization? As a pilot, technician or flight attendant, you surely buy simulation training.

When you buy all of these services, are you getting what you want, what you need, and what you expect? Does your service provider constantly surprise you by going above and beyond what you expect? If this is happening to you, the truth is that it is probably, at least in part, because you are a good customer.

Could the opposite be true if you are not receiving good service? Could it be that you are not a good customer? Are you polite? Are you cordial? Are you respectful? Do you ask people or do you order people? Being a good customer has a lot more to do with how we treat people than just being a good payer or paying the bills on time or paying the asking price.

What does it take to be a good customer?

Take a moment now to think about your best customers and write down some words or phrases that describe them.

Here is a common list people come up with in this exercise:

• They communicate their expectations very clearly

• When things change, they tell us—they give us a heads up whenever possible

• Honest, polite

• Friendly

• Patient

• They do not make assumptions

Interestingly enough, all of these qualities are the same ones that describe good customer service delivery. While good customer service delivery is a product of many factors, it is reasonable to suggest that customers who exhibit the qualities above will likely receive excellent service in return. Such customers realize that communication is a two-way street. And though they might expect to be treated like kings, it is likely that they are “good” kings.

In customer service, there is a saying that what you give is what you get. This applies to you as a service provider, but perhaps just as importantly, it applies to you as a customer. If you communicate well and treat your service providers respectfully, it is very likely that you somehow find that you are the recipient of good service or sometimes even exceptional service. It is also very likely that you find yourself feeling that the money you spend on your suppliers and vendors is well worth the value they provide back to you. This is no coincidence.

So, are you a good customer?

Engaged employees want their organizations to succeed when they feel connected emotionally, socially and even spiritually to its mission, vision and purpose (Fleming & Asplund, 2007).

However, experts indicate engagement is very low among workers today.  Given this fact, it stands to reason why so many companies struggle to meet customer expectations, financial goals and employee satisfaction.
So how and where do organizations begin to engage or re-engage their employees?  Below are a few suggestions:

Establish and communicate clear company goals frequently, repetitively and through various communications modes.

• Find each individual’s talent, and help him or her to use that talent and strengths every day.

• Provide opportunities for career development and learning.

• Demonstrate appreciation for each employee’s contribution to the organization frequently, and as often as you can.

• Encourage friendships among employees.  Although this may seem odd, research has shown that employees who have friends at work are more likely to be fully engaged.

• Praise innovation.