No matter how you slice it, we are creatures of habit. Even if we deny it, we all find comfort in some routines. Mine happens to be my morning coffee. I start every morning with my Starbucks Grande Extra Hot Latte. It is not my father’s order that is for sure. His was much simpler. He always ordered a “Boston” which, for those of you who aren’t old enough to remember, was a coffee with extra cream. Lots of cream. I guess the apple doesn’t fall far from the tree.
Anyway, I digress. The “routine” thing got me to thinking. Since I have owned Perspectives, which is a service business providing workplace resources, I have always thought that manufacturing processes could teach me valuable things. I always found the consistency to be fascinating but wondered how you do this in my business without losing the “personal” touch.
Then I switched my addiction from Dunkin Donuts (which I still like better for its regular coffee) to Starbucks and was fascinated by the sameness of all stores and believe you me, I have been to many, many Starbucks. Just ask my family. But I was also fascinated by the unique personalities of each store’s employees.
And then it dawned on me: Starbucks doesn’t really sell coffee. Rather, they sell the “experience” - and that experience is the warmth and friendliness of the workers. Everything may be pretty much the same but when I walk into a Starbucks that I have been to somewhat regularly, they seem to remember me or at least my order and that’s okay because I feel special and cared about for the $3.75 or so that I lay down for my latte.
So how does that relate to what I do? Well, our goal here is to make sure that our service delivery system has clear guidelines that are consistently adhered to but that also allow our professional staff to use their own judgment. And the only way that they can do that is for us to make sure that we hire highly competent and capable professionals who really understand how to best deliver employee assistance programs (EAPs) and have a passion for helping people.
To do this they need to have the freedom to make sound clinical decisions. And, sorry to say this again, but you do get what you pay for. Free EAPs are typically one-dimensional and merely refer employees to the provider network v. spending time with the caller to make sure that they feel heard and cared about. That’s unfortunate because that’s basically what an EAP is for – to listen to people and help them get the right help or resources they need.
Not to compare counselors to baristas, but they are both in the business of listening to people and addressing the different tastes and needs of every individual. In the EAP world, that’s high-touch service. In both industries, it makes for a much better Cup O’ Joe.
Tags: EAP, Employee Assistance Program, Free EAP, service, service delivery
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