Management Blog

Web site offers anti-holding tips

A growing number of consumers are mad as hell and aren't going to take it any more… What they are going to do is use Web 2.0 tools to their advantage.

According to a recent news.com.au report, ihateholding offers another example of how customers are joining forces to avoid poor customer service.

The user-edited site lists all the ways customers have found to make contacting an organisation's customer service departments a less time-consuming experience.

For example, it's claimed the tips offered by the website can shave over 30 seconds off the time it takes to contact a big bank's customer service team.

The results are even more impressive for a major airline.

Without ihateholding's tips it took 6.07 minutes to speak to an operator, but with the right advice this wait time was reduced to less than two minutes.

Spread the love to retain staff

The secret to staff retention doesn’t just involve pay rises, bonuses or other perks, it's about ensuring employees have a meaningful work life, according to Harvard Business blogger Anthony Tjan.

Tjan argues that leaders often lose sight of the fact that workers are driven by both intrinsic (think love) and extrinsic (think money) rewards.

So how do you spread the love? You might like to consider some of these tips:

• Connect staff to meaningful roles - explain to employees how their role is critical and how it fits into the bigger picture
• Feedback matters - offer regular feedback that's honest and thoughtful
• Time to up-skill - find out what your staff want to learn and look for ways you can help them achieve this
• Recognition factor - a verbalised thank-you or hand written note of appreciation can go a long way

The path to inspiring leadership

How do you become an inspiring leader?

Management researcher Debashis Chatterjee suggests you become a source – someone who can create unique solutions – as opposed to a resource – just a person doing a job.

In a recent Times Online podcast Chatterjee says this can be achieved by mangers who take time out to follow the three Cs of leadership:      

• Concentration – understanding how to focus on an idea

• Contribution – actions for the greater good

• Connection – transcending ego when communicating

The podcast goes into detail about the three Cs and as well as the need for managers to seek out a little silence each day in order to reflect on their actions as opposed to always reacting in the heat of the moment.

Wages tipped to rise for US workers: study

In a sign the US economy could soon be headed for better days, a new study suggests many American workers and managers will receive pay increases and bonuses in the year 2010, management-issues reports.

The poll of 235 large American employers conducted by strategists Watson Wyatt predicts pay levels will increase on average by 3 per cent next year.

In addition, a post-recession trend picked up by the survey points to a much closer relationship between employee performance and pay.

According to the researchers, "workers who do not meet expectations will see their raises cut or eliminated, enabling employers to reward their best performers".

Aussies love phones more than breakfast

Just is case there was any doubt over how much Australians love their phones, a new survey suggests we’d rather give up breakfast or exercise than part with our mobiles, AAP reports.

The American Express sponsored survey shed light on our attachment to a number of material objects.

Sixty per cent of respondents said they couldn’t live without their phone, 32 per cent couldn’t go on with their favourite bag, and 24 per cent said their laptop was their number one possession.

Credit cards were also identified as being a vital part of our existence with 61 per cent of respondents saying they can’t live without credit or debit cards.

Challenges arise over 'how teenagers use media'

A recent Morgan Stanley research note on Gen Y media consumption based on the musings of 15-year-old intern Matthew Robson has attracted a lot of interest, not all of it positive.

In a case of intern versus intern BusinessWeek has placed its Gen Y spokesperson Benjamin Montague in front of the camera to challenge the Morgan Stanley findings.

Montague says he’s astounded Morgan Stanley published a report based on one teenager’s point of view, a point of view he believes isn’t representative of his generation.

So where do the two teenagers disagree?

According to Montague teenagers do like newspapers, they do listen to radio, and do watch network television.

Claims that kids are rampant music thieves were also challenged with the new intern on the block saying his friends are consistent iTunes song purchasers.

There was one thing both teens agreed on: Twitter is a drag.

Apparently kids are being seduced by the media hype and joining Twitter but are quickly losing interest in regularly updating their profiles.

User-generated brand content on the rise

A new study indicates user-generated video content is becoming an increasingly popular Web 2.0 tactic for marketers.

According to Marketing magazine, a Forrester Research study has found 21 per cent of US and 19 per cent of European marketers ran user-generated content campaigns over the last 12 months.

In terms of audience participation, it’s claimed two-thirds of internet users watch online video on a monthly basis with 35 per cent of this figure consuming user-generated content. 

Younger audiences appear to be the biggest video uploaders with figures showing 13 per cent of 18 to 24 year olds submitting video monthly, while only 6 per cent of total internet users upload video content.

Forrester says exemplars of user-generated brand content include Tourism Queensland’s "Best job in the world" and Doritos' "Crash the Super Bowl" campaigns.

But is this approach just for brands with massive budgets?

Apparently not, researchers say user-generated content campaigns range in cost between US$10,000 and US$250,000.

Teenager's report claims 'Twitter isn't cool'

Twitter – the social media phenomenon that everyone's talking about – just isn't cool, according to a teenager whose analysis of the media landscape has gained the attention of London's banking sector.

According to The Age, the thoughts of 15-year-old Matthew Robson have been taken very seriously by his work experience employer US bank Morgan Staney in London, and have since been widely circulated around the financial world.

Robson's research note on media use includes the following "thought-provoking insights":

• Teenagers might sign up for Twitter but they don't use it as it uses up too much mobile phone credit

• Teenagers used a wide variety of media, but are unwilling to pay for content

• Teenagers listen to a lot of music, usually while doing something else at the same time

• Teenagers are still into television, but don't watch programs regularly, instead they download programs

• Teenagers don't like print media and have no time for outdoor or banner advertising; they do, however, like viral ads

• Teenagers believe really bit tellies are 'hot' and anything with wires is 'not'

Morgan Staney say the report isn't the result of statistical vigour (it was pretty much written in a day), but does suggest the thoughts of teeangers is an excellent way to undertand future trends as they are at the vanguard of the digital revolution.

Writing your own six-word memoir

A little self-analysis can mean the difference between a good leader and a brilliant one, according to a recent Harvard Business Leadership at Work blog post.

Blog post author and leadership coach John Baldoni argues leaders who take the time to sum up their style in just six-words can foster the process of self-analysis.

For example, are you: "Detail obsessed, refuses to look back"; or maybe you're "Focused on facilitating big picture ideas".

To kick-start the process of summing up your career it’s suggested managers ask themselves the following questions and respond with short form answers:

• “What gets me up in the morning?” – a question that forces you to think about what matters in your working life

• “How can I help?” – what conditions can you as a leader create to help others succeed

• "What is my influence?” – stresses the idea that influence is built leading by example and action.

To find out how the good and great have developed their six word memoirs, the book Not Quite What I Was Planning: Six Word Memoirs by Writers Famous and Obscure is suggested as a good source of inspiration.

'Unfriendly' Paris tackles its reputation

In what might be one of the most difficult consumer perception change initiatives in history, Paris has launched a ‘smile campaign’ to convince tourists that the city is a friendly place to visit.

According to Reuters, the impetus for the campaign is a 17 per cent drop in tourists as a result of the global financial crisis.

In addition, a recent TripAdvisor study of tourist attitudes found Paris was the most overrated city in Europe because of its high prices and unpleasant locals.

In response, the city has decided to tackle its reputation for unfriendliness with the launch of a stands of ‘smile ambassadors’ to welcome tourists at the city’s tourist hot-spots.

Whether tourists believe the campaign message or not, one thing cannot be denied: the city has some pretty incredible sights, including the Champs-Elysees, which can now be toured from the comfort of your desk on a virtual tour.