The Best Client Service Starts With Boldness

One of my favorite sayings around the office is, “I’d rather you made an error of commission than an error of omission.” I usually accompany that statement with a reminder to my teammates that everyone here is a superstar, and I know that each person will make the right decision at least 99 percent of the time.

Trust and empowerment of my colleagues is a risk I am happy to take. The rewards are enormous, starting with excellent, pro-active, creative, attentive client service from our team. I’m bragging, and yes, I’m blushing.

Few things aggravate me more than when a person says, “Well, I wasn’t sure what to do, so I waited until (name the juncture) …” Usually a situation like that results in missed opportunities, or worse, a blunder.

I subscribe to the Billie Jean King philosophy: “Be bold. If you’re going to make an error, make a doozy, and don’t be afraid to hit the ball.”

I’d rather fix a broken window from a ball hit too hard than risk failure on behalf of a client because we were waiting too long for someone else to say “Play ball!”

- Kathy Schaeffer