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Broken Windows: Broken Business
By Michael Levine
Success is in the details. Michael Levine's premise in Broken Windows: Broken Business is that a lack of obsessive attention to the details (i.e. the potentially "broken windows") will sink your business. He writes, "Nothing is small and absolutely nothing is insignificant" and if you think your customers or prospects won't notice even the tiniest crack in the "window", you're dead wrong. These flaws (and the lack of attention thereto) directly affect the perception your customers have of your business which, in turn, affects your bottom line.
The theory was put to the test in New York City in the 1990's. Mayor Rudy Giuliani and Police Commissioner William Bratton took steps to fix the city's "broken windows": Graffiti, fare jumping, and panhandling. By cracking down on the more minor, but visible, violations, people became more confident that the police force could handle the more serious crimes. This caused a major turnaround in the public's perception of NYC, increased the sense of security, and is credited with dramatically reducing crime in the city.
The examples in the book are primarily retail & business-to-consumer oriented; however, the lessons are easily applied to business to business operations as well. It's been said many times before, but first impressions are critical. As such, your "broken windows" will always affect a customer's first impression. This applies to companies that conduct business via the web as well, your website is where you make your first impression and it better be organized, logical and well-functioning. Misspellings, broken links, slow response speed and outdated content all affect a prospect's perception of your company.
Broken windows can also be people within your organization and they must be dealt with immediately. Failure to do so will cause a virus of apathy and poor service to spread. Hire for attitude and compulsive attention to detail. Train yourself to notice broken windows and reward employees who point them out.
Levine makes the observation that "bad customer service is the ultimate broken window." Customers put their trust in you. You must exceed their conscious AND subconscious expectations, and don't relegate this responsibility solely to your customer service department. Every encounter between a representative of your company and anyone who might EVER be interested in buying from you is classified as "customer service".
And if you hear about a problem from a customer, you'd better assume that numerous others have noticed the same thing and never mentioned it – and they may never come back. You can recover – sometimes – but it takes an immediate full repair (not a patch), as well as the willingness to say, "I'm sorry". (Two words that I've personally found to go a long, long way…)
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