Find a way into the heart of customers

There is good piece in the FT today on the importance of designing emotions in the operation process. How can organisations handle customers who are upset, alarmed or disgruntled?

Referring to a paper recently published in the MIT Sloan Management Review, the piece points out that operations people should not see themselves as purely rational or financial beings. "They don't realise that emotions are very process driven." The paper argues that companies have to identify the emotions that they most frequently deal with and train their staff to deal with these highs and lows. In particular, it is important to design 'trust' and 'control' in the customer management process.

Another piece in the FT today picks on a similar theme. It posits that IT professionals nowadays should not just be concerned about efficiency gains, but should enable the organisation to be more effective. For example, the HR director can use IT systems not just for benefits and payroll, but for talent management and recruitment.

So running a successful company requires empathy from staff at all levels. TLC is no longer the airy fairy stuff but a core component of any well run organisations and any successful brand.