Polle de Maagt 
Polle de Maagt
Story.
The first time I came across this was in 2010. Rashmi Sinha, then CEO of SlideShare, called me for more than an hour to ask what I thought of SlideShare.
We talked about everything, from culture to product experience. She personally committed to making some of the improvements I suggested.
It made me a fan for life.
What they did.
Contact with customers is usually delegated to the lowest ranks: front desk staff, customer service agents. Too often they are underpaid, under-experienced, under-involved and not empowered. That is management’s fault, not theirs.
SlideShare turned it around. The person at the top picked up the phone.
Why it works.
For higher management, it reconnects them with the people who matter most: their customers.
For middle management, it helps higher management understand customers better. That paves the way for bigger experiments, like embedding customer support throughout the organisation.
For the customer, it is a wow moment. A CEO who calls, listens and commits to solving your issue is proof that you are valued.
Try it yourself.
“My CEO will never do this.” Probably true, if you ask for a programme. So fit it into behaviour managers already have. Most managers are great at meetings.
Block one hour a week in their calendar. Add a simple list of customers to call.
Put one recurring hour in a senior leader’s calendar next week, with five customer names and phone numbers attached.
Source: my call with Rashmi Sinha in 2010 and my original post of March 2017. Notebook made with Midjourney.
