{"id":31992,"date":"2019-08-28T00:00:00","date_gmt":"2019-08-28T00:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/its-not-where-you-are-its-where-youre-going\/"},"modified":"2024-01-18T19:54:06","modified_gmt":"2024-01-18T19:54:06","slug":"its-not-where-you-are-its-where-youre-going","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/hyken.com\/customer-service-strategies\/its-not-where-you-are-its-where-youre-going\/","title":{"rendered":"It\u2019s Not Where You Are. It\u2019s Where You\u2019re Going."},"content":{"rendered":"\"It\u2019s<\/a>Sometimes you find life lessons in unexpected places. This time it was on the golf course. Almost every Sunday throughout the summer I play golf with some great guys. One Sunday we decided to play the championship tees\u2014meaning we hit from the furthest point away from each hole. Obviously, this makes the game longer and harder. The extra distance usually translates into taking a few more swings at the ball than normal.\r\n\r\nOne of our players was nervous, as he doesn\u2019t typically hit the ball as far as the rest of us. We started by telling him to not let the extra distance bother him\u2014play his regular game. Don\u2019t swing harder because it\u2019s longer; just relax and play like usual. On his first swing, he hit a beautiful drive that landed in about the same place as he usually lands from the closer tees. A few holes later we were hitting over water. It was obvious he was nervous again because he wasn\u2019t sure he could clear the water to land on the fairway. That\u2019s when it helps to play golf with a \u201cmotivational speaker<\/a>\u201d (that\u2019s me). I smiled and said:\r\n\r\n\u201cIt\u2019s not where you\u2019re hitting from. It\u2019s where you\u2019re going to. Think about where you want to land, not where you don\u2019t <\/em>want to land.\u201d\r\n\r\nHe smiled and swung at the ball. Not only did he clear the water, but he also landed dead center on the fairway. He jokingly said, \u201cI guess the motivational \u2018stuff\u2019 really works!\u201d\r\n\r\nI realized that the comment was good\u2014not only in golf but in all areas of life. Don\u2019t get hung up on where you are now. It\u2019s more about where you\u2019re going. That\u2019s what you need to concentrate on: your destination.\r\n

How does this apply to customer service?<\/h3>\r\nWhen dealing with an upset customer or contentious situation, you are in the moment. To tie it into the golf metaphor, that moment is where you\u2019re hitting from. You must manage that experience, but you also must think about the future, which is where you\u2019re hitting to.\r\n\r\nWhat\u2019s the perfect outcome? How does the customer feel now? That\u2019s where you\u2019re hitting from. How do you want this customer to feel when you finish your conversation? That\u2019s where you\u2019re heading. Knowing that will free you up to think about what needs to be done to get to the resolution that will make your customer happy. It will allow you to focus on the journey that will lead you to customer satisfaction<\/a>.\r\n\r\nIt\u2019s too easy to get caught up in the emotion of the moment. It could be an angry customer. It could be a process that\u2019s gone wrong. Regardless, it\u2019s not optimal. It\u2019s a problem or obstacle that must be overcome. Take a swing at the ball, metaphorically speaking, and focus on where you want it to land.\r\n\r\n