Voice of the CCO: Tammy McLeod on the CCO's Potential for Magic
Tammy McLeod, Arizona Public Service Company's Vice President and Chief Customer Officer and the Chief Customer Officer Council's 2010 CCO of the Year, shares her heartfelt vision of how much good CCOs can achieve and the real purpose they can pursue in improving people's lives through good service.
Transcript for Voice of the CCO: Tammy McLeod on the CCO's Potential for Magic
As I started thinking about what I would say to you today, I started thinking about this job as a craft and one that extends not only in our work lives but in our personal lives as well. The stories that some of us shared at the dinner table last night about our kids, pointing out great customer service when they go into a store, and how did they learn to do that?
The fact that we can go back to our churches and talk to them about segmentation or some of the other things that are really valuable things that we bring to this craft that extend way beyond our work lives.
My real goal is that we continue, as a group, to elevate that craft and to acknowledge it; and that when one person in here breaks through that CEO role, they have that CCO right next to them, and they really show the world what a difference it can truly make.
As I flew here, I was reading a book called The Millionaire Messenger. I don't if anyone has read that book. I bought it through Amazon’s 1-Click which, I believe, is one of the finest service delivery mechanisms ever achieved.
That book really surprised me. I wasn’t sure what it was about. It's been recommended to me; that's why the 1-Click comes in. I used to make note of books that I should read. Now, I just order them with just one click.
But it talked about how we really need to know our customers. We need to have compassion and to create a map for them to improve their situations.
And it struck me this morning, Devin, as you were talking how much that’s very similar to some of the things that you've done there.
But, yesterday, Rudy was speaking a little bit, in a side conversation, and he was talking about the fact that the average person has 14 service interactions on a daily basis—just average Joe on the street.
And I started to think about this. What if you take these 14 and what if that became the goal, to improve those 14 and that those service interactions are improved for that person on a consistently daily basis? Think about how that improves their lives and how that improves their attitudes.
And then, what Sheila told us was that we become what we think. So, that person has already improved their own situation. I just think that there's real power in that, more powerful than the Warren Buffet email that's going around right now that we all shared at dinner last night. We can really empower each other to improve these 14.
When Shaun was up here yesterday, I got a chuckle out of the back that he referenced the book called Even Cowgirls Get the Blues. I don't know if any of you have read that.
But the quote I wanted to share, he referenced it. I really wanted you to hear this because it says, “If you take any activity, any art, any discipline, any skill, take it and push it as far as it will go, push it beyond where it has ever been before, push it to the wildest edge of edges, then, you force it into the realm of magic.”
And that's what he talked about yesterday. I think the value of service is working from a place of service; and if we really care about helping others and we don't do it because we want to become a CCO although that's a great benefit or we're not necessarily, in doing it, about the profitability although, clearly, that's why we're getting paid to do, but that it improves lives, then, I think our work together has real purpose; and I think if we think about it in that way, we will move into that realm of magic; and I know that we can do that together.
So, this has been a fabulous year for me in having this award, and I look forward to another year with all of you. Thank you.