In May, I attended an industry meeting where the concept of the “21 day challenge” for embracing change was discussed. We all agreed that it takes 21 days of consistent action to create a new habit. This has been proven time-and-time again – diet, excercise, and smoking cessation programs are some perfect examples. Consider embracing the same concept to resolve business issues.
I’ve been working with a client who’s been intrigued by the insurance policy cancellations that their office has been experiencing. Historically, they would watch cancellations on a monthly basis and complain. We created an action plan to more closely investigate the situation.
Retraining the Download Processor, tracking reason codes via a weekly report and providing additional training to customer service agents on conversational servicing techniques are the three small changes that have made a big difference for this agency.
Mary Kay Ash used to say, “you can eat an elephant one bite at a time”. Sometimes, we get so completely overwhelmed by the big project that we don’t even begin. I encourage you to break things down into bite-sized, manageable steps and take action. Realize that every worthwhile “change” takes time. And, don’t give up or give in too soon!
Give it at least 21 days!!
