The Metrics Matrix - An Introduction

Here is my summation of how I feel about metrics.

They suck.

They suck the fun out of business.  

They suck the fun out of a job.

They suck the enjoyment of life.

They suck the life out of a job or task.

They just suck.

Now that that is out of the way, let's take a new look at metrics and how they adversely affect the environment of customer service and those who perform service functions.

Metrics are nothing but cold, hard numbers.  Sure, they are a measurement tool that businesses use to show productivity, which IS important, but they de-personalize a highly personalized experience.

How does one measure happiness?
How does one measure genuine satisfaction?
How does one measure a job well done from the viewpoint of the customer?

That last question is often answered by businesses with "surveys".  Yes, they are helpful tools, but it's still imperfect.  

Let's look at a real measurement that typical metrics cannot cover.

Are employees genuinely happy to show up to work every day and perform their functions?
Are employees creating authentic connections with your customers that build the company instead of tearing it down?
Are customers breaking your email box and/or social media sites with compliments about the high quality of your company's customer service?

Customer and employee retention is a massive metric that every business obsesses over, and rightly so.  However, if those numbers aren't where they should be, a new process or a new policy is often the go-to answer that they use to try to fix the problem.

Policies and procedures are NOT the answer!  They further muck up the works with more bullshit that got you in this position in the first place.  STOP, already!

Focus on what makes a business more human (since I suppose businesses and corporations are supposed to be "people" now, right?).  The Human Element cannot be measured with a report or a metric, so get that shit out of your thinking right now.

The Human Element is real.  Take the Red Pill and realize this. The sooner you do that, the better off you will be.

Metrics and their reporting do have their place, but they are not the be-all, end-all of how to measure success or failure - and it sure as hell isn't THE way to measure overall productivity amongst employees.  

This is just the beginning of this rabbit hole.  More to come.