Moment of Truth

The term 'Moment of Truth' was coined by Jan Carlzon, who managed the Scandinavian SAS Airlines. He used the term to mean those moments in which important brand impressions are formed and where there is significant opportunity for good or bad impressions to be made.

Moments of Truth often happen when they are not thought to occur, in odd interfaces with staff and moments with products. First impressions are often critical moments. When customers have certain expectations and they are disappointed, then they can form very negative impressions or feel a sense of betrayal that sends them into destructive desires for retribution.

There are two fundamental ideas behind the use of Moments of Truth in management practices.

• The elimination of all UNNECESSARY Moments of Truth – everywhere.
• The repeatable delivery of Moments of Magic for each Moment of Truth that cannot otherwise be eliminated.

 What are Moments of Truth in Process?

From the process perspective, Moments of Truth exist anywhere the customer touches the process or the process touches the customer. Any contact with the customer – any contact – is a Moment of Truth.

Identifying, eliminating and improving Moments of Truth can be a daunting task for many organizations. It requires an organization to move away from the ingrained internal perspective to the external perspective – the Outside-In perspective of the customer.

Identifying Moments of Truth will – without a doubt – lead to the discovery that many of our processes are fundamentally flawed. The elimination of unnecessary Moments of Truth will impose change on the organization, although the good news is that the resistance to this change will not come from the front lines. They are already living with the flaws in our processes so removing those flaws will typically be well received and often has knock-on effects of improved morale, loyalty and job satisfaction.

For many managers the story is much different.  The change that identifying Moments of Truth (then challenging them) brings to them will often require a fundamental shift in how they perceive the purpose of the organization, their job function, and their entire way of directing, overseeing and supporting their staff.  While for some managers and executive managers this is a much needed breath of fresh air, for many it is simply one more thing to be discounted, ignored, and tacitly resisted.

If once the Moment of Truth is lost badly, it will be very difficult to make people recover back from this.

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Keep smiling ...

Most of the year are unremarkable.  They begin and they end with no lasting memories made in between.  Most days have no impact on the course of life until we meet someone someday somehow.  When we meet, perhaps it is raining, perhaps it is sunny.  We have the same anxiety, the same enthusiasm.  We smile to each other because finally we meet.  Sometimes, we are eager to meet someone, and sometimes we are avid for meeting someone again, however that someone is so departed that is not able to meet again.

So should we cherish each of our encounter?  Should we be grateful to have the chance to know each other?  And then, we should remember to say "See you soon ……" when we leave. 

Keep smiling when we meet, keep smiling when we depart.

Now I know it has been a while
And people change like passing smiles
Turn their back on all they have said
And promises they have made

Two years have slowly passed us by
Two years that changed both our lives
But one thing still remains the same
That's the promises that we made

"Will you write to me everyday ? Will you think of me everyday ?
When you hear this song on the radio , Will you think of me even more?"

"Yes, I will."

And as your train pulls into view
I catch a fleeting glimpse of you
As you wave to me "Hallo"
Just to say you are home

And as I hold you here tonight
Everything just seems so right
As the radio plays our song
Our love goes on

La …… La ……

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