My New Question...

Why?

Would you like fries with that?

How may I help you?

All of these are great questions that I have used throughout my life. Well, I have a new one, and it makes sense.

WHAT ARE YOU TRYING TO ACCOMPLISH?

This stems from a saying we had in the hospital pharmacy where I use to work. You would constantly have people (nurses) asking you to do something. In this fast paced environment, we constantly focused on volume (get it done). The only problem was about 75% of the time they would not fill in all of the parameters. That would always lead to a bunch of 'back and forth' until the issue was resolved. BBG (my boss) quickly came up with a saying:

'Give them what they need, not what they ask for!'

By asking, 'What are you trying to accomplish,' I feel that we could have resolved many issues faster. This would lead to happy nurses, happy patients, and quicker resolutions. All of this would increase customer satisfaction.

The next time you are asked to do something, think is through, how much time could you save in the end by asking this question.