No Fish story.

• Author: Wilson, Michael
• Position: Feature - First Essex Bank, engaging the customer - Brief Article

One way financial institutions can improve customer service is by encouraging employees to engage the public in a more spontaneous, lighthearted manner. The technique, known as the Fish! Philosophy, is based on an approach pioneered by a Seattle seafood market.

First Essex Bank of Lawrence, Mass., enjoys a solid reputation as a community bank with a loyal customer base. Its 32 branches serve the standard variety of borrowers-home owners and small businesses. The company is also the largest lender in the nation for the purchase of private aircraft-primarily single-engine airplanes. The organization has carved a reputation out of niche markets, sound strategies and responsive service for loyal customers.

But First Essex is trying to distinguish itself from competitors by making its customers' experiences not only satisfying, but exciting and engaging as well. Brian Thompson, president of the savings and loan, wanted the customer experience to go beyond the typical. "People want to be engaged," he says, and the wisdom that is helping First Essex accomplish that goal-while increasing productivity and retention-is coming from an unlikely source.

As Brian was preparing for his company's annual stmtegic planning meeting, he asked his daughter, who works in human resources for another company, if she had heard of anything that might help him. During a training session at her company, she had used a video that examines powerful work/life principles inspired by the fishmongers of Seattle's world famous Pike Place Fish Market. She suggested that the principles would fit well with Brian's management style.

He previewed the video and recognized that the concepts that the fishmongers engaged their customers with- known as the Fish! philosophy-would be just as valuable for First Essex. The key principles:

* Play with purpose. Work made fun gets done, especially when we choose to do serious tasks in a lighthearted, spontaneous way. "Play" is not just an activity; it's a state of mind that makes the day move quickly and sparks creative solutions,

* Look for ways to make the customers' day. 'When you make someone's day (or moment) through a small kindness or unexpected attention, you can lift someone else's spirit- as well as your own.

* Be present to the needs of customers and co-workers. Focus on the person or task with which you are engaged. Listen deeply. "Being there" fights burnout, for it is the half-hearted tasks we perform while juggling other thoughts that wear us out.

* Choose your attitude. There is an...