When it comes to customer satisfaction there is plenty of focus on the customer in most organizations. But little is written about the need to take care of the people who are counting on you to catch them in mid-air -your trapeze buddies.

Simply stated, a trapeze buddy is anyone you rely on or count on to come through with a task or function so you can complete your job for the ultimate customer. Conversely, your trapeze buddy is also anyone who counts on you to come through with information, a task or a function so they can complete their job for the ultimate customer.

You might be familiar with the term "internal" customer as it refers to the people you work with. However, I've never been convinced this term delivers the needed impact and importance teamwork plays within the successful organization.

The idea of the trapeze buddy does convey the idea of teamwork, communication, precision timing and that extra effort. The idea also conveys quite clearly the grave consequences of not coming through and dropping the person who is counting on you to complete a task, function or information so they can do their job.

I remember growing up and going to the big top circus with my parents. We nervously awaited the flying trapeze artists who would dazzle us high above the arena floor. The talented artists would fly, jump, spin and catch one another with precision, often times only inches from disaster. Each time they missed one another my heart leaped as I let out a gasp watching my circus hero tumble to the safety net below. I'm willing to bet they planned some of the falls just for effect. Believe me, it worked!

My anxiety level reached an all-time-high the year I went to the circus and the trapeze artists refused to use the safety net. I hung on their every move.

Your internal customers or trapeze buddies are counting on you to come through and catch them as they swing out and spin from their trapeze bars. Unfortunately in your business if you miss your trapeze buddy there are no safety nets! In fact, spikes are usually sticking out of the ground! If a trapeze buddy is dropped they're going to be skewered.

So, what can we do to be caught more and dropped less?

Included are four critical elements for a successful trapeze buddy relationship:

1. TEAMWORK
   Critical to everyone's success is teamwork. You cannot be a one-person show and get the job done effectively. The word "team" stands for: Together Everyone Accomplishes More! Work diligently at creating a team environment.
   
   Teams work best when everyone: Knows the desired outcome or goal; understands their responsibility and contribution in reaching that goal; is aware and prepared for the obstacles that might stand in the way of accomplishing the goal; appreciates the unique characteristics and abilities each player brings to the team; and knows they can count on one another to give the task at hand their very best.
   
   Three teamwork builders you can use today are: acknowledgment, recognition and appreciation. In fact, make it your quest to acknowledge, recognize and praise three people before the sun goes down today.



2. COMMUNICATION
   A major cause of dropped trapeze buddies stems from poor communication. Precision communication is the name of the game when dealing effectively with each other. Three keys that should be in place with every communication are: Verify, clarify and confirm.
   
   Verify: Make sure everyone has the same understanding of the communication. Are expectations in agreement? Has the timing been double checked? Does everyone understand how a particular task is going to be accomplished? If these issues are left up in the air, you'll be flat on the ground.
   
   Clarify: If there are issues that remain cloudy do your best to clarify them. Spending a few extra minutes up front clarifying an issue can save you hours of headaches down the road. The key to effective communication is not the fact that you said something, but rather that your trapeze buddy understood the communication the way you intended it!
   
   Confirm: An effective approach for trapeze buddy communication is confirming your agreements and deadlines before they are due. For example, I always confirm arrangements with the airline, hotel and shuttle service or rental car agency before I go on a trip. I do this because I've learned the hard way. Invariably someone I'm counting on will drop me if I don't confirm our arrangements.
   
   A simple friendly reminder prior to an important deadline can save you and your trapeze buddies countless hours and trauma.
   
   
3. PRECISION TIMING
   Working with trapeze buddies requires precision timing. Customers have expectations that must be met on a timely basis. Precision timing means simply: be your word on everything. If you say you'll have documents to a client at 9:00 am, have them there by 9:00 am, if not sooner! If a meeting is to begin at 11:00, get it going by 11:00! Do what you say you're going to do, the way you said you were going to do it, in the time frame you said it was going to be done. Period!
   
   If for some reason you won't be able to come through on a deadline or agreement, for goodness sakes, let me know before I climb up and leap off my trapeze.
   
   
4. EXTRA EFFORT
   It's been said there is very little traffic on the extra mile! Extra effort with your trapeze buddies can set you light years above your competition. Try using a Trapeze Buddy Report Card. In school you received grades of A, B, C, D, or F for the subjects listed on your report card. If you did a great job on the subjects you received a high grade. A poor performance resulted in sad scores. Our teachers said in essence: "You do this and you'll receive a high score from me." Our trapeze buddies have similar report cards. If you do what's on their report card well, they'll be able to do a good job for you.
   
   Sit down with each of your trapeze buddies and find out what they need from you in order to do their job brilliantly. Since being a trapeze buddy goes in both directions share what your needs are so you can perform your job to perfection. Don't overlook such items as: professionalism, accuracy, completeness, courtesy, timeliness, politeness. Once you understand what's on each other's report card, work at scoring an "A" on al the subject matter.
   
   When it comes to customer satisfaction there is plenty of focus on the external customer in most organizations. But, if we don't focus on taking excellent care of our trapeze buddies it's difficult to take care of the customer. Teamwork, communication, precision timing and that extra effort with trapeze buddies will prevent that fatal scream: "Help me, I'm falling! I'm heading for the concrete!"