Elections and Customer Service

"Quality is job one."

"Courteous treatment will make a customer a walking advertisement."

"Your customer doesn't care how much you know until they know how much you care." - Damon Richards

"There is only one boss. The customer. And he can fire everybody in the company from the chairman on down, simply by spending his money elsewhere." - Sam Walton

"All of your customers are partners in your mission." - Shep Hyken

"The customer's perception is your reality."

"Do what you do so well that they will want to see it again." - Walt Disney

You run across customer service experiences every day. The way in which the company or organization addresses its relationship with you determines where you'll next take your business and other matters. Financial reports oftentimes cite data that it takes six times more effort to gain a new customer than it does to retain an existing one.

The BJCP has been growing in record numbers in recent years, acquiring new "customers" by leaps and bounds. The provider to consumer model is alive and well within the BJCP. From the top down:

• BJCP Board Members (Representatives) provide representation of the membership, as well as the appointment of Officers to lead the organization
• BJCP Officers provide strategy, direction, substantial time and effort in the execution of their duties to empower BJCP Staff and program members
• BJCP Staff members provide resources, time, effort and communications to facilitate the successful execution of BJCP policies, processes and systems
• Graders provide for the grading of exams to eager new judges and established older ones
• Exam Administrators provide opportunities to take Tasting and Written Exams and a well-facilitated and fair examination process
• Organizers provide well-organized competitions and an opportunity for Judges and Stewards to earn points
• Judges provide quality feedback in competitions to Competition Entrants
• Competition Entrants provide validation that the standards and practices of the BJCP "encourage knowledge, understanding, and appreciation of the world's diverse beer, mead, and cider styles."
• Ultimately, program members (Judges) provide feedback and acknowledgement that BJCP Board Members are doing what they should to meet the BJCP's mission

That final bullet is the most important because the entire hierarchy of providing service, from the top down, will not function effectively unless feedback and acknowledgement are provided to those elected to represent them. How do you provide that feedback and acknowledge that your needs, as a customer of the BJCP, are being met?

You participate. You engage. You communicate with your representative. But most importantly, you vote.

This month (May 1-15, 2014) the BJCP is holding elections for four of seven of its regions. Up for grabs are representation of 53% of the program's membership for the next three years. Not only that, those who serve as officers of the BJCP are also up for re-election. The BJCP holds elections from its membership to appoint Board Members ("Representatives"). Those Board Members then, shortly thereafter, elect amongst themselves a President, a Vice President, and a Treasurer. This Officers election occurs annually. The BJCP Board of Representatives also are responsible for appointing BJCP Staff to positions by a vote. If you are happy or unhappy, as a customer of the BJCP, it is ultimately the BJCP Board of Representatives who are responsible for addressing your concerns and keeping you as a customer.

When I judge at a competition, there's usually a group, during lunch, that gathers to talk about the beers they judged, and discuss matters surrounding the BJCP. Sometimes the conversation is part informational, and sometimes it's an "airing of grievances."

"The web site is so old looking and everything is stored in a PDF and hard to find... It's been four months and I still haven't gotten my exam results... Why does it take 6 weeks for my points to be posted when the organizer gets the points recorded in a matter of days?... I can never find a seat for an exam... How do I become part of a committee?...Why don't the style guidelines change more frequently?... Why do the style guidelines change so frequently?..."

The role of BJCP Representatives is to address these challenges and to work amongst other Board members and Officers to resolve them. However, if you're not contacting your Representative, they'll never know that you're unhappy with the customer service you're being provided. And if you are contacting them, and your concerns are still not being addressed, the election cycle is your opportunity to make changes.

The BJCP traditionally, like many hobbyist and volunteer organizations, has a low turnout when it comes to elections. In fact, it's pretty tragic. In the last election cycle (2013), we only had a voter turnout of 12%. However, we have many members that use social media (easily over 12%) to make others aware of what's on their minds. While our Board Members, Officers, and Staff do oftentimes participate in social media dialogue, it is your direct contact and your vote that will get their attention a lot faster.

This quarter, The BJCP Bulletin took a page from local and national publications who oftentimes interview candidates on their platforms and positions on issues. Members in our organization serve in different roles and are exposed to different challenges, therefore, the questions didn't target any specific issues. Rather, I left it to the candidates to identify the issues themselves and discuss what they would do to address them. Candidate interviews are presented alphabetically by region, then alphabetically by last name. I hope you find it informational regardless of where you reside, as the positions these candidates have on various issues will shape the BJCP you see 3 years from now when they're up for re-election, and beyond that.

International Growth

You've probably seen a post or two on the BJCP's web site about BJCP staff members visiting countries outside of the U.S. and representing the BJCP. You've probably also, at some point, browsed the BJCP's "International Resources" section on the web site, or may have noticed that BJCP NorthEast Representative Ali Kocho-Williams was appointed to represent BJCP members who reside in all countries outside the U.S. and Canada (quite a sizable district!).

Having learned (in the last BJCP Bulletin) that the 2014 guidelines will likely take on a more "world-focused" approach to beer styles, and curious about exactly what the BJCP is doing outside the U.S. and Canada, I had the opportunity to interview three BJCP staff members who are playing a large role in international growth of the BJCP on their efforts. Their observations from interactions with judges worldwide are helping to influence not only new style guidelines, but also study materials, exam administration, exam grading, and where the BJCP is deciding to prioritize efforts across the board.

The BJCP Web Site

One of the most frequent topics of conversation I hear discussed at competitions is the BJCP web site. Whether it's referring to news posted to the front page, emails that went out referencing content on the site, loading the site on mobile devices, or many other conversational items, the BJCP web site comes up a lot, and is a gateway resource for members and non-members of the BJCP. Having seen posts on the web site soliciting for volunteers some time ago, and becoming engaged in the effort myself, I spoke with IT Director Gordon Strong on the matter to find out the status of the project. Many BJCP members will be happy to learn of what's being done surrounding the web site, and the capabilities being considered for its top-to-bottom re-write.

The BJCP at the NHC 2014

The BJCP hosts a number of events at the American Homebrewers Association's National Homebrewers Conference. It's incredibly difficult, if not impossible, for organizations that have a global reach and global membership to assemble its members physically, however, the BJCP uses the NHC to try to do just that. The NHC provides exam opportunities, a judges reception, and an annual meeting. New this year will be a presentation and meeting on Grader Training, covering many aspects of the grading process and the standards in place to provide the most effective feedback to examinees. The NHC 2014 will also include a presentation on the 2014 BJCP Style Guidelines (which will go into effect in 2015), and a chance for members to ask questions on what's on their minds to BJCP Board Members and Officers directly amongst their peers. If you plan to attend the NHC, hopefully you'll have the opportunity to attend.

The BJCP Communications Directorate has discussed with the IT Directorate means to make more of the information presented at the NHC available to BJCP members who cannot or are not able to attend. Some ideas include online streaming of the Annual Meeting and Judges Reception, a Q&A chat room during the meeting, online videos of BJCP sessions, among others. While these ideas are under consideration for NHC 2015, we will need volunteers willing to help see them through in order for them to be a reality. If you're interested in playing a role, please contact asst_communication_director@bjcp.org.

Feedback

Just as feedback to your Representative is important, feedback to other staff members is just as important. The content of the newsletter is driven by news and events of the BJCP, but also, the interests of its readers. Please drop us a line to let us know how we're doing -- asst_communication_director@bjcp.org.

Lastly, please, please, please keep your email address current, and nudge your fellow judges who don’t to update theirs.

Jeff Sanders, Assistant Communication Director

###