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Do
Some Yard Work To Improve Customer Service! |
by:
Sandi
Carson |
Yes, yard work. What I mean is that you
may have to do some weeding in your garden
of employees to improve
customer service.
Imagine that you are pulling weeds out of
your flower garden so that your flowers
don't become choked off.
Huh?
"Just go with me on this., O.K.?"
Weed out the employees that are more likely
to waste your water and fertilizer before
you even hire them. By that, I mean that
you need to stop the
ultimate time wasters that will kill your
customer service.
How?
Before you hire anyone, there are some things
that you should do to make sure that your
business will help your customers better.
First, conduct telephone interviews with
applicants so that you can see how the applicant
will sound to your customers.
While conducting the phone interview, ask
yourself these questions:
1. Does the applicant sound courteous and
helpful?
2. Does the applicant sound short or slightly
grouchy?
If the applicant sounds short or grouchy,
then don't hire them.
Then do a regular interview. During the
interview see how the potential employee's
appearance is. If the potential employee
comes in with raggedy clothing, or poorly
groomed then don't consider the applicant
no matter what the excuse is because if
the applicant doesn't care now then he/she
won't later.
No matter what, if the potential employee
has a bad attitude during the interview,
then that is a major red flag. No matter
how good that the applicant looks. If you
think that his/her attitude will change
for the better later then you will be in
for a rude shock. Trust me on this.
Perform back round checks on each potential
employee. Before doing any type of back
round checks make sure that you get permission
for each type of check that you plan on
doing.
See if you can do a reference check with
someone that the employee used to work with.
And when checking that reference, ask how
the potential employee got along with others.
If the person hesitates, or beats around
the bush, then you may have your answer.
I would also recommend checking criminal
records. A lot of people think that it is
an invasion of privacy. I don't, and the
reason why is because you really don't know
who this person really is that you are interviewing.
Before hiring anyone
Make sure that you specify your expectations
beforehand. If you do, then the potential
employee will be able to judge whether or
not to take the
position that you offer.
It is better to lose a potential applicant
than waste your time to train the person.
Only to have to start over later.
If it's too late, and you already have an
employee that has a bad attitude, don't
allow that person to poison your employee
pot any more.
An employee that gripes all day, or is abusive
towards the other employees will ruin your
business. Guaranteed.
The nasty attitude will rub off on the other
employees because it's contagious. If your
customers are able to sense the tension,
then they will feel like your
employees are rude.
"You don't want that."
You need to have a talk with that person
with the attitude problem in private. Put
it down in writing that the behavior will
not be tolerated. That way, if you have
to fire that person, you will already have
the necessary documentation that you need.
Make sure that the person understands that
the behavior will never be tolerated. (You
can call this a career decision time for
the employee.) If the behavior does not
cease immediately and permanently, then
they are gone. Don't hesitate on this matter.
If you are squeamish about firing someone
then think about this: even if that employee
has no contact with your customers, that
very same employee will affect your other
employees.
This is very important.
If you allow a negative, or abusive person
to run loose around your other employees,
then the nice employees will resent you.
You may not agree, but your employees will
be more loyal and productive if you make
sure that their working atmosphere is pleasant.
And, the more loyal and productive that
your employees are, the higher your profits
will be.
Besides, you want your customers to hear
a smiling voice on the phone, or to see
a smiling face when they come in. Right?
Right!
Make sure that you always lead by example.
Remember, monkey see, monkey do.
Written by S Carson. All rights reserved.
Discover Tips http://www.discovertips.com/
is the place where you can go to get free
customer service and employee loyalty tips.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
After being in management for several
years, I learned what it really takes
to gain customer and employee loyalty.
My articles were written for those managers
and business owners that are looking for
advice and tips on how to have even more
loyal customers and employees. And because...
...the way I see it, if you don't care
about what your customers and employees
think, then you might as well close your
business doors for good.
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