Unemployment is at
an all-time low and as a result, so is customer service. Employers struggle to fill
positions and employees report for duty knowing that they are irreplaceable. It's a
situation that has left customers paying the price in the marketplace in the form of
inattentive and often
What happened to "treat others as you would want to be
treated?" Simple human kindness is somewhat of a commodity these days. Patrons are
often ignored and made to feel that they are an inconvenience. Take, for example, a
situation I observed while very patiently waiting in line at an electronics store. A
forty-something woman with what sounded like a Russian accent inquired about trading up a
camcorder she recently purchased. It seems she understood the salesman as saying that by
purchasing an extended warranty, she had the ability to trade in this model for a newer
and better one. The manager said, "That's impossible. That's not what an extended
warranty is for." While the customer was not right, she didn't seem to originate from
an English speaking country and therefore it seemed safe to assume that there may have been a
misunderstanding. |
What did the manager
do? She called over the salesman who, naturally, denied ever making such a
statement.
This is a mishandling of a situation that one would hope would never
happen in their service business. We can look at the situation and say what we would have
done differently. (The manager could have explained the real purpose of an extended
warranty, taken back the camcorder, allowed her to "upgrade," resold the
camcorder as refurbished, spared the onlookers like myself from this gross display,
retained a loyal customer, and secured another high-profit extended warranty to boost
experience like this could translate into a general principle: The way a situation is
handled is incredibly more important than the fact that a problem exists. The challenge
remains: How do you instill that principle? How do you translate it back into action at
your own business.
Employee
Attitude
Many factors affect employees' attitudes, which can range from basic job satisfaction to
environmental conditions. While external clients balance value and patronage, employee
perception of value correlates to |
in the workplace,
as well as retention. A consistent positive investment in employees will result in
increased profitability for companies.
Hiring
Quality Workers
Hiring high-quality workers with good interpersonal
skills is a task that many business owners are trying to master , and the reality is that
it is not an easy feat. It is also rare that they have minimal interest in their
employees' best interests. However, there seems to be a lack of communication when it
comes to rapport. If employees are expressing themselves, that's half the battle. But it
they don't see feedback in whatever form, they will perceive their efforts as failing on
dead ears, and the open communication will be broken. If employees get feedback when they
go above active contributors to its success. With an unemployment rate in Minnesota
holding steady at 2.4 percent, |
it’s clear that
if employers don’t take measures to build a loyal team they’ll pay the price in
replacement costs (typically one-third or more of an employee salary) and in customer
service.
Work
Ethic
Service is the only thing that sets a business apart from the competition. However,
installing an ethic and ambition in employees is beyond the reach of even the best
managers and most motivational of speakers. The best efforts come when the employees
are empowered to discover ways to improve for themselves. This is how leaders reach the
heart of the company.
Amy J. Holzman
is Chief Service Officer of Service Solutions International, Ltd., a Twin Cities-based
company that helps clients create their competitive edge through exceptional service
delivery – including direction, implementation and validation.
This article
is reprinted with the permission of CityBusiness, Volume 16 Number 34, January 15, 1999,
page 34. |
