Wednesday, April 28, 2010

The beatings will continue ... until morale improves

The past few years have been tough ones! Large and small businesses alike have had to make tough choices just to stay afloat. These company's and there employees have suffered through a variety of cutbacks such as reduced hours, pay cuts, reduced employer contributions to their health benefits, and having to sit by, powerless, and watch as their friends and co-workers of many years fell victim to reductions in force. For both the employees, and the managers who have had to implement these changes, not only is stress at an all time high but they are all working harder for less money. Across the board morale is lower than ever ... and it shows ... no where is it more noticeable than in customer service!

I have always postulated that ALL jobs were customer service jobs, and have held myself and my staff to a high standard regarding the treatment of our clients, our employers, and each other. With that being said ... when I am out in public, or at those times when I am the customer ... I generally will notice the quality of customer service before I am even able to form an opinion regarding the product or service I am purchasing! And what I've noticed lately is that customer service is at an all time low! The merchants and professional's go through the motions, and say the right things, but, they do so without passion and commitment, they are more interested in concluding the transaction expediently than completing it to their clients ultimate satisfaction. So how do we, as managers, prevent this from happening in our own company or department? Here are a few thoughts ...

Let your employees know they are the survivors... and they survived because they ARE the cream of the crop!

In today's market most goods and services MUST be competitively priced, few if any clients are paying more simply for status, so the deciding factor in who they do business with is going to be the quality of the service they recieve. Remind your people daily that your competitor's temporary shortfall of enthusiasm in customer service translates into an opportunity for you!


Devote a meeting to drills playing out semi scripted interactions with mock clients, engage in role playing, and have your employee's practice smiling in a mirror. This might sound useless to some, but, I have seen it produce results that vary between surprising and amazing!

Never miss an opportunity to point out an employee who handled a difficult situation admirably. It will help define the standard you expect from them all.

Yes I am For Hire!

Contact Rick Thomas at 239 896-7020


outsidetheboxmanager@gmail.com

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