Yearly Archives: 2009

America needs a reality check. If you own a small business, you don’t exist without customers. That’s business in its simplest terms. The formula goes something like this: small business – customers = out of business. It’s pretty simple; you don’t have to be Plato or Socrates to understand the formula.

Unfortunately, employees of small businesses don’t understand the formula. Without customers the business will fold which means employees are out of jobs. Again, it’s a pretty simple concept to understand. So, why don’t small business owners and employees get it?

Providing horrible customer service is a guarantee way to send business to your competitors. People will not stand for rude or poor customer service. They’ll just drive a few miles to your competition and spend money for goods and services.

Perhaps customer service has taken a nose dive because of the economy, Americans values, or employees being fed up with working hard and long hours and not receiving the pay or recognition they deserve. If small business owners don’t appreciate their employees, why would employees appreciate customers?

Customer service can make or break your business. Word-of-mouth travels fast and is still a viable means of advertising. Don’t treat your customers right will result in the phone not ringing and your website sitting idle in cyberspace!

Without customers you business will shrivel up and disappear. If employees are disgruntled find out why. Your receptionist (if you have one) is the first point of contact with customers. She sets the tone for your small business. If your receptionist answers the phone with a “frosty” tone, you’ll hear about it from customers. Take the time to find out why your receptionist is not friendly. Perhaps she’s going through a rough time at home or found at that a loved one is sick. This is not an excuse, but it will give you insight and you’ll be able to address the situation in a professional manner.

Many people will pay for customer service. For example, a woman working at a local McDonald’s provided excellent customer service that it landed her on the 5 o’clock news. People were driving miles to this particular McDonald’s because of the customer service. These people had a McDonald’s around the corner from them but they chose to drive a few miles just to be greeted by this particular employee. That’s the power of exceptional customer service.

If your small business isn’t flourishing as you’d like it to, you may want to look at your employees and assess their customer service skills. You may want to send them to seminars and conferences on customer service. The sooner you “nip this is in the bud” the better for you, your business, and customers.

Rebecca

Employers can set employees up for failure or success. Choosing to do the latter will motivate employees to do their best and go above and beyond the call of duty. When you don’t set employees up for success, you hurt the bottom line. The company’s profitability could plummet because employees will not be motivated to make sales calls or contribute to the company.

Setting employees up for success can help your company improve the bottom line. Happy employees add positive energy to the office. They’ll make extra sales calls, take on extra work, and have a positive attitude which can spread throughout the office. Successful employees will add value to your business in more way than you can imagine.

Employees like to hear, “…thank you” now and again. They also enjoy receiving pay increases and bonuses. However, it’s been proven that employees put a higher value on being appreciated. On a scale of 1 to 10, money came in at number 9 while being valued and appreciated ranked higher. Employees like to express their ideas in an open and safe environment and see their ideas implemented.

How can employers create successful employees

Employers can create successful employees by allowing them to take on challenging work. Give them a chance to resolve a problem within the department. You may be surprised to find out that your employees could have been saving you money. This is what happens when you don’t trust that your employees can handle the job.

Don’t micromanage employees because it doesn’t work. The majority of employees do not require “hand holding” on the job. You hired these people to do a job, why would you want to stand over their shoulders? Give employees room to breathe and grow. They may not do the job how you would, but it doesn’t matter if they complete the work in a timely and efficient manner.

How employees can be successful at work

Perform your job well and don’t worry about jealous co-workers. Voice your ideas when asked or suggest them at the monthly meeting. Don’t get caught up in office politics or gossip. Keep your eyes and ears open, but don’t get involved in your co-workers antics. Most of them are probably miserable in their lives and flock to those who are the same as them. Take the high road and wait for an official announcement from the company. This way you won’t be stressed out at work worrying that the company’s being sold. It’s not worth it.

Before you arrive at work intend to have a great, productive day. Give thanks that you have a job because many people lost theirs and they’re not coming back. Intend to do the best you can and do it. When you’re ready to move on from your current employer, the energy you put into your current job will be clean and energized so your next position will be better than the last

Employees can be successful at work with the help of employers. Show your appreciation by saying “great job, thank you, and we couldn’t have done it without you.” Employees can and will add to the value of a company if you let them. When you set up employees for success, the bottom line will increase year after year and so will your employees morale!

Rebecca