Monthly Archives: November 2017

As a business leader, you’re no doubt looking for ways to set your organization apart from your competition. One of the best ways to do this is to treat your employees like customers and foster a company culture that makes people proud to be associated with your business.

An ethical business model is a great start to creating the company culture you want. Employees should feel good about the way the company treats customers, and should never be made to feel like they’re misleading the customer.

Employees should feel empowered to speak their minds. An employer who listens to employee ideas will not only have a wealth of ideas to improve business but will also have employees who recognize their own contribution. Recognize contributions, excellent performance, milestones and anniversaries, so that employees know that you notice the good they do.

Employees should always be treated with respect and should always treat each other with respect. An open door policy for airing grievances is important, as is ensuring employees know that harassment or other unwelcome behaviors will not be tolerated. Written human resources policies should be in place, and should be applied fairly.

Next, be sure to create a culture that respects the employee’s private life. Requiring employees to work long hours on a regular basis can reduce their quality of life. An employer who offers regular time off will be rewarded with employees who are eager to do their jobs and who treat the customer with respect. It’s also important to allow employees time off to do the things that need to be done in their personal lives. Employees who know they can miss a couple of hours to attend their child’s dance recital are loyal to the company.

Finally, make sure employees have fun. Create a lighthearted atmosphere in the workplace as much as is feasible. Go on employee outings, and be sure to include the families of employees in activities once or twice a year. Employees who know and like each other will be more productive and happier.

With these ideas in mind, you’re well on your way to creating a corporate culture that attracts and retains the type of employees you desire. Keeping good employees happy makes your business thrive, and ensures you’re a happy business owner, too.

Great customer service seems to be a lost art for many companies. As consumers, we put up with long hold times, rude employees and must work diligently just to get our basic questions answered. One of the easiest ways to set your company apart from your competition is to provide excellent customer service. Here are some tips to help you accomplish that.

1. Always put the customer first. This sounds trite, but it is a mindset. From day one, teach employees that any customer facing action is their first priority. Customer calls are to be returned before the deposit is taken to the bank. Appointments are scheduled with ample time to complete the session so that the next customer isn’t left waiting. These are examples that show a commitment to the customer experience.

2. Look at every customer transaction. We often put procedures into place for the most obvious customer transactions, but fail to address others. These “other” transactions may be a source of dissatisfaction to your customers. Examine, for example, how long customers sit on hold before being answered, and whether or not customers have to deal with a transaction via mail even after handling it over the phone. All these little things add up.

3. Be friendly. This should go without saying, but it’s amazing how often businesses are rude to their customers. As an employer, you should have a “zero tolerance” for rudeness. Customers are sometimes rude, it’s true, but employees must be trained to handle this behavior without engaging in it themselves. In addition, if the rest of the customer service issues are addressed, you’ll have fewer rude customers to deal with.
   

4. Train, train, train. One of the biggest consumer complaints about customer service is that employees simply don’t know what they’re doing. If an employee cannot answer most customer questions, that employee should not yet be customer facing.

5. Review. Document customer interactions for review at staff meetings or training events. When an employee is faced with a particularly difficult or brand new customer situation, it’s a great training opportunity for everyone. Review the situation and make decisions about how to handle that situation in the future.

With these five tips, your organization will be well on your way to ensuring that your customers receive excellent customer service. It takes work but is critical to retaining those customers you’ve worked so hard to acquire.

Life happens. Many times, we are confronted with big changes that create a huge impact. Sometimes, these are planned and exciting, like getting married or getting that great new job we wanted. Other times, change comes in the form of devastation like death, divorce or job loss. Both kinds of changes are stressful and require management on our part in order to not only cope, but hopefully thrive. Here are some tips to help you manage life changes, good and bad.

1. Prepare, if possible. When you know change is coming, you have time to prepare. This preparation can make it easier to deal with the stress the change is bound to bring. You can, for example, get some other things out of the way before you start a new job, so that you don’t have to deal with the situation while adjusting to new employment. If you are in the midst of a small remodeling project, get it finished before the first day of work. Clearing your mind of distractions helps you prepare to handle the change.

2. Tackle the problem head on. There’s a saying that problems that are procrastinated are only amplified. When you’re faced with unpleasant changes, there is a temptation to retreat. However, failing to face the challenge immediately and directly will just delay the inevitable, and may potentially make it worse, as well.

3. Explain to your family. When going through change, you may show signs of stress your family doesn’t understand. You may have to work extra hours to accommodate a work change. You may be scared, or you may be grieving after a death. Letting those who love you know what you’re going through offers two positive effects. The first is that you avoid having your family feel neglected or worry about you. The second is that you will hopefully get the support you need to get through the change.

Change is inevitable, and sometimes brings amazing results to our lives. Even when change is unwanted, or brings about sadness, it can provide us with a chance to grow and become a better person, a more productive employee or a more mature leader. Only when you manage getting through the change can you see the benefits on the other side.

Most of us have no bigger critic than ourselves. We can have nine successes and a single failure, and the failure will be what we remember every time. These negative messages we send ourselves can be extremely detrimental and can hold us back from achieving our goals and being our best selves. That’s why it’s so important not to believe everything you tell yourself.

When you’re dealing with information about others, you generally look for the facts before making a judgment. Yet, we are quick to accept incorrect negative self-talk. The next time you start critiquing yourself, apply the facts to your critique. Here are some questions to ask.

1.  Is it true? Are you really failing, or lazy, or less competent than others? I bet not. In fact, I bet if you met yourself disguised as someone else, you’d think you were pretty cool. Look at the facts of all you’ve accomplished before you accept your own negative messages.
2.  Are you comparing yourself to others unfairly? Another trap we often fall into is comparison. Someone else has probably accomplished more than you, or accomplished what you desire in a shorter time frame. These may be facts, but these don’t really apply to you and what you wish to accomplish because it isn’t a contest. As long as you are moving forward toward your goals, there’s no reason to compare your timing to that of anyone else. In addition, it’s not uncommon to judge yourself more harshly for a mistake than you would judge anyone else.
3.  Write down positive statements. Take the time to write down your accomplishments and your positive characteristics. When you feel like you aren’t good enough, or accomplishing enough, pull out those statements and remind yourself of how great you really are. Many therapists recommend speaking your accomplishments and positive qualities out loud to yourself in the mirror, as well.

Negative patterns of self-talk get in the way of your happiness, your self-esteem and your ability to accomplish your goals. Remember to ensure what you say about yourself is true, and that you don’t judge yourself more harshly than you would others in the same situation. Being fair to yourself is just as important as being fair to others.