Employees

Business owners…..Make your employees soar. Train them!

Date: June 18, 2023

Author: Michelle L. McDonald

Categories: Business, Caribbean, Customer Service, Employees, Learning & Development, Training

As the description in this video says, well trained and knowledgeable employees make all the difference to a business’ revenue and profit. It’s no wonder that the best companies have a Human Resource Development strategy aligned with their business goals. And yet, so many business owners, especially who offer services, do not invest in a good training programme for their employees, including new hires.

I saw this scene while driving recently. My first thought was “whoever is operating that back ho, is very brave!” But then I reasoned that if the operator was very skilled because of good training, this excavation would be a breeze. However, it also occurred to me that the owner of this equipment would NOT hire someone to operate it who was not trained.

Herein lies the value of training. If you wouldn’t put a new hire to excavate this hillside on his or her first day on the job, why do business owners of, for example restaurants, retail shops etc put new employees to serve customers on their first day? Apart from it being unfair to the employee, it can hurt the business financially. A few days after I was driving by, I notice that a part of the back ho was broken. Could it be that either the driver was not trained and caused the accident, or was the person who serviced the back ho incompetent?

The lesson is invest in training. It does not have to be expensive. In fact, it is likely more expensive to NOT train employees.

Handling an irate passenger

Date: August 25, 2015

Author: Michelle L. McDonald

Categories: Airlines, Caribbean, Customer Service, Employees, Service Excellence, Service Failure, Service Recovery

Recently I was on a flight in the Caribbean and witnessed an incident involving a non-Caribbean family and a Flight Attendant. I observed how it was handled and will share some pointers on what could have been done differently to ensure the situation did not escalate.

The passenger boarded at the rear of the plane with his family, which included small children. My attention was called to them when I heard the passenger shout “how many times do I have to show them? I just showed the man down there!!”

Apparently, he was irate at having to again show his boarding pass, which he had already shown the airport security personnel at the bottom of the stairs. The Flight Attendant’s voice became somewhat raised as she asked the gentleman again for the passes, which had the seat assignments on them. During this time, other passengers were waiting to board and some of those already on board were waiting to use the washroom. The incident continued for what I would consider longer than acceptable.

Free Online Learning Resources

Date: June 17, 2015

Author: Michelle L. McDonald

Categories: Employees, Engagement, Learning & Development, Online Learning

A few years ago, a friend mentioned some websites where good quality courses could be found in just about any subject. Best part is, they are free!

Have you heard about Coursera or EdX? They offer what is called Massive Open Online Course from reputable universities, mainly in the United States of America. I have taken a few of the courses on Coursera, most notably being Inspiring Leadership Through Emotional Intelligence. I also did an Operations Management course as well as some in Teaching & Learning.

Companies which have limited funds can incorporate resources like these into their Learning & Development plan. Managers can support their employees by signing up as well and checking on their employees’ progress.

Learn something new today!by

Responsiveness

Date: April 16, 2015

Author: Michelle L. McDonald

Categories: Caribbean, Employees, Service Excellence, Service Failure, Service Recovery, Training

One of the five dimensions of the SERVQUAL model of Service Quality is Responsiveness. The usual explanation of this dimension is “the willingness to help customers and to provide prompt service,” suggesting that it is applicable to a real time service experience. After an incident at the supermarket one day, I chose to test their degree of Responsiveness over 24 hours.

At the cashier check out station near to closing time, she tried every code she could and none worked for the Sunflower Seeds I had picked up. She left the station, went to look at other packs, spoke with another employee, then came back and apologized, saying she could not sell it because the code was not in the machine.

I had to go back into that supermarket the next day, so decided to test their responsiveness by picking up the Sunflower Seeds again. Success! I was a happy customer.

Imagine if the cashier on the first night had passed on the issue, and the responsible person did not take action. Of if the cashier did not pass on the problem at all. The customer would have noticed it. The challenge of leaders is to let each employee see how their action directly impacts on service. On this occasion, there was a positive outcome. When I next see her, I will definitely congratulate her on the action she took.

What are you doing to ensure that your employees are responsive?by

Do you say any of these to your employees?

Date: April 20, 2014

Author: Michelle L. McDonald

Categories: Caribbean, Customer Service, Employees, Engagement, Motivation, Training

Entrepreneur magazine published this article by Lindsay Broder which discusses 7 things you should never say to your employees. Be honest. Have you ever said any of them in the heat of an interaction with your employees? I have heard many mangers say #1 “I’m the boss. Do as I say.” Perhaps early in my managerial career, I might have been guilty of that too. However, as I focussed on my personal development, I realized that I had to find other ways to influence the employees I managed to do their assigned tasks….and willingly, so that customer service could be at the desired standard.

I recall having success where I managed a team, most of whom were much older than me, were unionized and were generally seen by others as the ‘bad eggs’ in the company. Treating each as a human and an individual, I set out to find what made them tick, what their hot buttons were and ways which made them shine. I guess I realized I was successful, mostly, when I received an award for my leadership of that team.

My feeling is that if managers have to resort to any of these 7 phrases or retorts, then they themselves have some work to do on their skills. I am not saying that all managers have to be perfect, however, they should certainly try to better tomorrow, than they were yesterday. Read more, try new things, hire professionals like us to help identify the issues and suggest solutions.

Commit to avoid saying any of these phrases to your employees. They will appreciate you for it and your customer service delivery will improve.by

Empathy in Customer Service

Date: April 16, 2014

Author: Michelle L. McDonald

Categories: Airlines, Caribbean, Customer Service, Employees, Training

I was on a flight within the Caribbean, and observed a very interesting exchange between a Flight Attendant and a young mother, which could be used as a case-study in Customer Service training programmes.

The young mother was travelling with a 15-month-old toddler, who had been keeping her very busy for the duration of the four-hour flight. She had to use various means to keep him entertained. He just would not fall asleep…..and why should he? It was the middle of the afternoon and there were much more interesting things to do and see than sleep!

Midway through the flight, the passenger took some sweet biscuits from her bag and gave to her son. Not even 20 minutes after, he threw them all up. Immediately, the section of the plane we both were in, reeked of vomit. The two male passengers beside her seemed to be taking it in stride. From my vantage point behind them, there was no adverse reaction from either of them, and they even seemed empathetic towards the mother.

Responding to the Call Button, the flight attendant came to see what the problem was. The passenger told her that her son had thrown up. She also mentioned that it needed to be cleaned up.

Increasing Productivity, Motivation and Engagement

Date: March 6, 2014

Author: Michelle L. McDonald

Categories: Employees, Engagement, Motivation, Productivity, Training

All companies want to get the most out of their employees. That means ensuring employees want to be at work, fully committed and operating at maximum capacity. This article gives some tips from Yves Morieux’s Ted Talk. His theme is simplification, which resonates with me. Watch the original speech.