Ever had a customer call and say they were visiting with the cleaning tech who relayed one or more of the following?
1. They just don't give me enough time to do this job.
2. My equipment is always broke and they don't fix it.
3. We don't do that, it's not in the specs.
4. They don't pay me enough money.
5. Will you call my boss and tell him I need more time?
Most BSCs I know have at one time or another had one of these calls and then have to deal with the employee on the issue.
Most companies have some sort of initial orientation or training program that gives the employee an overview of how to use the products and equipment needed to clean the facility but I find very few have a training program that addresses how to talk with the customer when approached about an issue or complaint they want corrected.
Worse yet, if you have an employee that goes to the customer with one of the issues we addressed in items 1 through 5 above. This can leave the customer with the impression you are not managing you company efficiently and those are the impressions that get customers thinking that maybe they should begin searching for another vendor.
So, how about your company? Do you train your line staff on how to handle each of these issues? What are your employees trained to say when talking with a customer?
Customers can be lost if your staff doesn't have the right training on how to talk with a customer. We spend countless dollars and time in securing a new account and all can be lost in a just a few minutes by an employee who doesn't know the procedure to follow.
Let me suggest that included in your initial orientation you include a session on talking with the customer. What should or should not employees say to a customer? What do you want them to say? Have you trained them in this very important area of customer relations?
You see, while you or your sales department may have secured the account, your cleaning techs, more often than not, will have more interaction with the customer once the account is up and going.
Let me suggest you take some time to design a training program for all employees on the things they should and should not say when encountering a customer. It may just save (or lose) an account for you.
Till next time. MAKE IT A GREAT DAY.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Sunday, June 7, 2015
TRAINING TODAY'S WORKFORCE
It should come as no secret that we have the most diverse workforce today than we have ever had. Think about the different generations,
--Traditionalists
--Baby Boomers
--X Generation
--Y Generation
--Z Generation
That group then is made up of Commanders, Stars, Diplomats, and Scholars. This complicates the issue even more.Then, combine that with the different cultures we have from other countries working for us everyday.
So, how are you training your staff? ARE YOU TRAINING YOUR STAFF?
It is a known fact that effective training will lead to,
--Reduced turnover
--Retention of existing customers
--Getting more new customers
--A safer working environment
--Lower labor costs
--Lower material costs
--Reduced equipment repair and replacement
If you are still training like in the "olden" days you may not be hitting the mark. Let's list some of the ways we can train in today's more modern world.
In house produced videos
Short training videos on youtube
MP3--3 minute instructional lessons
Ipad for short reviews and refresher courses
Send videos to cell phones for their review
Weekly pod casts
Timekeeping call in reminders
Webinars
Inexpensive DVDs and CDs
Gotomeeting.com
Texting
Your company web site
Each of these is a topic all its own but the purpose here is to get you thinking of creative ways you can reach today's workforce in a way that is effective. If I detail each one here you will never finish reading the blog.
You see, having everyone come into a meeting room for a boring lecture of do's and don'ts and thou shalt and thou shalt not will, more than likely, do a great job---of putting them to sleep.
With today's technology it is easy and convenient to take the training to the field to review different procedures. Having problems with an employee cleaning a restroom to quality standards? Take a video to them in the field and do training on an ipad or smartphone. It works. Manufactures and distributors can help develop this process.
Before anyone gets the idea that I am suggesting that the orientation and training procedure of new employees need not be done so it can be done in the field, I want to squash that idea. The orientation and initial training BEFORE they go to the field is critical to their (and your) long term success.
Training is an ongoing process. Doing it with the variety of tools available today helps improve the learning process of the multitude of generations and cultures you have in your workforce.
In future blogs we will attempt to go into further detail on effective use of these technological methods. In the meantime, start developing a comprehensive way your company can utilize these tools.
Hope you are watching our weekly free pod casts at www.kleancast.com. They are non commercial, to the point, concise subjects that pertain to our industry.
Till next time.
--Traditionalists
--Baby Boomers
--X Generation
--Y Generation
--Z Generation
That group then is made up of Commanders, Stars, Diplomats, and Scholars. This complicates the issue even more.Then, combine that with the different cultures we have from other countries working for us everyday.
So, how are you training your staff? ARE YOU TRAINING YOUR STAFF?
It is a known fact that effective training will lead to,
--Reduced turnover
--Retention of existing customers
--Getting more new customers
--A safer working environment
--Lower labor costs
--Lower material costs
--Reduced equipment repair and replacement
If you are still training like in the "olden" days you may not be hitting the mark. Let's list some of the ways we can train in today's more modern world.
In house produced videos
Short training videos on youtube
MP3--3 minute instructional lessons
Ipad for short reviews and refresher courses
Send videos to cell phones for their review
Weekly pod casts
Timekeeping call in reminders
Webinars
Inexpensive DVDs and CDs
Gotomeeting.com
Texting
Your company web site
Each of these is a topic all its own but the purpose here is to get you thinking of creative ways you can reach today's workforce in a way that is effective. If I detail each one here you will never finish reading the blog.
You see, having everyone come into a meeting room for a boring lecture of do's and don'ts and thou shalt and thou shalt not will, more than likely, do a great job---of putting them to sleep.
With today's technology it is easy and convenient to take the training to the field to review different procedures. Having problems with an employee cleaning a restroom to quality standards? Take a video to them in the field and do training on an ipad or smartphone. It works. Manufactures and distributors can help develop this process.
Before anyone gets the idea that I am suggesting that the orientation and training procedure of new employees need not be done so it can be done in the field, I want to squash that idea. The orientation and initial training BEFORE they go to the field is critical to their (and your) long term success.
Training is an ongoing process. Doing it with the variety of tools available today helps improve the learning process of the multitude of generations and cultures you have in your workforce.
In future blogs we will attempt to go into further detail on effective use of these technological methods. In the meantime, start developing a comprehensive way your company can utilize these tools.
Hope you are watching our weekly free pod casts at www.kleancast.com. They are non commercial, to the point, concise subjects that pertain to our industry.
Till next time.
Wednesday, June 3, 2015
6 TIPS FOR PRESENTING AN EFFECTIVE SALES PROPOSAL
There are several aspects in delivering a sales proposal that need to be done correctly or you might find yourself coming in second. Here are some ideas to ponder.
1. Always ask for the appointment to deliver your proposal at the time you are doing the walk through. This commits the prospect but also forces you into getting to work on the proposal. If it is a sizable account you may want to remind the prospect that your presentation will be in power point and do they have a conference room to use for the presentation? This also lets them know this is a big deal and we don't just drop off proposals. (See point number 4)
2. Always ask for the names of all of the people who will be attending your presentation and then prepare a complete proposal for each one of them. If they are going to be attending your presentation, they are part of the decision making process and deserve all the courtesies you can provide.
3. Ask for one hour to make your presentation. If they won't give you that much time, ask for 45 minutes to present the Readers Digest version. Remind them of the importance the project has to both parties and enough time needs to be taken to thoroughly discuss the information.
4. Unless there is no alternative, don't just drop off the proposal. If they ask for that, mention that their business is extremely important to you and it really is important that you are with them to review the information in person. Internet quotes/proposals are getting more and more popular but I still subscribe to the theory that person to person presentations carry an enormous amount of weight in closing the sale. I, for one, want to observe the body language of the prospect as we are reviewing the proposal.
5. Try to sit next to the prospect. In that way you can control the turning of the pages during the presentation. If you know the prospect is only a price buyer, one tactic to use is to not put a price page in the proposal. After you review the specs and they agree to them, then pull out the pricing from your briefcase. Or, you can tell them after they have agreed to the specs that you estimate the price to be ? give or take 10%. How does that sound, Mr. or Mrs. prospect? That may get them to give you their budget and you can adjust from there. Just a thought. I used this approach many times---successfully.
6. Emphasize the things that make you different. The prospect already knows you clean good or you wouldn't probably be there in the first place. What are the systems and processes that set you apart from your competition? If it's a unique training program, invite the prospect to attend a session. Chances are your competition won't do that, if they even have a training program.
If it is a one of a kind quality control software, demonstrate it to the prospect and show them how it will benefit them.
And the list goes on, but be sure you do what you say you do.
There you have 6 tips on delivering your sales proposal. Hope it helps. There are more but I am making a conscious effort to make these blogs shorter and more concise. Won't always succeed in shortness but am continuing to make the effort.
By the way, you will notice I used the word proposal, not bid, throughout this blog posting. If you are asking to bid on the work, then you are really telling the prospect that you are a commodity and can hopefully beat everybody elses price. If you are really wanting to be a viable vendor to the prospect, you will deliver a proposal and then during the presentation process, will show them the value of doing business with your company which in turn takes you out of the "bidding" process and into the realm of a legitimate provider of needed services for your prospect.
Till next time and MAKE IT A GREAT DAY.
1. Always ask for the appointment to deliver your proposal at the time you are doing the walk through. This commits the prospect but also forces you into getting to work on the proposal. If it is a sizable account you may want to remind the prospect that your presentation will be in power point and do they have a conference room to use for the presentation? This also lets them know this is a big deal and we don't just drop off proposals. (See point number 4)
2. Always ask for the names of all of the people who will be attending your presentation and then prepare a complete proposal for each one of them. If they are going to be attending your presentation, they are part of the decision making process and deserve all the courtesies you can provide.
3. Ask for one hour to make your presentation. If they won't give you that much time, ask for 45 minutes to present the Readers Digest version. Remind them of the importance the project has to both parties and enough time needs to be taken to thoroughly discuss the information.
4. Unless there is no alternative, don't just drop off the proposal. If they ask for that, mention that their business is extremely important to you and it really is important that you are with them to review the information in person. Internet quotes/proposals are getting more and more popular but I still subscribe to the theory that person to person presentations carry an enormous amount of weight in closing the sale. I, for one, want to observe the body language of the prospect as we are reviewing the proposal.
5. Try to sit next to the prospect. In that way you can control the turning of the pages during the presentation. If you know the prospect is only a price buyer, one tactic to use is to not put a price page in the proposal. After you review the specs and they agree to them, then pull out the pricing from your briefcase. Or, you can tell them after they have agreed to the specs that you estimate the price to be ? give or take 10%. How does that sound, Mr. or Mrs. prospect? That may get them to give you their budget and you can adjust from there. Just a thought. I used this approach many times---successfully.
6. Emphasize the things that make you different. The prospect already knows you clean good or you wouldn't probably be there in the first place. What are the systems and processes that set you apart from your competition? If it's a unique training program, invite the prospect to attend a session. Chances are your competition won't do that, if they even have a training program.
If it is a one of a kind quality control software, demonstrate it to the prospect and show them how it will benefit them.
And the list goes on, but be sure you do what you say you do.
There you have 6 tips on delivering your sales proposal. Hope it helps. There are more but I am making a conscious effort to make these blogs shorter and more concise. Won't always succeed in shortness but am continuing to make the effort.
By the way, you will notice I used the word proposal, not bid, throughout this blog posting. If you are asking to bid on the work, then you are really telling the prospect that you are a commodity and can hopefully beat everybody elses price. If you are really wanting to be a viable vendor to the prospect, you will deliver a proposal and then during the presentation process, will show them the value of doing business with your company which in turn takes you out of the "bidding" process and into the realm of a legitimate provider of needed services for your prospect.
Till next time and MAKE IT A GREAT DAY.
Monday, June 1, 2015
THE TIME IS NOW
Well, here we are in June and almost halfway through another calendar year. I thought the timing is right to remind everyone that this is a good time to look at some areas that are important to us in moving our companies forward.
1. The time is now to look at your entire operation to see if you are where you want to be at the half way point in the year. That means doing a complete audit of your accounts to see which ones are profitable and which ones need more attention. I suggest you do a re-engineering of each of your accounts to analyze where you really are. We have a FREE form on our web site at www.consultantsincleaning,com that you can download under the worksheets icon and scroll down to the operations/human resources section and click on account re-engineering worksheet. We used it every six months and it helped us tremendously on bringing our accounts into focus.
2. The time is now to bring all of your staff in for paid refresher training on how you want everyone to be cleaning etc. This is a valuable exercise to do. You will find some of your cleaning techs have got into some bad habits and this is your opportunity to correct those bad habits.
3. The time is now to go to our sister site, www.kleancast.com and sign up for our FREE weekly pod cast on different subjects that pertain to our industry. I realize the sign up form asks for your phone number but we promise not to call you and harass you on anything. Any phone call we have will be initiated by you the viewer only. Our first OFFICIAL kleancast is being posted on June 1 so we hope you will join us each week to see this concise, to the point, short message on a subject pertaining to our industry. The pod casts will be archived so you can watch older ones as you see fit. We have even archived some of the older tripodcast videos for you to review.
4. The time is now to begin thinking about attending the 50th anniversary BSCAI convention in Las Vegas, October 22-24. This convention is preceded by the largest trade show in the industry sponsored by ISSA. www.bscai.org and www.issa.com are the sites to gather more information on these two great learning events. Thousands of your peers, managing and owning all sizes of companies, will be attending to share information with you not to mention the 700+ booths that will be at the trade show providing you the opportunity to see what is new in our industry that can improve your operation.
Take advantage of these opportunities in Las Vegas to learn and ask questions and move your company and yourself forward in this great industry. The dollars invested will come back to you in many ways. I am still reaping the rewards of things I learned many years ago by attending these events.
So there you have 4 things you can do at this midway point of 2015 that will enhance your company (and you).
MAKE IT A GREAT WEEK. See you on Linkedin.
1. The time is now to look at your entire operation to see if you are where you want to be at the half way point in the year. That means doing a complete audit of your accounts to see which ones are profitable and which ones need more attention. I suggest you do a re-engineering of each of your accounts to analyze where you really are. We have a FREE form on our web site at www.consultantsincleaning,com that you can download under the worksheets icon and scroll down to the operations/human resources section and click on account re-engineering worksheet. We used it every six months and it helped us tremendously on bringing our accounts into focus.
2. The time is now to bring all of your staff in for paid refresher training on how you want everyone to be cleaning etc. This is a valuable exercise to do. You will find some of your cleaning techs have got into some bad habits and this is your opportunity to correct those bad habits.
3. The time is now to go to our sister site, www.kleancast.com and sign up for our FREE weekly pod cast on different subjects that pertain to our industry. I realize the sign up form asks for your phone number but we promise not to call you and harass you on anything. Any phone call we have will be initiated by you the viewer only. Our first OFFICIAL kleancast is being posted on June 1 so we hope you will join us each week to see this concise, to the point, short message on a subject pertaining to our industry. The pod casts will be archived so you can watch older ones as you see fit. We have even archived some of the older tripodcast videos for you to review.
4. The time is now to begin thinking about attending the 50th anniversary BSCAI convention in Las Vegas, October 22-24. This convention is preceded by the largest trade show in the industry sponsored by ISSA. www.bscai.org and www.issa.com are the sites to gather more information on these two great learning events. Thousands of your peers, managing and owning all sizes of companies, will be attending to share information with you not to mention the 700+ booths that will be at the trade show providing you the opportunity to see what is new in our industry that can improve your operation.
Take advantage of these opportunities in Las Vegas to learn and ask questions and move your company and yourself forward in this great industry. The dollars invested will come back to you in many ways. I am still reaping the rewards of things I learned many years ago by attending these events.
So there you have 4 things you can do at this midway point of 2015 that will enhance your company (and you).
MAKE IT A GREAT WEEK. See you on Linkedin.
Monday, May 18, 2015
WHERE IS CUSTOMER SATISFACTION WHEN YOU NEED IT?
This past week I had the opportunity? to fly 4 times on an airline that I had not patronized for a few years. Here was my experience.
When told at the car rental center that I could check my bags there for return flights so I wouldn't have to load them on the bus and struggle with them at the ticket counter I was excited. The car rental company told me the process so I took off excited about the service the airlines were providing.
When I got to the level where the bags were to be checked I was told by a customer service? agent that the counter was at the far end of the building so I proceeded to go there. I could not find the check in area so I went to the information? counter to ask what the procedure was. The person told me he didn't know that the service was available and if it was they probably wouldn't start that service until later in the day and he thought it was at the opposite end of the building. My question to him then was, "So you don't really provide information at the information counter". His reply was "not really" so I put my bags on the bus and went to the terminal ticket counter.
It got me to thinking about how many times we as BSC's leave our customers without answers. Do we tell them, it's not in the specs or we don't do that? Do we tell them when we have a new service to offer or do we go out with a great marketing campaign only to leave our existing customers not knowing we have a new service?
Have we asked our customers if there is a service that we could bundle with the cleaning so they don't have so many checks to write? Even if the invoice amount is the same, we save them soft costs that reduces the number of checks they have to write or the multiple phone numbers they have to keep handy. By the way, you don't have to self perform the additional services, just have people lined up that can.
I should also mention that in the four flights I took with this airline last week, not one was on time, 2 of the flights were cancelled without notifying the passengers and the other two changed gates at least twice. I should mention in fairness that one of the flights was a weather delay that they could not control so they only really had 3 chances to make a positive impression and they didn't do it. The only way I knew the flights were cancelled or that a gate change had occurred was I checked the airport monitor.
What about you? If you have promised your customer a special service and then have a glitch, do you let them know immediately or do they find out when they come to work the next day? Most customers are very tolerant and understanding if they are kept abreast of what is going on.
I remember sitting in a client's office a couple of years ago and during our time together he told about 5 phone calls from customers asking him if he could handle something that was out of his normal scope of work. His answer? We can do it or we'll handle it for you.
After he had answered these calls I asked if he did all these things and he said he did not but his customers knew he knew somebody who did. His philosophy was that he was in the customer satisfaction business and he wanted to satisfy his customers if at all possible. Plus, he said, if I can handle it my competitor doesn't have an open window to come in.
So we started talking about customer retention and his was nearly 100% and had been for years. Think his philosophy was paying off? You bet it was.
Back to my airline experience. One thing that was apparent. You can change the name of your company and merge with other companies but if you don't change your employees attitudes and your end service delivery you are still the same old company.
How about doing a study of your company? How do your treat all of your customers? Are there services you could provide that would solidify your relationship?
Don't forget to sign up to receive our FREE weekly pod casts starting June 1. Go to www.kleancast.com and click on the sign me up icon and you'll get an email each time one is posted. We promise not to call you or harass you with sales material. It's just a pod cast that we hope will help you in your company. Most will be in the 5 minute range so you can watch and get on with your business.
Starting in September we will be producing daily audio podcasts featuring the speakers at the upcoming BSCAI convention and ISSA trade show in Las Vegas in October. More details to follow as the time gets closer.
Till next time and have a wonderful and safe Memorial Day holiday.
When told at the car rental center that I could check my bags there for return flights so I wouldn't have to load them on the bus and struggle with them at the ticket counter I was excited. The car rental company told me the process so I took off excited about the service the airlines were providing.
When I got to the level where the bags were to be checked I was told by a customer service? agent that the counter was at the far end of the building so I proceeded to go there. I could not find the check in area so I went to the information? counter to ask what the procedure was. The person told me he didn't know that the service was available and if it was they probably wouldn't start that service until later in the day and he thought it was at the opposite end of the building. My question to him then was, "So you don't really provide information at the information counter". His reply was "not really" so I put my bags on the bus and went to the terminal ticket counter.
It got me to thinking about how many times we as BSC's leave our customers without answers. Do we tell them, it's not in the specs or we don't do that? Do we tell them when we have a new service to offer or do we go out with a great marketing campaign only to leave our existing customers not knowing we have a new service?
Have we asked our customers if there is a service that we could bundle with the cleaning so they don't have so many checks to write? Even if the invoice amount is the same, we save them soft costs that reduces the number of checks they have to write or the multiple phone numbers they have to keep handy. By the way, you don't have to self perform the additional services, just have people lined up that can.
I should also mention that in the four flights I took with this airline last week, not one was on time, 2 of the flights were cancelled without notifying the passengers and the other two changed gates at least twice. I should mention in fairness that one of the flights was a weather delay that they could not control so they only really had 3 chances to make a positive impression and they didn't do it. The only way I knew the flights were cancelled or that a gate change had occurred was I checked the airport monitor.
What about you? If you have promised your customer a special service and then have a glitch, do you let them know immediately or do they find out when they come to work the next day? Most customers are very tolerant and understanding if they are kept abreast of what is going on.
I remember sitting in a client's office a couple of years ago and during our time together he told about 5 phone calls from customers asking him if he could handle something that was out of his normal scope of work. His answer? We can do it or we'll handle it for you.
After he had answered these calls I asked if he did all these things and he said he did not but his customers knew he knew somebody who did. His philosophy was that he was in the customer satisfaction business and he wanted to satisfy his customers if at all possible. Plus, he said, if I can handle it my competitor doesn't have an open window to come in.
So we started talking about customer retention and his was nearly 100% and had been for years. Think his philosophy was paying off? You bet it was.
Back to my airline experience. One thing that was apparent. You can change the name of your company and merge with other companies but if you don't change your employees attitudes and your end service delivery you are still the same old company.
How about doing a study of your company? How do your treat all of your customers? Are there services you could provide that would solidify your relationship?
Don't forget to sign up to receive our FREE weekly pod casts starting June 1. Go to www.kleancast.com and click on the sign me up icon and you'll get an email each time one is posted. We promise not to call you or harass you with sales material. It's just a pod cast that we hope will help you in your company. Most will be in the 5 minute range so you can watch and get on with your business.
Starting in September we will be producing daily audio podcasts featuring the speakers at the upcoming BSCAI convention and ISSA trade show in Las Vegas in October. More details to follow as the time gets closer.
Till next time and have a wonderful and safe Memorial Day holiday.
Monday, May 11, 2015
RELAUNCHNG THE LAUNCH
Sometimes no matter how many electronic keys you hit nothing goes right. Our earlier blog on our launch just didn't want to cooperate so we are going to try it again.
We have been telling you for a few weeks about a couple of new and exciting things we were ready to launch which we hope will help our industry. Well, the first one is about ready.
As of now our new companion web site www.kleancast.com is open and ready. This site will be in addition AND a companion to our existing site, www.consultantsincleaning.com.
Kleancast.com is where we will be posting our weekly pod casts that became so popular when they were known as tripodcasts. Each Monday morning, BEGINNING JUNE 1, 2015, we will post a short, concise, usually 5 or so minutes in length, unless I get carried away, video of a subject that is related to what we do every day. We try to cover all the areas of sales, human resources, operations and administration with an occasional one on just being a better leader and manager.
We have posted several of the old tripodcasts for you to review now on the kleancast site so you can get a flavor of what we are talking about. Those of you that were subscribing to tripodcast will recognize some of them but they may be good for review.
While investigating the new kleancast.com site, let me suggest you click on the sign me up icon and register to receive an email from us every time one is posted. We promise not to call you or harass you with emails to buy something, other than our regular constant contact emails that go out usually one time per month or so, and even then you can unsubscribe anytime you want.
We're excited to bring you this FREE weekly information. We enjoy doing it and hopefully it helps someone along the way. Again, it is free and we don't use your sign up as a way to push sales. We do hope, however, that when the time arises when you need educational and/or training information that we are one of the sources you consider. There, the sales pitch is out of the way.
By the way, I will be at the BSCAI Executive Management Conference this week in Scottsdale, Arizona. If you have any subjects for the pod casts you would like covered in the future let me know and we'll try our best to post one on the subject.
If you're not coming to the conference you can put your suggestions in the comments section of the sign me up icon. Remember, our new postings begin JUNE 1.
So there you have announcement number 1. By the first of July we hope to be in a position to provide you with another major story coming out of our Consultants In Cleaning, LLC office. We are really growing and enjoying our work.
Look forward to your input. Till next time.
We have been telling you for a few weeks about a couple of new and exciting things we were ready to launch which we hope will help our industry. Well, the first one is about ready.
As of now our new companion web site www.kleancast.com is open and ready. This site will be in addition AND a companion to our existing site, www.consultantsincleaning.com.
Kleancast.com is where we will be posting our weekly pod casts that became so popular when they were known as tripodcasts. Each Monday morning, BEGINNING JUNE 1, 2015, we will post a short, concise, usually 5 or so minutes in length, unless I get carried away, video of a subject that is related to what we do every day. We try to cover all the areas of sales, human resources, operations and administration with an occasional one on just being a better leader and manager.
We have posted several of the old tripodcasts for you to review now on the kleancast site so you can get a flavor of what we are talking about. Those of you that were subscribing to tripodcast will recognize some of them but they may be good for review.
While investigating the new kleancast.com site, let me suggest you click on the sign me up icon and register to receive an email from us every time one is posted. We promise not to call you or harass you with emails to buy something, other than our regular constant contact emails that go out usually one time per month or so, and even then you can unsubscribe anytime you want.
We're excited to bring you this FREE weekly information. We enjoy doing it and hopefully it helps someone along the way. Again, it is free and we don't use your sign up as a way to push sales. We do hope, however, that when the time arises when you need educational and/or training information that we are one of the sources you consider. There, the sales pitch is out of the way.
By the way, I will be at the BSCAI Executive Management Conference this week in Scottsdale, Arizona. If you have any subjects for the pod casts you would like covered in the future let me know and we'll try our best to post one on the subject.
If you're not coming to the conference you can put your suggestions in the comments section of the sign me up icon. Remember, our new postings begin JUNE 1.
So there you have announcement number 1. By the first of July we hope to be in a position to provide you with another major story coming out of our Consultants In Cleaning, LLC office. We are really growing and enjoying our work.
Look forward to your input. Till next time.
Monday, May 4, 2015
THAT'S NOT MY JOB
Have you ever heard someone say "That's not my job" or have you ever said that when asked to perform a certain task? It's a phrase most of us can say we hear nearly every day---sometimes every hour.
So if it isn't our job, who's job is it? It is my belief that we have really only one mission in the business world and that is to SATISFY THE CUSTOMER and if you subscribe to that philosophy, every job is your job.
Providing great customer satisfaction is different than providing great customer service in that customer service is a concept that nearly every business embraces. We hear it every day---We give good customer service or we have a customer service department. Go to a grocery store or department store and what do you see---a customer service counter.
Customer satisfaction on the other hand, is a demonstration of customer service. Ever lost an account when you thought the building was clean or even cleaner than when you got the account in the first place? I know I did.
What happened? Someone did not provide quality customer satisfaction. The building was clean but someone didn't do their job to make sure the customer was comfortable doing business with your company. It may have been a "simple" thing like not answering the phone in a pleasant way or not getting the monthly billing correct after several calls from the client to get it corrected.
You see, it is everybody's job to provide customer satisfaction. When we answer the phone the customer is judging us. When we call on the customer in person we are being judged. When we invoice the customer incorrectly we are being judged. Everything we do provides an opportunity for us to provide quality customer satisfaction, not only the concept of customer service.
Did you notice that nothing that I referred to above had anything to do with providing the on the job cleaning schedule? All of the issues discussed had to do with customer satisfaction at different levels within the company.
I have an "Ollekism" that applies to what I have been talking about in this blog and that is,
IF YOU SAY, "THAT'S NOT MY JOB" THE ONE YOU HAVE MAY NOT BE FOR LONG EITHER.
Think about that. When you are asked to do something to provide customer satisfaction and you tell someone that isn't your job you are really putting a dent in the company's opportunity to retain a customer.
It may not be your job directly but the important thing to learn is where you can get the help or who can you direct someone to or take them to that will assist them. You don't have to know everything about everything but the customer wants you to help them solve a problem and saying that it isn't your job only compounds the problem and brings them one step closer to finding another vendor.
It might be a good idea to have a group session to review the important part everyone plays in satisfying and retaining customers. While you are doing that, you might suggest the phrase "that's not my job" is no longer an acceptable phrase in the company.
Let me know your thoughts.
Look for 2 major announcements coming from us in the next 30 days. We're excited.
Till next time.
So if it isn't our job, who's job is it? It is my belief that we have really only one mission in the business world and that is to SATISFY THE CUSTOMER and if you subscribe to that philosophy, every job is your job.
Providing great customer satisfaction is different than providing great customer service in that customer service is a concept that nearly every business embraces. We hear it every day---We give good customer service or we have a customer service department. Go to a grocery store or department store and what do you see---a customer service counter.
Customer satisfaction on the other hand, is a demonstration of customer service. Ever lost an account when you thought the building was clean or even cleaner than when you got the account in the first place? I know I did.
What happened? Someone did not provide quality customer satisfaction. The building was clean but someone didn't do their job to make sure the customer was comfortable doing business with your company. It may have been a "simple" thing like not answering the phone in a pleasant way or not getting the monthly billing correct after several calls from the client to get it corrected.
You see, it is everybody's job to provide customer satisfaction. When we answer the phone the customer is judging us. When we call on the customer in person we are being judged. When we invoice the customer incorrectly we are being judged. Everything we do provides an opportunity for us to provide quality customer satisfaction, not only the concept of customer service.
Did you notice that nothing that I referred to above had anything to do with providing the on the job cleaning schedule? All of the issues discussed had to do with customer satisfaction at different levels within the company.
I have an "Ollekism" that applies to what I have been talking about in this blog and that is,
IF YOU SAY, "THAT'S NOT MY JOB" THE ONE YOU HAVE MAY NOT BE FOR LONG EITHER.
Think about that. When you are asked to do something to provide customer satisfaction and you tell someone that isn't your job you are really putting a dent in the company's opportunity to retain a customer.
It may not be your job directly but the important thing to learn is where you can get the help or who can you direct someone to or take them to that will assist them. You don't have to know everything about everything but the customer wants you to help them solve a problem and saying that it isn't your job only compounds the problem and brings them one step closer to finding another vendor.
It might be a good idea to have a group session to review the important part everyone plays in satisfying and retaining customers. While you are doing that, you might suggest the phrase "that's not my job" is no longer an acceptable phrase in the company.
Let me know your thoughts.
Look for 2 major announcements coming from us in the next 30 days. We're excited.
Till next time.
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