You Control How Employees Treat Your Customers
We’ve all heard the phrase — your employees are the face of your company. But how many of you really consider that fact and do something to make sure your employees are presenting your company in a positive light?
Let me give you an example, using a company I’ll call Best Electronic Services Team, or BEST.
We recently had a laptop we had purchased from BEST that needed repair. Since we had also purchased a warranty, we took the machine to a local BEST. The case was bulging so we knew there was an issue with the battery, but there were some other concerns we needed addressed also.
The employee at the first BEST location was very dismissive. He also could tell the machine needed a battery, just from looking at it. But that was All he did. And then he recommended that we buy a battery on Amazon, and bring it in for them to install. We were shocked at his uncaring attitude and came away vowing we’d Never shop at BEST again!
Fortunately, we decided to get a second opinion. We were fairly sure our warranty covered one battery replacement. So, we took the laptop to another location of BEST.
The experience with that employee was completely different. That employee took one look at the laptop and also knew there was a battery issue. But he also saw the unique “Star Wars” graphic on the cover and knew something else — “that’s a limited edition!” he exclaimed. “Those were really cool!” With that, he became a friend, an ally in helping us fix our computer. He sent it to the repair shop, explaining that he didn’t know if they could fix it, because it was 3 years old (ancient in “computer years”) but that they would try really hard since it was a special edition. We came away from that experience saying “BEST is a Great store!”
Two different employees, two different experiences, but both times it was the store we were either mad at or happy with. Because your employees are the face of your company.
Unfortunately, they weren’t able to fix the laptop so we were offered a replacement. The employee who waited on us when we went back for the third and final time was not one we would have been impressed with. He was polite but not personable, not engaging in small talk or empathy for the loss of our special laptop. He did give us a gift card for the full value of our initial purchase price since they didn’t have a comparable replacement. So that made us happy.
But what really left an impression was that the second employee was there and took a moment away from the customer he was helping, to make a comment to us. All he said was, “it’s too bad we couldn’t fix your laptop. That one was really cool.” That remark made us smile and feel like we weren’t just another face in the crowd. It also made us wish we’d been able to deal with that employee instead of the one with no personality.
We walked away with a favorable view of BEST. And we Will shop there again. We have that big gift card to spend, after all. But also, we’ll shop there because we felt valued by that one employee.
Your employees are the face of your company. You know that. You’re probably saying “I can’t control how employees treat customers.” But that is not true. For years, staffs that I managed consistently increased sales. Not only that, but they were extremely loyal and hard-working. Why? Because I treated my staff the way I wanted them to treat customers — like valued people. You can’t berate employees or force them to take care of customers. You can’t require them to be kind while treating them unkindly. You can’t expect them to be patient with angry customers if you won’t even listen to their grievances. Or, to misquote the Bible — “Do unto employees as you would have them do unto customers.”
This was my standard philosophy as a manager, so I know it works. Treat people the way you would want to be treated. All people. Especially your employees. You’d be surprised how effective a little bit of praise is, or how far tolerance and understanding can take you towards your sales goals. Not to mention the fact that it makes for a more pleasant work environment and helps build team spirit.
Try it. You have nothing to lose and everything to gain.
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Donna Wylie has over two decades of management experience where she consistently increased sales and maintained an outstanding staff of happy employees. She is available for seminars and consulting on topics such as How to Build and Keep an Outstanding Staff, The Care and Feeding of Great Employees, and Effective Management Techniques, among others. She can be reached Monday-Friday at chiwowmedia@gmail.com.
