The Customer OR You – Who Comes First?

If you own a business you can’t help but agree keeping employees on track is a challenge. Although there are those who need little leadership however most need guidance when it comes down to proper customer service. Ever notice when there’s a conflict it’s the same group of people? Complaining, not agreeing with other employees, or think there idea is the only way to get it done. Yet if we look at those in question you’d see a trend.

In general terms there’s two type of people we deal with in business, those who are always thinking about ”what’s in it for them” and those who seek to serve others. If we think about it in terms of percentages, say you employ 100 people then 95% of complaints would be by 5% of the work force. Being in business and dealing with people for many years now I can tell you those numbers are very close in most business today.

Those who tend to always focus on…If I do that for them what do I get in return…You might want to evaluate their personality before you hire. People who look at what they get before what they can do can be a challenge to deal with as time goes on. If a situation does not work out to their advantage they will be the first at the complaint department.

On the other hand a person who looks at a customer and seeks to resolve their issue, in the long run will be a better employee and serve to grow and expand your business. When hiring an employee we look at their work history and work ethic, and how well they listen however sometimes people get stuck in a job which they don’t desire but are forced to do the job because of the choices they made. A question or two you might want to ask is why do you want to work for this company? Knowing what motivates a person can tell you weather they are driven by what they want or what they can do.

Why is that important? In most businesses finding a solution for the customer should be the first priority, but if a person is seeking to get their needs served before the customers, tell them a bunch of facts to look like an expert, you might have unhappy clients, more importantly future business may be compromised. People don’t care how much you know until they know how much you care.

Team building is an important element to a successful business. Matching up people to their skill set as well as the job requirements should take front stage to any business. Sometimes it all might look good on paper however the reality just doesn’t work. Don’t be afraid to make changes, to be a good leader you must recognize when something is not working out and make changes to move forward. Clear and decisive decisions in a timely manor will keep people on their toes.