Happy Bing-a-Ling
No, that is not the new politically correct way to greet during the holiday season – it is my elf name! I learned it at one of those cute websites you come across when doing research for blogs! A silly thing it is, of course, but something that got everyone laughing and joking in the office.
Are your employees laughing? Are they pumped up for the busy holiday rush, the end of year number crunching, or the planning for the new year marketing program? Employee perspective is as important as is customer perspective – for if you don’t have happy employees, you undoubtedly will not have many happy customers.
Take for example the young teen in the grocery store who would much rather be home playing on his video system than bagging turkeys and eggnog. Aside from the need for cash for more video games, what can an employer do to keep this individual returning to work with a smile?
If you only teach him to bag groceries, he will likely lose interest quickly. If he is trained to understand he is part of a larger whole, if he is taken through the process so that he know what goes on behind the scenes, as well as on the front end, if he understands that properly bagging for a customer according to their wishes brings that customer back, and if he knows for sure a smile and hello can go a long way to customer satisfaction, his outlook and performance can be very different. People like to know the job they do is important – and showing them that every link in your chain is a necessary part of the organization will make them feel that way.
Mystery shopping can help you to identify the people in your organization or areas of customer service that need a little TLC – Training, Listening, and Concern. Then include a training program or two in the new year so that all of your ‘elves’ will be whistling while they work all year long!
By the way – you can learn your elf name at: http://www.jokesunlimited.com/christmas_elf_name.php
Sincerely,
Happy Bing-a-Ling
Our thanks this month to guest blogger, Diane Sweeney. Diane has been with Market Viewpoint for 10 years and is currently VP of Operations. Diane has worked in marketing and human resources for all of her career. She also runs a nutrition consulting firm, Healthy Solutions. Her life-long love of writing now has a venue as a she blogs for Market Viewpoint, her own website, and those of friends. The service industries and the health of the human spirit are topics close to her heart.