Category: Leadership

Many business owners operate from this mindset related to customer service: “if you can make your customers happy everything else will simply take care of itself”. But what about those small businesses that simply don’t have the resources to create and implement an effective program for customer service that their employees can use? Here are five easy ways that can improve customer service that won’t require any special training or any additional resources.

Be professional – a professional exchange with customers in-person, on the phone, or in an email will have a major impact on how people communicate with you. Be caring, courteous, polite, and attentive at all times.

Thank you – simply say thank you and let your customers know you appreciate them and their business. This can be done with a quick phone call, a handwritten note, a small gift, an email… Or simply remembering them the next time you interact with them.

Accessible – make it easy for customers to reach you or a member of your team. This can be done through email, voice mail, text messaging, and even social media. These are all great ways to make yourself available and to respond promptly.

Ask – ask customers what they need or what can be done to make things right for them. Never put your customers on the defensive by asking why is there a problem here.

Follow up – follow up with customers especially in those cases where you feel a customer may not be 100% satisfied. It’s surprising to see how few businesses actually do this in a way that is personalized or individualized to that particular customer.

-RG

Here is a Top 5 List to help you get back in the work groove after vacation, even if you’d still rather be at the beach. Or at any time during the year when motivation is lacking.

Create lists – The night before or the first thing in the morning, make a list of everything you need to do for the day – especially the difficult stuff. This is most effective if you write it on paper instead of inputting it into your device. Make multiple lists if needed (example – personal & business). This will result in more things being checked off. Actively checking things off a list provides the motivation to do the next task.

Celebrate all achievements – Set small, attainable goals for yourself to complete throughout the day, everything from making phone calls to finishing a report. Then take some time to reward yourself when each goal is reached. Get a coffee, go for a short walk, or listen to a brief podcast…something not work related. As long as it is within reason, whatever you feel you deserve.

Start with the difficult items – A long list of tasks can be overwhelming and discouraging, resulting in very little being accomplished. Especially, if you delay addressing those difficult items. You’ll feel better about yourself and your ability to take on the tougher jobs and finish the day with more enjoyable tasks.

Change things – Many of us fall into a routine, both at home and at work. Breaking that routine, even just once in a while can give us a fresh perspective and renewed energy. Perhaps work from home, change your hours, or simply hold meetings in an unusual place.

Collaborate – Surrounding yourself with others, even those who may also feel unmotivated, can lift the whole group. Keep it light and fun. Get people laughing. Try some word games or company trivia before getting down to business. Sometimes the best way to improve productivity is to think less about being productive.

-RG

Like many, I’m time poor. (I actually think I may be bankrupt.) But, I’m learning a few powerful lessons during this stress test (known as the Global Pandemic) that I’d like to share.

Before You Commit to Anything, Get Clear on Your Priorities. You might think it’s crazy to take on all of these things that we do and I do agree, I’d also like to offer that all of these activities must be aligned with our top priorities. For example:

• Family
• Professional Development
• Support & Service To Employer (and community)

For the record, I’ve said “no” to things recently, to make room for my “yes” replies When asked if I want to get involved in anything new, I say, “let me think about it” before I agree to move forward. Clear priorities give me guidelines on whether I should say “yes” to anything new.

You Can’t Do Everything. We all have limitations. What I’ve learned is that I can’t be everywhere at once, I don’t always make the best decisions, and there are others willing to step up and help when asked. To manage, we have to delegate and empower. Sometimes it’s hard for people to give up control as they assume more responsibility. You can delegate authority, but not responsibility. When you delegate authority, you give people autonomy – something we all crave. Any task that has been delegated can be a great learning opportunity for someone else.

Sometimes Good Enough Is….Good Enough. We’re all busy and in the greater scheme of our lives, things matter but maybe not as much as we think. When you’re busy, how you allocate your minutes is critical. During the week, there are things I spend time on and things I don’t. There are things that I perfect, and there are things I choose not to. In your world, you know when you’re trying to make perfect things that don’t matter. The key is being able to recognize when good enough is really good enough.

For all of us, we strive to feel full lives. I’ve given up on the idea that life can feel balanced – is anything ever really balanced?

-RG

Many of us send many emails over the course of a week. We don’t give a second thought as to what kind of impression they can have on how others view us. Even a well written email can make us appear less professional just through presentation and style. In order to make your next email look professional, here are five things you might be doing – and may need to stop.

Long signatures – Your name, title and company is plenty. If you really want to include your social media links and all of your current committee positions, think about listing them in a smaller font. Also, avoid icons, logos and images whenever possible. In addition to possibly appearing as attachments, they don’t always display well on mobile devices.

Reply all – In most cases, replying back to the original sender is fine. Not everyone on the list needs to know your question or see your reply. Use the “reply all” option when it really makes sense.

Writing like a text message – Poor spelling and abbreviations might be acceptable in a text, but in an email they make you look distracted and lazy. Write in a way that is professional and that would make your English teacher proud. Proof your work before sending.

Really long emails – If you have a lot to say, it just might be more efficient to pick up the phone (or meet in a video chat) and have that conversation with the person. You can always send an email afterwards summarizing the key points.

Auto replies, all the time – Just because you’re out of the office for the day (or half-day) doesn’t mean you need to create an auto reply message. Especially if you’re still receiving your email. There’s nothing wrong with answering emails at the end of the day or even the next day.

-RG