There are so many different ways that we as companies establish the expectations for our customer service. But often times, there are just as many things that we leave out when training our staff, and those can be just as vital as the big, obvious skills.
One of the most common things that companies forget to train their staff on is what NOT to do. It’s easy to think — “My staff would know not to turn their backs to the lobby, I shouldn’t have to tell them that,” but do they actually know that? Assuming these things can lead to unknowingly bad behavior by your staff, and it won’t be their fault.
Now, before you develop a Never/Always list, there is MUCH to be said about hiring the right people. If you hire employees that fit your company’s culture and values, then hopefully most of the things on your list will be inherent to them. Again though, don’t assume this! View it like raising children. Did your kids automatically come into the world knowing not to leave their toys lying around or not to walk into the road? You probably had to make that explicitly clear to them, and you probably had to reiterate it a few times. The same goes for your staff.
It will probably be easy for you to come up with the “Always” side of the list. In fact, you probably already have a list that looks similar to this. It will be the “Never” list that could provide difficulty. Just think about bad behaviors that you’ve had to correct often. What this list shouldn’t be is a compilation of behaviors that are overtly bad (i.e. never yell at a member, never harass another employee). Those are the ones that should be obvious and that should be inherent knowledge for the type of people that you hire.
Last thing: BE SPECIFIC! Your “Never” list will likely be clear-cut. If you look at your “Always” list, however, are you being too broad? Using ubiquitous terms? Not giving examples? I was reading over a professional organization’s Code of Ethics and Conduct and was amazed at how broad they were in their guidelines. Making a list that includes the rule “Be friendly” will look different to every single one of your employees. You’ve got to have a clearer guideline of what “friendly” looks like. What does it feel like? What does it look like to a member? What does it look like for your front desk as compared to your housekeepers? What are your expectations of your staff when it comes to being friendly? Be explicit. Give examples. Show them what it looks like. You’ll be amazed at the transformation and the lack of micromanaging that will be required of you once your staff understands both sides of the fence.
Amanda Purser is the Front Desk Manager at Gainesville Health & Fitness. She can be reached at APurser@ghfc.com.
