August / September 2015
KERN BUSINESS JOURNAL
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• Provide training. New employee training needs to include expectations and must understand the importance of methods of providing excellent customer providing good customer service and service. Train employees to meet see company executives and managers customer needs, as well as respond involved. to customer complaints. Make this an ongoing process, with veteran employees • Define “good customer service.” Often, receiving refresher courses. Invite good customer service qualities are suggestions on ways to improve service. included as goals in company mission and vision statements. But definitions • Reward good customer service. must go further than a bumper sticker Celebrate those who do it well. Provide approach. Review all aspects of your mechanisms for customers to register business and determine ways to provide compliments and complaints. Share excellent service. This review should be feedback and success stories with ongoing. Encourage employees to ex employees. Consider basing pay partially periment with ways to improve service. on the customer service employees provide. Award bonuses for “excellence” • Extend good service to more than in providing good customer service. customers. Employees also must give good service to their colleagues. If your company is amazing to work for Developing a spirit of “teamwork” will and with, people will love coming to work result in good service inside and outside and customers will love walking through a company. your front door (or entering your Internet portal) to do business. Do your best to • Hire carefully. Select new employees create an environment that fosters just for both their skill competency and their that response. attitude. From the beginning of the recruitment and interview process, to hiring a new employee, providing excel- — Holly Culhane is president of the lent customer service should be defined Bakersfield-based human resources consulting firm P.A.S. Associates and P.A.S. and emphasized. Applicants should Investigations. She can be contacted through demonstrate they share the commitment her website PASassociates.com and through the PAS Facebook page. to quality customer service.
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