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Do you have someone, a receptionist or secretary perhaps, who is responsible for answering the phones or greeting your customers at the door? If so, it's important to understand that this person is absolutely critical to the success of your business. He/she is the person who speaks on behalf of your company when potential new customers call, when off-site partners and vendors need assistance, and when prior customers come back with repeat business. In essence, this person speaks for you. Have you thought about the personality and character of that individual? Are you certain that he/she is a person who enjoys people? If you have not spent much time thinking about this before, please read on.

Marketing, advertising and word of mouth bring valuable people into our businesses. It all takes time, energy and sometimes a great deal of money. In your own business, I'm sure you're also doing your best to provide excellent customer service, working hard at cultivating and maintaining important business relationships, investing time and money to keep up with your industry's latest technology, and spending hard earned assets to market your brand. So why in the world would you hire, or worse, keep, a front desk person who can destroy everything in an instant with their gruff, impatient or even downright rude attitude?

I have been to more than one business where I loved the professional but hated dealing with the front office. I have seen some receptionists act like they run the show, carrying on in ways I'm sure the owner is not aware of. Others were compelled to tell me about their really bad day or how communication breakdowns and lack of supplies was the norm around there. The worst were the ones who complained about their job and were unwilling to extend themselves to help me in any way. I've seen them everywhere, in gymnasiums, doctor's offices, and yes, even in communication businesses. Who wants to do business with people like that?

Maybe your person is a very efficient, super detail-oriented kind who gets things done, keeps the papers filed and collects on past due invoices. Perhaps this person is bossy and orders the rest of your team around really well, so much so that maybe you've even promoted him/her to office manager. What are you thinking??? This person's most important role is dealing with people and developing relationships. No matter how great he/she is in other areas, if he/she isn't good with people, he/she doesn't belong there.

If we are really fortunate a forthright customer will let us know when we have someone like this working for us, or should I say, "against?" Let's face it. People-persons are oftentimes not as gifted at doing paper work as the get-things-done person. So maybe hiring two people is the answer. Yes it does increase overhead and yes, it's a hassle hiring and training someone new, especially when it's important to keep business going as usual. But balance that against the price you pay for keeping someone on board who drives business away. In today's competitive world, it is hard enough to keep our existing customers let alone those who have not yet become loyal to our business.

So what shall we do about it? The first thing to do is make a list of the attributes you would like this person to have well before the interview process. You can also opt to use a profile tool of some kind that will help you determine the true nature of your candidate. There are many available; there is the DISC, the Briggs-Meyers and a new one that I was just introduced to called the PI, which stands for Predictive Index. I have all three available to me and would be happy to refer you to the respective distributors.

If the person is already a fixture, take the time to retrain him or her in customer service. Try placing a mirror at the front desk as a reminder to smile. Place other mirrors on the telephones that your sales staff and other personnel use to call on customers. Have your team come up with a checklist of actions to be taken every time a new person shows up at your front desk. Integrate instruction with play by designing fun games for your team that promote your agenda. If you do not have time or feel that this is your strength, consult a facilitator or coach to give you some direction and feedback.

Continuous training and learning is paramount in today's business. Either send your team members to seminars or bring facilitators in to remind your staff of the priorities of your business. Sometimes a look at the "big picture" is helpful for all of us. And hearing these kinds of messages from an outsider can sometimes be more powerful than a redundant reminder from within.

The main thing is to remember your goal. Is it to serve people, develop strong relationships with them and have them enjoy doing business with you or is it to punish the client who is five minutes late, speak condescendingly and get the papers filed at the expense of satisfying the customer? Remember, the public has lots of choices about who to give their business to. Don't you want it to be yours?

~ACTION

Hire wisely, train well, and design fun ways to work as a team. If you don't have the time for this or are uncertain of your skill in this area...hire a coach.

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Copyright 2006 h Signals All Rights Reserved.

Diann S. Cannon, ACC
hSignals Personal & Business Coach
Coach, Writer, Speaker & Facillitator
Ph: (702) 656-3225
Cell (702) 218-0037
www.Signalscoach.com
signalscoach@msn.com
http://www.nevadacoaches.org
"Live Life Fully Engaged!"