Sign up to save your podcasts
Or
Share Wish Your Staff Were More Productive? Here Are Some Tips You Might Not Have Thought Of
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Share to email
Share to Facebook
Share to X
Or
Wish Your Staff Were More Productive? Here Are Some Tips You Might Not Have Thought Of
When I talk to leaders of manufacturing and construction companies about improving customer experience, I often hear one of two things:
* We are so damned busy, why would I waste time and money on trying to get even more customers?
* We can’t afford to invest more right now.
Lori Schmidt, CEO of GoProductivity, hears the same thing. But the things that will help a company be more productive are often the same things that will improve customer experience.
Get your FREE Transcript Now!
When it comes to the first reaction, many CEOs would find that if they took a bit of time to assess how they are doing things — their processes, staff training, responsibilities — they would bring some sanity to their overworked lives. They also would be a lot less vulnerable to smart competitors springing up who are more productive, have better ways of doing things, and can steal their market share as soon as the economy slows even a little bit. As to the second reaction, as Lori puts it in our interview:
You can’t control the dollar value, falling oil prices or changing governments. So look at what you can control!
Are you using your resources — including your people resources — as effectively as possible? Odds are that you are not. Often, as Lori explains it, “you don’t really realize when those inefficiencies start to pile up until tough times or you are being squeezed by your customers.” Rather than waiting till things hit a crisis point, it is better to review all your processes at least once a year. (Ideally more often than that.)
Don’t Blame Your Workers
Most employees want to do a good job. Or at least they start out that way. Over time, if they get bogged down by unproductive processes, unpleasant co-workers, or unsupportive bosses, they may lose that positive attitude. If you are starting to lose them, here are a few things to do:
* Talk to them. Listen to them! Find out what is frustrating them. You may be able to do something about it.
* Review your processes. If your employees are stuck in an inefficient system they can’t possibly provide the sort of efficient and effective service that leads to satisfied customers. (Let alone satisfied staff!)
* Empower all levels of staff. The Ritz Carlton hotel chain gives all employees, including the housekeeping staff, $2,000 they can use with no advance permission to “make things right” for a customer. Sounds like a recipe for going broke, but it does just the opposite. Employees don’t abuse the fund, but they do use it to create customers who are loyal advocates of the Ritz Carlton brand.
* Engage employees from all departments and levels if you want to make changes. Imposing change from the top is not only likely to meet resistance, it is often going to result in changes that do not make things more productive. You need to involve everyone from the start both to ensure that you really understand all the variables that affect how things are done in your company, and so they feel a commitment to the decisions that are made.
* Toughen up. As leaders, says Lori, “we need to learn to receive feedback better.” It is natural to get your back up when employees (or customers) suggest better ways you could be doing things. Stay calm! Give yourself time to think about what they’ve said.
View all episodes
When I talk to leaders of manufacturing and construction companies about improving customer experience, I often hear one of two things:
* We are so damned busy, why would I waste time and money on trying to get even more customers?
* We can’t afford to invest more right now.
Lori Schmidt, CEO of GoProductivity, hears the same thing. But the things that will help a company be more productive are often the same things that will improve customer experience.
Get your FREE Transcript Now!
When it comes to the first reaction, many CEOs would find that if they took a bit of time to assess how they are doing things — their processes, staff training, responsibilities — they would bring some sanity to their overworked lives. They also would be a lot less vulnerable to smart competitors springing up who are more productive, have better ways of doing things, and can steal their market share as soon as the economy slows even a little bit. As to the second reaction, as Lori puts it in our interview:
You can’t control the dollar value, falling oil prices or changing governments. So look at what you can control!
Are you using your resources — including your people resources — as effectively as possible? Odds are that you are not. Often, as Lori explains it, “you don’t really realize when those inefficiencies start to pile up until tough times or you are being squeezed by your customers.” Rather than waiting till things hit a crisis point, it is better to review all your processes at least once a year. (Ideally more often than that.)
Don’t Blame Your Workers
Most employees want to do a good job. Or at least they start out that way. Over time, if they get bogged down by unproductive processes, unpleasant co-workers, or unsupportive bosses, they may lose that positive attitude. If you are starting to lose them, here are a few things to do:
* Talk to them. Listen to them! Find out what is frustrating them. You may be able to do something about it.
* Review your processes. If your employees are stuck in an inefficient system they can’t possibly provide the sort of efficient and effective service that leads to satisfied customers. (Let alone satisfied staff!)
* Empower all levels of staff. The Ritz Carlton hotel chain gives all employees, including the housekeeping staff, $2,000 they can use with no advance permission to “make things right” for a customer. Sounds like a recipe for going broke, but it does just the opposite. Employees don’t abuse the fund, but they do use it to create customers who are loyal advocates of the Ritz Carlton brand.
* Engage employees from all departments and levels if you want to make changes. Imposing change from the top is not only likely to meet resistance, it is often going to result in changes that do not make things more productive. You need to involve everyone from the start both to ensure that you really understand all the variables that affect how things are done in your company, and so they feel a commitment to the decisions that are made.
* Toughen up. As leaders, says Lori, “we need to learn to receive feedback better.” It is natural to get your back up when employees (or customers) suggest better ways you could be doing things. Stay calm! Give yourself time to think about what they’ve said.