You’ve watched your staff fumble and fulminate around customers, their steps like Bambi on ice and their manners as polite as a snotty teenager belching in your face.
It’s not a pretty sight – and it’ll lose you customers at an alarming rate.
Unless you pride yourself on the kind of customer service usually reserved for the fifth circle of hell, you can’t allow your staff to behave like snot-nosed punks towards general members of the public.
The long-term results will be a general downturn in profits until you’re reduced to the position of a beggar on the streets. Even then, no one will give you money because you never bothered to hone your customer service skills. And so you’ll end your career with nary a penny to call your own.
But there’s a solution to poor customer service, and it could result in a dramatic upturn in your profits.
It’ll take time, perspiration and dedication, but it’ll be worth it.
You guessed it – it’s called training, and it’s something you and your staff could benefit from.
Many employers are doggedly against training their staff for fear that they’ll lose too much money. But this is a long-term investment and will result in fewer clueless employees, and happier customers.
For more information, we recommend these excellent training tools. Check ‘em out and watch your employees’ confidence skyrocket.
Distance learning
In the days of black and white television and Showaddywaddy, distance learning was a clunky and confusing affair. It was more likely to make you feel isolated than educated.
The dawn of the internet changed all of that, and now it’s streamlined, efficient, easy to use and (arguably) more accessible than attaining a degree from a brick-and-mortar institution.
If you want a retail-based qualification for your staff, Anglia Distance Learning is your best bet. An offshoot of Anglia Ruskin University in Cambridge, this is a university with a proud heritage and offers bona fide degrees if you complete their comprehensive courses.
This is a long-term investment for staff members – degrees will take about three-four years to complete – so make sure your shell out for employees you know will stick around.
Lynda
Lynda is the online tool on every good businessperson’s lips when they talk about employee training – and it’s easy to see why.
What you’ll get with a Lynda subscription is a veritable treasure trove of information that’s presented accessibly and with an eye on fun.
Most important subjects are covered on the training site, whether that means effective customer service, how to use graphic design tools, leadership skills, structuring a PowerPoint presentation – the list goes on.
Each subject is discussed via easy to understand videos that will tell you all you need to know.
What’s more, these subjects can be tackled at any point in the day. So if your employees are on the nightshift, they could burn the midnight oil with a few videos from Lynda.
Mentoring
Everyone needs someone to look up to, which is why mentoring is an excellent way to show younger members of staff how they should conduct themselves.
If you don’t have any mature employees, it could fall down to you to lead by example. Make it clear what you expect from your workers, and make sure they’re listening to your commands.
That’s our list! Can you think of any other ideal training opportunities for staff? Then don’t keep them to yourself – let us know in the comments below!
