Cast the right employee
“Let me check with my manager first.”
“I’m not sure we can do that. Let me call and find out.”
Words you never want to hear as a customer. You go into a retail store and you have a problem. The person behind the counter gives you a line like those above. You just know it’s going to be a hassle.
But the process, no matter how hard, should not be remotely recognizable by your customer.
The selection and training of the right employee begins the moment a potential candidate walks through your front door.
Cast the right person in the right job. Train them right and they won’t need to get approval.
Your customers will be amazed.
[five-star-rating]
PS. Thanks to my new iPhone app, I can make my own “tilt-shift” photos. Thanks Mike.
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I’ve run into this a lot. And sadly, I’ve been the employee who has said these stagnant statements.
I guess it just comes down to a person not wanting to take responsibility for something.
nicodemusatnite.com
You are right, Charlie. Taking the easy way out by not taking responsibility does more harm than good.
The long way is the short cut because it’s usually the right thing to do.
Mostly right David. Get the right person, train them, then trust them . I think some people who have to “check with their manager” are supervised by micro-managers or control freaks.
When I was in high school working for a major department store credit department, I was permitted to make credit approval decisions based on my assessment of the facts up to a certain dollar amount because the manager trusted my judgment and determined an acceptable level where I could be wrong and the consequences wouldn’t be catastrophic. Some managers have no risk tolerance and would rather inconvenience a customer for an authoritative decision than lose $3 when a front line makes a customer keeping decision.
Always a critic Rhodes. 🙂
You are correct. If they are the right person for the right fit, there probably will be a greater amount of trust granted. Managers still need to be in touch.
Frontline employees also need to know the company’s vision. They need to know how their job supports the vision.
Welcome and thanks for commenting.