After being involved in a wreck, my car spent a month in a body shop. This wasn’t as frustrating as I imagined because this body shop has learned a valuable tool in customer service – communication. Two to three times a week, I would receive a text message or a personal phone call with an update on my car. They ...
As if small businesses need any more trouble, a Quest Diagnostics study reveals that marijuana use in workers has surged 44% since 2016. Many of your employees may be stoned while working with your customers. With marijuana now legal in 17 states, many dismiss concerns about the use of pot. But if you’ve ever been around heavy marijuana users, you ...
A common problem I’ve heard this year from small business owners is supply chain issues. Many businesses are dependent upon suppliers to produce the finished products that their customers need. This year the supply chain has been disrupted for multiple reasons. Sometimes due to a shortage of microchips or materials in high demand. Other times it’s due to the long ...
Years ago, a family came to look at a used car I was selling. I decided that my bottom line was the car guide’s stated book value. The father was determined to get a great deal and tried to negotiate the price even lower. I considered his offer until I heard this man’s daughter say, “I love this car, Daddy.” ...
If you’ve ever watched the television series, NCIS, you likely remember that the main character, Jethro Gibbs, has lots of rules he expects his team to abide by. One of those rules is to “never apologize.” Every business makes mistakes occasionally, and when they do, the customer is waiting for an apology. When there is no apology, it can often ...
One generous partner to this ministry mentioned that he supported many efforts, but that he had other passions higher on his priority list than ours. Although I heard him, I pushed him to increase his giving. This generous businessman was offended and chose to pause further support. Upon reflection, I realized I hadn’t reallylistened and honored his words. I offered ...
There are industries that are trained to never say they are sorry for their mistakes, often due to legal liability. The irony is lawsuits often arise because someone didn’t hear the words, “I’m sorry.” Imagine your frustration if someone driving a company vehicle ran a red light and destroyed the side of your car, but they refused to say they ...
One business risk often overlooked is the risk of having to pay restitution. According to vocabulary.com, restitution is the act of making up for damages or harm. If you own a restaurant and ruin someone’s lunch, restitution can cost less than $20. But, if you’re a doctor and your patient dies, your restitution could cost millions. What about your industry? What ...
My wife, Kathy, had a disappointing experience with a restaurant server recently. Our server was very pleasant, but he made several significant mistakes. Significant enough that Kathy discussed the issues with him and with his manager. Some managers are rash enough to terminate someone immediately, especially if they’re having a bad day themselves. It made me ponder the best way ...
A recent article by the US Chamber of Commerce states, “Getting customer communications right is critical to your business's success in a post-pandemic world, as consumers are looking for businesses that make them feel safe and secure.” Having a communication plan that includes knowing what to communicate, and how to communicate and what the communication flow will look like is ...
Equipping Others to Do Work Differently
