Posted by servScene on February 24, 2009
During an interview for a profile piece recently, the woman I was interviewing - a business owner - discussed the differences between her hiring practices and those of the large corporation she had worked for before starting her business. The big company hired pretty much anyone, whether you had relevant experience or education or not, and simply trained you to do what they wanted.
This woman’s company, on the other hand, looked for people who were already trained and skilled in that industry. As a result, her business was known for not just getting the job done, but for being innovative and getting the job done well.
Other companies should take the hint and operate similarly. For instance, a company that installs patio doors and bay windows in beach houses would do well to make sure they hire people experienced in window installation. And companies looking for, say, a freelance writer, should make sure they hire someone who really knows how to do the job!
Technorati Tags: bay windows, beach houses, business owner, patio doors, repair man, window installation
Posted by Servscen on February 22, 2009
Sometimes you invest in people because you think the job will be done better or at least that you will find better profits from investing. This is why I got involved in outsource telemarketing. The problem is, though, that you may not be getting the best service you could be. I would highly recommend that you spend at least some of your time learning about what the company can offer to you first, prior to hiring them. In addition, find out who they have working for them. Ask for references from a company, really.
Once I wised up, I found a company that was much better at inside sales. They were fantastic for the jobs I had in outsource sales. In fact, they helped me to see that having the right people working on a project was crucial to its success. Ultimately, I was able to pull my profits up considerably. When I left the first company, I was considering filing bankruptcy for the company. Really, it was that bad. Then, an investment into the right company changed my mind. Things have gotten much better and I am seeing considerable sales without all the hassle of having an in house team of untrained professionals.
Technorati Tags: filing bankruptcy, inside sales, outsource sales, outsource telemarketing
Posted by SceneR on February 15, 2009
One of the most irritating things that I ever had to deal with when working as a receptionist for various types of businesses was the tendency of many customers and clients to overstep their boundaries in the waiting area. You would be shocked by how many customers just come right behind the desk of an office and start nosing around. Since most businesses keep fairly confidential stuff behind their front desks, this is clearly no place for customers to be.
In most cases, I found that it was fairly easy to keep customers in their place (on the other side of the desk) with just a simple exchange of words. Once you’ve told a client that he doesn’t belong back there, he feels a sense of shame and doesn’t try it again.
However, it’s not always ideal to have to repeatedly tell different customers that they need to get out from behind the desk. In some cases, I found it necessary to hang a sign in the area telling people to stay on their own side of the room. In a couple of rare cases I needed to get post and rope crowd control barriers to physically deter clients from going behind desks where private information was stored. Shocking, isn’t it?
Technorati Tags: crowd control barriers, post and rope