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A Career with the FBI
Do you have what it takes to become an FBI special agent? Do you have a sincere desire to enforce federal laws and investigate crimes? This job requires hard work and can often times be dangerous and stressful. You'll undoubtedly be in close...
Caution: You're about to enter an Affordable Housing Zone
Affordable housing programs are inherently unfair, hurt property owners, rely upon an unfounded evaluation of the home ownership situation, and erroneously see the solution to the housing "crisis" as the weaving of a paternalistic safety...
Cyber Crooks Go "Phishing"
"Phishing," the latest craze among online evil-doers, has nothing to do with sitting at the end of a dock on a sunny afternoon dangling a worm to entice hungry catfish. But, if you take their bait, this new breed of online con artist will hook...
ID Theft Victims... Fix Your Credit Today Starting From Scratch !
If you are the victim of identity theft, you need to get your
life back on track. Probably this is the first time this has
ever happened to you and you're walking in a combination of fear
anxiety and depression. You wonder why did this happen to...
Identity Theft. You are not Immune.
As identity theft becomes more prevalent, the need to regularly check your credit report is very easy to see and understand. Two big headlines in the news recently point to how closely tied your credit report and identity theft are. First, we hear...
Need Credit Repair Help? Try Doing It Yourself!
No matter what many credit counseling scam artists may try to
tell you, no one can legally remove any information that is
up-to-date and accurate from your credit report. They can't do
it, and you can't do it yourself. However, you CAN request...
Preventing Identity Theft
What is Identity Theft? It is the theft of your personal
information, such as social security number, driver's license
number, credit card and bank account numbers, mother's maiden
name, and more, with the intent to obtain credit and...
Protect Your Identity NOW
We live in an information-oriented society. Technology allows us to do business and make transactions literally in a matter of seconds. This abundance of information has given rise to a new crime - identity theft. In fact, according to a 2003...
Understanding Insurance Fraud
Insurance fraud is the second costliest white-collar crime in
America, after tax evasion. It is estimated that $80 billion is
paid out each year in fraudulent insurance claims. It is
estimated by the Coalition Against Insurance Fraud that...
Why Over 90% of VoIP (Computer Phone) Services Are Vulnerable to Attack
Vulnerable to Attack
By Dee Scrip
© All rights reserved. Dee Scrip
You are in the crosshairs as a primary target of computer hackers if you own a computer or operate on un-secure VoIP (computer phone) services.
...
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The New Staffing: Survival Tactics That Work
If you've ever been in marketing, you know it's in your blood, and it never leaves. It's also innate to most
successful business owners and managers; that constant monitoring of what's going on, with the eyes, ears, nose and throat of the consumer. I'm reminded of Conrad Hilton's wife
who said she refused to travel with him. The founder of the Hilton chain, he couldn't enter a hotel without taking mental notes and giving a running commentary.
Having spent a number of years in marketing in my earlier career years, I'm the same way. I never walk into a store, hotel, or restaurant without moving into my "observing ego
position" and noting my reactions as a consumer. In other words, I notice things.
Now, bad management is a no-brainer -- waiting 30 minutes for an appetizer, or being insulted or ignored by a sales
clerk. But it's often the smaller, more subtle, mistakes that will cumulatively sink a business. When doing marketing for a living, I never took on an account without visiting the place and looking it over, preferably unannounced and incognito. It reveals a wealth of information you can't get from spreadsheets,
intellectualized marketing plans, or conversations with "suits" located in a headquarters' office thousands of miles from the scene of the crime, as it were. It's crucial to be able to put on a "consumer" hat and find out what it feels like to walk into your organization or place of business and
see how you're treated. Note: This is NOT the same as announcing that the CEO is coming for an inspection or a
visit.
Many businesses are having problems these days with staffing and I saw a unique solution the other day. Establishments that run close to 24/7, and experience "peaks" and "lulls"
face a particular challenge. Some have switched to offering 4- and 6-hour shifts to employees, but this had a new spin on it.
AN INTERESTING SOLUTION
I happened into my favorite cafeteria the other day after not having been there in a month or two, and it was like walking into a completely new place. I enjoy eating at this
cafeteria now-and-then, for all the reasons people like a good cafeteria. I try and avoid peak times there, but I've hit them often enough to see what a challenge they have when people are lined up winding around to the door.
I usually go at an off-time, when there may be only 2 or 3 of us in line, and here's what happens. The 2 (or 3) of us grab our trays and then stand there. There's someone down
by the vegetables, but obviously the salad isn't their thing. Eventually someone comes from the back (the kitchen) or the side (takeout orders) and gives us a salad. They disappear back to where they came from, and we move down to the meat, where there is again, no one. The vegetable person calls someone from the back. And so it goes.
When we get to the register at the end, there's no one there. This person may be out wiping tables, or in the kitchen filling those little plastic containers with horseradish. Later, when it's time to pay, it's the same thing. The person who should be at that register is not.
Therefore, paradoxically, it can take longer for me to complete the meal process at a lull time than at a peak
time.
Last week I walked in at a lull time and couldn't believe what I saw. I loved it! Now - consider that as a consumer statement. The change was palpable and grabbed my attention
and I knew, intuitively, it was a good one. Wouldn't you like that to happen in your place of business?
There were 5 fresh young faces behind the counter and they were smiling. I would say these teenagers serving the food were at the minimum legal age of hire. Those of us in line had smiles on our faces as the "kids" dished up the food, asked impossible questions, passed things the wrong way, and
didn't seem overly concerned. My feeling, as a consumer who sometimes will complain to a manager, was "Now who am I going to yell at? Not these kids. How could you fuss? They don't know any better. And besides, they're pleasant"
Many consumer these days would trade a "pleasant" experience, to an "efficient" one.
Later when it was time to pay, there was another surprise. A gentleman sat solidly at the register slowly and carefully counting out the money offered him by the person in front of
me, while being quite gracious. He had trouble telling a quarter from a nickel, but it all got worked out. He must have been over 70 years old. He looked sharp in his uniform shirt. My reactions, as a consumer, and concerned citizen of the US, were these, in no particular order: So many
people can't live on social security or busted 401Ks these day, isn't it wonderful they hire seniors? This is going to be slow, so I might as well calm down. I don't want to put
pressure on him, it would rattle him, and he'd go even slower."
A person of any age can have this sort of demeanor and aura, but one finds it more in seniors. After all, they've seen a real emergency, they know that most things work out, and they aren't about to fall for your "hurry up"
vibes, because they know that "haste makes waste. So who am I going to yell at?
"Yelling at" is a figure of speech here. As a consumer, I expect certain things when I walk into an establishment hoping to spend my money there, and if it doesn't occur, I'm
miffed. Sometimes I say something to the manager. Occasionally I'll write the corporate, though not just for a
free gift certificate as some do, and I'm more likely to do it with praise than with criticism. Criticism is best
addressed at the local level.
Most often I do what every business owner dreads. I express my dissatisfaction by never returning. They don't get a second chance. (Savvy managers love to hear customer
complaints; that's how you learn what's working and what isn't, and, paradoxically, it's also how you get loyal customers. During my former years in public relations, I knew when I had a protestor on the phone, I had at least a 60-40 chance of converting them to a real fan.
THE DINING EXPERIENCE
From the minute I walked into the place, the atmosphere was different. What do you imagine was the difference in attitude and behavior in a staff consisting totally of people under 20, and people over 65? What would you think would be the pros and cons to yourself as manager or owner, and to the consumer? Here are some of the positives:
. Consumer expectations are radically changed.
. Two age groups available for peak staffing and short shifts.
. Two age groups grateful for work and often willing to work for less.
. Two age groups not at the peak working years, so less likely to be in a state of current of pending burnout.
. No one behind the counter is complaining that their feet or back hurt from standing for hours.
. No one at the register is complaining that it's
"confining" and "boring" to have to sit on a stool for hours.
. Two age groups which really enjoy socializing and may prefer jobs with opportunities to visit and chat with
co-workers and customers.
. Two age groups which are generally more focused on the moment so, therefore, are less likely to be in a hurry or impatient with customers.
. Two age groups the 35-50 year old consumer will relate to with nurturing instincts - they see their child or their parent behind the counter.
. Two age groups not so likely to get "hired away" from you.
. Two age groups that don't have small children at home.
Today's business demands require thinking outside the box, and I'll give this manager an A+ for innovation. I think he or she found a plan that will work.
About the Author
©Susan Dunn, MA, The EQ Coach, http://www.susandunn.cc .
Helping individuals and businesses improve their emotional
intelligence for more success and wellness. Coaching,
business programs, diversity, Internet courses and ebooks.
I train and certify EQ coaches. Fast, affordable,
comprehensive, no-residency program training coaches
worldwide. Mailto:sdunn@susandunn.cc for more information
or free ezine.
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