Examentrainers - Gebruik een examentrainer als examentraining en slaag voor vrijwel elk vak op VMBO KB, VMBO GT, VMBO BB, HAVO, en VWO.

terug

Service with a smile

How do you get your employeesto care about their customers?

NAME a few companies that

that incentives for your front-line

business traveller's life.

you love, or hate. For some

employees do not produce good

The culture of their employees

people, such a list of winners and

service on their own. Used-car

has a lot to do with the success of

losers will reflect the quality of the

salesmen after all usually operate

Asia's hotels. This plays into

companies' products. For others, a

on commission; so do over-zealous

another idea that some marketing

clever advertising campaign or a

shop assistants. And, even if the

gurus now say is even more im-

lousy environmental record. But

incentives are right, they are no

portant than providing front-line

when forging their opinions about a

good if they are given to the wrong

employees with customer databases

company, nothing seems to stir

people. In the airline business,

and share options: choosing the

people's passions more than their

flight attendants are often the most

right people in the first place.

dealings with its employees.

visible employees, but many of the

In a new book on service-

Britain's Marks & Spencer and

things that generate customer

industry management, The Service

Hong Kong's Giordano, which

loyalty - such as flights that arrive

Profit Chain, James Heskett, Earl

regularly top surveys of customer

on time, with your luggage aboard

Sasser and Leonard Schlesinger of

attitudes in their respective markets,

- are beyond their control.

the Harvard Business School high-

generally make higher returns than

light several companies that have

their competitors.

found clever ways to hire the right

Helpful employees are, almost

people. Two approaches predomi-

by definition, the key to success.

nate. The first is to find qualities

Sometimes technology helps. Cater-

shared by the best employees in

pillar, an American bulldozer firm,

100

your firm, and then seek out those

now installs diagnostic chips in all

with similar qualities. This borders

its new machines, which alert local

on the obvious ' if you want to staff

dealers, via satellite, if a machine is

a kindergarten, who wouldn't hire

in need of a new part; the dealer can

people who like children? - but the

then visit the user with the new part

105

authors stress that employers should

before the machine has even broken

look for attitudes rather than skills.

down. Ritz Carlton has built up a

The former can seldom be taught;

detailed database of customers' past

the latter can be instilled after

visits to its hotels, so that its front-

hiring.

desk staff can anticipate a client's

110

The other approach is far

peculiarities, even if he has never

simpler, but requires more ingenu-

stayed in that city before.

Indeed, some critics think that

ity. That is to turn the tables and let

But high-tech tricks are rare. In

the problem with incentive pro-

the right kind of employees select

most cases, good customer service

grammes is that they tend to make

you. Many good sports stores, for

comes down to managing people.

companies focus on their employ-

115

example, are staffed with eager

Some airlines run employee incen-

ees rather than their customers.

youngsters who know the equip-

tive schemes that rely on input from

Forum, a Boston marketing consul-

ment better than the manufacturers

customers: frequent fliers can award

tancy, points to the success of

do. They are easily lured with em-

points to the best flight attendants.

Asia's luxury hotels. These are

ployee discounts, and will explain,

Incentives also work well when the

often less high-tech than their

120

with unbridled enthusiasm, the

employee himself can capture part

western equivalents and their in-

latest ways of risking one's neck.

of the profit. In shops, for example,

centives systems are often minimal.

Happy employees alone are not a

an employee who is on commission

But everything the hotel does -

measure of success, but they make

is more likely to force a smile from

from whisking a guest's bags up to

for happy customers - and, as

the most demanding customer than

his room as he checks in to

125

everyone knows, the customer is

one who is not.

ensuring a swift departure to catch

always right.

But there is growing evidence

a plane - is designed to ease a

‘The Economist’, July 12, 1997