Top quality service depends on employer/employee attitude

Rice's Outdoor Power has moved and consolidated with their Appliance and TV location on U.S. 41 in Bradenton. They expanded space at the location to include a new showroom, a service area, and created a professional entrance for landscape contractors with direct access and plenty of easy parking for trucks with trailers.
TIFFANY TOMPKINS/Bradenton Herald — Rice's Outdoor Power has moved and consolidated with their Appliance and TV location on U.S. 41 in Bradenton. They expanded space at the location to include a new showroom, a service area, and created a professional entrance for landscape contractors with direct access and plenty of easy parking for trucks with trailers. TIFFANY TOMPKINS/Bradenton Herald ttompkins@bradenton.com

My wife and I are retired Canadian snowbirds and own a winter home near Bradenton where we spend five months yearly. My career included auditing quality management systems to the ISO 9000 Standard.

Mr. Stuart Taub's April 17 letter ("Professionalism, courtesy, business acumen lacking here") is relevant, and he should feel assured of not being alone in his experiences.

He asks a question which has basis in the concept, implementation and delivery of service.

Everyone wants and appreciates top quality service, including those who provide it. Some such providers do this well, but regrettably they are in the minority.

The majority pay lip service to the concept, but lack awareness of fundamentals.

Many service deficiencies result from both employer and employee attitude, which is contributed to by:

1. Unsound employee selection, "too many square pegs in round holes"; people merely seeking a paycheck.

2. Lack of proper training in basics of satisfactory service. Good training programs reveal shortcomings in 1.

3. Respect for self, employer and customer. Regarding on-time, there's no excuse in this cell phone era for not contacting the customer when a service provider is delayed for an appointment. I have often asked "How far away were you from the nearest telephone?" My question is often met with a shoulder shrug, and "Well, slow traffic, and y'know. ... I'm sorry," or a similar dismal excuse.

4. Service providers, remember (a) customers are not seeking charity and (b) most dissatisfied people don't complain, they take their business elsewhere. Providers of high quality service succeed in retaining business.

Service starts at the top in every organization, where culture and tone are established.

Owners and managers, whether aware of it or not, inevitably set the example which all employees will follow.

Paul Brennan

Ellenton

This story was originally published April 23, 2016 at 12:00 AM with the headline "Top quality service depends on employer/employee attitude ."

Get unlimited digital access

#ReadLocal