Resorts Atlantic City
Be visible.
“Be visible. Talk to your customers. But more important, talk to your employees. Eat in the employee cafeteria, if you have one,” suggests Audrey Oswell of Resorts. “Employees are the core of any organization. They make your business tick and they know what makes your customers tick. Your employees know your customers’ likes and dislikes. They also can easily identify barriers to delivering great customer service. Regardless of the type of business you are in, employees hold the key to customer satisfaction.
“When I first took my current position, business had declined by more than 25 percent from the prior year in a market where revenue growth had been flat for the past two years. The owners and senior management of the company gave me many reasons for why business had fallen off. My first day of work I developed a sense that I had not heard the whole story. Employees seemed unusually distrusting of management and somewhat hostile.
“So, I started talking to the employees and eating in the employee cafeteria. At first the employees were hesitant to talk to me, so I just listened. It didn’t take long until I was able to open up a dialogue and obtain the information I needed: Why did our customers defect?
“In the employee cafeteria I seemed more approachable; it was a less threatening environment, their turf. Very quickly they started opening up to me and the stories I heard from them were very different from the ones senior management were telling.
“Then I started talking to customers and it turns out the employees were right in determining why business had fallen off so dramatically. Because I listened to the employees, the turn around of the business was much quicker. The execution was flawless, because the employees were on board.
“Know what you know and know what you don’t. Don’t be above reaching out for advice and other opinions. Listen to others, but in the end the decision remains yours. Be sure to include your front line employees in the mix of those you seek information from.”