You might be asking yourself “How can I improve staff morale and staff satisfaction“, this post should give you some ideas to help you get started.

If you are a business owner with 1-20 staff you may like to keep reading as I discuss how to improve staff morale within your team(s) and get them to start thinking about working towards your goals for the business, rather than just completing their daily tasks.

Regardless if you have 1 or 20 or more staff, each member of your team needs to know their role and what you expect from them and believe it or it, you may find it is relatively easy to improve performance in any area of your business that includes resources, this could be suppliers, contractors, customers and so on.

How do they know their role?

Your staff (including Managers) should have …  (more…)

Have you ever asked your customers how you can improve your service?

The majority of businesses are too scared to ask their customers what they really think about their product and/or service, but the fact is that your customer will feel valued and appreciated if you listen to their opinion and learn from their feedback. No matter how small a suggestion, it can lead to greater overall satisfaction for your client/customer, which is your ultimate goal… right!

Suppose you don’t ask your customers for feedback and you miss something vital like … (more…)

I was going to write an article about why the customer is not always right, and that is coming shortly, however this was on the top of my list so thought I would punch it out first.

This article is about dissatisfied customers and should get you thinking about whether you have existing customers that you’ve been ignoring, therefore, you are missing out (in more ways than one). So bear with me, there is a point to all this.

I am one very dissatisfied Foxtel customer, which pains me no end because my favourite shows are on Fox 8. Anyway, this is about my experience as a customer and how Foxtel seems to focus on the NEW customer and FORGETS their current customer (unless of course they are after money).

I believe forgetting about your existing customers is a huge mistake for any business, and Foxtel is likely losing business because of it.

So here is my gripe(s). (more…)

Are you dreaming of creating a really successful business?

Then you might like to start by following these guidelines.

This cycle diagram represents all the elements of your business that need regular attention; if your really are dreaming of being successful in business. Some of these elements you may have working beautifully, but have you considered that the others need a little TLC as well.

A synchronised business system will help you to achieve … (more…)

What if the reason why we are currently experiencing an economic crisis is because there are too many ‘get rich’ schemes ripping people off or products being sold that are not quality or do not provide value? How can they get away with it? Maybe it is time for those ‘advantage takers’ to step back and realise they now need to provide value and quality or they won’t get the droves of customers they were getting a 1-3 years back.

Have you noticed all the ‘deals’ that seem to be popping up lately, like ‘buy xyz car and get $000s cash back’; and that’s not all, you also get a set of steak knives (just kidding). If you are in business that provides a product that is ‘not’ of sound quality (unless you are a bargain shop), what do you think is going to happen to that business down the track. In recent months I have purchased several items through online wholesaler sites. The items were for personal use mostly, but here’s the thing, most of the items have either been thrown out or just not used at all because they were not of the standard I expected. (more…)

It is now more vital than ever to stay ahead of what is going on around us, so that our businesses remain in tact and stronger than ever. I strongly believe a ‘quality system’ is one way to do that. That doesn’t necessarily mean that you need to go to all the trouble and cost of obtaining an accreditation certificate to ISO 9001; what it does mean is that you can use the ISO 9001 guidelines to setup your very own quality system.

If you are having problems in areas of staff performance, comebacks, customer satisfaction… a quality system can help you:

• identify problem areas and rectify them quickly
• track customer feedback
• improve performance of staff
• with continual improvement
• develop or provide better quality products and services
• force you to communicate more with your staff and customers
• increase sales and profits
• grow your business
  
• define an appropriate supplier
• protect your business
• standardise processes and procedures
• gain recognition from external bodies
• with obtaining government projects (usually certification is needed here though, but not always)
• define roles and responsibilities of management and employees- reduce overhead costs
• and heaps more benefits

There is a catch though … (more…)