BUSINESS

  PERSONNEL POINTERS

FORM A CULTURE OF OWNERSHIP

TEAMS THAT HAVE GROWN TOGETHER, SHOULD OWN TOGETHER

WHEN I interact with a business owner, I get great service, expert knowledge and I feel valued, like a person instead of a transaction or a dollar sign. This is how we want our consumers treated, so how do we get our employees to feel and act like owners? It all starts with us. Empower your employees with the skills and knowledge they need to be successful.

Follow these five steps to grow an ownership culture in your practice.

1 ENGAGE STAFF IN DECISION MAKING

Staff members are more likely to buy in to your business when actively involved in building it. Involve them in making decisions, and ask their opinion on changes to the practice, such as when adding a new service or technology, such as an OCT. They will be excited to contribute and feel valued and revered.

2 EMPOWER EMPLOYEES

Give employees the resources they need to make quick, important business decisions that affect customer satisfaction and retention. Provide them with training examples, via role playing and hypothetical situations, of how to address common problems, such as fielding a consumer complaint about his or her optical purchase. Also, arm them with product knowledge, written guidelines and your approval to immediately fix unique problems that arise.

Also eliminate phrases, such as “that’s our policy” or “I have to get the manager,” which only work to anger consumers.

3 CHANGE POLICIES

Change policies to fall in line with an ownership culture. Train your staff to say, “Here is what we can do.” For example, Mrs. Smith’s glasses are past their one-year warranty and are broken.

What to say: “Mrs. Smith, your eye wear is 1.5 years old, and the manufacturer warranty on parts is 12 months. According to our records, the piece is available. What we can do for you is order it immediately and offer it at 50% off the regular retail cost to replace.”

4 REWARD GREAT SERVICE

Recognize and reward your employees. For example, “catch” staff members doing great things, such as calming an angry patient, and then verbally, publicly recognize it. They will want to do it again, and it will become a consistent behavior. Also, set team goals that are not only about profitability but also about culture and company improvement. Then, celebrate achieving these goals with the whole staff. And consider profit sharing. Teams that have grown together, should own together. (I just wrote that!)

5 LEARN TOGETHER

The most productive businesses and offices consistently offer staff education and training to ensure their teams are motivated and inspired to deliver the level of service that is expected of a high-achieving practice.

PUTTING IT ALL TOGETHER

When employees start feeling like an owner, they start acting like an owner. When they start acting like an owner, you have a powerful team of highly motivated individuals all working toward the same objective. Pretty hard to beat that! OM

TRUDI CHAREST R.O., A.B.O., is the president and trainer for Total Focus Training & Consulting, as well as president and founder of Jobs4Ecps.ca, an online eye care job site. Visit tinyurl.com/OMcomment to comment on this article.