Since he moved his business, Bicycle Heaven, a combined repair shop and museum, out of his house, Craig Morrow’s fascination with bicycles has only grown. Now, he can see people’s reactions as they take in the thousands of bicycles he’s collected for more than 25 years.
Morrow once had bikes squirreled away in various garages, but now he’s able to showcase everything and let people have fun taking it all in. If you haven’t been to his shop/museum yet, don’t miss this month’s Uniquely Pittsburgh, which shows a small piece of what Bicycle Heaven is like.
Morrow says his passion has only grown, as he’s able to make more people smile than ever before.
Removed from the results
I wonder how many employees would find increased passion for their work if they could see more customer reaction.
So often today we don’t interact face-to-face. We make phone calls, send emails and put out orders, while removed from the people we serve. In many cases, we hear a lot more bad news than good.
A sales person might get a compliment for a job well done, but does it trickle back to all of the people who made that happen? When you’re at a networking event and someone shares with you how much he or she loves your service, do you always share that story when you go back to the office?
If your staff is doing a great job serving customers but doesn’t see the results firsthand, they don’t get the positive re-enforcement that can make each day a joy to come to work.
Sharing the smiles
At Smart Business, I enjoy going to our events. I get to talk to people about the magazine and their companies, face-to-face. Interacting with our customers in person gives me a satisfaction that I can take back to the office and use to fuel the daily grind.
Perhaps there are ways to put more employees in the same room as your customers, such as customer appreciation lunches. Not only does it allow your customers to be more familiar with your company, it lets your employees better see the results of their work.
Or, the next time someone gets a compliment from a customer make sure that it gets read aloud at a meeting, rather than just sit in an executive’s email inbox.
If you do customer satisfaction surveys, make sure the results are shared with all employees — even those who don’t interact with customers firsthand. Senior management may use these surveys to develop strategic plans, but it won’t help improve day-to-day experiences. Your staff can’t respond to the needs of customers when they don’t really know how customers feel, and they can’t take satisfaction from a job well done without being kept fully abreast of how the company is seen by others.
If you don’t have one already, put up a bulletin board that showcases successes, whether that be testimonials or thank you cards. This kind of positive feedback shouldn’t just be used to drum up new business — it can boost the spirits of your current workforce.
