Checking references is a fundamental component of the hiring process because soliciting previous employers’ and coworkers’ opinions about your candidate is an extremely effective way to uncover that candidate’s hidden attributes. The information you gain from a reference check can help you determine if the candidate is a good fit for your company; however, if […]
Management
How to Use Interview Questions to Find Great Employees
You know that it is fundamentally important that you hire the right candidate for your business. Otherwise, you risk causing tensions and conflict in the office or compromising the productivity of your company. But with every candidate presenting only their most positive attributes in an interview, it can become extremely difficult for those responsible to […]
Send the Right Message With Your Company Facebook and Twitter Accounts
Gaining popularity by the day, social media platforms such as Twitter and Facebook are now being integrated into many business’ marketing and customer service strategies. For example, Comcast, JetBlue, Southwest, Whole Foods, and Zappos are among the many businesses that now offer customer service support via Twitter. On Twitter, JetBlue has an astonishing 1.6 million […]
Ten Tips To Effectively Read a Resume
During any new personnel search, the resume review and interview process can be time consuming. In order to find the most suitable choice for your business, there are ten important things to consider while reading your next resume. 1) Job description Have the job description, complete with education, work experience, and certification requirements clearly displayed […]
Show and Tell: Building Your Business by Being Specific
When taking a class on creative writing, you’re almost guaranteed to hear the following: “Show, don’t tell.” It’s true; effective stories use specific descriptions and details to engage the reader, not just plain statements. For example, describing a character in a story by saying, “She was pretty,” is nowhere near as effective as writing, “Her […]
Measure an Applicant’s Hard and Soft Skills to Hire Only the Best Employees
According to The State of Customer Experience survey conducted by Forrester, 90% of companies agree that customer service is important and 80% of those companies want to use customer service as a way to distinguish themselves from their competitors. However, the key word here is “want.” Businesses want to stand out among their competitors simply […]
How to Overcome Fears Associated with Public Speaking
Your heart begins to pound, your hands begin to shake and sweat, and your mouth goes dry. You notice your breath becoming rapid, making it difficult to breathe. You cannot concentrate or interact with those around you. Your mind is so cluttered with thoughts that your acute hearing is even affected. You feel nauseous to […]
Increase Morale and Productivity by Cross Training Your Employees
It’s 6 AM and you have an important, large order due to be shipped by early afternoon. The customer is expecting their expensive order to be delivered on time and properly manufactured. However, the lead assembly worker has just called in sick. Because he is the only person trained to operate the new machine, you […]
Create a Suggestion Box That Will Deliver Feedback From Your Employees
The dirty cardboard box with a jagged hole cut in the top is complete with the word “Suggestions” scribbled in thin, inconspicuous red ink. A closer inspection inside and one would notice that there are suggestions dating back 6 months lying near the bottom. In fact, one such suggestion simply reads “Does anybody ever look […]
How to Handle an Upset Customer
As a business owner, you are well aware that despite your best efforts to deliver a quality product or service, you will have dissatisfied customers from time to time. Customer service representatives are often the victims of angry, frustrated customers that may use hurtful, offensive words to get their point across. A customer service representative […]
