At a five-star resort you’d expect the guests to be jet setters, dressed to the nines in the latest fashion, adorned with diamond studded earrings, watches and bracelets. What you wouldn’t expect is the same of the employees. At one resort, the employees may be wearing uniforms, but on those uniforms are pins with a diamond for every year of service, or place cards where diamonds will be placed as the years go by.
The employees are proud to be wearing the uniforms of the hotel with the best customer service in the area. The hotel has this reputation because of the pride the employees have just to be lucky enough to be employed and part of the hotel’s team. The pins are a way of showing appreciation for a job well done and for staying with the company. In a time when the average length of service is about 1.5 years, employees at this hotel stay year after year; adding diamonds to complete one pin and start another.
What makes these employees so loyal and happy at their jobs? The secret is revealed in an Inc.com article, “The No. 1 Secret To Top Notch Customer Service.” The secret? The employees love what they do and are happy to be there. Not every company can afford to reward their employees with diamonds, but this grand gesture makes employees feel they are just as treasured as the precious gems on their length-of-service pins.
The author suggests three ways employers can help employees love their jobs and stick around to make the company successful.
First, treat your team well. The pin that the company awards to the employees goes a long way to making employees feel appreciated and valued. There are 15 employees who have filled in all the diamonds on one pin and are starting on another. They are looked up to and respected by the rest of the employees as role models. Another way to show employees respect is to give them responsibility and the authority to make decisions. Trust them to do their jobs; trust them to make good decisions when it comes to making customers happy.
Another way is to understand the customer and be passionate about service. Going the extra mile is doing the unexpected. Taking the time to really get to know the customer and customize service to their particular needs and preferences makes them step back and say, WOW! In a world that is increasingly distant and self-absorbed, this type of service brings customers back over and over again.
Does your industry or profession award honors or recognition to teams for extraordinary service or achievements? Is there an opportunity to compete for an award and regional or national recognition? Giving a pin or certificate is rewarding, but making it possible for employees to work together to achieve something larger than any one person is a huge motivator. Even if the team doesn’t win, they experience what it takes to work together to achieve a goal. If they do win, they can bask in the recognition from an employer, peers and the industry.
Excitement and passion are contagious. It can spread from manager to employees and back again. The people who love this kind of dedication and benefit from it the most are the customers.
Photo Source: Freedigitalphotos.net
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