A service business depends on its employees. They are can make or break your operation as they are your representatives on the ground. That means you have to ensure that employees treat your customers right, but at the same time, you don’t want to be too harsh on your employees or non-responsive to customer needs. It’s a balancing act, but one that’s doable with the right combination of management style, software, and listening to what everyone has to say to improve the business.
Resist the Urge to Micromanage Employees
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Chances are good that most of your employees are not under your direct supervision for long periods of time. This is where you run the risk of falling into the thoughts that employees are goofing off when you can’t observe them directly. You then turn to micromanaging every last aspect of their job in order to maintain control. Instead of being suspicious and overreacting, give them the benefit of the doubt. Most of the time, employees are adults who have the best take on how to do their jobs, and they’re more likely to perform well when not constantly under the microscope. Those who don’t want to do the job can be quickly found out and dealt with.
Consider Automating Repetitive Processes
A lot of time is spent on repetitive processes, time that can be better spent elsewhere. This includes scheduling appointments, assigning employees to go to the jobs, quoting, invoicing, and more. All of these are important to running a business effectively, but they don’t have to take a lot of time when you automate them with software like Vonigo. Vonigo lets you put everything into a scheduler, gives employees real-time information without them having to make a call, and makes it easy for customers to make payments. In turn, you spend less time organizing, arranging, and scheduling and spend more time on keeping your business going.
Listen to What Employees Have to Say
You know your business, how it runs, what it needs to do, but as you’ve concentrated on growing the business, you’ve removed yourself from the daily grind. You like to think that you’re a good manager and owner, but your employees may not feel the same way. It’s a bit of a hit to the ego, but a good manager puts his or her ego aside and listens.
You have to make it clear to your employees that airing their grievances won’t get them punished or fired. Instead, make it an open forum where people are free to talk about things that bother them, mention improvements they’d like to see, and tell you how they feel about the overall health of the company. You might find that workers can offer a lot of valuable information that can help the company.
These are some of the ways to streamline your business and help it run more smoothly. In the process, your business will become more efficient, you’ll keep customers happy, and you’ll reduce your stress.