Stephen Covey, the author of the successful book, The Seven Habits of Highly Effective People said, "An empowered organization is one in which individuals have the knowledge, skill, desire, and opportunity to personally succeed in a way that leads to collective organizational success." If an employee feels confident in their role at your business and understands how their actions help your customers, then your employee is more likely to experience a feeling of personal success and want to keep achieving business goals. As a manager, you need to prepare go-to plans for any situation and help each individual employee feel empowered to make decisions that benefit the business. Here are 5 tips to jumpstart your training program!

1. Train your staff to understand whether or not a customer is suited for your business.

It’s important to train your staff members to recognize when a customer is not suited for your business (i.e. a customer who wants services that you do not offer or does not respect pick up and drop off times). Make a list of red-flags and train employees to escalate questionable customers to management. Some businesses create systems where clients get points for negative behaviors and after a set number of negative interactions, the owner will have a conversation with the customer and let them know that their dog may do better at another facility.

A customer that is not a good fit is different from a difficult customer that may be having a bad day but is a regular customer you would like to retain. For customers or pets that may be difficult at times, you can add private internal notes to PawLoyalty kennel software’s customer profile that will only be shared between you and your staff so that when your employee is booking an appointment in-person or over the phone, they will know how to politely decline a customer’s reservation request if they are not a good fit. If you terminating a relationship with a customer, PawLoyalty kennel software allows you to revoke permissions for those customers to request appointment on-line.

2. Train your staff to upsell services and the approach they should take when doing this.

Your staff should have a clear understanding of what services you want them to upsell and when they should be doing so. Whether it’s your newest service, your business’ most popular service, or trending services, keep every employee up to date on your business’ marketing plan.

Front desk staff members may get into the habit of upselling the same service because it is a service that they feel comfortable describing to customers, but if you specifically want your staff to upsell a service that you know is currently trendy or that you are focusing on, then let them know what that service is and how they should demonstrate its value.

Get into the habit of making announcements during a staff meeting or post an eye-catching note on the break room bulletin board that identifies what services should regularly be on an employee’s radar, and what new services they should be bringing to the attention of customers. Make a list of the services you want to upsell, when your employees should upsell them, and how these services will benefit your customers, so that your employees can provide a clear explanation to whomever asks. Periodically run contests for your employees to have them hit a goal (it can be total service revenue sold or the number of times they sold a specific service in a certain period of time). Vary the contests between having 1 winner and having contests where everyone can win something if they meet the goal. Make the goals achievable with the goal that everyone can get there. Prizes don’t have to be big to be motivating -- even a $5 coffee gift card works. It is enjoyable for employees to have something to focus on and to get a small token of appreciation at the end.

3. Train your staff to keep the front area tidy.

Even a friendly face can’t detract the eye from a messy front area. It should be the front desk staff member’s job to keep the waiting room in order and the front desk clutter-free. You want to make an amazing first impression on your new customers and turn them into regular customers. If they love your facility the minute they walk in, this initial impression will stick with them.

Give your staff examples of what the front desk should like. Everyone has their own definition of “clean”, but providing a visual for your employee will guide them in seeing how the desk will look from a customer’s point of view, knowing where things belong (so that other staff members can easily find that stapler!), and set the same standard for each staff person in maintaining a tidy workspace.

4. Train your staff how to solve customer problems professionally and in a way that is in line with company policy.

Every staff member should be trained to smile and ask “How can I help you?” so that each customer feels that their presence is acknowledged. This also helps your employees give your customers their full attention, especially when in the middle of trying to multi-task. After your front desk person hears the problem, they can decipher if they can provide a quick answer or if they will need more time/help in providing a solution.

Sometimes a customer will already know how to solve their problem, and staff should be trained to know whether or not they have the authority to provide the solution or escalate the situation to get your guidance. They should also have a standard protocol --- Your staff member can follow up with a response such as “I understand your concern. I do not have the authority to authorize that, but I am happy to put you in touch with my manager who will be able to help you.” They should also know how to mitigate other possible issues by being able to prioritize the customer’s need. If there is a line while the customer is complaining, it may be best for your staff person to say “I definitely want to discuss this you. Could you please wait until I finish ringing up these customers so I can give you more time?” Your staff should understand when you will be available to help so they can manage the client’s expectations and also know when they will have to do their best to provide answers without you.

Brainstorm a list of common scenarios and write out a few scripted responses to train your employees with best action steps to take. A staff member will know better how to handle impromptu situations if they know what their options and limitations are based on the way your company works.

5. Train your staff to use PawLoyalty kennel software efficiently.

Front desk staff members should be trained in using PawLoyalty kennel software efficiently. Knowing how to expertly use your dog daycare software to check dogs in and out, book appointments, and manage the customer’s profile will make the check in/check out process smooth for your customers and make them feel like you have a well-run business. PawLoyalty kennel software offers video tutorials within the software that you can use to provide on-going training to your staff. Staff members should also know how to contact customer support if they need additional training and support.

Throw Us A Bone!

What are your best tips for ensuring that your front desk desk staff are well-trained to represent your business?