Rolling out the Red Carpet

Your first day in any job can be daunting.

It’s all new and can feel a bit lonely.

Hardly the best place to be to give your best.

Many of my clients take on extra casual staff at this time of year, but sadly without the right induction or on-boarding they can be more of a hindrance than a help.

Just because you’re busy or you have temporary staff, don’t let this be an excuse for a poor customer experience or inferior customer service. Your regulars don’t care! Busy or not, whether it’s the school holidays and you’re rushed off your feet, or your manager is taking time off, your customers expect consistency.

Whether you’re taking on seasonal staff for the summer or full timers you want to give them the red carpet treatment, and help them get off to a flying start.

If all you do is give them a uniform and tell them to get on with it, they could be doing more harm than good.

Here are my top 10 basics to cover with any new member of staff, whether for the holiday season or at any other time of year, so they do the best job possible to be ambassadors for your business.

1. Teamwork is key. Introduce new staff to the whole team, defining everyone’s areas of responsibility to ensure no gaps and no duplication of effort. Avoid the frictions that occur when someone hasn’t pulled their weight or others are seen to ‘interfere’ with your way of doing things.
2. Don’t leave them floundering or too scared to ask for help. Establish a clear line of reporting, and who to go to for help and guidance when needed – ensuring, of course, that this person will be patient and supportive when asked.
3. Everyone needs to know what’s expected of them from day one. Clarify basic standards of dress, staff behaviour, time keeping, break allowance, staff meals, security, food safety, health and safety.
4. First impressions count. Specify your establishment’s standards for welcoming and greeting customers, including initial enquiries, taking messages or booking procedures if this is part of their role.
5. What is their role in promoting products or up-selling, and what are the products you want them to promote, including any future events? If your core team are incentivised, make sure you include seasonal staff in the scheme.
6. People can’t sell something they don’t know exists. Ensure a thorough product knowledge – what does your venue offer – times of service, complementary products, etc. Let your staff sample what you offer, explain what accompanies what products, or anything that’s normally sold together, what it should look like, what prices include and what’s extra (especially with any fixed packages or promotions).
7. Establish protocol in dealing with difficult situations, customer complaints, and awkward customers. Define the line between handling themselves and when to seek intervention from a manager or more experienced staff member (and who that person is).
8. Run through the payment procedures, including any security procedures or checks needed.
9. Avoid being let down at the last minute – Provide out of hours contact numbers and establish procedures for sickness reporting.
10. Maintain your reputation as a good employer. Treat seasonal staff well, and they will be willing to come back next time you need an extra hand. Give them something to look forward to and keep them interested for the whole season. Involve them in any after work social activities and maybe some incentive awarded at the end of the season.

Like any training this is an investment. Do it well and you’ll certainly save everyone time and effort in the long run.

If you need a helping hand with designing your induction or on-boarding programme here’s my guide to on-boarding

This article first appeared on the Naturally Loyal blog