Category: The Workplace

Tips For Customer Relationship Management

Customer relations is a business term that refers to the interaction between a company and its customers. All companies have customer relations, even those that choose to ignore how the company relates to its customers. Good customer relations are the key to customer retention and customer retention is the key to a growing business; customer relations are as important as the product.

Customer_Service

Customer relations management is not just for the customer service department; it may begin there, but a customer’s satisfaction and loyalty effect everyone in the company.

A helpful tip is to develop a method to get feedback from customers about your products and services; what worked and what didn’t work. Make sure all departments are on board from order takers to the sales department. Ensure as much information available is captured, the order department may not think something is as important as the sales or marketing teams. For example, if an order taker gets a complaint from a customer and he doesn’t record the incident no one but the order taker will know that the customer had an issue. One unhappy customer can spread the word about your business and cost you potential clients very quickly. You can expect to have only one chance to make a good impression with your customer service department. Focusing on your customers’ needs and providing excellent customer service is an efficient way to grow your business and earn customer loyalty.

Another tip would be to empower the customer service people to resolve problems, offer solutions and remedies themselves, within reason of course. Customer service reps should know when to escalate but at the same time know when it is not necessary-this can be accomplished by:

• Providing a list of FAQ’s with the solutions to avoid adlibbing answers, promoting consistency
• Assign teams to specific problems; shipping, shortages, backorders for example
• Ensure all incidents are answered promptly then follow up with a customer satisfaction phone call or email.
• Incident logging of all customer complaints/ support requests.

Corporate Birthday Party Ideas

Nothing is better than a birthday party with friends and family. But you know what can be really nice? A birthday party with your co-workers and managers. You don’t often get to talk to everyone in the office so what better time than your Birthday party? However, along with everyone’s attention comes responsibility. GREAT responsibility I dare say. You have to be ready to mingle. What does mingling entail you ask? Mingling entails talking and caring. Luck for you, Mr. Mingle is open for business and is ready to give you the low down on corporate birthday party ideas for mingling.

Mr_Mingle

Below is a crash course on what to say when you come across co-workers form other departments that you do not really speak to on a regular basis.

Scene 1: Phyllis from accounting comes over to you and wishes you a happy birthday. The last time you spoke to her was when they hired you so you don’t know much about her.

Phyllis: Hey Mr. Mingle, Happy Birthday!
Mr. Mingle: Thanks Phyllis, I appreciate the warm wishes. Did I mention how much I love the way you organized your cubicle? It’s truly a work of art. It makes everyone else’s look like they bought theirs at Ikea and only got through half of the instruction manual.
Phyllis: Wow Mr. Mingle, no one has commented on it. Thanks for noticing! That is the nicest thing anyone has ever said to me. Ever.

• Phyllis just went from a co-worker to one of your most trusted compadres. Consider Phyllis Mingled.

Scene 2: Mark from accounting grabs a slice of your birthday cake and just stands right above it while he eats it. Unbenounced to him, he is creating an impenetrable force field between your fellow co-workers and the delicious birthday cake. Clearly you have to get him away from the cake. How you say? Stop worrying, Mr. Mingle has you covered.

In this scenario you must be standing at least 10 feet away from Mark.
Mr. Mingle (Low Whispering Voice): Hey Mark, how are you liking that birthday cake?
Mark: What’s that Mr. mingle, I cant make out what your saying.
Mr. Mingle (Low Whispering Voice): I said, how are you liking that birthday cake?
Mark: Let me come closer to you, I am having trouble hearing what you are saying.

Mark was intrigued by what you have to say but he couldn’t hear it. So what did he do? He left his post at the birthday cake and made his way over to you.

• High fives all around from hungry co-workers who can now enjoy some of that delicious cake. Mark has been Mingled.

High_Five

Mr. Mingle – Out

How To Answer Job Interview Questions

Going for a job interview is one of the most stressful things a person can do. Here are some helpful tips for how to answer job interview questions. Hopefully these tip scan help put you at ease and land you that job!

Job_Interview_Questions

 

Q.) Tell me about yourself.

A.) Be brief. Keep your answer to 30 – 45 seconds max or you will lose the interviewers attention. Summarize your skills and experiences that will make you stand out and show why you are the best person for the job.

Q.) What about this job interests you?

A.) The interviewer is listening for an answer that indicates you have given this position some thought and that you have knowledge of the company. Make sure you research the comapny, and the position, before you go to the interview.

Q.) What are your strengths?

A.) This is the one question you know you will be asked. List three or four proficiencies such as your ability to learn quickly, determination to succeed, positive attitude, your ability to relate to people and achieve a common goal. Also, any skills you may have that relate to the job, such as being highly proficient in Excel.

Q.) Have you ever had a conflict with a colleague or superior? If so, how did you handle it?

A.) I think everyone at some point has had a conflict at work whether with a superior or coworker. I’ve found that when I am in a difficult situation it helps to communicate with the other person, understand their reasoning and try to work out a collaborative solution whenever possible.

Q.) What are your salary expectations?

A.) I will need more information about the job and responsibilities before we can discuss salary. I would appreciate it if you could give me an idea of the salary range that you have budgeted for this position.

Remember, at the end of the interview always  thank the Interviewer/s for their time and ask when you can expect to hear back from them. It also helps you stand out to send a brief email the next day thanking them for taking the time to meet with you, and expressing your sincere interest in becoming part of the company.

Time Management Tips for Employees

I don’t have to tell you that today we are being asked to do more than ever; through attrition we are inheriting more and more duties and if we don’t like it, we are pointed to the door. Time management skills are a must to have in your arsenal as you climb the ladder of success. Here are some time management tips that have helped me and will also help you:

Know your job inside and out; learn what is expected of you and the goals you are to achieve. If you don’t know where you are going, how will you know when you get there?

Time_Management

Prioritize you tasks, if you know your job you will know what is important and what can wait. Focus on first priority and everything else should fall into place.

Don’t be afraid to ask questions or ask for advice; your boss will appreciate your effort in getting an assignment finished properly and in a timely fashion. Take notes so you don’t have to ask again, make everything a learning experience.

Make lists, no matter how well trained you are in your job, constant interruptions and multitasking make us forget the simplest thing; do not rely on memory.

If your attendance is not necessary at a meeting, asked to be excused; many meetings are a waste of time.

Be honest with your supervisor, if you are having problems meeting a deadline say something, in advance of the deadline of course. Can you delegate or ask for help? Do you need more training? Maybe your time management wasn’t at its best, again make everything a learning experience.

Organize your day. Before you leave in the evening make a list of pending assignments and prioritize them so in the morning you are ready to go. Set aside time to answer emails and return phone calls. You don’t have to jump at every request. Manage your time and prioritize.

Time management is learned over time so keep your eye on the ball, focus on what is important and you will do well.

Fun Ideas For an Office Birthday Party

I guess I’m from the old school because I can’t imagine going to a party of any kind without bringing something. It might be a little more difficult without all the comforts of home, but with a little thought and planning, anything is possible.

Office_Birthday_Party

The first thing I’d bring would be birthday cards. That way after all the festivities were over the guest of honor would be able to find a quiet place and sit back to read all the well wishes from friends. Then I would get a head count since regardless of where a party is held, the last thing you’d want to do is run out of food or drinks. Then I would have to turn to the menu. I think I’d want to stick with something that could be enjoyed at room temp. You certainly don’t want to find yourself standing in front of the only or tiniest microwave you’ve ever seen trying to heat up lasagna one piece at a time because the only pan you had was made of metal. Depending on the time of year a nice salad in the warmer months is sure the please. If you are absolutely at a loss, do some checking ahead of time and find a local caterer.

Then there are drinks. That’s a tough one since you may not be able to serve anything even remotely spiked in some offices. And don’t forget dessert. Probably the easiest decision for any office party. Everybody loves dessert.

You should probably ask ahead of time about gifts. If it isn’t someone you know extremely well finding a gift that’s not too personal but still looks like you spent some time thinking about it is best. I’ve always tried to look around the person’s desk or cubicle ahead of time to determine their likes or dislikes. If I see a ton of family pictures, I usually go with that theme. Maybe a frame or some sort of keepsake item they can always have with them that they can personalize themselves with a picture. If I can’t get a feeling from what I see, I might ask a few questions of others who may know the guest of honor best.

I have to say, though, when all is said and done, knowing that others took the time to celebrate a special day in your life is amazing. To have that happen at work is even more special when you realize how crazy the average work day is. And when it’s all over, those birthday cards will decorate your space and be a constant reminder of everyone who was there celebrating with you.

Happy Birthday…and many happy returns.

What are the Most Common Job Interview Questions

When heading in for a job interview, it is always important to try and be prepared for the types of questions that you will be asked. The more prepared you are, the better you look to your potential employer. Below are some of the most common questions that are asked during job interviews. We are sure that at least a couple of them will be brought up in your next interview!

interview

  1. Why do you want to work for this organization?
  1. Why do you think you should be hired for this position?
  1. What is your means of transportation?
  1. What are your goals?
  1. What words would you use to describe yourself?
  1. Do you like teamwork?
  1. Are you available to work overtime if requested?
  1. Where do you see yourself five years from now?
  1. What is your greatest strength?
  1. What is your greatest weakness?
  1. Do you prefer multi-tasking or concentrating on one project at a time?
  1. What do you like/dislike about your present job?
  1. What are your goals for the future?
  1. What are your salary requirements?
  1. What can you contribute to this company?
  1. What did you like/dislike about your previous job?
  1. Are you willing to relocate?
  1. Do you have any questions for me?
  1. If I were your supervisor and asked you to do something you disagreed with what would you do?

Team Building Activities For Work

Sitting at the desk working on the computer for many hours can be tedious. With this in mind, several members in my company and I were discussing possible ways to alleviate this tension and came up with the idea of a Suggestion Box we would set up for the staff, requesting ideas on activities we could pursue to help us relax mentally and physically. To our surprise, we received an abundance of responses, some ideas that I will not mention here!, including several that we seriously considered.

Work_Yoga

One of these suggestions came from our co-worker, Betty, who has been practicing yoga for over a year. Betty found that yoga has helped her to relax and has found it very rewarding both mentally and physically. She has offered to share her knowledge of yoga and its benefits with us as a team building activity. After presenting this to the staff they proved to be very enthusiastic and showed great interest in this suggestion. We all decided to move ahead with the planning of this team building activity.

Next on the agenda was scheduling. After much discussion, we decided to divide our lunch hour into two parts; 30 minutes practicing yoga under Betty’s supervision, and 30 minutes enjoying a “healthy” lunch. Our Human Resources department offered us one of the Conference Rooms for this practice and we were ready to move ahead. As beginners we focused on the fundamentals, learned to follow the rhythm of our breath, and develop a sense of body awareness; understand alignment and avoid injury; learned to strengthen and stretch, and much, much more. This was a wonderful team building activity for all who participated and we have grown from a group of twenty to fifty. I have since become a yoga advocate and workout routinely at home.

Birthday Decorations To Surprise A Co-Worker

Well, let’s get started! So you want to have a nice surprise celebration for a co-worker and make birthday decorations to hang around the office. That’s a great idea.

Birhday

The first place you should decorate is his or her desk or cubicle.

  1. One great decoration is Garland. Now you know you have a great deal of paper around the office so make that your primary object to use. You can begin with cutting an 8-1/2” x 11” sheet in half width wise and cut as many of those as needed to print Happy Birthday, one letter on each half sheet and the person’s name on the paper also. If you have any string or ribbon around the office use that for hanging the garland. Use a hole punch to make holes in the paper and thread the string or ribbon through the holes to hang the garland. If you do not have string or ribbon, you can make a paperclip chain and attach the paper to the paperclips to hang the garland. Find some markers and write Happy Birthday or other nice things about the person on the paper and use colored paper wherever possible. Makes it bright!
  2. Their Chair! Hang a Happy Birthday sign down the back of their chair in a vertical position. If you can get some netting or lightweight fabric, it is fun to make a large bow and put that on the back of the chair also.
  3. Necklace! Works for either a man or a woman. Make a chain necklace with paperclips and hang little paper “charms” on the paperclips. These could be pictures or drawings or something nice written about the birthday person. Then hang them around the paperclip necklace and after you all yell SURPRISE you can put this around the person’s neck.
  4. Make a banner with a birthday cake on it and happy birthday typed out from your computer. You can usually find some free clipart online to copy and blow up and print it tiled on your computer. Use a glue stick and glue the pages together to make the banner. Hang the banner on the table you will use to serve the cake or goodies everyone will be bring to eat!
  5. And last, the birthday card. Find some cardboard or more colored paper and make a great big birthday card!  Now if someone in the office is talented enough to draw the front of the card, Great!  If not, go back into that free clipart file on the computer and print something funny out and glue stick it to the paper or cardboard. Make sure everyone signs the card and stand it up in the birthday person’s cubicle.
  6. If there are gifts given to this person, pile them up nicely on their desk and make the cubicle look festive.

Walla!!!! You have made a great and bright and festive area to celebrate that co-worker’s birthday with everyone in the office. And the decorations didn’t you cost anything at all!

Hope it’s a great celebration!

Top 10 Motivational Quotes for Work

Most of us were not born with a silver spoon in our mouths, so we have to work for a living. It is great to be able to work at something we love, but that is not always the case. So if we don’t do what we like we should learn to like what we do. This usually takes some motivation. Where we get that motivation is up to each individual person. Personally, I find motivational quotes for work are an inspiration to me. They raise my spirit and give me the right outlook to continue in a positive, upbeat fashion.

motivated employee

Here are my top ten favorites:

  1. I found that the men and women who got to the top were those who did the jobs they had in hand, with everything they had of energy and enthusiasm and hard work. Harry S. Truman, 33rd President of the United States
  2. I’m a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it. Thomas Jefferson, 3rd President of the United States
  3. There are two kinds of people, those who do the work and those who take the credit. Try to be in the first group; there is less competition there. Indira Gandhi, 3rd Prime Minister of India
  4. My principal motivation is supporting my family, which is not a bad reason for getting up in the morning. That’s always been my motivation – to take care of the people who rely on me. Tony Parsons, British Journalist and Author
  5. If you must have motivation, think of your paycheck on Friday. Noel Coward, English Playwright, Composer and Director
  6. The highest reward for a person’s toil is not what they get for it, but what they become by it. John Ruskin,, English Writer and Art Critic
  7. The biggest mistake that you can make is to believe that you are working for somebody else. Job security is gone. The driving force of a career must come from the individual. Remember: Jobs are owned by the company, you own your career! Earl Nightingale, American Motivational Speaker, Author and Radio Host
  8. Every job is a self portrait of the person who did it. Autograph your work with excellence. Jessica Guidobono ,Canadian Author
  9. Don’t be afraid to give your best to what seemingly are small jobs. Every time you conquer one it makes you that much stronger. If you do the little jobs well, the big ones will tend to take care of themselves. William Patten, American Biologist & Zoologist
  10. For me, motivation is a person who has the capability to recruit the resources he needs to achieve a goal. Arsene Wenger, French Football Coach

I find I am able to work better, have a better outlook and enjoy my work, life and family better when I remember what is important to me. Wherever you find the inspiration use it to enhance the quality of life you live. If one or more of these quotes help, by all means use them for inspiration or gather some favorites to use for that added boost to your morale. Then go out and conquer the world, personally I’m too tired from all that reading.

Top 5 Job Interview Tips

You’ve found the job of your dreams and you got yourself an interview. We’ve all felt the stomach-churning mix of excitement coupled with terror when that coveted interview is circled in red on the calendar. Take a moment to review our Top 5 Job Interview Tips to help turn that interview into your new job.

job interview

Tip #1:

Know the company.

Knowing as much as you can about the company you’re interviewing for is an invaluable tool and can give you a leg up as far as understanding what they might be looking for in a potential new employee. Visit the company website to familiarize yourself with how the company views itself, its mission statement and history as well as specific products and services. Glassdoor.com can provide a ton of company-specific information, much of it from people with first-hand experience there. Even social media such as Facebook and Twitter can provide insights into a company you might otherwise not have access to. Many interviews begin with a general ‘So, what do you know about our company?’ and you want to be able to wow them with your knowledge, foresight and interest.

Tag-a-long Tip:  Be sure you understand  – at least to some degree – what the specific job you’re interviewing for entails. It might sound obvious, but having knowledge of the position itself allows you to tailor your answers to highlight your most relevant skills. This can be a critical preparation.

Tip #2:

Practice, Plan, and Practice Some More.

Having some idea of what questions might be asked and planning how best to answer to ensure that your particular skill set shines through makes a big difference and keeps the look of panic off your face. You don’t want to come across as scripted, but having some key thoughts prepared and at the ready should allow you to relax and your abilities to shine. Go over some hypothetical replies out loud when you’re in the car or otherwise alone so you can get comfortable with how you might answer.

Some common interview questions to be prepared to answer:

  • What did you like or dislike about your previous job?
  • What is your greatest strength? Greatest weakness?
  • Describe a difficult work situation and how did you handle it?
  • Tell me about yourself
  • Why should we hire you?

Tag-A-Long Tip: Be prepared for an interview from the moment you’re ready to make contact with a company. Your very first call could lead to an immediate phone interview or pre-screening, so review your resume and have some responses ready.

Tip #3:

Know your resume.

It’s a long-running joke that all resumes are ‘padded’, but if you really do have the skills required for a position, be ready to back them up. Fudging dates and skills, only to be backed into an uncomfortable corner during the interview doesn’t do anyone any good. Be prepared to answer questions such as why you left a previous position, and how particular skills listed on your resume helped you achieve specific goals. If you can’t answer these, you probably shouldn’t include them on your resume.

Tip #4:

Dress for Success.

It sounds cliched, but first impressions are critical when it comes to interviewing, because this may be the only impression you get to make. Any interview – even if is it’s at your local fast food place – necessitates dressing neatly and cleanly. The type of workplace will dictate whether you don Business Casual or more formal Business Attire, and this is where Tip #1 comes in, knowing something about the company. In either case, you want to look professional and convey the idea that you appreciate the time that’s being afforded you, as well as care about the image you present. One important note:  It doesn’t matter if you know the company has dress-down Fridays – leave the jeans and sneakers at home for the interview.

Tip #5:

Know What Not to do.

  • Don’t be late. This will be noticed and noted.
  • Keep your phone on silent and stowed away during the interview. In the same vein, leave your coffee, bottled water and gum in the car.
  • Don’t complain about a previous employer or job. It’s unprofessional, not to mention you never know who the interviewer might know.
  • Don’t get into anything personal during the interview. This isn’t the time to gush about your kids or complain about your medical bills and how much you need benefits.
  • Don’t be the first to bring up salary. Let the interviewer bring it up first, and only ask (tactfully) if compensation hasn’t been addressed by the end of the interview.
  • And most of all, don’t lose sight of why you’re there. This is your opportunity to show them your best and brightest self. Don’t be afraid to show some pride in your skills and accomplishments.

Bonus Tip:

Be sure to follow up after the interview, thanking everyone you met with. In this day and age a Thank You email is considered appropriate and couldn’t be easier. A handwritten note is also fitting and might help you stand out even more. This quick follow up allows you to restate your interest as well as bring your name to mind once again post-interview.

Most of all, take a deep breath, and good luck!