Now Hear This

From the Department of Most Annoying Experiences: You're waiting at the counter of a department store or auto repair shop while the employee behind the counter chats on the phone about yesterday's baseball game with a friend. When you're not around, are your employees doing the same?

Most small-business owners Nancy Friedman talks to know their employees need customer service training, but they're not sure where to start. Friedman's St. Louis-based company, Telephone Doctor Inc., specializes in providing products and services for improving the performance of people on the phone. She offers these tips:

• Announce your intention to begin a formal training program on customer service and telephone skills, and explain why such a program is necessary.

• Schedule training sessions, and consider providing breakfast or lunch. Training periods don't have to be long; just 10 to 15 minutes a day can be worth thousands of dollars in improved performance.

• Rent or purchase audio and video training programs. Having the programs in your company library means they'll be available to use as refreshers or for new hires.

• Involve employees in the training process. Get their feedback on the programs you're using.

• Reward performance. Recognize employees who are applying their new skills with positive comments and perhaps even a small, tangible reward.

• Make smiling on the phone a job requirement--customers can hear the smile in your voice. "Don't turn your callers over to people who are not able to serve them properly," Friedman says. "Training will provide the techniques and confidence they need to do a good job."

This article was originally published in the November 1997 print edition of Entrepreneur with the headline: Now Hear This.