The Trucker Management approach to managing your small business uses a Circle Check to monitor the physical premises of your business - examining, watching, observing your space and your staff. But as I was reminded this morning, its important to do a "sound check" as part of your Circle Checks as well.
I was going through a drive-thru for my morning caffeine fix, and the person on the microphone today spoke very quickly and was muffled, so it was difficult to understand what she was saying. I have been there in the past and also endured "low-talkers" that were hard to hear as well. Most staff are quite easy to understand, but there are sometimes others who are not - I wonder if the manager knows about these differences in their staff and the impact on the customers' experiences?
Most of you won't be running your business through a drive-thru speaker like this, but the lessons are just as important. How do each of your staff sound, and from different locations in your space? Is one too loud, too quiet, speak too quickly? And without a drive-thru, you still have "invisible" communications with others in your business - how does each person in your business answer the phone? Like me, you have probably called businesses and been totally underwhelmed by the bored or apathetic voice on the other end of the phone. Or are people who call your business bombarded by a greeting recited so quickly from habit and routine that it is hard to follow or seems less than genuine?
Be sure to do your Circle Checks regularly....but also include a sound check as well. It will let you adjust the volume or change the channel amongst your staff if need be, and leave only music to the ears of your customers!
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