ORIENTATION

New Kids on the Block

Leader

New employees need time to adjust to the environment and any required processes or procedures. It is especially important to keep this in mind when you bring new representatives on board. You want to be sure that your customers receive the consistently outstanding service they expect, so don’t put your new service providers in situations that they can’t handle.

ACTIONS

• Introduce your new service providers to one new skill set at a time by prioritizing all the skills you want them to master and teaching them in that order.

• Pair up new employees with experienced representatives for the first few weeks on the job.

• Provide new employees with all the data and resources they will need to perform their jobs.

• If possible, route customers according to the new representative’s acquired product knowledge and skill sets.

• Reframe mistakes made by new employees into learning opportunities by analyzing and discussing what can be done to correct things next time.

To Do or Not to Do

To-Do Lists

Individual

Staying organized can help tremendously in a job that relies on time management and information accessibility. People often rely on to-do lists to keep themselves organized and efficient. However, for a to-do list to be effective, you may need to follow some simple guidelines.

ACTIONS

• Make using a to-do list a habit. Don’t skip even one day, or you’ll end up disturbing the routine.

• Put only important items on the list. Putting routine tasks on the list is counterproductive when it gives the impression that you have too much to accomplish.

• Place the items in priority order (A = must do, B = should do, C = nice to do) and then rank each item within the category in order of importance.

• Check off items on the list during the day. This helps you feel that you are accomplishing things and can help reduce stress.

• Rewrite the list when it becomes messy or illegible from notes or checking off items. It will become shorter, and you’ll feel that you are getting things done!

• Keep the list somewhere you can see it or access it easily.

• Use online software, such as Outlook, that can help you follow up with flags and color coding.

• Coordinate your to-do list with a datebook, keeping all information on only one calendar.