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I wanted to piggy back on Louis’s post from this past Monday by thanking all of those who were able to attend the employee outing this past weekend at Geyser Falls.  Personally, I think it was one of our most fun since we started having the annual event over ten years ago.

I especially want to thank Janna and Kim for putting the day together for everybody.  Much more work goes into making such events possible than many people recognize.  It takes a lot of effort to make large productions look so effortless!

As was mentioned in my brief speech last Saturday, it takes great employees to build a great company.   I am thankful to have the human resources we need to continue building a bigger and better company.  —   Luke

“Every day do something that will inch you closer to a better tomorrow.”  Doug Firebough

It was good to see everyone at the Employee Appreciation Day this weekend.

I really enjoyed riding the slides and most of all getting see everyone and meet many of your families.  Below is a group picture that was taken during lunch.  I hope everyone has a great day…..Louis

I’ve heard it said so many times that it’s the little things in life that count the most.  I have also found this to be true with customer service.  During a recent visit to Southaven, a customer mentioned to Sonia that she was having issues with her iphone.  Sonia asked her if she had visited the Apple store and the customer said that she did not know where one was in the area.  Sonia told here where she thought it was and looked up the phone number for her.  I could tell by the expression on the customer’s face that she was so appreciative of the help as getting her phone fixed was very important to her.  Although this was a “little” gesture, it reminded me that the little things do count the most and can be the very thing a customer will remember.  I guarantee you that the next time this customer needs one of the services we offer, our store will be the first place she visits.  Good job Sonia! Michelle, I hope your vacation was fun.  I am sure you know that the office was in good hands while you were gone.  The audit was perfect – Keep up the good work ladies!

Never neglect the little things. Never skimp on that extra effort, that additional few minutes, that word of praise or thanks, that delivery of the very best that you can do.

Rachel

My wife and I moved into a new house about two months ago.  As most of you probably know from past experiences, there are many headaches associated with moving.  I have had more phone conversations with utility companies, furniture companies, movers, and handymen than I care to recall.

I would rate the overall customer service I have received from most of these companies very average.  I have had a difficult time with one particular furniture company making false promises and continually missing their delivery date.  This company has promised delivery of my furniture “next week” for the past 3 weeks.  The manager of this company has been avoiding what he sees as a difficult conversation with me by giving me a delivery date that his company has yet to fulfill.

This example reminds me that being truthful with our customers is part of giving great customer service.  When companies tell customers what they want to hear to avoid a difficult conversation it almost always leads to a more difficult conversation down the road.  I have heard from several of our consultants that customer service nationwide is on a decline.  My moving experience has reiterated this to me.  As a company, we should view this as an even greater opportunity to stand out with exceptional customer service.

Have  a good day……Louis

One of my favorite hobbies over the last few years has been running.  If the weather is right then odds are you will find me on the local track or attending some running event in the area.  My chosen hobby has led me to become one of the more frequent customers of the local sports apparel businesses in the area.  After a trip to one over the weekend I couldn’t help but wonder if it was under new management.

I mainly deal with two sporting goods stores in the area.  One is a locally owned business where I buy my shoes and really anything else I can find there but this store is limited in selection.   Due to the limited selection at the local store I also shop at a big box sporting goods store that has a huge selection of running apparel.  And until this past weekend it has had some of the worst customer service around.

I had been highly critical of this big box retailer, especially the lack of staff attention.  Until recently it was possible to spend upwards of an hour in the store without ever being acknowledged by a “team member”.  Most of the time the “team” was huddled up discussing the latest store gossip.  However, this past weekend it was much different.

In my trip this past weekend to the big box sporting goods store my goal was to buy a pair of shorts and nothing more.  After picking out a new pair of running shorts I decided to make a loop around the store to kill a little time and also see what was new.  To my surprise and amazement I was approached by five team members and asked if I needed assistance.  What was even more impressive was that the staff actually went out of their way to speak to me.  It wasn’t the old “within three feet and eye contact rule”.  Now, each time I was approached I told them that I was “just looking” but it made me much happier be in their store knowing they seemed to appreciate my business.

In the past, each time I was at the register at the big box store I would usually be shaking my head and gritting my teeth wondering why I was spending money with someone with such awful customer service.  But not this last time.  I actually had a smile on my face.

The moral of the story here is to make sure you do your best to put a smile on your customers’ faces.  Make sure they know they are appreciated.

Have a great week. — Luke

“Consumers are statistics.  Customers are people.”  Stanley Marcus-Chairman of Neiman Marcus

I’m going to have lunch and meet with our current leadership class today.  I’m looking forward to spending a couple of hours listening to the advancements this current class is making in their communication and leadership skills.  Most employees have been through some type of leadership training over the last year.  It has been very exciting to watch as these participants grow and polish skills that can advance them not only in the workplace, but in all aspects of their life.  I always leave these meeting re-energized after seeing positive attitudes and eagerness to learn.  I’m sure today will be no different!

Have a great day…..Louis

I have never been a huge HGTV fan only because I have no talent when it comes to decorating or do-it-yourself projects.  The same cannot be said for one of the managers that I visited with several weeks ago.  Ms. Felicia Gilleylen at our Okolona store had not only added several wall decorations on her own but she and Erin had cleaned the store top to bottom.  I thought the inside of the store looked awesome so I wanted to recognize both of them on the blog.   For those of you who know Felicia, you know she is always dressed to a tee and has a personality that everyone loves.  I can easily see her on her own HGTV show.  Add our own area manager, Janna Tolar, with all her talent and projects that she does and it would be a smash hit!

Oh, and I must mention that Felecia and Erin had a perfect audit.  Way to go Ladies!!

Rachel

In our manager’s meetings we often discuss the importance of telling our customers how much we appreciate their business.  As we’ve said, our customers are just like you and me. . . they want to do business with people who actually appreciate it.  It is funny though how some businesses tend to overlook their very best customers.

Being a fan of great customer service, I am keenly aware of the treatment I receive when visiting any retail or service business and I have found that many businesses make a common error.  They take long time customers for granted.

For example, I have seen waitresses at some of my favorite restaurants who become so comfortable and friendly with the regulars that they truly treat them like “family”.  The pleasantries and niceties expected of a seasoned wait person are all but forgotten when dealing with long time customers.  Often it is the best customers who are treated like family. . . like a little brother.

I have also witnessed retail establishments who take for granted some of their better customers.  The retailers feel that since certain customers have been doing business with them for several years then they can count on their business for several more.  Some businesses focus so much energy on bringing in new business that they forget to take care of the old business that made them successful in the first place.

Whenever I get the feeling that a store is taking my business for granted I do my best to take a long break from shopping with them.  It’s really funny how I can frequent a business once a week and get mediocre service but if I skip a few months and go back I get the best service in the world.

The point of today’s blog post is this — make sure you never take any customer’s business for granted.  Treat each and every customer like it is your first time dealing with them and you are trying to make the right first impression.  And finally, take a moment to give your best customers a special “Thank you”.

Have a great weekend.  — Luke

“When you practice gratefulness, there is a sense of respect of towards others.”  Dalai Lama

During Kim’s presentation on office appearance at our last manager’s meeting she encouraged everyone to take a fresh look at their office.  By stepping back and taking a fresh look at our offices we will notice things that we overlook on a daily basis that could be hindering the appearance of the office.

Luke and I spent yesterday afternoon meeting with Bradley Rodgers.  Bradley operates a couple of businesses similar to us in Arkansas.  I was excited about hearing some of Bradley’s new ideas and changes he is implementing in his business and discussing how they could also benefit us.  I was also very anxious to have Bradley do a walk through at Simple Pawn and Approved Auto to get his input on these two stores.  It had been over a year since Bradley last visited them.  Bradley noticed several things, both positive and negative, that I had been overlooking, even though I visit these stores on a daily basis.  I encourage you to not only take a fresh look yourself, but get the opinion of someone that isn’t in your office everyday.

Have a great Wednesday…Louis

Congrats to Wendy Watson, Rhonda Vernon, Tina Brown, and Christina Sciple for winning the Spirit of Montgomery Spirit Stick.  The Macon office was awarded the stick at our quarterly managers meeting for the exceptional job they do collecting.  They will possess the stick until our next quarterly meeting where it will be awarded to the office that has best exemplified the Spirit of Montgomery Enterprises.

Have a great day….Louis