Business >
Business Strategy
RSS FeedIs quality important in business?
Results so far:
| No | 3% | 4 votes | Total: 160 votes | |
| Yes | 97% | 156 votes |
No
Write now
Print
Invite a writer™
Add to FavoritesI had to laugh, when I read articles, which said that "Quality Service" including greeting customers, with the same boring line. "How are you today", or something along those lines.
As a Cashier at a Gas Station in the Vancouver Lower Mainland in British Columbia/Canada, I had to restrain myself from urinating, due to excessive laughter.
Alot of you don't quite seem to understand, that, as Dave Nocera pointed out, Quality, doesn't always matter.
And that friendly "How are you today?" is not the sign of an Employee that cares.
It's a line. It's part of the job. Believe it or not, 9 out of every 10 sales that happen in a retail environment follow a strict script, written by the company who employs the "Friendly" employees.
For example, at the Mohawk station I work at:
*Customer Walks In.*
"Hello." or some other friendly sounding greeting. This shows the customer that you noticed they walked in, and puts potential shoplifters uneasy.
Keep a peripheral watch of customers, as they walk through the store. This allows you to note suspicious activity, and also allows you to keep a rough running tally of what they are likely going to bring to the till.
As the customer begins putting things on the counter to be scanned, ensure to keep eye contact for as much as possible, and smile. Small talk also helps keep the transaction flowing smoothly.
After you've rung everything through the till, state the total.
Follow it up with a phase like "Is that all for you today", or recommend a specific item, such as a part of the monthly specials, a car-wash, or perhaps a lotto ticket.
Ask the Customer for a BCAA((Copyright to CAA)) card, before completing the transaction.
Repeat the total to the customer, and process payment.
Ensure customer has correct change, has put their' pin number in, or has signed the Credit Card slip.
Wish them a nice day, or some other pleasant way of ending the transaction.
This is for over 90% of the people who walk through the door at my work. The other ten percent are regular customers, who also happen to be our' friends. These people don't get the same line that every other member of the public does, because they don't want it, and like to be treated differently, because they are different.
So think about that, next time. Quality can be manufactured, but it's still manufactured Quality.
Not the same as a Cashier who cares.
And truth be told, most of us don't. We're being paid 8-10 bucks an hour((Canada, 5-7 in the States)) to manufacture, and keep the facade of quality up. We don't get paid enough to genuinely care. So we pretend to care. It's kind of like Sarcasm. Except we get paid for it.
Learn more about this author, Adam Churchill.
Click here to send Author comments or questions.
Yes
Your business is a reflection of you. Quality is the standard of your business. It is the over-all projection of the company. It is how people perceived your business. If a business has a good quality then you will be able to get more business. Nowadays, business gets rated for quality of service.
As you walked-in a store you will be greeted with: How are you doing today. While shopping you will hear employees say: How can I help you today or do find everything okay. At the check-out the cashier will repeat the same greetings and say parting words like have a great day after you pay. You will have a wonderful feeling being treated with by warm, friendly staff. This is a good example of good quality service.
Quality is also based in the store's (inside) appearance. Big stores are all the same when you walked-in to their stores so you don't get disoriented. Food aisles are on one end and non-perishables are on the other end. They value quality in terms of accessibility to their stores. They made their stores customer friendly. These companies already anticipated trouble before it gets to them. Sure customers will be upset and will decide to walk-out of the store if they can't find what they're looking for.
Quality in advertising needs to consistently keep-up with the changing market. Companies changed their logos even if customers have known them for a particular logo for a number of decades. Take for example a courier company who changed their logo that used to be blue and red now it looks a totally different. The market is changing and we are now in the digital age they believe it's time to change their logo. If their old logo still exist who can identify it? They're your grandparents who are now retired. They seldom need courier services and they seldom need photocopying.
Quality focuses on the target market. The courier company wanted to capture the college students, small businesses, young executives and the likes. It may just be a logo, but careful planning and brainstorming was done before the new logo was introduced to the public. The new logo creates an over-all impact to customers that emanates quality.
If you want your business to flourish, you should consider "quality" as your top priority. Companies screened employees before hiring? They are looking for the people qualified for the jobs. The human resource person, manager or whoever does the hiring looks for a certain quality attributes that makes somebody suitable for a job, activity or task.
Notice how sales people dress to the standard of their company. Sales people when they go out in the field, they are called by their customers through their company name not through their names. They were identified with the company and for this reason the company imposes strict qualifications like: background check, experience in the same type of work, personality, attitude towards other people, flexibility and other factors. On top of this company gives comprehensive trainings to ensure they have the best people on board.
In terms of product, a hamburger would be a good example would be a burger chain who claims that their hamburger was broiled. For people who hates oils (that can be converted into fats) this makes their quality different from other hamburger chains.
With hotels you can clearly see the importance of quality. Hotels were rated for their quality through stars. Would you pay five star rates for a two or three star quality hotel?
When you have quality you can justify the way you charge customers for your business. Take for example when you walked-in a restaurant with good ambiance be ready to pay more since you're paying for the ambiance, quality of food and service. Restaurants are rated for their quality starting with "A" as the highest standard.
The BBB (Better Business Bureau) gives businesses ratings. Likewise, unsatisfied customers can send them compalaints on business establishements.
Whether your business was based products or services your success will depend on the type of quality you offer. Quality is something that should consistently be improved based on your target market (logos, labels, packaging). Remember, there are government institutions monitoring whatever type of business and unhappy customers can easily send their complaints via web.
Learn more about this author, Tessa Garcia.
Click here to send Author comments or questions.
