{"id":464,"date":"2021-04-16T06:00:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-16T06:00:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/?post_type=columns&p=464"},"modified":"2021-12-22T22:56:39","modified_gmt":"2021-12-23T03:56:39","slug":"train-company-ambassadors","status":"publish","type":"columns","link":"https:\/\/innovativepixel.com\/IGIN\/columns\/train-company-ambassadors\/","title":{"rendered":"Train company ambassadors"},"content":{"rendered":"

Here\u2019s a slightly funny \u2014 if not a little icky \u2014 story. There is a local food delivery company in our town that picks up orders and takes them to people\u2019s homes. Every time my husband sees one particular driver in that company\u2019s fleet, the guy is picking his nose. He saw him three times in one week, and all three times the driver had his finger inserted in a nostril. Now, I don\u2019t know about you, but my husband says he doesn\u2019t care how hungry he is, he will never order food from that delivery service.<\/p>\n

My story provides a cautionary tale for you as a business owner. Every time your employees are out in public, working on a job site, wearing the name of your company on their uniform, driving in the company vehicle with your logo emblazoned on the side, guess what? They are the face of your company, your company ambassadors. How does that thought make you feel?<\/p>\n

If you feel comfortable with that, good for you! But if you cringed at the thought, you may want to consider some staff training.<\/p>\n

Code of conduct<\/h2>\n

Every company should have an employee handbook. In that handbook, along with the rules for days off, sick time and other policies, include rules for how you want employees to behave on job sites. Do you want your customers to overhear your staffers\u2019 loud radios, bawdy conversations or foul language? If this is a concern, train your employees how you want job sites to appear and sound to your customers.<\/p>\n

But it\u2019s not just the obvious stuff that makes a difference in how your company is perceived. Here\u2019s an example from The Ritz Carlton hotel chain, wellknown for its world-class customer service. Whenever a hotel guest says, \u201cThank you,\u201d to an employee, Ritz Carlton staffers are trained to say, \u201cMy pleasure,\u201d as opposed to, \u201cNo problem.\u201d Why? \u201cNo problem,\u201d infers that taking care of customers is an inconvenience. But saying, \u201cMy pleasure,\u201d conveys that you are happy to help. Do you see the difference here? A small tweak like that makes a big difference.<\/p>\n

Social media behaviors<\/h2>\n

When your company ambassadors are not at work, they still have the ability to impact your company\u2019s reputation. Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and other social media platforms have the power to spread knowledge and misinformation in equal measure. Here are some tips to offer employees when they are posting online:<\/p>\n