Kayla
I personally worked in retail for 2 years at a store called MEXX Canada.
In this store, the environment is constantly changing and the work values are
constantly changing. Most of the time the communications are made clear in what
is about to change and what isn’t.
This company went through a very specific change recently and that was
Liz Claiborne, who owned the company, sold the company to someone else! This
was a huge change to everything that the company embellished. The clothing
lines changed, the attire that the employees needed to wear changed and
everything that was normal changed. The employees needed to be notified about
these changes and make sure that everything transitioned smoothly. There was
letters handed out to each employee and the changes went as planned. The
company dealt with these changes in a very professional matter and gave enough
notice for the employees to adjust accordingly. If this was a faster paced
company like a telecommunications industry company then they may have needed to
implement a different stratigy. This was a perfect way for the company to have
time to adapt.
Another way the company had made the right decision when it came to
planning change was when the company who now owned MEXX made small changes and
implemented them one at a time. This was an excellent way to deal with the
changes within a company because one at a time the employees can be educated
why and not be over whelmed with the changes.
After dealing with these changes in MEXX Canada, I feel that the best
way to deal with them is to explain the reasoning and give an educated example
of what can be done as an employee.
Hilla
I used to work as an intranet project assistant in one of Finland’s
biggest companies (an engineering group working in fields of paper machinery,
mining and automation), and during that employment I experienced the atmosphere
of change in the organization. I assisted the communications team in building
and launching a new intranet for the company. When systems or procedures change
from the ones people are used to, it obviously evokes feelings and emotions.
Even though I sometimes felt it stressful to be the expert of the new intranet
that not everybody approved, I was still very lucky to be in that spot to
really work as a person who brings people together with this new technology,
and maybe can ease their anxiety towards the change. I understood how important
it is to have the “early adopters” and enthusiasts in big companies to support
those who may be more resistant to change. Eventually everybody will learn to
use the new technologies but that should not be the first assumption.
This intranet I was working with also contained a social feature,
similar to social media channels on the internet. It was clear that adopting
this feature into their every day work was many times easier and faster for
those that already are using social media than for the ones who had never heard
of Facebook or Twitter. On my opinion only change in this world is constant,
and that is something to keep in mind in the contemporary workplace, but if you
recognize the personalities or characteristics in some people that they are the
“early adopters” I really think this will be an important resource for
companies at the times of change.
Brittni
The service industry blended with updated technology has changed certain
aspects of working retail. One major benefit now is the internet. Dynamite, my
part time retail employer, uses the internet not only to broadcast their
clothing line but to also obtain feedback from customers. When a customer buys
anything in the store the cashier draws their attention to the bottom of the
receipt. There is a web address with a link to fill out a quick survey about
Dynamite and they benefit by receiving a 15% discount off their next purchase.
Questions include: were you greeted as you entered? Were you informed about
promotions and new items? Did the fitting room attendant offer suggestions and
help with sizes? There is also a section to rate the service from 1-5 and
comment if you wish. Lots of people do fill out the comment box and say things
such as, “The girls at dynamite are always so helpful! They suggest items that
I would have never put together! I love shopping at Dynamite.” While others may
post something along the lines of, “I find the girls to sometimes be more
concerned with their personal conversations over the customers in the store.” At
the end of each week the comments and scores are computed then posted in the
back room. The ideal is for the scores to be above 80% with positive comments.
The manager highlights certain comments that are positive as well as negative.
She also writes reminders for us in order to reach ideal scores like “drop and
go”. These c-stat results are a common motivator for the store. It is nice to
read positive comments about your customer service and know it is appreciated
by others. Ten years ago, obtaining comments from customers was more of a
challenge. The internet has improved this and can act as a motivator with
online surveys.
Josh
I have worked for a telecommunications company as a sales representative
for just under three years. During my time employed with this company I have
witnessed an abundance of change to the organization. I was hired near the
launch of the company and since then, I have noticed a very apparent change.
When Koodo Mobile was in its first years of business there was pressure on
sales representatives to activate as many cell phone as possible. During this
time the main objective of the sales representatives were to persuade clients
to bring their business to Koodo. Koodo did very well during these first years
and signed up many people. As time went on it appeared that Koodo Mobile had
change their focus. The company was now well established and had many
subscribers, which caused customer retention to become a priority. At the
present time, sales representatives are trained to provide the best possible
customer service for both new and existing customers. No longer is the focus on
activating as many phones as possible but rather sales representatives are
graded on customer surveys. Once Koodo made this focus change they were awarded
the “JD Power and Associate’s Best Customer Service Award” out of all cell
phone companies in Canada. This focus change was a very smart move for Koodo
Mobile as customer retention is one of the most important aspects in business.
Keeping your clients happy ensure word of mouth marketing and in result will
bring many clients to Koodo in the future.
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