Great Service Nuggets

[SecTrainer]

Security guard companies provide a service, and service businesses can be quite different from retail, manufacturing and other types. Here's an article with about 60 points about the principles behind running a service business - any one of which you might want to explore in depth:

http://davidmaister.com/articles/1/56/

One of the main messages for take-away is that service begins and ends with your front-line people. The other is the critical importance of constant real-time oversight and assessment of the service we're providing, meaning - what standards or metrics are we using to measure our service, and how well are we meeting them? (Can you identify measurable quality standards for a security guard service?) In our industry, we really don't act very much like we understand either one of these principles, do we?

[Secret spuk]

Sec Trainer

I want to thank you for providing this link. As it turns out I've been having some management difficulties. This artical not only answers some questions I had, but also points me in a productive direction on other not so pressing issues.

Once again I thank you for sharing this nugget. And to all other members, becoming a member of this forum has served to enlighten me almost every time I participate.

Sec Trainer you are most deserved of your board name.

Again thanks...

Spuk.

[SecTrainer]

Sorry about the difficulties you're going through, Spuk, but I'm glad if the article points you toward some solutions.

One big difference between a service business and every other type is that HR (by which I mean the totality of human relations including training, supervision, compensation, policies, disciplinary procedures, support, career paths, employee morale etc.) is not a support function. In a service business, human beings are your "production line" and your "shipping department" (continually creating and delivering your services to customers in real-time), and that means that HR is a CORE function. (Ask 10 MBA's whether HR is a support function or a core function and 9 of them will get it wrong.)

I think it was the CEO of Southwest Airlines who described being an executive this way: "If you're not serving customers yourself, you'd better be serving the people in your organization who do serve customers."

[HotelSecurity]

The hotel business, like the contract security business hires a lot of unskilled people. No matter how badly they are treated there are always people applying for jobs . Example I have 2 hotels side-by-side. 1 pays Security $14.41/hour. The other pays $12.50/hour. The duties are exactly the same. There is never a shortage of people applying for the lower paying job.

[SecTrainer]

The hotel business, like the contract security business hires a lot of unskilled people. No matter how badly they are treated there are always people applying for jobs . Example I have 2 hotels side-by-side. 1 pays Security $14.41/hour. The other pays $12.50/hour. The duties are exactly the same. There is never a shortage of people applying for the lower paying job.

I'm sure this is especially true in the US, given our unemployment situation - which is worse than Canada's (although I'm not sure our respective governments use the same methods to count the unemployed. We conveniently omit anyone who's become so discouraged that they've stopped looking for work, and we don't account for people who are "underemployed" - can only find part-time work). The last official unemployment number I saw for Canada was 8%, while we're stuck at 9.6% (official), probably closer to 17% according to some analysts.

The question remains: Just because I can hire people for pathetic wages after an inadequate background check, and just because I can get away with lousy/no benefits, and just because I can get away with inadequate training, and just because I can get away with poor supervision...does that mean it's good business to do so - especially in a service business where my people are the ones who create and deliver my "product"? What's the chance that I'm delivering the best product possible, consistently, repeatedly, reliably and cost-effectively? (Cheap on the front end doesn't usually add up to lower total costs, greater business efficiency OR higher profits in the long run!)

[HotelSecurity]

I'm sure this is especially true in the US, given our unemployment situation - which is worse than Canada's (although I'm not sure our respective governments use the same methods to count the unemployed. We conveniently omit anyone who's become so discouraged that they've stopped looking for work, and we don't account for people who are "underemployed" - can only find part-time work). The last official unemployment number I saw for Canada was 8%, while we're stuck at 9.6% (official), probably closer to 17% according to some analysts.

We use the same methods. Maybe it's because we have a conservative government in power?

[ScottFree]

Sec,
This is one of the reasons why i am so glad to be a member of this forum. Posts like this are a gold mine of information.
For me, this is the one that has made the most impact. It says it all

Anything can be standardized, and there’s usually a big market for it. McDonald’s makes more money than the finest restaurant.

Bingo!! When the service experience has no variables, and the customer knows what to expect, the service experience becomes a known, and liked commodity, thereby making you look knowledgeable and professional. The hardest part for me is trying to make officers understand how vitally important it is to do it the same every time. It is minor for me, but the turnover rate coupled with the hundreds of small details at my site make it harder to do this. There are others i like but that was my favorite. Thanks for the nugget.

[davidmoore]

This is a good article, thanks for sharing the link.