All too often, when we make a bad hire, we focus on what was wrong with the employee. However, what we really should be doing is taking a hard look at our hiring practices that are causing us to make bad choices.

In 20 years of consulting with and training business owners on hiring, I’ve found that most of them make some or all of the following seven hiring mistakes. 

1. Not keeping job descriptions up to date.

You can’t begin to identify what knowledge, skills, abilities and characteristics an applicant would need to have to be successful in a position if you don’t know what the position really entails. If your job descriptions are outdated and don’t reflect current major duties, then not only can you not find the right applicant, but you’re basically lying to your applicants about the job they’re applying for. And no, you can’t use the “all other duties as assigned” clause to cover yourself. Major activities and responsibilities that make up the bulk of the employee’s time at work must be spelled out in the job description.

2. Writing job announcements that sound like “criminal wanted” posters instead of writing great ads that will attract the right candidate.

Wanted: Veterinary Technician. Must have 5 years’ experience. Must have required state certifications. Must work weekends. 

Wow! Sounds awesome, right? I’ll bet people are lining up to apply for this gem of a job! Or not…

The goal of a great job ad should be to attract a great person who is a great fit for the job and your practice. Start by providing positive information and incentive for that great person you’re looking for to respond to your ad. Make ads exciting and creative. Tell applicants why your practice, team, clients and community are great; however, you also need to be honest. If you over-inflate how great the job or your company is, the employee will likely quit within a few weeks of being hired when he or she realizes the job isn’t what you said it was.

3. Asking the same old “canned” questions you’ve been asking for 20 years. 

YOU: “What do you think is your greatest weakness?”

APPLICANT: “I am so dedicated to my job; I sometimes forget to go home at the end of the day.”

Before the advent of the internet, you might have gotten some honest answers to these questions. But, nowadays, any applicant can look up common questions like, “What’s your greatest strength?” and “Where do you see yourself in 5 years?”—and the best answers they should give in response to each. 

It’s time to stop using these old school questions and start asking customized questions that are specific to your practice and the specific position you’re trying to fill. When you do, be sure you’re taking a 360 degree approach to looking at the applicant. 

You’ll want to assess the three C’s: Capability, Commitment and Culture Fit. Capability is all about the person’s ability to do the job. Commitment is how dedicated the person is to the position; how much he or she believes in the mission of the organization, work ethic, values, etc. Culture fit is whether the applicant will mesh well with your existing team, your mission, clientele and community. 

In all my years of consulting, most of the clients I’ve worked with who have regretted a hire don’t regret it because of the person’s capability; it’s the other two C’s that cause the most trouble, so don’t forget to ask questions about those, too. 

4. Asking leading questions. 

YOU: “This job requires you to work every other Saturday. You don’t have a problem working every other Saturday, do you?”

APPLICANT: (Thinking. . . Hmmm,I’ve got a 50/50 chance, but I’m guessing the answer she wants is NO), “Uh, no.”

When you ask a leading question, most applicants will give you the answer you seek rather than the truth. Then, they’ll quit when they realize they really do have to work every other Saturday.

5. Asking hypothetical questions instead of behavior-based questions.

Many interviewers ask hypothetical questions in interviews to try to assess what the applicant would do in a given situation. The problem with hypothetical questions is they’re really just a hopeful guess on the part of the applicant about what he or she would do in a certain scenario. What you really want to know when interviewing is what the applicant has done in their past jobs because a person’s past behavior is a great indicator of their future behavior. 

Behavior-based questions ask the applicant to share a specific situation from their past, and how they handled that situation and the outcome. These questions often start with, “Tell me about a time when…” They also follow the STAR formula. Star stands for Situation, Task, Actions, Results. So, a behavior-based question might be, “Tell me about a time when you had to deal with a complaining customer. What actions did you take to try to resolve the complaint and what was the result?”

6. Interviewing solo or sequentially instead of conducting panel interviews. 

Many practice owners will have a practice manager screen applicants and then conduct the final interviews by themselves. The problem with this type of sequential interview process is that you’ve got two different interviewers conducting two different interviews, possibly asking two different sets of questions, and getting two different interpretations. I’m not against an initial screening interview to narrow the pool of applicants, but the research supports the efficacy of conducting the final round of interviews in a panel format. 

Panel interviews allow interviewers to experience the applicant at the same time, in the same place, answering the same questions. There is a consistency in a panel interview that makes the process more accurate in assessing the applicant and fairer to each applicant. A panel interview also allows you to discuss the interview right after it, with everyone present, so the experience is fresh in everyone’s mind. A panel interview might consist of the practice owner, practice manager, senior veterinarian and one of your technicians, because each of these people will be working with the new employee and it’s important to get everyone’s impressions from their perspective—both personally and professionally. 

7. Not having a scoring system and benchmark responses for your interview questions. 

If you’re going to take the time to create customized behavioral interview questions, then it’s also worth the time to create benchmark answers for each question, otherwise how will you know what is an excellent, good or mediocre answer when you hear it?

When I create benchmark answers, I use a 5-point system—5 points for an exceptional answer, 3 points for an acceptable answer and 1 point for an unacceptable answer. For each of the benchmarks, I identify keywords that I would expect to hear for each type of answer. Then during the interview, interviewers simply have to check or circle the words they hear (or similar words), and, in the end, it’s easy to “score” the applicant’s response to each question. Tally all the scores for each applicant and it will usually become apparent who is your top applicant. If there’s a tie, the panel can go back and review and conduct a tie breaker. 

Following a more structured search and interview process as outlined above will make your hiring process a lot more efficient and a lot less stressful for everyone involved. Additionally, it will help you be more successful in finding the “right fit” applicant for any position in your practice. +

The post Top 7 Hiring Mistakes appeared first on PetVet Magazine.

“Hire for attitude, train for skill,” is a philosophy of many customer-focused organizations, such as Southwest Airlines and Doubletree Hotels. However, too many organizations don’t provide the structure or effective training programs to actually accomplish the “train for skill” part.

Once you’ve got that great employee hired, you have to provide high-quality training—especially customer service training—and follow up on that training to ensure employees are implementing the skills they learned.

There are many factors that go into creating an employee training program, but here are some steps to get you started:

1. Identify what types of client interactions your employees will encounter. There’s no point in sending employees to telephone skills training or having a phone skills trainer come into your practice if the employees attending spend little to no time on the phone with your clients. It’s critical that you look at how the employee is going to spend his or her time interacting with clients and train accordingly.Will the contact be face–to–face at the front desk, face–to–face in the exam room, on the phone, or via email? If more than one type of contact applies, what percentage of the employee’s time will be spent on each? Once you identify the need, you can start searching for the appropriate customer service training.




2. Identify what your clients expect from your employees. Hopefully you’ve already done this as part of your hiring process. But, if you haven’t, you’ll need to know what your clients expect from your employees and your practice. Is it punctuality? Friendliness? Courtesy? Scheduling skills? Organization skills? Technical skills? It’s easy to say that all clients expect all of these. However, the reality is, your practice type, size, location and other factors impact your client base as well as your clients’ needs and expectations.
   
   A small animal practice in New York City will have clients with different expectations than a large animal practice outside of San Antonio, Texas. Knowing what your clients expect will help you identify if your employees need training in time management, etiquette, conflict resolution or other customer service skills.




3. Find quality training programs that are aligned with your practice. With so many approaches to training these days, it can be hard to identify what direction you should take. Should you seek online programs? If so, should they be self–paced or live-scheduled? What about those $99 all–day, off–site mass seminars offered by the big, international training companies? Or should you hire a trainer to come into your practice and present a customized program just for your staff?
   
   The answer will depend on your employees’ schedules, learning styles, your budget, and your employees’ willingness and ability to implement skills learned. Either way, be sure to get references, check out testimonials and confirm that the training you’re purchasing contains quality content that is taught by a subject–matter expert, and that the content will help you achieve your goals.
   
   Additionally, be sure that the training is in sync with your practice’s values, policies and procedures. In my work as a speaker and trainer, before I develop a program for a client, I always get to know the organization, its mission, values, goals and policies, and ensure that the training I provide is aligned and reinforces what the organization is all about. If it’s not, it’s a waste of the organization’s money to have me come in and train employees to do things in a way that the organization cannot or will not support.




4. Create training plans for each position in your practice. Just like every position in your practice should have a job description, every job should also have a sequenced list of required training and a time–line for completion for an employee to be considered “competent” in customer service for that position. Additionally, it’s a great idea to also seek the employee’s input about what skills he or she thinks are needed to perform the job optimally. Let the employee seek training options and present you with the information for you to discuss. This empowers employees to take a role in creating the direction for their careers.




5. Reinforce training once employees have completed it. It’s always amazing to me that practice owners and managers will send employees to training and then never follow up with the employees once they’ve completed training. If you want to make the most out of the money you spend on training your employees, follow up. Here are some things you can do:
   
   
   • Meet with employees once they’ve completed training to find out what their top take-aways are and how they plan to implement what they’ve learned.
   • Ask employees to present an overview of the training at your next staff meeting and share with your team how your practice can implement new processes and procedures they have learned.
   • Have employees who are thoroughly trained and who have embraced the lessons learned act as mentors to new employees. It’s critical that new staff members have a great role model to follow in creating the face of your practice.
   • Reward those who complete training and implement new skills. Good work that gets recognized is likely to be continued!




6.  Don’t forget to seek training for yourself. The greatest training in the world will not help your employees if you don’t set the example for great customer service behavior yourself. Employees are not going to “do as you say, not as you do.” They’re going to follow the example you set. Therefore, if you’re not modeling great service behavior and participating in the same or similar training as they are, they’ll never embrace the new skills learned and your money will be wasted. +

The post 6 Ways to Build a Top Customer Service Team appeared first on PetVet Magazine.

Some veterinarians and practice managers mistakenly believe that if clients aren’t complaining, they must be happy. Although every practice has its chronic complainers, most unhappy clients never communicate their concerns or tell you why they’re unhappy.

Clients often don’t have the time, energy, or heart to tell you that you’re no longer meeting their needs. Therefore, don’t assume that no communication means you’re doing a great job of meeting your clients’ needs. Don’t wait until you start losing clients to find out how you could improve. Ask a few good questions and you’ll be surprised what you learn about how to meet or exceed your clients’ expectations. Checking in with client satisfaction also communicates that you really care that clients aren’t just moderately happy with your products or services, but are delighted with them!

Here are nine questions you should be asking your clients on a regular basis:

1. What did you like BEST about your experience with us today?

The answer to this question lets you know what you’ve done well and what you should continue doing. It also lets you know what your client prioritizes in his or her experience with your practice. For some, it might be the short wait to see the doctor, for others, it might be the time spent in the exam room to thoroughly assess a pet’s condition.

2. How can we make your next visit even better?

Many practices make the mistake of asking about what clients found unsatisfactory. Asking how you can make their experience even better, rather than asking how your service fell short, is an easier question for clients to feel comfortable answering. When you ask the customer to help you be even better, you’re asking for something positive. You’ve helped their pet and they’re probably more than willing to help you in return. When you ask the customer to identify your shortcomings, you’re asking for them to voice criticism, which many of them will be unwilling to do.

3. Which of our services (or products) do you like best?

When you have a long list of services you’re trying to provide and your product display space is small, it’s great to know which of them your clients truly come to you for. This information will help you focus on what your clients feel you do best and allow you to do it even better. It can also help you eliminate products or services your clients may not need or want.

4. What services would you like us to provide (or products to carry) in the future?

Just because your clients like your existing services and products doesn’t mean additional products or services couldn’t enhance their experience. If there are things that they need that they’re getting elsewhere, find out what they are and decide if it’s a “right fit” for your organization to provide them. If not, find a great resource or provider you can refer clients to.

I can hear what you’re thinking right now, “Refer clients to someone else? GASP!”  However, when you provide a referral to a reputable source, you’re telling your customer you care about them more than you do about making money. You’re communicating that your goal is to truly SERVE. When you do, they’ll continue to come back to you for the products and services you do best!

5. What keeps you coming back to us?

It could be your exceptional customer service, ease of getting an appointment, the skill of your staff and doctors, or something intangible. However, it’s important to know what keeps clients coming back so:

A. You can keep doing what makes them happy.
B. You can capitalize on it in your marketing and advertising through testimonials, statistics, and more.

For example, if the ease of your online appointment system is a recurring theme for repeat business, then capitalizing on the fact that you’re the only practice in the area with 24–hour appointment scheduling might give you an additional edge in the market.

6. Do you refer your friends/family/colleagues to us?

Don’t assume happy clients are actively promoting your business—they’re busy too! If the answer to this question is “no”, or “I’m not sure how”, you need to help your clients refer you by providing them information they can easily share with others, such as referral cards, a forwardable newsletter, or “bring a friend” offers to educational or special events. The bottom line: you need to convert your best clients to customer-advocates and champions.

7. Who do you know who could also benefit from our products/services?

This advice is tied to #6 above. Clients are busy and for all they know, you don’t need any more business. Sometimes you just have to ask for the referral! I’ve run into many people who hesitate to do this because they don’t want to seem desperate or lacking for business. That’s fine. If you have more business or more clients than you know what to do with, great. However, take note of how the question is phrased. It doesn’t say, “I’m not sure I’m going to be able to pay for the portable ultrasound machine I want, can you help me out by finding me more business?” The question is confident and focused on the customer. All you’re saying by asking is, “We love serving your family and your pets and would like to be of service to others you know who might need us.”

8. What can I do to make this situation right for you?

When something goes wrong, your instinct is probably to jump in and “fix it.” However, what you see as a great solution, might leave your client feeling shortchanged. Rather than assuming you know what solution will satisfy a client, just ask.

Many people are afraid to ask this question because they don’t want to hear the answer. For example, let’s say that a customer wants to return a half–finished bag of prescription cat food. Your practice’s policy is to only offer a partial credit toward a future product or service. You might be afraid to ask, “What can I do to make this right for you?” because you’re worried the client will say, “Give me a full refund.” However, avoiding asking the question doesn’t change the fact that the customer wants a refund. When you offer your partial credit, they’re not going to be happy. At least if you ask, the answer is out in the open and you can address it.

9. Why did you leave us?

As much as people hate to ask this question, when you lose a customer, it’s important to find out why. Don’t delude yourself by thinking, “I didn’t like her anyway,” or “Maybe they moved,” to explain away lost customers. You’ll have no idea why someone has stopped coming in or asked for their records to be transferred until you ask. Keep it simple, though. Don’t interrogate the customer or try to “hard–sell” or beg the customer to come back. Doing so is just going to be awkward for both of you. A simple question or two asking why they chose a different practice or if there was something you could have done better to make them stay could possibly help you improve your service in the future. +

The post 9 Questions You Should Be Asking Your Clients but Probably Aren’t appeared first on PetVet Magazine.