Business owners are passionate about what they do, because they need their business to succeed. Unfortunately, some businesses struggle to find employees who share that same passion. Not only is this frustrating for the business owner, but also for the customers. There are situations where employees are not meeting customer expectations because the employee simply isn’t fit for the job. Maybe they don’t have the knowledge or skills needed in order to provide the proper care or service needed. However, it’s also possible that your employee just needs to have a fire lit underneath them in order to improve their work.

Are your employees meeting your customers’ expectations? If not, try these strategies for increasing employee passion and encouraging them to see your business as you do:

Help Your Employees Feel Valued

Everyone wants to feel valued and important. When your employee goes above and beyond for your business, let them know that you noticed and you’re thankful. Regularly praise employees for what they’re doing correctly, rather than only focusing on the issues that need to be changed. Often, we focus so much on what’s going wrong that we don’t take the time to notice what’s going well. 

When people feel valued, they perform better. Anyone who is insecure about their job and abilities will struggle to meet the expectations they are reaching for. Some simple ways to help your employees feel valued are:

• Build a personal relationship with your employees. Know their hobbies, likes/dislikes and information about their life outside of work. 
• Always say thank you. If your employees are working late to complete a job for a customer or taking time out of their lunch break to work on a customer service issue, be sure to tell them thank you and make it known that you appreciate their efforts.
• Focus on the positive. As previously mentioned, often times employees get reprimanded for mistakes that are made, but they don’t receive praise for all the things they’re doing right. This doesn’t mean to brush issues under the rug, but rather to try to focus on the positive whenever possible.

Provide Thorough Training

Are your employees confident in their work? Do they know the quality of service your business strives for with each and every customer experience? It’s hard for employees to meet customer expectations, if they feel they aren’t fully prepared for the job at hand. Provide thorough training for all new employees, and continue to train current employees whenever necessary. 

If you want your employees to meet the expectations of your customers, it’s your job to ensure they have the tools they need in order to do so. Whether they need training on the service your business provides, or the products it sells, your employees should become the expert and be someone your customers can always rely on. 

Set Your Expectations Higher than Your Customers’ Expectations

Your employees should know what you expect from them, and those expectations should be high. Right from the start, let your employees know what your expectations are. Set your expectations higher than what your customers will expect, and your employees will always go above and beyond. Let your employees come behind the scenes and realize how important your business is to you and your family. If they can see how much you care, they will better understand why you set your standards so high. You want your business to be known for its quality work and top notch customer service. That’s what all business owners want. The way to do this is through caring employees who provide the best experience possible for each and every one of your customers. 

If your products and services are quality and you have all the passion in the world, but your business is still struggling, it might be time to take a look at your employees. Are they meeting customer expectations? If not, try these tips out and see if you can improve employee morale, and in turn, improve customer experience. 

For more insights on marketing strategy that actually works for small business, connect with Jay Bean, Founder of FreshLime and Small Business Marketing Expert on LinkedIn and Twitter. If any of these tips have helped you or if you have anything to add, please comment below. We’d love to hear from you!