December 2009: Business Tips by Tom Mazza

 

Overcoming YOUR Company's Biggest Problem in 15 Minutes a Day

I deal with this problem on an almost daily basis. When asking a staff person at a client's company, "What is the biggest problem in YOUR office?" I get one answer more than half the time. "There is a lack of communication at our company" is what I hear all the time. "We never really know what's going on" they tell me.
 
Here is a simple fix. It costs nothing but time and YOUR company becomes more efficient, the atmosphere or culture of your company changes, and you score points across the board with your team.

 

 

1. Give everyone in your company an e-mail account. If they do NOT have a computer, designate a computer in your office for public use. Set them up with a free e-mail address.
   
   

2. Send a brief e-mail EVERY day on what's happening at your office and beyond. December 15th, Dear Staff, Great meeting today at ABC Corp, they are considering the addition of a daily shuttle service, that would be huge for us. We will keep you posted. 39 rides yesterday, no reported service issues, congrats to all. Happy Birthday to Larry C., we appreciate all that you do for us. We made some great contacts at Referral Guide Live at the Limo Digest Show. Hopefully the contacts will add to our daily ride count. Regards, The Boss.
   
   

3. Use the daily e-mail to update policies and procedures. We are no longer able to greet passengers at baggage claim in Terminal B. We have sent notice to all of our clients on this matter but mention it, if possible, to ANY of our clients being dropped off at B terminal.
   
   

4. If there is a problem that goes beyond 1 person or 1 ride, address it. (See more in next item.)
   
   
   

5. There are great people who work for you that fly below the radar. Solid professionals who are on time and do their job every day in a workman like manner. Use the "Daily Dime" to recognize them. Kudos to Mary C in accounting. We were able to close out and bill our XYZ group on Monday, just 24 hours after the last departure because of Mary's efforts.
   
   

6. When a service glitch occurs at your company, everyone knows about it and everyone talks about it. Why not minimize the impact by addressing it and using it as a teachable moment. "We had an issue last night on an arriving passenger from Pepsi. We took the reservation without an arriving flight number and despite our best efforts, we were NOT there to meet the correct flight and our passenger took a cab. The problem occurred on multiple levels and we want to make sure our system is tighter and this does not happen again...."
   
   

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Say Goodbye to the Angry Memo Today

Here is a true company morale killer; it's the "angry memo". Posted in garages and offices and filled with CAPITAL LETTERS, the company wide memo is a huge downer. I see them all the time and they serve NO PURPOSE other than to aggravate the people the memo does not apply to.
 
If 3 of your chauffeurs have used the front rest room at The Four Seasons Hotel, do not send a memo angrily reminding 40 chauffeurs that your people need to use the designated rest room in the rear. Instead, call the 3 chauffeurs one at a time and EXPLAIN the problem. The angry memo to 40 people serves only to temporarily relieve YOUR stress and to incite 37 innocent people.
 
If a situation is big enough and it applies to a majority of your staff and a mention in the daily e-mail is not enough, write the memo without emotion. Put it in a business like format and LOSE the CAPS and the exclamation points.!!!!!!

 

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"Selling" Your Staff on the Importance of Monitoring Performance

TMC offers a truly incredible program. We place 30 calls in a month, to Limousine Company's and test the performance of their staff. We ask questions on vehicles, get quotes on future rides, and ask questions about everything from your national network to your policy on gratuities. We spread the calls over a variety of days and shifts and we attempt to "test" as many employees as possible in a variety of common situations. We provide extensive reporting after the calls are completed.

 
The results of this program are revealing and enlightening on many levels. You never really "know" your staffs until you do this. We encourage our clients to tell their team members up front and on a continuous basis that they hire an outside company to monitor their performance. I think it is silly to invest hundreds of thousands of dollars in your business and to not spend the time and effort to monitor performance.
 
The basic cost of a one month program is $1800. Dr. Yvonne La Mar of TMC coordinates the program. Her Ph d is in Measurement Psychology so you are getting real talent and value with this program.

 

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Bring Tom Mazza in for Company Wide Training (Or Split the Cost with a Friend)

Training is the easiest and most affordable way for you to improve your company. If you want to CHANGE and IMPROVE your company, you cannot do it with a new website or a new fleet. Even changes in personnel are not effective unless you change the daily dialogue and the mindset.
 
Give Tom the opportunity to train your ENTIRE staff from reservations and dispatch to chauffeurs and back office. Let Tom reinforce the message that you try and send out every day. Great companies commit to training and to constant improvement. I am reading a wonderful book called The Toyota Way by Jeffrey Liker. The heart and soul of the book is "using operational excellence as a strategic weapon". Toyota is fanatical about training their people to attack problems in a certain way. The way they get their team to think the "Toyota Way" is through training. Do you want to develop a passion for service in YOUR team? Let Tom help.
 
If you have a great working relationship with another operator, consider a joint training program. Costs are reduced substantially and BOTH teams have the benefit of being trained with a common message.
 
For more information contact tom@tommazza.com or call 215-973-8201 to schedule, WEEKEND DATES are possible with advanced notice.

Congratulations to TMC Clients: Limo Digest "Operators of the Year"

Congrats to Jason Sharenow, Gary Wecksler, and Brian Wecksler of Broadway Elite Chauffeured Services in East Hanover, NJ on their selection as 2009 Limo Digest, Large Operator of the Year.

Also, Congratulations to Ron and Brandan Stein, Exclusive Sedan and Limousine in Los Angeles on their selection as 2009 Mid-size Operator of the Year. Two outstanding companies, 5 talented people, 2 great teams, TMC salutes our friends for a job well done.
 
31 national operators of the year are working or have worked with TMC. It is a remarkable thing and we take pride in being a small smart of all of your success.

 

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Limo Marketing by www.limousinemedia.com