the value of playing Undercover Boss

[Papa John]

Last week and this week have been really enlightening. My dispatcher took last week off to take her family to Disneyland, leaving me to answer the phones. A task I was Not looking forward to and Thought I would dread.
Anyway I discovered I was better then her at it. I had a higher close rate and we got fully booked for 2 weeks now! The techs are shocked and happy with all the business.
I'm beginning to think she let too many calls go to Voice mail and that might be why we lost business.
She worked from her home so I was basically an absentee boss.-- there will be some changes now-- I now enjoy try to book as many jobs as possible.

When ever I would play Under Cover Boss and Use the techs Vans and equipment I would also discover items that were not working 100%..

I've complacent and just happy with "counting the Money" for too long. Here's to an improved remaining year..

 

[rick imby]

Trust but verify...

 

[Mikey P]

Are you surprised?



Will she bet let go or be told that you'll be shopping her weekly?

 

[Papa John]

Are you surprised?



Will she bet let go or be told that you'll be shopping her weekly?

I'm going to put the Phones to simultaneously ring her phone and my phone. The 1st to answer wins.. If I win too often-- she will lose.. I'm also cutting her days.

 

[Doug Rice]

I'm a one man show and from what I've experienced if they go to voice mail and they are not previous customers they dial someone. My calls go to my cell now.

 

[Desk Jockey]

I'm going to put the Phones to simultaneously ring her phone and my phone. The 1st to answer wins.. If I win too often-- she will lose.. I'm also cutting her days.

Better start shopping, sounds like you have her half way out the door.

 

[Jim Nazarian]

We have all heard "this call may be monitored or recorded for quality assurance purposes" there has got to be a way to set this up if you are providing the phone.

 

[clean image]

get you a voip package

So do you know how many calls are missed, go to VM?

Yea, that would be enough for me to make changes....

 

[Cleanworks]

You want to find out if there is a way to track incoming calls and transfers to voice mail, whether a message is left or not. You with your years of experience should always be able to make more sales per number of calls than she. She might need a little more sales training and also needs to realize the connection between her bookings and her salary.

 

[Papa John]

get you a voip package

So do you know how many calls are missed, go to VM?

Yea, that would be enough for me to make changes....

I have Vonage VOIP. but if the calls go to her phone voicemail then Vonage records it as an answered call.
Missed call are generally Telemarketers auto dialers that hang up when another of the 5 calls they are making answers.

Better start shopping, sounds like you have her half way out the door.

I might give Service Monster's answering service a try if I let her go.

 

[steve_64]

Sounds like you dont watch undercover boss.

 

[D Luke]

It takes an extremely exemplary employee to be successful working from home.

 

[Papa John]

Sounds like you dont watch undercover boss.

I don't understand- please elaborate-- cause I have watched that show. But I am Guilty of trusting my dispatcher for too long.

 

[rick imby]

The employees you trust the most will also steal the most from you because you trust them so much... She has been stealing time---the same as taking money from a cash register.

 

[Lee Stockwell]

The bottleneck is always at the top.

 

[steve_64]

You are blaming her for your lack of superv ision and training before you even speak with her to see what you can do to improve the situation.

Then again you probably have other issues with her we are not aware of that make you feel the way you do.

I suck as a boss though so what do I know.

 

[SamIam]

Actually she's paid to answer phones. Phones get answered jobs get booked.

Phones go to answering machine or voicemail no message left they call the next live person.

Having a system where alive person answer is vital it you can't afford to let work slip through your fingers.

My business line rings my wife answers if she's on the phone and another call comes in it forwards to me.

I have call waiting on my phone so if a third call comes in it's like a three line system.

 

[SamIam]

The only calls we let slip are 1800, 661-012.

 

[steve_64]

The employees you trust the most will also steal the most from you because you trust them so much... She has been stealing time---the same as taking money from a cash register.

I disagree.
You have to trust people. You also have to supervise them.

Not all people are dishonest and theives.

 

[steve_64]

The employees you trust the most will also steal the most from you because you trust them so much... She has been stealing time---the same as taking money from a cash register.

I disagree.
You have to trust people. You also have to supervise them.

Not all people are dishonest and theives.

 

[Cleanworks]

I disagree.
You have to trust people. You also have to supervise them.

Not all people are dishonest and theives.

We heard you the first time.

 

[ruff]

Worth repeating though.

 

[Papa John]

The bottleneck is always at the top.

so true-- I'm guilty as charged... I guess I just got too comfortable because the money was so good.. I'll be more involved now that biz is down 16.44%-- was nearly 30% during rainy season.

 

[rick imby]

I disagree.
You have to trust people. You also have to supervise them.

Not all people are dishonest and theives.

Certainly not all people are dishonest.

What I said is actually from the statistics of theft by employees. It truly is your friends that have worked for you for a long time that can steal the most. Previously I said Trust but Verify. I have been hit hard by people I thought were my friends and I trusted completely.

I have also had several great employees that I have trusted.

Pappa J. It is great that you got a simple wake up call.

 

[Bob Pruitt]

Trust is earned. Regardless of their moral character... sainthood...whatever. I have no way to know any of that until time passes and we have had experiences together that show me your character. Even then I'm not going to hand you my password to the bank account. We who have had employees and business partners have learned and are going to learn lessons in human nature...some good and some not. Trust is earned.

 

[steve_64]

Trust must be given first before it can be lost but blind trust is just that,blind.

 

[Steve Toburen]

Pappa J. It is great that you got a simple wake up call.

Agreed. It is easy to get complacent in this business and ESPECIALLY when employees are not working under your direct control.

When people are not held accountable they quickly become Loose Cannons.

Steve

PS Don't ask me how I sadly learned the above principles.