One of the objections we hear about trying to improve customer service is that much of the workforce is transient – young employees who do not have a commitment to stay. We hear some other harsh assumptions made about this particular workforce; for example, they act as though they are doing the employer a favor by working there, they don’t value customer service as important, and they just don’t have the same work ethic. This drove us to talk to some twenty-somethings who are in our local … [Read more...] about Service Begins at the Top
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Archaeology Drawing Tourists and Jobs
Northern Arizona is sprinkled with thousands of prehistoric archaeo- logical sites. Not only does the rich prehistoric legacy bring visitors to the area, but businesses involved in construction must be sensitive to surface and buried relics. When land development was in its heyday, archaeology consulting firms were busy with surface surveys and excavating. “For the last couple of years, there have not been so many archaeol- ogy surveys or excavation projects that are related to land development. … [Read more...] about Archaeology Drawing Tourists and Jobs
ADOT’s Northern Arizona News
Interstate 17 Drivers may experience delays near Munds Park for the next couple of weeks, as ADOT crews reconstruct bridges and ramps in that area 20 miles south of Flagstaff. The project includes new pavement and enhanced pedestrian access for Munds Park. I-17 will be reduced to one lane in each direction for the next two weeks, except for weekends when work will cease. In addition, ADOT officials are planning a trip to Flagstaff Friday, May 20th. They will meet in Flagstaff City Council … [Read more...] about ADOT’s Northern Arizona News
Best/Worst Jobs List Reflects Employment Trends
According to CareerCast.com and the 2011 Jobs Rated Report, the title of America’s Best Job goes to Software Engineer. This continues to be on trend with previous years where the majority of professions ranked among the best required expertise in the fields of math, science or technology. However, this year’s top pick is the result of two emerging technological industries, web applications and cloud computing (location-independent computing). Since software engineers are involved in the … [Read more...] about Best/Worst Jobs List Reflects Employment Trends
Meeting on Red Rock Pass Changes
Mar.1 Coconino National Forest holding a work session to talk about changes to the Red Rock Pass area at Red Rock High School, 4:00 p.m. Topics will include recreation fees, and management of the region, visited by millions each year. Ninety-five percent of Red Rock Pass revenue is invested locally to benefit residents and visitors. Natural and cultural resource protection and continued public service are highly dependent upon this revenue, given high recreation use within Red … [Read more...] about Meeting on Red Rock Pass Changes
Work–The Gift That Keeps Giving
If you missed Seth Godin’s book, Linchpin (Penguin Books), when it was first released last June, there’s still time to make it part of your January list of resolutions. In fact, as our economy hiccups back to life in the new year, and employers realize it is okay to start hiring again, Godin’s book offers hope that, with the right attitude, you’ll be hopping right on board that gravy train as soon as it whistles its way into Flagstaff. The message is simple enough. In today’s work world, … [Read more...] about Work–The Gift That Keeps Giving
Boldcow – Refurbishing Furniture With a Twist
Maybe you have an old piece of furniture sitting in storage or in the garage. It might be a hand-me- down from a special relative, or something you paid too much for in college so now you can’t part with it. If you don’t like its look anymore, or it’s not functional, but you want to keep it, help is on the way. Boldcow is a Flagstaff furniture refurbishing company run by two local business-women, Leslie Jackson and Maureen Adras. They began collecting furniture for the small business last … [Read more...] about Boldcow – Refurbishing Furniture With a Twist
Market Enduring for Traditional Rugs
The RB Burnham Trading Post exists in two worlds. There’s its home in Sanders on the Navajo reservation. Then there’s the outside world, the one that passes through in a trickle of tourists, the one that five generations of Burnhams have greeted, and more recently, traveled out to meet. The trading post started in Dinnebito, but moved to Sanders in the early 1970s. Later, the reservation expanded around the trading post so today, it is surrounded by reservation land. The day-to-day … [Read more...] about Market Enduring for Traditional Rugs
Businessman Paying Close Attention to Customer Service
Nearly 34 years ago, at the request of his father and with some borrowed tools in hand, Loren Vickers installed his first set of garage doors. “I think it took me two days and I made about 50 bucks for the two days of work,” said Loren. Shortly after that fateful experience, Loren says he realized there was a growing need for garage door installation in Northern Arizona. So in 1976, the locally-born Vickers set up his first shop in a 10-foot by 20-foot rental storage unit. … [Read more...] about Businessman Paying Close Attention to Customer Service
The Truth About Motivation
The BelleWether Group In our last article, we discussed making customer service part of your business plan and strategy. In wrapping up, we touched briefly on rewards and recognition for your staff and customers who display the desired behaviors and attitudes, which is where we would like to continue. Many of our clients have found it difficult to continually motivate their employees. Rewards that they typically provide their employees are often cash bonuses, gift cards, or … [Read more...] about The Truth About Motivation