The secret of a business’s success is its people:

• The people who buy its products or services, be it individual customers or individuals making buying decisions for businesses
• The people who produce those products or services, whose talent, skills and productivity makes the business successful over time

Importantly, treating people with respect, kindness and as they want to be treated is free and costs just as much as being disrespectful and alienating the goodwill of customers and workers. This is why SolveQuests puts people at the centre of its training and advice.

People talk

Let their talk be praise and recommendations of your business, not complaints

Social media and instant messaging have made complaining a lot easier: negative reputation travels fast and wide. Often people complain to colleagues or peers in the same sector or people who may also be using that same business. When someone that we trust gives us a negative review of a business, we are less likely to trust that business and buy elsewhere. The power of ‘word of mouth’ reviews can make or break a business.

If people decide to stop buying from a business, that business's profitability will suffer and the business may even fail. If people are happy with the products or services that a business sells and with its customer service, they are likely to decide to continue to buy from this business and may even reccommend the business to other people, who may then decide to buy from it.

When workers feel under-valued, un-appreciated and not listened to, they are likely to feel resentful to those who make them feel that way. They may look elsewhere for employment and may communicate their dissatisfaction to their peers in the same industry, which would create a negative reputation for this business and deter competent, hard working, honest workers from working there. Dissatisfaction and resentment is likely to affect their productivity and it may also transpire in the workers’ interactions with customers. If those who are the face of your business do not trust your business, why should customers and potential customers?

SolveQuest puts people at the centre of its advice and training because people – customers and workers – are the key to a business’s success. When your customers and your workers are happy, your business will thrive.

To help achieve excellent customer care and a healthy and productive work environment, we help businesses implement the following into their practices and processes:

• Listening to people with openness and without pre-judgement or preconceptions  
• Honesty and integrity
• Mutual respect
• Transparency
• Open communication
• Fairness
• Appreciating people for who they are and for their skills beyond those that are work-related
• Empathy and compassion
• Treating people as they want to be treated, respecting their wishes, individuality and differences
• Supporting others and facilitating others in achieving what they want to achieve