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Operations
Site Operations
Practice: Exceptional customer communication
Where: The ReBuilding Center, Urban Ore, Building Material Reuse Center
Description: Enhance customer service through:
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Staff education on protocols
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Pricing policies
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Donation acceptance policy
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Clearly identified staff apparel
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Communication with customers
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Negotiation techniques
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Donation
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Price
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Language etiquette
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Maintain a helpful and friendly attitude
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Daily policy education and reinforcement
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Staff meetings
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Discussions
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Policy changes
Suggestion: Develop a comprehensive training program to facilitate integration and consistency. Often incentives can be used to bolster employee customer service efforts.
Pros:
- Unified organizational mission
- Staff commitment and enthusiasm
- Minimal need for disciplinary action
- Less difficulty acquiring employees
- Consistent repeat customers
- Positive word-of-mouth advertising
- Ease of customer interaction
Cons:
- Constant reassessment and modification/improvement of policies
- Time for staff training
Feature: Dedicated and separate donation area
Where: Urban Ore, Habitat for Humanity of Metro Denver, Building Material Resource Center
Description: An area of the facility is set-aside for material donation and is only accessible to employees. This area is used as an intermediate space where product is received (accepted or denied), cleaned and repaired (if needed), then stocked on the sales floor.
Pros:
- All product is priced, repaired and cleaned before it is stocked
- Consistency in pricing and presentation
- Provides a staff workspace where customers cannot interrupt
- Limits customer / staff price negotiations on products not yet priced/prepared
- Facilitates orderly receiving
Cons:
- Difficult for facilities already space-constrained
- Often additional staff is needed to operate the receiving area
Discussion
