By Maggie Bayless

You’ve documented your vision of great service. You’ve put a variety of new training resources in place, and even improved some existing ones. Now, how do you know if as a result of your efforts, your staff is providing better service? Good question, and it happens to be related to Question No. 3 of Zingerman’s 4 Training Plan Questions:

1. What is expected of the trainee — and by when?
2. How will the information be made available?
3. How will we know the expectations are/are not being met?
4. What are the rewards/consequences for meeting/not meeting the expectations?

These questions provide a simple way to ensure your training is designed properly so that you get the results you want. In previous months, we’ve focused on what is expected of the trainee and how that information should be made available. But, it is often more difficult than it sounds to be very clear and precise about what you expect from your staff. If expectations are set but never measured, they lose their importance. Staff members need to know if they are measuring up to the expectations you have set. This leads us to Zingerman’s Training Plan Question No. 3: How will we know the expectations are/are not being met?

Measuring expectations can be done using either formal or informal methods. We use a combination of both.

Formal measurements, often called tests, can strike terror into many people’s hearts. But tests don’t have to be a big deal, and they don’t have to consume a lot of time. They can be administered in the form of either written or performance tests.

Written tests are a good way to find out if people understand and can communicate the information you’ve asked them to learn. In order to successfully complete their orientation, our staff must pass Zingerman’s Basic Customer Service Test. This is a short (one-page) written test to determine if they can explain our approach to customer service, can handle complaints, and so on.

In general, performance tests measure actual skills — essentially how well people can do something. We incorporate performance tests into our customer service classes in which staff members have the opportunity to demonstrate their ability to effectively handle customer interactions in various role-play situations. In this instance, the “test” is both a measurement and a teaching tool because the role plays can be repeated until the trainer and staff members are comfortable with the level of performance.

The most important “test” of customer service skills is, of course, how a staff member performs in real-life situations. To measure this “real-time” performance, there is no substitute for frequent observation and regular feedback from supervisors, managers, and coworkers. Although less formal than a written test or a structured role play, this day-to-day feedback is likely to carry the most weight with the staff member and is the best indicator of whether your training has been effective.

Tips for Tests
As you develop formal and informal measurements to see whether your expectations are being met, here are a few things to remember:

Give your staff all the information they’ll need to be successful, including what they’ll be tested on, how and when the tests will be conducted, and what they must do to pass them. There’s no reason to keep this information secret. After all, you want them to pass the tests because it means they will have the information and skills necessary to do their jobs well. We give out advance copies of all written tests with the answers filled in as study tools.

Match the type of test to what you want to measure:

Written:
Product abbreviations for sandwich order-taking.
Product knowledge such as “What three Spanish olive oils do we carry?”
How to complete a catering invoice.

Performance:
Taking a phone order correctly.
Building an effective display.
Ringing register transactions accurately.

On-Shift Observation:
Greeting customers courteously.
Maintaining sanitation standards behind the line.
Sharing the burden of incoming phone calls.

Make sure you’re measuring the right skills, because the skills you measure are the skills your employees will utilize. Don’t just measure whether the employee makes a coffee drink fast enough. Rather, measure if they are making it fast enough and maintaining quality, presentation, and safety standards. Are they not only slicing a side of salmon perfectly, but slicing it perfectly within a reasonable length of time?

Define your standards. What is “fast enough”? Be specific: Five espresso drinks a minute? One small deli tray in 10 minutes? One side of salmon in 10 minutes? What is the presentation or quality standard for each menu item? Photos are an excellent way to illustrate how something is supposed to look. Tasting is the only way to know how it tastes.

When designing role-play scenarios, consider real-life situations. You want to test your staff’s ability to handle the situations they will encounter most often. Although it may be tempting to combine a variety of issues into one role play, you’re better off preparing your staff to handle the 80 percent of transactions that are “normal,” instead of the 20 percent that are exceptional.

When giving feedback, remember that positive reinforcement is more powerful than constructive criticism. Don’t assume your silence will be interpreted as approval. Look for the people who are doing things right, and tell them you appreciate their efforts and why. You’ll get better overall results by encouraging your strong performers than by harping on the laggards.

Measurement is critical for effective training but too often is ignored or viewed only as a means of weeding out poor performers. The fact is, measurement gives your high-performing crew members the opportunity to demonstrate that they are meeting or exceeding your expectations. Plus, it gives your weaker performers a clear definition of the expectations that they can strive to meet. And when your customer service expectations are being met or exceeded, you’ll know that your customer service training efforts have been successful!