There are few things more demoralizing to a front-line employee than taking the brunt of customer frustrations while having no power to address them. No employee wants to shrug his shoulders at a complaint, and no customer will tolerate it. After all, what’s the point of placing a living, breathing…

Order-Takers vs Salespeople Are you an order-taker or a salesperson? Order-takers do exactly as the label implies: they simply ring up items that the customer asks for with no additional effort to connect with that person. Salespeople, on the other hand, put in that effort to understand what customers need…

Being an effective manager is a lot like juggling multiple spinning plates: you have to lead by example, coordinate your subordinates’ schedules effectively, handle customer service emergencies, engage with ownership, or any of another dozen duties you’re likely imagining right now. But management is more than a fun parlor trick:…