Giving praise to Austin business heroes

Published 10:54 am Monday, August 8, 2011

I sing a psalm of praise to the unsung heroes and heroines of Austin retail businesses. I don’t mean owners and managers (they have their rewards). I praise those individuals in lesser positions whose persons and performances contribute to business success disproportionate to their positions, e.g., secretaries, receptionists, other up-front employees. To borrow a term, these are the first-responders of retail business, the people we meet first.

I think of at least two businesses in small offices with a secretary/receptionist who support technical work done by their bosses. One is a financial services business and the other a medical provider. What these women are able to do is narrowly limited because of the technical nature of the business. But what they do, they do exceptionally well.

In the situations in mind at the moment, the up-front persons happen to be women. Yet, men also serve in such positions. I tend to think women generally do better, but I have no objective basis for this feeling. Perhaps it’s just that a greater number of women are hired as secretaries, reception people, and the like.

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In these two, I can count on these people being unfailingly polite and pleasant. When I arrive I anticipate an enjoyable contact and always leave cheered by it. Their attempts to help are convincing, not formulaic or show. Through the years I think I have developed a sense of when the person is pretending cordiality and when it is honest and natural. These friends are as helpful as is within their ability to help.

If something is left to be desired in their bosses’ work, these employees don’t try to cover for them or react resentfully. They listen respectfully to my complaint and explain sympathetically when they have an explanation. Sometimes I misunderstand or expect too much, and they help me understand. A consummate skill is to affirm the client’s complaint and the bosses’ performance at the same time. And to do it honestly.

I have the impression they then present my disappointments to the boss, and in doing so serve him well also. These people can sense the customers’ or clients’ perspective with an objectivity not likely in the boss. In fact, sometimes they act very much like advocates.

I have told the boss my admiration and appreciation. I count on them to feed-back to the employees I praised. I also hope they factor this into the determination of appropriate pay. It would be hard to pay people too much.

If a supervisor does not give such positive feed-back to the employ and treat him or her with gratitude, the boss doesn’t deserve the employee. In fact, the employee will eventually leave for a boss who will.

Such up-front, first-contact employees bear the brunt of customer or client dissatisfaction. What is complained about is seldom their fault, but they are the only or most convenient recipients for complaints. They absorb these and buffer for those whose fault it is. So to field complaints at nine in the morning is one thing, but they somehow manage to keep their cool even by five in the afternoon.

I have seen customers or clients treat such employees poorly and actually abuse them. As that abusive customer leaves, I can see the frustration in the employee’s facial expression, but I hear no complaint. If I am reasonably well known in this place, I may hear a sigh. What a relief, then, when the employee turns to me as if what I had just witnessed happened at another time or in another place. They have had the ability to separate experiences and treat me in my own right.

When I am visibly upset or when a strong statement is necessary, I try to keep this fact in mind when forming my expression. I have often said, “I am angry. But I want you to know I am not angry with you. Thank you for being willing to accept my complaint and pass it on to the responsible person.” We owe this to them.

I praise these low-level employees. However, no retail business can hire a succession of such successful employees by accident. I must attribute this to careful selection, good training, and supervision. So, here I am back praising the bosses after all.

If you have been paying attention in your local retail shopping, you have had, if not the same then, similar experiences. Thank the employees and thank their bosses for having employed them.