Your business is only as good as its’ “final five yards”. What I am referring to are your employees and managers who interface with their customers on a regular basis. These folks are commonly 
referred to as the “final five
yards” because they are the last “touchpoint”, (as guru Hank Brigman refers to it) customers hear or see before they leave your business or hang up the telephone.
These same customers are always receiving impressions about your business and your business is only as good as their last impression they get. As I tell my clients, your people are making a first impression every time that customer comes back.
What is critical to successful touchpoints is having the right employee in place to deliver top notch service. With that said, having the right selection and hiring process in place is absolutely part of this formula for successful service.
Here is an article of mine where I discuss how to hire the right employees.
http://www.corpmagazine.com/human-resources/how-to-hire-the-best-people-for-your-small-business/
It has been said that hiring the right kind of people is essential to small business success and is only the first step. The second step must be giving your employees the right training and development. Having a plan in place to guide your employees and managers in their development is something many business owners do not think about. Don’t be one of those business owners.
In summary, the best way for any small business to be successful is to manage your touchpoints by doing two things.
1. Hire the best people
2. Train them very, very well.
What are your thoughts on this subject? I welcome your comments or ideas. You can email me at tom@tomborg.com or call our office at 734-404-5909.
