Issue link: https://read.uberflip.com/i/897697
50 / NOVEMBER.DECEMBER.2017 USICERINKS.COM ASK RINK You have rink questions, RINK has rink answers Send your rink questions to: INFO@USICERINKS.COM I HAVE AN EMPLOYEE WHO IS REALLY, REALLY GOOD AT THE BEHIND- THE-SCENES STUFF, BUT WHEN HE HAS TO INTERACT WITH CUSTOMERS, HE CAUSES ME A LOT OF HEARTBURN. ANY SUGGESTIONS? There are likely a variety of reasons why your employee has a difficult time providing a good customer experience. Start by looking at the situations he gets himself into trouble with. Is he in the position where he needs to get a team off the ice for the next resurface? Has he been trained on how to ask for something to be done, versus just telling someone? "Hey coach, just a reminder that the next group is out in 20 minutes, and you guys should start packing up to be off on time," versus, "Get off the ice, coach. Time's up." Spend some time on coaching this employee. Set acceptable standards for customer interactions. Most breakdowns in customer service typically occur when an employee feels overwhelmed or when a customer is perceived to be challenging their authority. Does your employee understand what his role is in educating customers? WE HAVE BAD ICE. I DON'T KNOW WHERE TO EVEN START WITH IT, BUT EVERYONE COMPLAINS ABOUT IT, AND WE'VE TRIED EVERYTHING. That's not a lot of information to get started on, but we feel your pain. Ice quality can be affected by a vari- ety of reasons, like ice thickness, surface temperature, building conditions, water temperature, water quality and operators. We've referenced a few RINK Magazine resources for you. You can check these out by going to usicerinks.com, click on RINK Magazine, then Issue Archive after you log in. • Ice Thickness: Jan/Feb 2008, March/ April 2009, May/June 2017 • Surface Temperature: March/April 2008 • Building Conditions: Nov/Dec 2016 • Water Temperature and Quality: Jan/ Feb 2011, July/Aug 2014, July/Aug 2009 • Operators: March/April 2017 J Q: A: Q: A: Most breakdowns in customer service typically occur when an employee feels overwhelmed or when a customer is perceived to be challenging their authority. Does your employee understand what his or her role is in educating customers? Check out the RINK Magazine archives on usicerinks.com for more resources to improve ice quality.