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Training a Fresh Hire
How to develop a staff education program |
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Written by Bernice Klassen
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Your staff is as important to the success of your business as your arrangements are. Without skilled hands to turn stems into art or a proactive problem-solver to turn a complaint into a compliment – everything else is meaningless. If you’re like many florists we surveyed, you can count the hours you spend on staff training per year on one hand. Our 2010 Canadian Florist National Survey revealed that only 11 per cent of florists spend more than 20 hours per year on staff training. Your challenge around implementing a training program may be that your shop is small and the time and money could be better spent elsewhere. Then there’s the question of where to start?
“You begin with the very basics of floral design,” counsels Pratima Gohill of Ivy Leaf Designs in Toronto. “I make sure everyone first knows how to use a florist’s knife so that the stems are cut correctly so bacteria doesn’t get in.” By focusing on this simple, yet critical, procedural technique, an independent florist is addressing a key aspect of what makes your arrangements better than those from a big-box store – longevity. Every florist knows that customers gush about two aspects of every arrangement. They notice its beauty and they notice how long it lasts. Those are the points of difference that make a trip to your shop worth their while. After proper stem cutting, Gohill highlights the soaking of the floral foam as a cornerstone of her training focus. “I’ll often cut open a block of floral foam that hasn’t been soaked properly to show how dry it is inside,” she shares. “The stem cutting along with a properly soaked foam help to make the flowers last.” During this initiation, you will naturally help the new hire learn to run the POS system, open and close the store, if appropriate, and process orders. The basics are easy to teach to a receptive team member but what about the softer skills? If you have a design esthetic you’re known for – just how do you teach that?
Kristin Ames of Posy in North Vancouver strives to embrace consistency and innovation when she mentors her team on how to replicate her desired design esthetic. “All of our designs are custom,” she points out. “We aren’t associated with a wire service, so we’ve become known for our unique designs.” Ames mentors her staff by developing clear style guidelines that are outlined in a procedural manual given to each staff member. They spend time working with her, understanding not only the designing elements but also finishing touches such as wrapping and choosing containers. Although it’s important to Ames that her style is celebrated in each design she sells, she’s equally supportive of creative expression. “Some of our customers will request that their arrangements be made by certain members of my team,” she shares. “They have their own style and it provides a point of diversity too that has its advantages.”
Although design esthetic and quality are critical to your product success, there’s another factor in the retail experience that’s equally important and challenging to address – customer service.
Flowers tend to accompany life’s turning points and these moments include courtship, marriage, babies and even death. These times are fraught with emotion and it often takes a skilled hand to deal with them appropriately. “If someone is coming in to arrange for a funeral, I always make sure they sit down and that a box of tissues is handy too,” says Gohill. “I let my staff observe me while I meet with some customers and then make sure they know what little touches are important to make the customer comfortable,” she says. At Posy in Vancouver, Ames says, “my staff is mature and many of them have been through similar life experiences themselves. I do, however, make sure that everyone understands that people in an emotional situation may need more time to decide what they want.” Both florists ensure that their teams are attuned to the cultural nuances around the meanings attached to certain symbols. “Sometimes a well-meaning but uninformed customer will want to send red flowers to a Chinese funeral,” says Gohill. “I make sure that my team knows this is not appropriate for this culture,” she says. Red is a colour associated with happiness in China, so it’s best left for other occasions. “I have a great article about ethnic funeral customs that I share with my team,” says Gohill.
A close cousin of the skill set needed to handle emotional issues would be salesmanship. Retailing is about managing the customer experience to ensure it’s a good one for both the customer and your bottom line. The question is: are good salespeople born or made?
It turns out the answer is a little bit of both. Some customers may be uncomfortable or inexperienced when it comes to establishing an appropriate budget for their floral purchase. Most large retailers will train their staff to start in the mid- to high-range if the customer seems open to suggestions. “We will often use the phrase ‘Did you have a budget in mind?’ to assist in identifying how best to address their needs,” says Ames. The team at Posy will show a higher end bloom to customers who still seem open to discussion, using the phrase, “I know it’s a little bit more but I wanted to show it to you as an option.” Ames concedes that sometimes they’ll have to drop right down to some value-based options that are smaller in scale. “We’ve got these potted plants and they’re really popular” is the phrase she suggests her staff use to make the customer feel good about their choice regardless of the price point.
Now that you know what elements are important to a successful training program, you need to decide how to communicate this information to your employees. A written training manual is the best way to go in most cases. Yes, it’s one more thing to add to the “to do” list for you but it will allow new hires to refer back to what’s been written if they forget a point or two. Learning a new job is often confusing and daunting, so a written record of what’s expected helps to alleviate some of that stress. “I do have a training manual that I give all new hires,” says Ames. The manual is 20 pages in length and covers an introduction, general information such as operating hours, payroll, vacation, overtime and holidays followed by the design approach and finally service and selling skills. As new policies or operational revisions come into play, the book is updated.
Staff training is a responsibility you simply can’t ignore in a flower shop. It’s an ongoing process that will help your team transform from floral newbies into knowledgeable employees. Your staff is as much a part of your arrangements as the flowers are and just like your blooms they’ll thrive in the right environment.
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