A Cautionary Tale of Business Expansion with Customer Service Depletion: When Can Hiring People on Your Team Can HURT You?

As you grow your business, you need to ensure that everything you do is scalable. What does that mean?

I know of a business owner who is known for providing a HUGE amount of value at an extremely affordable investment. She truly is a true go-giver.but some things are happening in her business that are causing her to be much less effective than she needs to be.

too Many Things Undone

There are at least a half dozen major projects on which she is working. None of them is getting completed in a timely manner. Why?

Broken focus

You can’t shoot an arrow at 6 targets. Oh sure, you can divide your time, but this must be done using a system. When other people are involved, it gets increasingly complicated, as you’ll see in the story below:

Poor communication with assistants

Being someone who is involved in one of this person’s projects, I have certain tasks that I committed to do by a certain time. Unfortunately a communication glitch is making me really frustrated AND unable to deliver what I had committed on time because I still do not have all the pieces from her that I need..

I was told that the assistant would send me a zip folder with all the files I needed to touch/rework by a certain date. the day after the due date, I wrote the assistant and asked where this file was. “What zip file? I was supposed to send you what?” was essentially the answer. She had not been told to send me these files.

I did what I could with the material provided and created a Google Doc that includes progress updates and a list of questions that would take minutes to answer.

Now, a full week later, I still do not have all the materials I need to do my part. I still do not have answers to questions posed 7 days ago, and I am going to have to turn the materials back in a way that I consider far less than ideal. Most of the questions I have require no thought or research, like, “What URL needed to be included in the footer?” and “How do you want the copyright notice for the footer to read?” Once I know these answers, it only would take me minutes to implement them.

Thing is, the longer this goes on, the more files I work with, the more I then have to go back and retro-fit. If I could simply have received the answer a week ago, then every subsequent file would have only required me to touch it once.

Another Poor Communication Issue:

She was to hold a class. I was to attend. The class was postponed or canceled or whatever, but I did not receive notice. Some others who were to attend were likewise out of the loop..

I was just on a call with her recently and heard nothing. I passed up 2 different meet-ups because I had committed to take this class.

Imagine my frustration as I sent IMs and emails to various people who might be involved and then finally someone is able to tell me the class was postponed.

Not good at all. I understand things coming up, but I do NOT understand failure to communicate. This person is flushing her hard-won loyalty down the toilet with such behavior.

And it doesn’t stop there…

Yet Another Poor Communication Issue: New Uncommunicative Team Member

Yes, you should be seeing a pattern here.

At this business owner’s request, I wrote to her new team member. It was a simple 1–line email. Three days later, I have not received so much as an “I got it and will get back with you” message. Not a word. Nothing. Someone else just this morning told me she had the same issue. This new assistant also evidently had canceled a $799 class and not given a refund to at least the one intended participant with whom I spoke..

I See the Signs – This Person is Tanking Her business

A good reputation is gained with great time and toil, and easily ruined. I truly respect and care for this individual, and I have no wish to see her throw away all of her great work by making decisions that are hurting her business. Perhaps part of the problem is a staffing issue. Bringing in team members always adds a degree of complication. Sometimes they fall down on the job, but sometimes the owner doesn’t give appropriate instructions.

Nobody’s perfect, but see the signs and be warned. Is your business headed for trouble?

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Ronda Del Boccio is a transformational speaker, mentor and author known globally as The Story Lady because she teaches authors, entrepreneurs and business owners to easily connect with your ideal customers and contacts through the power of your story.

She is the author of numerous stories, poems, and articles, as well as her books I’ll Push You Steer, and other upcoming books.

Discover how to explode profits, prospects and prime media opoprtuntiies with her latest book is the Instant Credibility system, which teaches any business owner, entrepreneur, coach, speaker or writer to craft a lead-generating book that grows your business.