What’s better than walking into a room full of people who are happy to see you? At Newby Management, that feeling has permeated our corporate lifestyle. The first of our three steps of service says “Always use a warm and sincere greeting. Use a person’s name if and when possible.”
Warm welcomes can take on different forms, whether it’s welcoming a new member to our team or a potential resident into our communities. When welcoming a new team member, we work to ensure they feel part of our work family. Employees want to feel valued and appreciated. This includes factors like proper training, introduction to key team members and follow-through on future questions. From this a tight-knit team is built.
These team members then go on to become the face of the community in which they work. They are often a potential resident or guest’s first impression. Within the communities, warm welcomes are especially important. Part of our culture is to use warm and sincere greetings, using names when possible. These small acts go a long way in making people feel important and valued.
At the community level, Newby Management encourages community managers to focus on residents when they come into the office. This means stopping work for the moment and focusing on the resident. The resident will feel their concerns are important and heard. They can see and feel when greetings are not warm and sincere. Often times, their mood will be reflected in our own. If you begin with a light and cherry attitude, they are likely to do the same.
These same principles apply when a team member leaves the company as well. If the parting is done under amicable circumstances, we always strive to offer fond farewells to our team members. Whether it’s words of encouragement, taking them to lunch or having a goodbye party, simple acts go a long way.
When residents or guests leave our office, we make sure to offer them a fond farewell! They will remember that you took the time to give them a little extra customer service.
You can probably see a pattern by now. The impression you give someone is lasting, and their feelings about you will live on long past their specific memories. For instance, in 2011 our team went to the Florida Aquarium for our annual Christmas party. As is customary, we personally thanked the kitchen crew and staff. Even though that was several years ago they still remember our company because of that small act.
Using warm welcomes and fond farewells is a part of our corporate culture that bridges the gap between people. It’s one that reminds us the value of all people in all circumstances. It helps us stop in our busy lives to thank and care for the people around us in a personal way, and that makes all the difference in the world.