Cheap labour can cost you your business!
A little while ago, I heard about a new flamed grilled chicken restaurant, so I decided to give it a try. I called and placed my order and asked my husband to bring it home.
My husband arrived with the food and, while he thought everyone rushed to him because they loved him, really, it was because we were all starving and couldn’t wait to dig in! I opened the package only to realize that a half chicken was missing and the first bite made it clear that our bland chicken was actually spicy.
In a matter of a few seconds, we went from hungry to hangry! I called the store to see what could be done about the mess up. The first thing the girl who answers the phone says to me is: “it wasn’t me who took your order, the girl that took it is gone for the day”.
That’s nice… I really don’t care. That should have been my answer. It wasn’t, but boy, was I thinking it, along with a few other things that don’t bear repeating. As I said, ‘hangry’ had taken over!
Then she asked me what was my order and what I had received. So I repeated the original order for her: One whole lemon and herb chicken and a half order of medium spice chicken.
I told her that what I got was one whole chicken, mildly spiced. She told me that the order was entered incorrectly (no kidding!)
So I said: “Fine, but you need to fix this.”
She goes on to repeat what I wanted as an order but, unsurprisingly, she says it incorrectly. So I repeat my order not once, not twice but five times and she still couldn’t take it down right. Now language was not the problem, in case you’re wondering: she was perfectly fluent in English; her customer service language, on the other hand, was another matter.
As a recruiter, who has interviewed hundreds of candidates, I can tell you that sharper candidates who have attention to detail and amazing customer service skills come at a higher price. It’s supply and demand at it’s best. Finding high quality candidates even for an entry level position is difficult. Not any warm body will do. This is a prime example of how employers won’t pay for quality candidates. They might save $5000 a year on a salary, but it actually ends up costing them their profits.
In the case I described, the restaurant made no money on my order. They had to take back the incorrect order and replace it. It cost them twice the work, along with ingredients and delivery. And I’ll never buy from them again because the customer service on the first order and the corrected order was horrible. I won’t waste my time or money again.
Moral of the story? Invest in the right candidates who may cost more upfront but will reduce your cost of business and increase your profits in the long run.
