Web Extras – Skill Sharpener

Strategies for improving cooperation with other departments — Job shadowing is a powerful tool for breaking down barriers and developing positive relationships between individuals and departments. To learn more about job shadowing, see Manchester Metropolitan University’s excellent Job Shadowing Guidelines.

Tips for error-free email — “Write once, read twice” is classic and very good advice for error-free email. Click here for a handy email review checklist.

Do you have a mission, vision, or value statement that guides your work? — A team of frontline reps at the City of Berkeley 311 Customer Service Center worked together to create to create statements that reflect the teams vision and values.

A focus on feedback improves service — The brief video below from Bain & Company explains how the Net Promoter Score was developed and how it’s used.

Identify personality types to deliver better service — Read this useful document from the Carlson Learning Company which provides insights on how managers and employees with different personality styles can work better together.

Take a physical approach to intense encounters — Share this yoga handout with your team. The exercises were excerpted from the publication, Yoga at Your Desk.

Banish negativity at work — Replace negative mottos and cartoons on office walls with our motivational mini-posters.

Creating a positive work environment — Read about successful recognition programs, which include daily recognition, informal recognition, and formal recognition all focused on the goals for the team.

Meeting customer expectations — Read an interview with Author Michael Levine who suggests that organizations can often meet customer expectations by fixing small things.