There are many ways a rental business owner can make their business more profitable, and one of them is through increasing employee efficiency.
Some companies that have enjoyed solid growth in their gross income numbers throughout this year might have already noticed that their net numbers are lagging far behind. Often inefficient employee practices are the culprit, as unnecessary expenses can devour much of the additional revenue you have worked so hard to earn.
In order to have any chance of capturing more efficiency from your team, those who are in a management capacity must have a clear vision of what having a corporate culture of greater employee efficiency looks like. Basic goal-setting and delegation training for managers and other supervisors are likely to help get managers heading in the correct direction. Setting clearly defined company and individual team member goals certainly helps leaders to accomplish much more than they could have ever imagined.
Some managers simply don’t have that key element to success which is a sense of urgency. That doesn’t mean they can’t learn it, it just means they haven’t learned it yet. But one can imagine that if the role models don’t have this, then it’s difficult to expect that your other team members have it.
I saw a report recently about a recent Gallup survey that showed only three out of every 10 U.S. workers are “engaged” at their work. In other words, only 30 percent are psychologically committed to their jobs and likely to be making contributions to their organizations. Even if your employees have a higher rate of commitment than the above U.S. average, it’s wise to place plenty of emphasis on building the structure within your rental business that will promote employee efficiency, quality, and promote greater rental company profitability. The emphasis on these vital areas will make the time they’re spending at your company filled with greater job satisfaction.
I believe the employees you want to stay at your company are the ones that don’t want to ever become bored. Employees can become efficiency dynamos when they have the proper work atmosphere, managers have been well-trained in proper goal setting and delegating, and the company has instituted a system where the employee’s performance is able to be tracked and rewarded.
Clear, concise communication coaching is particularly important. It’s wise to train your employees to give customers, fellow employees and management the appropriate amount and kind of communication needed. Some employees tend to talk and talk - and some are far too brief. Here are a couple of communication examples: 1) It’s important that adequate time be devoted to safety subjects. You want your customers and your employees to always be super safety conscious and prepared; 2) all employees should be taught to say “copy that” (if, of course, the receiver of the message heard and understood the message and will follow through with the information) after they receive information via a walkie-talkie or other communication device. It doesn’t make sense for the sender of the communication to wonder if the receiver actually heard or understood the message. It cuts down on the possibility of time-robbing misunderstanding and sounds professional.
The need for improved time management skills in the equipment rental industry is immense. Certainly, every employee needs to be trained to make the most effective use of their time. Better training programs definitely help with employee retention, as employees who feel confident and strong in their duties and are continuously learning new skills tend to stay longer.
In conclusion, it’s important to get employees trained to accept the importance of becoming more efficient. With some solid preparation and coaching, employees can make an important contribution to developing a corporate culture of urgency and efficiency. It certainly can have a very nice return on the investment.
