Find the right people: look for candidates that share the same values for service, and make sure they’re committed to staying on. Be specific and transparent about the skillsets you require and what the role entails – including scheduling requirements.
Get creative with recruitment: post jobs online and on social media channels. Recruit within your local community (schools, community centers) and offer incentives to employees who bring you qualified candidates.
Leverage technology: lighten the administrative load by outsourcing time-consuming tasks to apps, like online reservation services or automated inventory system.
Offer perks and flexibility: offer competitive salaries and benefits packages, or training and development opportunities, company parties or team-building workshops to boost morale. Find ways to offer flexibility to your workers by allowing last-minute shift changes and embracing payroll systems that compensate employees the next day, or at the end of each week.
Train your staff: short staffed shouldn’t mean short on service. Make sure to train your staff to be attentive and sensitive to customer needs, as you only have one chance to make a good impression. If a problem arises, be quick to offer a solution – both in the form of a freebie and a sincere apology for the inconvenience. Be open to feedback and if a customer complaint arises, be sure to respond with a token of apology as quickly as possible.