Which Fork First?

Attending the NAA Education Conference in New Orleans doesn't just mean great food and an exciting city. It means Southern Hospitality. Who doesn't mind hearing "Yes, Ma'am" or "Yes, Sir" to every request they make?

Remember when you were a kid and your family would visit someone? Your Mother would run through the list of rules with you before you got out of the car: "Be polite. Don't touch anything. Mind your manners. Speak only when spoken to." Your Mom knew that having good manners never hurt anyone.

Today's employees could use a little advice from Mom. Etiquette is in these days. Companies that specialize in business etiquette are seeing tremendous increases--up to 30 percent in some cases--in their businesses over the last two years.

In a recent survey of business professionals across the U.S., 80 percent said they believed rudeness was increasing. What behaviors do these professionals value most when receiving service? Sixty-two percent said a friendly, quick greeting, while 38 percent valued a appreciation of not only the customer, but of co-workers and employees. Workers displaying honesty, integrity and sincerity also received high marks.

The nationwide labor shortage has forced many companies to hire less qualified applicants than in the past, such as individuals without any prior customer service experience. While property owners know it's in their best interest to have their residents and prospective residents served by someone who's happy rather than hostile, sometimes the customer service training falls by the wayside in favor of other necessary training, such as Fair Housing or others.

Where can you get etiquette training today? There are a host of etiquette trainers available to help you and your resident services team learn everything, from whether you should email holiday cards to coworkers and friends to dealing with a noisy coworker.

A great site for business etiquette pointers is www.etiquetteintl.com. Here are some hints from the site:

* Greetings. To properly shake hands, make sure your thumb is up and do not wrap your fingers around the other individual's hand until the web between the first finger and thumb meet.

* Name tags should always be worn on the right side of your clothing.

* Proper Telephone Habits. Never ask, "Who's calling?" If you must call screen, the proper question is, "May I tell them who's calling please?" When placing a call to someone, begin by introducing yourself first.

* Electronic Communication. If you address your superior by their surname in person, continue that habit in your email correspondence.

* Avoid the use of emoticons, also knowns as "smileys", in business communication as they are considered unprofessional.

* Thank You Correspondence. Avoid trite phrases, such as "Thank you for coming out to view our apartment homes," or "It was a pleasure meeting you the other day." Instead, focus on sincere comments that tie directly to the meeting/event that took place. Beginning a thank you note to a prospective resident with a personalized sentence, such as "I had a great time showing you and your family our community yesterday--it was really fun!" is far more sincere than any of the canned phrases prospective residents have grown so accustomed to hearing.

For some more etiquette tips covering your professional and personal life, go to, www.goodhousekeeping.com.

If you're seeking training on business manners, contact www.psow.com, the Protocol School of Washington, D.C.

Ms. Trosien is an author, educator and consultant with more than 20 years of industry experience, as well as being an expert on targeted uses of the Internet for all facets of the multifamily housing industry. She will be presenting a seminar on marketing and training at the NAA Education Conference and has served on the NAA Communications Advisory Board.