Supervisors
Core Responsibilities
The core responsibilities of a supervisor include operations management, customer service and hands-on dog handler training.
Operations Management
Running daily operations requires supervisors to manage and complete all tasks required to get everything done that needs to be done operationally, in a very high-paced environment. It also includes managing the front desk phones and emails and guiding employees as to what their responsibilities or stations for the day are.
Customer Service
While supervisors are expected to get regular tasks completed within an allotted time, they are also responsible for the unpredictability of customer interactions and dog issues including the front desk during busy rush periods, signing up new customers for services, checking out customers and selling services. Supervisors are a representative of the business and therefore must make engaging and communicating effectively with customers their number one priority. This includes conversational skills, communicating business knowledge, and handling some crisis management.
Staff Training
Supervisors are responsible for the hands-on training of handlers as well. While supervisors typically are customer-facing, they also spend some of their time in the senior handler role. Being superior handlers in that regard, supervisors are best equipped to train new handlers, which is an important part of their position.
Supervisors are a key part of the team and are responsible for keeping up an upbeat and friendly culture by regularly engaging in encouraging, praising and thanking other members of the team both during times of both stress and calm. Supervisors are responsible for contributing to the positive culture of the business and should leave the tough conversations to managers, who are better trained and equipped to deal with complicated and crucial customer and employee issues.
It’s important to note what supervisors are not responsible for. They are not staff managers. Supervisors are not responsible for the hiring, firing or discipline of handlers that they work with. However, supervisors are first and foremost responsible for making sure operations run smoothly, and that may mean casually guiding handlers who need to change what they are doing. While supervisors have the authority to move, place, and send home handlers as needed to make sure the shift is operating effectively, they are not expected to discipline, but should a handler disrupt operations, supervisors are permitted to remove the problem person for the particular shift as needed and report the issue to a manager.
Events
Supervisors are responsible for attending several fun events around the city in order to spread the word about the business. These events require supervisors to go out and talk to potential customers and are fun! Several of these events are in fun places and part of fun events including at baseball games, festivals and parades.
Specialties
Supervisors are the center of our hierarchical structure and are in a state of personal and professional growth. Because supervisors are still developing their skills, we encourage them to find different ways to learn and advance by specializing so that they can continuously progress and condition their minds for positions with greater levels of responsibility. There are many ways to specialize.
Some example specialty paths are as follows: Wellness Supervisor, Groomer, Obedience Trainer, Maintenance Supervisor, and Overnight Supervisor. Some of these roles are learned internally, while others are awarded due to existing skills, or skills earned externally during employment. Supervisors can continue to pursue their specialties or train in management roles.
Managers
There are several intermediate management positions who often emerge from amongst our most accomplished supervisors, of any specialty, who have the aptitude for management and an undeniable commitment to the advancement of this company. These managers report to the General Manager of their location.
Responsibilities of All Managers
Operations Management
All managers must be proactive and reactive, dealing with wellness issues and emergency situations when they arise during daily operations. Each manager remains aware an engaged in the business by working a minimum of one scheduled operations shift per week. This is so that all managers are not disconnected to the team.
Customer Management
All managers must be excellent at building relationships with and solving the issues of our customers. This includes dealing with the hard conversations such as incidents & illnesses including proper handling, reporting, and follow-up. Managers are the go-to people in dealing with any immediate customer service issues or needs.
Staff Management
All managers take part in employee discipline and assessments, senior handler and supervisor training, and listening to any employee issues when they arise, including neutralizing employee to employee disputes.
Facility Management
When there are staff members who do not show up, or the business needs are unexpected, all managers are to be flexible and take personal responsibility for being there in the event that a business need must be filled. Managers must take steps to make sure the business has fall back plans and when those plans fall through, they must pick up the slack. The business’s 24-hour service means it’s vital that managers take seriously their role in making sure the business’s needs are always filled.
Event Management
Managers are responsible for attending several fun events around the city in order to spread the word about the business. These events require supervisors to go out and talk to potential customers and are fun!
Business Knowledge
All managers will be introduced to multiple business topics which will be part of their training, with example scenarios as they might be applied to this business.
Management Focus Areas
All managers learn to manage the three key pillars of management [operations (dogs), customers, and staff] but like supervisors, managers take on specialties as well, focusing the majority of their time on one of the three.
Customer Relations Manager
Customer-Focused Management
In addition to basic management responsibilities, the Customer Relations Manager is responsible for delighting and guiding customers through their sign up process. They act as our customer’s guide in navigating the process of becoming a customer, enthusiastically explains our services and offerings, and addresses any customer issues or concerns. It is their job to educate and make sure the customers’ needs are filled above and beyond their expectations during their evaluation process and beyond. A Customer Relations manager spends the majority of his/her time reaching out to, talking to, and managing the paperwork of our customers.
Operations Manager
Operations Focused Management
In addition to basic management responsibilities, an Operations Manager must see past the day to day. They are to make sure daily operations are being implemented properly across the board, assuring that all systems are working properly and that no corners are being cut. Operations managers are responsible for managing customer billing especially of memberships as well as for managing any and all corporate discounts.
General Manager
Staff Focused Management
General Managers, while they have the same general pillars of responsibility of other managers, they are focused mainly on the development and happiness of the staff. The general manager is focused on making sure employees have everything they need as well as for hiring, firing, employee development, promoting, accommodating employee schedules, and dealing with employee issues.
Fully developed general managers represent a great accomplishment and their independent leadership and high level of dependability earns them performance bonuses that are based on profit and several other performance measures. They are the highest position at a location. General Managers are responsible for developing an on call system of supervisors and handlers or are otherwise responsible for picking up the slack where necessary to make completely certain that operations needs are completely fulfilled.
General Managers are in charge of the well-being of the location they manage, including managing all other staff’s deliverables, making sure everyone has what they need, making sure the operations run smoothly, and assuring the best possible experience for customers. General Managers are fully responsible for the success of the business they manage.
