Somebody who is keen to learn will not be bothered about the salary. Whether he is interested in learning or not, you can tell at that time only. Just day before yesterday a boy came and asked for 300 Rs daily. He doesn’t know anything and even before he has started work he is asking about salary. When I started working I didn’t get even a single penny, I worked for free.
No, sometimes I check YouTube if I have to make a design for my furniture. Then I see how that design will be made and what machine is used. However, I don't do the designing myself. I select the design and decide how to work with the machines. I provide the machines to the laborers. I teach them through YouTube by sending them videos for them to watch.
Employee Process. For me, employees are very experienced. For example, I have 3-4 employees who have been with me for 15-18 years. In fact, they have been with the company longer than I have. To hire new employees, it is not a complicated process. We don't require a resume. Instead, we inform our employees about specific requirements, such as needing an accountant or someone for sales, and then we find suitable candidates locally. For example, for the position of Accountant, my requirement is basic knowledge of Tally. They don't need to be experts at a professional level. They should have a basic understanding of the terms, and we will help them learn further in 2-4-6 months, depending on our needs.
When we hire staff, we assess their qualifications and needs. For example, there is a person currently working here. Previously, there was a staff member who used to steal because they were in financial need. This individual is facing financial hardships, living in a rented house, and is willing to work for a lower wage and put in extra effort. That's why I hired them. The collection staff member is an orphan and also needs money. I believe in meeting people's needs. Those who already have money are unlikely to work hard for us. That's why I analyze the situation in this way. I benefit from the experience I gained from my previous job at Mahindra, where I worked in the collections department. My role was to recover money from customers who had taken out car loans. I would visit them and handle the customer interactions accordingly. This job taught me the importance of treating everyone based on their capabilities and recovering money. I pass on these principles to my staff, and they work accordingly. If they are unable to recover the money, I personally go out into the field to assist. On Saturdays, I am actively involved in fieldwork in addition to my work at the counter.
I used to travel long distances to buy books. I did this to ensure that no customer would leave unsatisfied. I would write down their requirements and make sure to fulfill them within 2 days. This was our way of keeping our customers happy. It has been years since I last visited Allahabad, but in the first two years, I had to go there for three days. This was done to ensure that no customer would be disappointed and that they would not have to return. Another important aspect is inventory. Having enough goods in stock is crucial. If a customer comes and we don't have what they need, they will leave. Additionally, the behavior of our staff is also vital. If our staff is not friendly and helpful, customers will not return. That's why I provide training to my staff on how to interact with customers. Lastly, there are vendors who visit us. We try our best to accommodate them with the goods we have available, but we cannot provide them with items we don't have in stock.
On Youtube I search for the problems that are experienced in the vehicles on YouTube. Many times we are not able to detect the fault in the vehicle but on YouTube expert mechanics post many videos regarding this, so I watch them. There is one expert of Delhi, I don’t recall his name now, I follow him on YouTube. No. I follow one expert of Kolkata, he is from Hyundai showroom. One expert of Delhi named Ravi Konda, I follow him. He posts many videos regarding the cars. No, he doesn’t show the solution of the problems, he shows how to detect the problem in the cars. I myself see the video and then show it to my staff also. They don’t have android phones so they are not able to watch the videos in their phone. I also show them(the staff) latest news related to current affairs, new news has come up of Nitin Gadkari that diesel vehicles are banned; in Delhi they are snatching vehicles that are 15 years old from people. I show them EV vehicle news.
Actually, I chose him because I have a good relationship with his father. One day, he told me that his son wants to do some work, so he asked if I could give him a job in my shop. I said okay, send him over. So, he sent him and it turns out he knows how to operate a computer and everything. He knows how to do photocopying and all that. However, he doesn't know the price of all the products, so I wrote the price on each of the products. I instructed him to check the price and inform the customer. If the price is not written on any product, he should call me and ask. So, if I'm not available, he calls me and asks. I then check the CCTV footage to identify the product and tell him the price.
That all depends on how the staff will be. It depends on the training that we provide. Some people may not have any experience with a grocery store at all; they may only know different items present at home. Based on that, we employ them. If we have experienced people, then it’s a plus as they will pack very quickly. They will also know the rates beforehand. Otherwise, we give them training.
We find staff by spreading the word, putting up a notice board, so that people can see it and come to inquire about work. So, if we teach them and they are able to understand, that is more than enough. They should know how to read the bills. I will teach them how to pack the items. If it's 0.25 Kg, they have to pack it like this, if it's half a Kg, then like this. So, it's all easy, not that difficult.
I've trained my employees to handle customer communication. After 11 am, I brief them about our stock and product quality. They know how to check the quality and handle customer complaints. They're knowledgeable about product usage and can explain this to customers effectively. They manage the customer interactions in my absence.