Motivating your employees in an effort to get their very best performance when it comes to excellent customer service can be tricky and sometimes frustrating.

Often your best efforts don’t seem to even begin to produce the desired results, however with a few adjustments to your business model and performance standards, you could make some serious headway.

You should start first and foremost with a work environment that is as positive as possible. If you have an office or storefront, try to gear the decorating toward creating happy people. Motivational pictures and posters can give employees a mood boost.

Encourage them to put pictures of family or pets on their desks. Make furniture comfortable and inviting, including desk chairs and break-rooms. Tailor lighting and room temperature to your people’s needs.

Music soothes the savage breast and that rings true for a work environment as well. If your employees will be on the phone, it must be set very low, but it still can create a more comfortable workplace.

In the break-room, it could be even better suited, but no matter where you include music, be sure that it won’t be offensive to anyone. Take a vote and let employees be involved in the choice.

Giving them positive reinforcement at all times can be the best start to staff motivation once you have created a good working environment. Make sure that you or whoever you put in charge of your employees makes them feel important and successful by being a good coach and, when necessary, a cheerleader as well.

Talking to staff in a positive way and cheering them on each day is integral to maintaining a positive attitude.

Set goals for your people that are realistic and attainable. Nothing quashes creativity and positivity like the total inability to reach goals set by management because they are too lofty and virtually impossible to reach. Sure, you want to set the bar high, but not too high.

When employees have the ability to reach goals and be rewarded for doing so, they tend to try harder and this extra effort will not only be reflected in their work, but also felt by customers.

A happy staff means even happier customers. People just naturally seem to reflect positivity onto others.

By the same token, negativity can be passed along as well. The old saying “One bad apple can spoil the barrel” can be related to business as well. One disgruntled employee who emanates negativity can in turn hurt the attitude of others.

Consider concentrating additional efforts on changing that one person’s attitude thru positive reinforcement; but if that fails, moving him or her to another position in the company where less contact with others will be attained could be the answer.

It may not be possible to keep your staff motivation level at 100% positive and 100% motivated at all times, but with some serious attention to their needs and by helping them to achieve their goals so that they can be rewarded, you can come mighty close.