John Di Julius has a thing for customer service.
The president of John Robert’s Hair Studio and Spa thinks about it 24/7. He travels the nation speaking to other business owners about how they can instill a culture of customer service in their own companies.
His company has been nationally recognized for its customer service; Di Julius has even written a book about it.
More important, he’s found a way to transform his staff’s top-notch customer service into a well-ingrained commitment to community service that has earned his firm the 2004 S.H.A.R.E. Award as the organization that best exemplifies employee-driven philanthropy.
The S.H.A.R.E. Award is named for Pillar Award co-founder Medical Mutual of Ohio’s employee-based volunteer committee. S.H.A.R.E. stands for Serve, Help, Aid, Reach and Educate, and the employees at John Robert’s demonstrate their ability to do that every day.
A class of 1999 Pillar Award for Community Service winner, John Robert’s mission statement says it best — “To enhance the quality of lives around us.” Says Di Julius, “It’s only eight words, but I know that all 130 of our employees know it and appear to live it daily. It’s about a commitment we made to share our success and, hopefully, we have inspired others to do the same.”
Among the employee-directed activities, every year, each of the salon’s managers pick a charity for which he or she would like to organize an event. Staff members then choose which team they would like to be on.
John Robert’s most prominent charity is Rainbow Babies and Children’s Hospital. Once a month, several of the salon’s employees go to the hospital to play with the kids, provide hand and arm massages, paint their nails and, says Di Julius, just spend quality time with them.
Di Julius says when people accept jobs with the company, they understand that community service is nonnegotiable. It’s expected, and a key part of the decision-making process for hiring.
To recognize employees who go above and beyond, each month John Robert’s features “above and beyond” stories in its employee newsletter. The executives also tell stories about those employees during morning “huddles” before the work day begins.
How to reach: John Robert’s Hair Studio and Spa, (216) 839-1430
