If Your Employees Matter, Let Them Know

I while back I read a post in TLNT by Patty Azzarello that I believe is worth repeating.  My guess is that this type of scenario repeats itself daily throughout the business world.  The story goes like this: 

One time the CEO of the bank asked a young trainee, “So, how do you like your job?” The man replied somewhat discouraged, “I have a really stupid job. All I do is replace the pens and the make sure these containers that hold the deposit slips are never empty”.

The CEO then said, “Not only is your job not stupid, you have the most important job in the whole bank! Our bank can’t exist if customers don’t deposit money, and customers won’t deposit money if they don’t have confidence in our bank. It’s your job to make sure that our customers’ very first experience when they walk through our door is a good one.”

“What could be more important than that?” “How do you think our customers would feel if the pens didn’t write or they needed to go through the time and hassle to ask someone to get them a deposit slip? Would they feel welcome and confident in us?”

The obvious lesson here is to let your employees know they are important to you. Everyone

is hired to perform a function, and when those duties are performed well recognizing them for that performance starts the pattern for how those employees grow in their job and in their importance to the company.

The best time to begin the process of employee reward and recognition is right from the beginning.  Studies have shown that the first few months of employment are critical to their retention.  So let them know that their job matters and why it matters. 

For more information on Ultimate Choice Inc.’s products or services or other white papers please contact us at Ultimatechoiceinfo@cox.net

The Forgotten Employee

Billions of advertising dollars are spent annually by companies telling you to use their products or services and then often rely on their lowest paid employee segment to carry out that customer service promise.  Customer facing employees are often the lowest paid employees in that organization.  Does that make sense?

When engaging with a company we react first to the employee we are dealing with, whether in person or on the phone.  To us that person is your company, and we will consider how we are treated as a reflection on your company, for good or bad.

For many reasons, primarily competitiveness, most companies can’t afford to pay higher wages to these entry level employees.  Companies seem to have ignored the importance of these positions in determining employee value.  When establishing pay scales they consider education, experience and competitive survey data.  It would seem that the fact that these employees also have the power of gaining or losing customers is lost on management. 

Some would argue that these employees have a greater impact on customer good will and retention than managers. Interestingly, studies have shown that having a pleasant experience when dealing with a company often outweighs price considerations and marketing glitz. 

This is not a forum to debate the pros and cons of the minimum wage.  It doesn’t mean that

you should pay more to these employees than the marketplace suggests, but it is in your best interest ensure that they're fairly treated. 

As a provider of employee recognition systems, we can attest that well placed, consistent and continuous employee recognition can positively affect the customer service levels of these employees.

Use non-cash awards to build on the attitudes and confidence of these employees. Attitude is just as critical in these positions as education and experience. The awards can be diminimous in nature but will be profound in long term appreciation. 

Use them to build on the upward opportunities for higher performing employees, connecting the recognized performance to future promotion.

And, make sure you listen to them and rewarding them for their suggestions for improvements in your operation, even new products and services. 

Remember that each contact between your employees and customers reinforces your financial and long term impact in the marketplace. 

 For more information on Ultimate Choice Inc.’s products or services or other white papers please contact us at Ultimatechoiceinfo@cox.net

Satisfied Employees and Great Customer Experience?

Many companies have come to realize that it’s the employees who make the difference.  All the money spent on research, design, innovation, marketing loyalty etc can go right down the drain when the experience at the point of sale is less than desired.  We all like to trade at places where we feel important, and valued for our business, and our inter action with the employee, whether in person, on the phone, or digitally, can make or break that relationship. 

Numerous studies over the years show a strong positive relationship between employee satisfaction and customer satisfaction. Satisfied employees help produce satisfied customers… conversely, low employee satisfaction and overall low employee morale can negatively affect company operations greatly, causing dissatisfied customers and hurt profitability.

An extraordinary employee experience is the basis for a successful customer experience.  Consider it this way. Your employees are your brand.  If you have a brand promise, it’s your employees who are responsible for fulfilling that promise.  Think of the billions spent in implementing a world-class customer

service effort.  Then compare that to the budgets invested in recognizing and reward your employees who make that world-class customer service effort a success.  Is it really a fair comparison?  Your employees will deliver a customer experience that matches their own experience in your organization. 

For more information on Ultimate Choice Inc.’s products or services or other white papers please contact us at Ultimatechoiceinfo@cox.net

Recognition Programs and Annual Performance Reviews

What took them so long? Companies like GE, Adobe, Accenture, Deloitte and Netflix have eliminated their Annual Performance Review.  Many HR professionals believe this is only the beginning.  Managers who have worked for hours and hours of individual meeting and completion of appraisal forms know just how much a waste of time the majority of these appraisals came to be.

According to research conducted by CBE Global: 

• 95% of managers are dissatisfied with their annual performance reviews/management systems
• 59% of employees feel performance reviews are not worth the time invested
• 56% of employees do not receive feedback on what to improve
• 66% of annual reviews misidentify high performers regardless of stacked rankings
• 88% of HR managers say the annual appraisal process doesn’t yield accurate information 

A recent survey by SHRM found that 72% of companies conduct formal appraisals once a year but only 2% of the employees gave their employer an “A” grade for their performance management.

Hay solutions have stated several reasons why formal (annual?) appraisals are important:  

1. They make your people feel valued
2. They allow you to set new qoals
3. They can resolve grievances
4. They help to strengthen relationships within the team
5. They allow for refocusing on your team
6. They help provide oversight for current projects
7. They can help assess training needs. 

While these are certainly valid reasons, they don’t necessarily need to be done either annually or formally.  They are all excellent practices that can be easily included in the format and structure of your recognition program.

For years, the recognition industry has recommended that companies provide timely, honest performance feedback on ongoing basis and then recognizing employee performance when appropriate.  This type of consistent appraisal can have huge impact on how satisfied, motivated and productive their employees are.

Is it time for companies to consider a broader approach to recognition that includes the principles and budgets previously used in annual appraisals?  How much more effective would your recognition programs become?  

For more information on Ultimate Choice Inc.’s products or services or other white papers please contact us at Ultimatechoiceinfo@cox.net