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

Feedback: The Key to Employee Motivation

As mentioned in recent posts, a culture that is based on a strong purpose and values from the beginning helps to institutionalize the right kinds of employee behaviors.

 One common thread to the most successful employee recognition programs that we have researched over the years is honest and timely feedback.  Conversely, a common mistake that will negatively affect any recognition program is not having the type of feedback that lets employees know how they are doing.  

All too often, employees go through their workday amid the “corporate noise” that managers use as their main source of feedback.  And you don’t know until it’s too late that an employee is quitting their job because of the lack of respect and recognition that can only come from genuine feedback.

If you want employees to go above and beyond, give 110% or whatever other cliché you’d like to use… then you have to tell them what exceptional performance looks like, and then recognize them for that performance. They can’t do it if they don’t know.  And the more consistently you are at letting them know, the sooner their positive performance will become a habit.

Behaviorists for decades have been informing companies about the importance of feedback.  Feedback is the glue that binds the “what” you want them to do with the “what’s in it for them”, the positive consequences for them making the change in the first place.
Not having feedback is like bowling with a curtain in front of the pins.  You do a great job of lining up, approaching the lane with a good motion, rolling the ball down the center and

hearing the pins dropping, but you don’t know how many went down.  You can’t have a good recognition program without letting everyone know how they are doing!

Your company's purpose should connect your employees' work to how it impacts your customers' daily lives, creating an emotional, rather than financial, incentive to the job. When you let them know how well they are doing, the entire behavior model moves into a continuous loop of positive reinforcement.

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