Tag Archive for: communication

The Importance of an Evolving HR Policy

An HR Policy exists to address the needs of people working in a company while also providing a set of rules and guidelines to maintain fair practices throughout the workplace. Think of it like a bill of rights for a company.

The truth of the world is that employers often take their employees for granted. This isn’t done deliberately, it just happens, particularly with bigger companies with a large workforce. It isn’t always easy to keep track of employee engagement and happiness and make sure that everyone’s needs are being met. That’s also not the point.

Years ago, many HR policies were written to support companies, the foundation being ‘you have a job, be grateful’, rather than actually offering strategies to help companies and employees manage their relationship. They used to be a ‘set and forget’ policy, often referred to only when strictly necessary. Luckily, this is no longer the case — or at least, not generally! As the workplace has evolved, company policies have changed as well, particularly HR policies, which impact directly on the element that makes a company function: its people.

Getting honest feedback from those directly affected helps ferret out any real world issues in the HR policy. This is particularly the case if the the policy has been designed in isolation. Questions can come up that weren’t even considered during the creation of the policy.

For example:

  • Are there different interpretations to a rule?
  • Does the policy not reflect the true needs of employees?
  • Has something been completely missed?
  • Is there something in the policy that isn’t necessary at all?

Even policies written after extensive research and polling can benefit from a regular check up by those under its purview. The big picture can get lost if people are focused purely on the details of how a company should run its employees.

Opening a dialogue about an HR policy can open undiscovered doors. It allows employees to engage with a company on a very basic level, providing insight into day-to-day aspects that might not have been considered when the policy was written. Further, it allows for policy makers to get a better understanding of the work-life balance that staff needs. A company that invests in its employees in this fashion also has a better chance of holding onto those employees in the long run, raising talent retention rates. To quote at length from Talent Culture:

“People stay with companies they value. The more an employee is allowed and encouraged to engage in job, team, and company efforts, the more she sees the value. People stay with managers they trust. The more managers and employees engage in continuous communication about expectation, the more trust develops in their relationship. People stay with companies that offer opportunities for personal, even professional growth.” —  5 Links Between Talent Management and Employee Engagement, TalentCulture

Giving employees a chance to discuss the policies that directly affect their lives is a sure fire way to get them engaged with the company, but more than that it provides some key aspects that any HR policy should have:

  1. Clarity — making sure that everyone really understands the policy; its rules, consequences, the purpose, and the rights listed in it.
  2. Work-Life Balancing — ensuring that the policy is actually meeting the needs of both the company and its employees.
  3. Evolution & Adaptation — allowing that the policy reflects changes in the workplace and workforce as those changes come about.
  4. Talent Management — allows management take the overall pulse of employee engagement and thus head off recruitment or retention issues in the long run.

To quote a colleague:

“A company should create a safe and open space for their employees to make mistakes, discuss policies and feel significant within the company in order for the business to strive to its full potential. Treat your employees well and it will echo in service towards your clients.”

Recently, AQ Services had an HR day to discuss the latest HR policies and get a better understanding of whether it was meeting the needs of our people. Questions like “What does human resource excellence mean to you?” and “Describe what you consider key to a healthy work-life balance for yourself” allowed teams to discuss whether they thought the policy was addressing the vital issues that it sought to.

It was more than that, however, this was our first step in the right direction. In 2014, AQ had a complete structural overhaul, and as a result things are now done vastly differently to what they were before. This required a new policy, and because we are who we are, that policy was open for discussion. After some initial confusion and doubt about what it is that we were meant to be discussing, we realised that this was a great opportunity for us to air our opinions about the policy. To quote one of our team:

“It is great to see that employees have a voice over HR policies. This gets us engaged, and is a good way for management to discover what we feel important.”

It wasn’t just the negatives that were discussed, although several pointed concerns were raised, but also the strengths of the policy. Implemented in January 2016, this new policy was based on experiences of the past and addresses some of the issues that came up. As a result, the new policy has made big — positive — changes to its parental leave scheme as well as bringing on board new options such a work-from-home option and other things.

There is a downside to making an HR policy subject to conversation and feedback, of course. It’s always possible that as a result of a dialogue no actual decisions or rules are ever implemented, making it a useless document that hinders more than helps. ‘Too many chefs in the kitchen will ruin the soup’ and all that.

I still maintain, however, that with the correct approach, having a system for feedback on company policies — particularly an HR policy — can be a great thing, especially in this modern day and age where the workplace is a fluctuating thing and we are no longer defined simply by the location we work, or the people we work with.

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9 Reasons Why Your Customers Believe You Are Awesome

Your Customers think you are awesome!Everyone has different expectations from customer service, but your customers love you. Why do your customers believe you are awesome? It’s easy to see why customers may be walking out your door, but why are they staying with your competition? Or, even more confusing! Why are they staying with you? Customer loyalty is a puzzle, and it’s important to understand the reason behind the positives as well as the negatives!

You know those quizzes that you can take, online – or, formerly, offline – where you get scored on your answers and you then get a result which tells you what kind of chocolate cake you are? Let’s pretend you’ve done one titled ‘What do your customers think of you?’  You’ve crossed your hurdles and are met with smiles all around, and you certainly don’t suffer from any of these issues.  We’ve got great news: your customers believe you are awesome!

I know we shouldn’t look a gift horse in the mouth and all, but surely you’re just a little curious about why you’re so awesome?

Also read this article for more information: How To Improve Customer Experience

1. You didn’t just sell…

…you connected. It’s not just about making that one sale for you, it’s about giving the customer what they want. For you, it’s not a question of ‘what can I sell to my customers?, it’s ‘how can I help them?’

2. You rock your customer service…

…and people just won’t stop talking about you over coffee with their friends, in the bus, on their social media. Your staff entertains and delights your customers, they know how to make people smile. You’ve put the time and effort in to make sure your customers know that you like them because they’re people, not just because they’re there to buy your product or use your service. You’ve made them feel like they really matter, because, to you, they do.

3. You provide multi-channel support

You recognize that it’s vital to let people connect to your brand the way they choose, not just the way you think is most convenient for you. You’ve done the research and checked out all the means by which your customers connect with you; you know where they spend their time online and how they want to be connected offline.

4. You’ve exceeded all expectations!

When you first offered your service or product, you made the customer a promise. Some companies fall victim to overselling these promises – like politicians – to get a sale. Building up customer expectations is a two-edged sword, but you’ve rocked your customers’ worlds and more than delivered on your promises: not only did you meet the customer’s expectations, you’ve exceeded them and that’s why your customers believe you are awesome.

5. You haven’t just learned from your mistakes you’ve made changes to avoid making them in the future!

You’ve implemented a feedback system, or perhaps your customers just talk to you, but the fact is: you listento what they’ve got to say. You’ve taken the good with the bad, and you’ve come up with ways to avoid the bad – and told the complaining customer how you’ve gone about to fix things, and then asked if they think that’ll solve the problem!

6. You’re in the now! You’ve evolved with the times to stay on top of the world!

When you started out back in the ancient days of ‘ye olde times’, you had a great message and jingle, sure,  but you’ve recognised that the times are a’changin’ and you’ve adapted that message and your branding to the here and now. Used to do TV ads? Now you’re big online! Radio ads? No worries, podcasts and streaming music platforms. Newspapers? Still use ‘m, but you’re also on Reddit, Facebook, and – well, you get the picture. You’ve moved with the times and your customers know you’ll keep moving with them at just the right pace.

7. Customers can’t stop themselves from coming back to because…

They know you understand them. You’ve given them a reason to come back, whether it’s via customer loyalty strategies, special offers, or just giving them time of day with all your collective customer service talents. They know you get what they want, and that you’re adaptable.

8. Your competitors may be great, but you’re doing that extra bit.

You’re in it to win it, and your customers know that that means you’re in it for them and not just because you’re competing with others. You may not be able to compete with your competitors on a financial scale, or even match their advertising campaigns, but you’re creative enough to know that you can win in other sectors: like upping your customer service initiatives and connecting with people in a better, more customer-centric manner.

9. Reasons beyond your control…

People move cities, change lifestyles, get older and, inevitably, pass away. These are things that you can’t control, but you canreact to them appropriately. You’ve made that impression because you’ve impressed them on a human level: you’ve been there to share their happiness and their grief, their ups and downs; and now that they’ve had a change in their life, you’ve expressed your regrets at losing them to these changes, but you understand because you believe in them as people, not just as customers.

Making a difference

Differentiating your company from the sea of businesses in the world is one of the best ways to make a difference.  Every companies in the world has customer service, but striving to make yours the best service out there, to go to the extra lengths is what will make your company truly memorable – and for the right reasons.

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Marketing to the Millennial Generation: A New Customer Experience

This is the age of the Millennial.

Born between 1980 and mid-2000s, Millennials are an ever growing presence in society, especially in the workforce. With the first wave of this generation now in their early to mid-thirties, they are a section of the demographic that will not be ignored. According to Forbes, Millennials in the United States alone make up a fourth of the population and have around $200 billion in annual buying power. Hubspot calls them the ‘most lucrative market’; the short version is: if you’re not focussed on the Millennial Generation then you’re going to get left behind.

The world is moving a lot faster than it was twenty years ago; there’s no escaping the connectivity we enjoy (or hate) these days. With social media platforms keeping everyone connected to everything all the time, and every new gadget being integrated into ‘the Cloud’, Millennials maintain connections in a way that we’ve never seen before. It’s become a way of life.

A White House report actually sites a source saying that “Millennials are more connected to technology than previous generations and a quarter of Millennials believe that their relationship to technology is what makes their generation unique.”

How does this affect businesses? Well, for starters, outbound and interruptive marketing tactics are out: this generation wants to be connected to their brands in a way that allows them to decide for themselves just how trustworthy a product or company may be.

Think about this for a moment.

A survey conducted in 2014 suggests that Millennials actually distrust marketing and advertising campaigns and are more likely to trust the word of information from social media and their closest friends. This fact indicates that we, as businesses looking to tap into this market, need to reexamine how we market ourselves and our products.

We need to move fast. We need to get onboard with the Millennial way of life and join in. This means byte-size chunks of information that we can “swipe” in and out of our lives: no more long emails! It also means changing your customer service approach from a human-centric one to a hybridization with technology.

With the advent of technology, marketing – and sales! – need to adapt. Marketing and sales representatives now play a crucial role in customer service relations. More often than not, the one in charge of social media will be answering many customer service questions. The digital customer service element is becoming more and more prominent. Millennials are more likely to use technology to do product or brand research, ask questions, and spread the word (good or bad!) than they are to come into a store to do so in person.

Does this mean we should abandon our sales consultants on the floor? Absolutely not. What about retraining our social media management team to be better more customer service orientated? Well, that’s not a bad idea regardless. In fact, your entire team should know how to deal with your customers. This is a customer-centric world now, with the Millennials at the heart of it!

The important thing to understand here is that Millennials have different expectations in terms of customer service. The rule of thumb when it comes to marketing (and selling) to Millennials:

    1. They don’t like waiting days for a response.
    2. If your content isn’t authentic, they’ll walk.
    3. They will Google your product and brand before they make a decision.
    4. They want an interpersonal connection with your company/product/brand.
    5. Once you’ve earned their loyalty, they’re likely to stay with you.

(Forbes)

In conclusion, we’re going to need a multichannel approach to deliver a great customer service experience. Your front line is no longer just the sales consultants on the floor, or the receptionists at the desk, it’s also the people sitting behind your social media platforms generating content and allowing for Millennials to connect to your brand on a personal level.

Further reading:

Utilizing Social Media as Part of Millennial Decision Making Process, Leah Swartz, Millennial Marketing

All Grown Up and Here to Stay: The Next Generation and the Small Screen Valentina Perez, Harvard Political Review

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Customer Engagement: Only Saying ‘hello’ is a Lousy Way to Start a Friendship

During my first year at university, slaving away learning how to drink more coffee than was good for me and navigating Canberra’s bus system, I had a housemate who would come home every few days and announce that he had made a new friend. My brother, who also lived with us at this point, would raise his eyebrows and ask the same question:

“Did you make a new friend or just meet someone new?” The housemate would blush and look at his feet.

“I guess I just met someone new.”

“You don’t just make friends by talking with them for five minutes,” my brother would point out.

“I know,” the housemate would mumble, “but I think we’ll be friends.”

“Good for you,” my brother would mutter sarcastically before going back to whatever it was that he had been doing before feeling compelled to correct the housemate on this obviously-very important issue.

My reaction tended to be somewhere along the lines of ‘meh’. If the housemate wanted to believe that everyone they met on the street was a friend, then that was lovely and optimistic. I kept my judgments to myself: he’d learn eventually, or not, in which case I wished him every goodness in the world for being the one person who liked everyone they met.

The point of this little anecdote, apart from making me nostalgic, is that building relationships take time.
Recently, the Social Media Examiner shared this picture on LinkedIn.

 

I commented on this, of course, as I am wont to do when something interesting crosses my feed, especially since the comment ahead of mine was in the same vein with what I was feeling:

Karen Price: Yes! We are often so busy trying to get through our to-do list we just give the cursory acknowledgement to things we see online, when really we should be using that opportunity to look for openings for deeper connection.

After which I responded by voicing my wholehearted agreement. There are plenty of companies – and individuals – out there, desperately trying to push their brands to the top of a list, fighting for followers, clicks and likes.

For example, I’ve noticed lately that a whole lot of people start following me on Twitter just because I make one tweet about a subject relevant to their product or service. This morning, I made tweeted about restarting carb detox, and within seconds – and I’m not exaggerating – I had fourteen new followers and had been added to two lists. Now I know that Twitter has lost the plot a little, and it’s probably not the best example, but the point stands: I got nothing from these people, not even a message or a DM. Maybe a ‘Like’ or an RT, but certainly nothing to make me go ‘Oh! Who are these new people who apparently like what I do?’. That’s the problem.

Relationships don’t just start because you say hello to someone on the side of the street and then keep walking. Relationships start with a conversations; and yes, maybe only every 1 in 20 conversations you have with random people you meet on the street, in a store, at school, or at a convention actually turn into friends, but that doesn’t mean you shouldn’t stop to have that conversation to begin with!

What I’m trying to say here, is that we all need to make an effort. The Internet is provided us with so many options to connect that we’re not actually connecting anymore. Sure, we’re sharing plenty of pictures and random comments, we’re commiserating with people’s grief, and we’re talking about interesting subjects, but we’ve never been more disconnected.

This isn’t just about individuals either.

Companies should stop following a million people in the hopes to get a million followers. Stop sending automated Crowdfire messages without following them up with a personal note.

Here’s a little trade secret:

I’ve set up automated responses for our company accounts; I don’t have the time to welcome each and every one of our new followers on Twitter, or thank everyone for liking our Facebook or LinkedIn pages. It’s not that I don’t appreciate the audience, it’s that if I had to write a personal message to each and every one of them, that’s all I would be doing all day long! (Pssst, really do appreciate the massive following though, THANK YOU!)

What I do, however, and I know that I’m not the only one; is that after my automated message has gone out I check to see what sort of follower/Liker they are. If they’re someone I think may be interested in a deeper connection, or perhaps someone who might be interested in discussing customer service experiences and developments, I follow up with a personal message or mention.

What does this do? It opens the door and reveals that there’s an actual person behind the automation who values the follow/like/click.

Nothing is more important than showing someone you value their time, effort and their connection.

Growing a customer base starts and finishes with customer engagement: are they interested in what we’re doing? Do they like how we’re delivering our services or our products? Is there room for improvement (yes!)? What’s the best way for us to understand our customers’ needs?

Funny, the answer to all those questions is quite simple. By talking to our customers, we can easily ascertain what they’re after and whether we’re meeting their requirements and garner feedback about our company. That’s customer engagement, and there’s no way we’re just going to get that if all we’re doing is saying ‘hello’ – like any relationship, any attempt at customer engagement has to grow out of a conversation. By all means, start with ‘hello’, but let’s not leave it at only that.

This is the first step in building a relationship, whether it’s with a prospective friend or a prospective client – at the end of the day, the two are remarkably similar!

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