Cracking the Code on Employee Engagement: Finally, Something That Works!

For those of you who lead contact center organizations, you know how challenging it is to keep front-line staff engaged and motivated.  Especially for those new to corporate America who are already looking to advance before they even start in their jobs.  And then there are those I like to call “veterans” or have been in their jobs for 15+ years and have lost their motivation and enthusiasm and don’t even know it.  So the question is, “how do I get my staff, both old and new, to become engaged and stay engaged as a front-line service professional?”

I believe we have found the answer and have had success in a number of contact center organizations creating a methodical, effective process for ensuring that both new and old front-line associates:

• Engage in and drive their own ongoing performance development
• Obtain a realistic perception of their own performance
• Understand and are clear about the different performance levels for each competency within their job
• Realize what it takes to get to the next level of performance within their role
• Gain a clear perspective about when they are ready for a promotion to the next level
• Learn how to objectively assess their own performance and provide specific evidence that supports that assessment
• Perform at a higher level than the current minimum; being more proactive by suggesting recommendations, rather than waiting to be told what to do or asking what to do

One of the greatest joys in my career was sitting in on an assessment session after this new process was trained and implememnted in which a front-line “veteran” had the “Ah! Ha!” moment that she had been underperforming for quite some time.  I actually got choked up when she had this revelation — not for her, but because it was so rewarding to have the process work the way it was supposed to.

Here are the guiding principles for this process:

• Each competency for each role needs to be defined and each performance level needs to be crystal clear – meaning – what actions are associated with this level of performance
• The staff needs to be involved in creating these definitions and performance levels – carefully and skillfully facilitating this is key
• There needs to be some flexibility or choices in which competencies the front-line indivdiuals select on which to focus – personal development needs to be customized
• Each role needs to have this completed all the way up to director level to create a clear career-path for professional development
• The staff needs to drive their own development process from the inception – this is not management forcing performance development and continuous improvement
• There needs to be a What’s In It For Them that is clearly stated and well thought out

The feedback from the leaders in the organizations in which we implemented this said this:

• Usually Performance Appraisal time is a nightmare – the process made it a piece of cake.  All of the data was there for the entire year!
• NO MORE DEFENSIVE BEHAVIOR!!!! I didn’t have to say a word since each individual “got it” on their own.  If they didn’t have the evidence to support their own rating, they changed it on their own.  What a pleasure having such personal accountability.
• Even the most reluctant individuals have shown such progress and openness to feedback and growth.  What a difference!
• What was surprising was the growth in terms of team behaviors and being responsible to each other for achieving their growth goals.
• We had people who were coming to work everyday, but not really here.  No longer.  Everyone is engaged and contributing!

It’s rewarding to see that 20 years of work and 10 years in development, this system actually works as intended.  No “program of the month.”  No “gimmicks.”  No “fads.”  It just makes sense and it works.  It really, really works! (Sorry, I had a moment of channeling Sally Field!)

Sacrificing Quality and Service in Economic Crisis

When I finally purchased my “dream” home I decided to invest in furniture that had history and a reputation of being passed down from generation to generation because of its high quality design and lasting style.  Stickley and Nichols & Stone furniture was what I selected to grace my home and ultimately pass down to my nieces and nephew.  When I made the decision to invest “big” I went to a store in my area renowned for also delivering quality…a quality experience one would expect from a retail establishment that sells high-end furniture.  I wasn’t disappointed.  The store has been in business for over 80 years and has built a phenomenal reputation for delivering outstanding, personalized customer service.  Bograd’s Furniture, located in Riverdale, NJ, has provided customers with all of the attributes we expect when making important purchases in our lives.  Unfortunately, this economy which has been deteriorating over the last several years has forced customers to sacrifice quality products and an outstanding customer experience for cheaper goods and less than stellar service.

Over the years, I came to know the owner and his family as a legend in the New Jersey area.  I would often see Joe Bograd and his wife Marcia at my favorite restaurant in Riverdale, Rosemary & Sage, another high-end World Class Experience provider. He took the business over from his father after playing in the original store as a child.  He worked there after graduating college and carried on his father’s legacy as has his son.

As a service leader and considered “expert” in the customer engagement industry  I was hard to impress, yet Joe and his team never failed to make me feel valued and as if I was smart for doing business with them.  That is why yesterday, I literally sat and cried as I read a letter from Joe to all of his valued customers. I have posted here a portion of his letter below, to demonstrate something very important to all of us in the service industry — this man was unwilling to compromise outstanding service delivery and product quality that his family has worked so hard to deliver over the last 81 years.

“We started in 1930, in the depth of the Depression, survived World War II and other wars.  We lived successfully through the economic crises of the 70’s, 80’s and 90’s and the dot.com bust at the beginning of this century.  But nothing compares to what we have seen over the past several years….”  “We realized that if we were to survive, we would fundamentally have to change what Bograd’s is.  We were unwilling to do this and compromise our standards and service.  After 81 years in business, we have made the difficult decision to sell our building and close our store.  Bograd’s has always been a quality business and we will close as a quality business.”

Now THAT is what we have often called in our industry “The Service Gene.”  For Joe, this is part of his Belief System…not just words, not propaganda, not hype.  This man walks the talk and I have seen it first hand over the last decade.

What can we as business leaders learn from him?  Reputation in business is all we have.  Once it is destroyed through poor quality products and unacceptable service experiences, it is difficult to recover.  History has demonstrated that our economy will eventually recover and with that, customers will again demand BOTH quality products and an outstanding service experience.  I believe that just because the economy is suffering, we can still deliver a great customer experience.  Even in making this difficult decision, Joe Bograd still made me feel as if I am a valued customer.

People will not always remember what you said, they often won’t even remember what you did…What they will remember is how you made them feel…Unknown

To read the letter in its entirety, please click the link below:

http://www.bograds.com/images/2149-BGR%20Sept%20Sale%20Email%20Blast.jpg

Want to talk to Liz Ahearn?  Just email her at liz@radclyffepartners.com or call her at 973-291-8947