Why World-Class Service Starts With Recruitment
'You have to recruit people with service in their souls.'
Recruitment and careful selection are critical parts of the employee journey. So much of the customers’ experience is determined by getting the recruitment process right in the first place. Beyond recruiting the team, recruiting service leaders is pivotal in building a service culture. Leadership is often the heart and soul behind a customerfocused team and organisation, from hiring the CEO and the executive to all people leaders.
Organisations must prioritise identifying and hiring leaders in every department of the business to drive a strong service culture, care for and motivate their team and help people to be the best they can be. We often hear the saying, ‘Hire for attitude, train for skills’. Notwithstanding that, certain roles require specific qualifications and skills. You would never recruit a pilot who didn’t know how to fly an aeroplane. However, placing the right person with the right attitude and finding people who truly want to care for customers makes a significant difference to everyone.
“The most important thing you can do as a leader is to hire the right people.”
Thoughtful recruitment processes can also be a key differentiator in attracting and retaining talent. Some years ago, I ran a public training workshop attended by people from a range of organisations. The program was called ‘Exceptional Customer Service’ and I loved delivering it. One particular day, I was setting up the room when the first person arrived. I introduced myself and we had a chat. After a minute, she said, ‘I can’t believe I’m here. I hate customers. I hate talking to them. I hate interacting with them. I can’t stand dealing with people.’
While I was a little taken aback, I was keen to explore the conversation further, so I asked, ‘That’s really interesting. What do you do at your company?’ Her answer? ‘I’m the receptionist.’
Think about the role of the receptionist in any organisation. It’s one of the most critical, customer-facing roles, responsible for welcoming and greeting customers and often creating first impressions. And she genuinely did not want to be there to look after the customer. This story is not about judgement. It was a classic example of bad job fit and poor recruitment practices. The organisation had sent her to the training program to try and fundamentally change who she was. It didn’t matter what I talked about or what skills we focused on; a one-day training program was not going to make her love working with customers.
We spent some time together during the break, discussing her interests and preferences and exploring other more enjoyable and suitable roles that were less involved with customer interaction. I encouraged her to go back and speak to her leader about different possibilities and her needs and preferences for work.
Getting the wrong person for the job in customer service is very time consuming and can be very costly. In a survey of more than 1500 HR professionals from Australia and New Zealand, ELMO Software, in partnership with the Australian HR Institute, found that the cost to hire an employee more than doubled in 2021, rising from AU$10,500 in 2020 to AU$23,860 per worker.
And that is just the cost of hiring. The cost of training and onboarding a wrong hire can be enormous. It can impact the team, morale and motivation and the customer experience.
Hiring the right leaders and team members in customer-facing roles and setting them up for success is essential for your organisation’s long-term strength. As a service leader, how do you hire people who can build positive customer relationships, deliver that human touch and create exceptional customer service experiences?
Hiring the right people is the first step in delivering world-class service.