10 People management

7/29/2019 10 People management

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Managing People for

Service Advantage



People – The Key to a Service Business

Service is a People‟s Business

Direct Interaction with Customers-unlike shopfloorworkers

Thus the Extra „P‟ for People



Service Personnel: Source of Customer Loyalty and

Competitive Advantage

Customer’s perspective: Encounter with service staff ismost important aspect of a service

Firm’s perspective: Frontline (Boundary spanners) is an

important source of differentiation and competitive

advantage.Boundary spanners are:

A core part of the product

the Service firm

The brand Frontline is an important driver of customer loyalty

Anticipating customer needs

Customizing service delivery

Building personalized relationships



Frontline Work IsDifficult and Stressful



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The concept of ―emotional labor ‖ Customers range from nice to nasty, and a range of

emotions come into play every time the worker

deals with a set of customers.

constant interaction with (and scrutiny by)

customers can be very stressful

―The act of expressing socially desired emotions

during service transactions‖ is referred to as

emotional labor (Hochschild, The Managed

Heart*)



Role Stress in Frontline Employees

Three main causes of role stress:1. Person versus Role: Conflicts between what jobs

require and employee’s own personality and beliefsOrganizations must instill “ professionalism” in frontlinestaff

2. Organization versus Client: Dilemma whether tofollow company rules or to satisfy customer demands

This conflict is especially acute in organizations that are

not customer oriented

3. Client versus Client: Conflicts between customers thatdemand service staff intervention



Customer’s Experience

In a hotel, everybody except the cook directly interacts

with the guests in some way or the other-this includes

parking attendants, doormen, lift attendants, front office

staff, maids or cleaning personnel, laundry and

housekeeping staff, and room service personnel.

The quality of all these people will determine the

service experience for a typical customer of the hotel.



Organization personnel involved in service

product performance and delivery

Contact with

client

Non-contact

with the client

Visible to theclient

Waitress,Service

engineers

Cook in restaurantwith see through

kitchen,

Computer operator

Not visible to

the client

Telephone

operator,

Airline Pilot

Maintenance

worker

Accountant

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Cycles of Failure,Mediocrity, and Success



Cycle of Failure

Source: Schlesinger and Heskett

Customer

turnover

Failure to developcustomer loyalty

No continuity in relationship for

customer

Customer dissatisfaction

Employees can’trespond to customer

problems

Employeesbecome bored

Employee dissatisfaction;poor service attitude

Repeat emphasis onattracting new customers

Low profitmargins Narrow design of

jobs to accommodatelow skill level

Use of technology

to control quality

High employee turnover;poor service quality

Payment of low wages

Minimization of selection effort

Minimizationof training

Emphasis onrules rather than service



The employee cycle of failure

Narrow job design for low skill levels

Emphasis on rules rather than service

Use of technology to control quality

The customer cycle of failure

Managers’ short-sighted assumptions about

financial implications of low pay, high

turnover human resource strategies

Cycle of Failure



Costs of short-sighted policies are ignored Loss of expertise among departing employees

Disruption to service from unfilled jobs

Constant expense of recruiting, hiring, training

Lower productivity of inexperienced new workers

Loss of revenue stream from dissatisfied customers who goelsewhere

Loss of potential customers who are turned off by negative

word-of-mouth

Higher costs of winning new customers to replace those lost—more need for advertising and promotional discounts

Cycle of Failure



Cycle Of Mediocrity

Good wages/benefitshigh job security

Other suppliers (if any)seen as equally poor

Customers trade

horror stories

Service not focused

on customers’ needs

Employees spend working life

in environmentof mediocrity

Narrow design

of jobs

Success =

not making

mistakes

Complaints met byindifference or

hostility

Employeedissatisfaction

(but can’t easily quit) Emphasis on rules

vs. pleasing customers

Promotionand pay

increases based on longevity,

lack of mistakes

Initiative isdiscouraged

Jobs are boring andrepetitive; employees

unresponsive

Resentment at inflexibility and

lack of employee initiative;

complaints to employees

No incentive for

cooperative relationship

to obtain better service

Training emphasizes

learning rules

Customer dissatisfactionSource: Heskett and Schlesinger



Most commonly found in large,

bureaucratic organizations

Service delivery is oriented toward

Standardized service

Operational efficiencies

Prevention of employee fraud and favoritism

toward specific customers

Cycle Of Mediocrity



Job responsibilities narrowly and

unimaginatively defined

Successful performance measured by

absence of mistakes

Training focuses on learning rules and

technical aspects of job — not on

improving interactions with customers and

co-workers

Cycle of Mediocrity



Cycle of Success Low

customer turnover

Customer loyalty

Continuity in relationship with

customer

High customer satisfaction

Extensivetraining

Employee satisfaction,positive service attitude

Repeat emphasis oncustomer loyalty and

retention

Higher profit

margins Broadened

job designsLowered turnover,high service quality

Above average

wages

Intensifiedselection effort

Train, empower frontline

personnel to control quality

Source: Heskett and Schlesinger



Longer-term view of financial performance;

firm seeks to prosper by investing in people

Attractive compensation packages attract better

job applicants

More focused recruitment, intensive training,

and higher wages make it more likely thatemployees are:

Happier in their work

Provide higher quality, customer-pleasing service

Cycle of Success



Broadened job descriptions with empowerment

practices enable frontline staff to control quality

and facilitate service recovery

Regular customers more likely to remain loyal

because:

Appreciate continuity in service relationships Have higher satisfaction due to higher quality

Cycle of Success



Human Resources Management—

How to Get It Right?



How to Manage People for

Service Advantage?

Hire the right people

Enable these people

Motivate and energize your

people

Staff performance involves both ability and motivation

How can we get able service employees who aremotivated to productively deliver service excellence?



The Wheel of Successful HR in

Service Firms Leadership that: Focuses the entire

organization on

supporting the

frontline

Fosters a strongservice culture with

passion for service

and productivity

Drives values

that inspires,

energizes andguides service

providers

1. Hire the

Right People

3. Motivate and

Energize Your People

2. Enable Your People

Be the preferred

employer & compete

for talent market share

Intensify the

selection

process

Empower frontline

Build high performance service

delivery teams

Extensive training

Utilize the full

range of rewardsService Excellence

& Productivity



Hire the Right People

“ The old saying „People are yourmost important asset‟ is wrong.

The RIGHT people are yourmost important asset.”

J im Collins



Recruitment The right people are a firm’s most important asset: Take a

focused, marketing-like approach to recruitment

Clarify what must be hired versus what can be taught

Clarify nature of the working environment, corporate values

and style etc

Ensure candidates have/can obtain needed qualifications

Evaluate candidate’s fit with firm’s culture and values

Match personalities, styles, energies to appropriate jobs



Select and Hire the Right People: Be the Preferred

Employer

What determines a firm’s applicant pool?

Positive image in the community as place to work

Quality of its services

The firm’s perceived status

There is no perfect employee

Different jobs are best filled by people with different skills, styles, or personalities

Hire candidates that fit firm’s core values and culture

Focus on recruiting naturally warm personalities for customer-contact

jobs



Observe behavior

Hire based on observed behavior, not words you hear

Best predictor of future behavior is past behavior

Consider group hiring sessions where candidates are

given group tasks

Conduct personality tests

Willingness to treat co-workers and customers with

courtesy, consideration, and tact

Perceptiveness regarding customer needs

Ability to communicate accurately and pleasantly

Select and Hire the Right People:

How to Identify Best Candidates



Select and Hire the Right People:

Identifying Best Candidates Employ multiple, structured interviews

Use structured interviews built around job requirements

Use more than one interviewer to reduce ―similar to me‖ biases

Give applicants a realistic preview of the job

Chance for candidates to ―try on the job‖

Assess how candidates respond to job realities

Allow candidates to self select themselves out of the job

Manage new employees’ expectation of job



Service employees need to learn:

Organizational culture, purpose, and strategy

Promote core values, get emotional commitment to strategy

Get managers to teach ―why,‖ ―what,‖ and ―how‖ of job Interpersonal and technical skills

Both are necessary but neither alone is sufficient for optimal job performance

Product/service knowledge Staff’s product knowledge is a key aspect of service quality

Staff must explain product features and position productscorrectly

Train Service Employees



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Service Orientation

Service employees need the right attitude towards

service.

Service is not being “servile”

In fact, service jobs provide a lot of enriching

experiences as well, and a lot of customers are

very understanding, well-behaved and courteous

under normal situations.



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How FedEx Keeps Employees :

Motivated to Deliver

Fedex, the courier and supply chain company in India does it by--

By clearly outlining their roles

Providing Learning Opportunities to all employees

Giving them dignity

Guaranteeing a fair hearing without retaliation for any

concerns of employees

Creating a regular interaction among employees at

different hierarchical levels



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People are Your Brand

Ambassadors

Once you view people as brand ambassadors for

your service brand, a lot of thinking falls into

place, ranging from recruitment, training,

motivation, to making the best use of the human

resources, while keeping them happy.



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The BPO Sector – Challenges of Retaining Employees

The problems are two-fold. One, graduates may feel

like going for a post-graduate degree, and leave to

pursue it.

Second, there is boredom induced by the repetitiveness

of their job

How do Companies tackle this issue?

10 People management

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