For a small business owner, excellent customer service requires almost no overhead, very little time, and minimal financial investment. And while costing practically nothing, a great customer service policy can give a company a disproportionate leg-up on the ladder to success. 

In these challenging times, your customer service philosophy may even mean the difference between thriving growth and bankruptcy. If you haven’t taken a close look at your customer relationship strategy in a while, it may be time to conduct a review and make some necessary changes. Keep these considerations in mind as you move forward.

Customer Service: A Business Tool Based on Simple Principles

A customer service plan should accomplish two things: First, every single customer interaction you have should help you gather the information you need to shape the direction of your business. When you receive feedback of any kind, in any format, whether happy, angry, confused, elated, or curious, don’t just respond and move on. Use that feedback to inform your business strategy. A customer who wants better options, more flavors, special discounts, or easier returns is actually a business professor in disguise. She’s a mentor who can help you gain valuable information about your target audience. Listen carefully to what she has to say.

Second, satisfied customers come back. And they represent something that’s worth more than gold to business owners: word-of-mouth advertising. In earlier times, word-of-mouth travelled from person to person, one conversation at a time. But in the internet age, one review can be read by thousands of potential customers in an instant. Strong customer feelings now have unprecedented power to make or break small businesses. Do what you must to make sure those strong feelings are positive.

A Few Helpful Customer Service Tips
 
Keep communication channels easy and open. Make sure customers know exactly where to find you and how to make their feelings and desires known.

Control confusion. Speak to customers with clarity and confidence. Nothing makes a communication problem worse than halting dialogue, unfulfilled promises, or an employee who doesn’t know enough about the business.

Be friendly, be patient and be kind. We learned these rules in kindergarten and they still apply. If your customer service reps have trouble with this, act decisively. Replace them, or get them the training and coaching they need.

Listen. Again, an angry customer isn’t just an angry customer. She’s a free lesson. She can teach you volumes about the needs and expectations of your target audience. But her lessons will only have value if you keep your ears open. 

For more information and small business management advice, contact the experts at RPC and arrange a consultation today.

When most of us think of the word “internship”, we envision a short-term program for college or high school students with mutual benefits for both the student and the organization that sponsors her. The most productive internships are those in which everybody wins.

For the student, great internships offer exposure to a real-life, real-time workplace in a chosen field. Ideally, interns use the opportunity to replace their preconceived ideas about an industry with a glimpse of the real deal and a sense of how all the pieces of a business fit together. In the meantime, they can pick up a few simple skills and gain connections that can help them land a full time job down the road.

Companies profit through internships as well, since connecting with promising students can give a company the advantage in a later competition for talent. The more appealing the internship seems, the more talented students will be willing to line up for the opportunity. The more talented students line up, the better pickings the company will have later, as long as the interns leave with positive feelings about the experience.

But can an internship benefit a mid-career adult? Can adults gain just as much from a summer of illusion-busting and connection-building in exchange for little or no compensation? The answer depends on a few factors. Pursue an adult internship if you fit any of these descriptors:

You know how to navigate the delicate subject of money.

Internships are typically unpaid gigs. So if the experience, exposure and contacts you’ll gain are worth the time you’re ready to spend away from your family, volunteer work, classes, or job search, then go for it. Working for free is fine if you aren’t making any painful sacrifices. If you are, reconsider.

You’re comfortable with the expectations placed upon you.

Full time employees often aren’t sure what to make of interns, how to manage them, or what tasks to place upon them. This confusion is common and reasonable, but as an unpaid intern, you’re responsible for your own experience. If expectations become awkward or communication problems creep into your day, sit with your “boss” or coordinator to discuss the situation.  

You’re ready to control your own destiny.

This means not waiting to be told what to do. Ask for specific tasks and introductions. If you’ve been told to file reports all afternoon, but you’d rather gain some experience over in the marketing department, don’t sit there suffering in mute obedience. Speak up, reach out, and get what you need.  

You know what you want from the next chapter of your life.

Internships are great opportunities for soul searching, but only if you know what you’re searching for. Ask questions like these before you commit to an internship: Do I want to learn something specific about this field? Which specific job in this field would I like to learn more about? Am I in this for the contacts alone, and if so, is there a more effective way to gain those contacts?

To find out more about the adult internship process or to find an adult internship that meets your needs, contact RPC today.

Here’s a common dialogue between two managers making a final hiring decision:

 Manager A: How about this one?

 Manager B: I like her confidence. And she has an impressive background. Look at her education! She has more  letters after her name than I do, that’s for sure.

 Manager A: She wants to join this team as a junior member, but she’s managed entire teams far bigger than  this one. Her most recent salary was 20,000 dollars more than what we’re offering. I wonder why she would  apply here?

 Manager B: I think it’s obvious. She needs work. But when she gets in the door, she’ll probably be bored  and unhappy. And I bet she won’t take orders or criticism very well. I don’t want her showing me up in  front of the team. I’m only 29, and this is my first real job in management. She makes me nervous.

 Manager A: Me too. There’s something suspicious about this. I know she needs work, but why here? It might  be easier to just choose this recent graduate. Or, hey, how about this guy? He has no experience at all and  he’s willing to work for almost nothing.

 Manager B: We can definitely afford that. High five!

If this conversation sounds familiar to you, you’re not alone. Hiring managers all over the country are seeing the effects of an imbalanced job market, which often means an applicant pool flooded with overqualified candidates. While experienced employers tend to take this in stride and respond appropriately, weaker hiring managers can easily become overwhelmed or confused by candidates with curiously strong qualifications.

Don’t let this happen to you. And don’t dismiss valuable talent or let your personal fears undermine the success of your company. If you spy an excellent, possibly overqualified candidate in your pool, take these steps before you make a final decision:

Ask questions. Don’t just assume an overqualified candidate will get bored and leave in a week.  Ask her to describe her long term plans and goals. You might find out that she’s pursuing passion instead of money, or that she’s decided to make a mid-life career shift. She has her reasons for making this decision. It’s a good idea to find out what they are before you act. 

Don’t be afraid of her. That’s just plain silly. Good managers place the interests of the company ahead of their own, and if an overqualified candidate has the ability to move the company forward, don’t pass on that opportunity because you fear she might show you up.

Consider her personality. Obviously, she can handle the requirements of the position. But is she a good match for your culture? Will she fit in well and be easy to get along with? Answer honestly. And if she’s likable, friendly and great at what she does, stop overthinking and act before your competitors do.

For more guidance with the candidate selection process, contact RPC and schedule a consultation with our staffing experts.

In many ways, the practice of networking is a lot like fire. Under controlled circumstances, it can be life-giving and life-saving. It holds civilization together and we’ve relied on it since paleolithic times. But just like fire, the act of deliberate networking can easily slide out of our control and become a destructive force.

Real, effective networking happens every day in unstructured environments. It happens at parties and baby showers, on long plane rides, and every time one person politely holds an elevator open for another. When people know each other, they tend to help each other move forward. And the most beneficial connections are best forged in natural social settings.

And yet, twisting every friendly encounter into a networking event, as we’ve all seen, can backfire. Socially awkward behavior tends to run counter to effective contact-building. So how can we tame this miracle of human nature and bend it to our advantage without letting it harm us? Here are a few helpful tips.

On the outside, settle down.

There’s a correlation between social magnetism and calm. Those who fluster easily are hard to predict and hard to get close to. So don’t be overwhelmed by the stakes. Never scramble, raise your voice, or lose sight of your dignity. Don’t give in to desperation or neediness. Enjoy the party. Relax.

On the inside, wake up.

Settle down during social events, but don’t tune out. On the inside, keep moving and stay sharp. Remember names using whatever pneumonic device you prefer, and keep your ears open. Pay attention to who knows who. Most important, stay alert to what people want and need. The best way to get someone to help you is by helping her first, so listen closely, and when you have something to offer, offer it. Follow through.

Get moving and don’t overthink.

People often miss networking opportunities because they fail to pick up the phone and actively reach out. There’s a reason why we don’t do this: It’s scary. Cold calling is intrusive, rude and wrong. But it’s also welcome, flattering, and enjoyable. You can either drive yourself mad trying to reconcile these two truths, or you can stop overthinking, put a pin in your shyness, pick up the phone, and act. 

Show up.

A certain social event might sound dreadful in every way, but if you’ve been invited, go. You never know what might happen. Life is full of adventure and opportunity. 

Forgive yourself.

So you said something dumb. It’s not the end of the world. If your remarks were truly hurtful or thoughtless, apologize and make things right. But if you just told a lame joke, bounce back. Don’t let it undermine your confidence. For additional tips on networking, building contacts, and making the most of social events, contact the experts at RPC.

Before you type out a nuts-and-bolts job posting written with a facts-only approach and a tone of grey, robotic professionalism, stop. The temptation to do this is strong, we know. After all, this post will represent your first contact with potential candidates, and you want to send the message that your enterprise is established, respectable, and impressive. You want to weed out candidates who are not similarly established and respectable. And you want to cast a wide net. A neutral tone that reveals no specific personality will appeal equally well to all talented candidates. Right?

Not exactly. When you create a job posting, you aren’t just looking for an applicant who can carry out the tasks of the position. You’re also looking for someone who’s willing and eager to enter into a long-term, enthusiastic, and mutually profitable relationship with your company. Think of your job posting as a dating profile. There’s no profit in trying to trick applicants or convince them to apply for a position they won’t find rewarding, and there’s no need to attract applicants who will lose interest as soon as the truth is revealed. On the other hand, there’s much to be gained by directly targeting your message to the kind of personality you want on your team.

Creating Perfect Job Descriptions

If you need someone with a sense of humor and a flexible, upbeat nature, don’t waste your time by posting a wooden, humorless ad and then suffering through a stack of wooden, humorless applications (or worse, interviews). By the same token, if you need someone who knows when to cut the clowning and get down to business, make sure your ad reflects the no-nonsense culture you encourage.

Include Appropriate Perks

Tone can make a world of difference. So can the details you include in your job description and your list of perks. If you want cultivated, artistic applicants, make sure you mention the famous museum on your block. If you want to appeal to family-oriented types, mention your on-site daycare center. If you want free thinkers and independent spirits, mention your flexible dress code. 

No matter what you’re looking for, consider your target audience before your publish your post. Effective recruiting requires a bit of marketing skill and an appreciation for the art of the sale. Your product has a distinct brand identity, and your workplace should too. Don’t miss an opportunity to appeal directly to your ideal employee. For assistance with your recruiting efforts, call RPC and consult with our team of experts.

Welcome to the second decade of our new century: Another year in the age of the internet, a dark year for the job market, and a booming, teeming, untamed world of opportunity for independent spirits of all kinds. This is the Gig Economy, and it’s our new normal. If you have a skill, it’s time to stop waiting for an established institution to recognize and hire you. Instead, it’s time to roll up your sleeves and get out there on your own.

For both professional and hobbyist programmers, this means taking advantage of open sourcing to build your skills, carve out a place for yourself, and gain some recognition for your talents. So what’s the best way to involve yourself in an existing open source project? Here are a few simple tips to help you get a foot in the door and add some new skills to your resume.

The Direct Approach

If you find an open source project that peaks your interest, you can always simply contact the hosting service to locate the project administrator, and then send a message to the administrator asking to join. If the administrator approves, the host can provide you with all the rights and privileges you need to gain access to the code and start contributing to the project.

The Indirect Approach

Since administrators are sometimes reluctant to provide access to strangers, you can also take a more indirect approach by first investigating and joining the community. Who are the members of this group? What do they like to talk about and where do they spend their time? Visit blogs, read comment threads, and gain a feel for the existing discourse before you leap in with your own contributions.

Once you have a strong understanding of what’s going on within the project, download the code and take a closer look at how it’s written. See if you can find a bug to fix or an improvement to make, and tackle the problem to increase your understanding of the code. Once you’re satisfied with your change, you can then make contact and show it to the administrator. It may be easier to find welcome if you take the indirect route, but many open source communities are flexible by nature and encourage outside input.

For more guidance on building your programming skills (also your writing skills, digital marketing skills, web development skills, and any other skills that can serve you well in the age of independence), contact RPC and talk to our career management experts.

Every great manager knows that recruitment and hiring are the first building blocks of growth and productivity. But once you’ve tracked down talented candidates and brought them on board, what can you do to hold onto them when they receive inevitable competing offers? How can you create an excellent retention strategy and make the most of your valuable human capital? 

First, you need to recognize what you have. If you can’t immediately identify your top contributors, you need to start actively gathering better performance data. Make sure your yearly review protocols are meaningful, and the metrics you use to evaluate your staff are measurable, reliable, and realistic. Second, you’ll need to take action. Recognize the golden geese in your flock, and then take clear and decisive measures to hold onto them. A strong retention plan can help you win a talent tug-of-war before it begins. As you develop your plan, keep the following considerations in mind.  

Mentoring and Coaching

Pair your best employees with the right mentors. Sometimes mentor relationships form organically, but it’s in a company’s best interest to structure the process as much as possible. Make sure mentors are carefully chosen, make sure they know exactly what their responsibilities will be, and make sure that mentor-mentee contact is scheduled, goals are set, and progress is documented. Individual attention from a mentor can speed training and make employees feel engaged and valued.

A Key Aspect of Retention: Investment

Remember that an employee-employer relationship moves two ways. On either side of the equation, the best way to gain respect is to give respect. And the best way to convince employees to invest in you is to actively invest in them. Counter the temptation of competing offers by cultivating employees, earning their good will, and demonstrating that you have their best interests in mind. Foster their career growth. Give them important and challenging tasks, and make sure you keep a close eye on the outcome. Encourage their continuing education and help them get the training they need to fulfill their goals.

Retention and Communication

Great managers tend to be excellent communicators, and great communication begins with open ears. Listen carefully to your employees and you’ll have a better understanding of what motivates them and how to earn their loyalty. If you have a top performer who wants to travel, consider placing her on an overseas account. If you have a great marketer who wants to move into research and development, see if you can find a way to make this happen. If you can help a motivated employee attain her goals, she’ll be less inclined to search for opportunity elsewhere. But you can only help her if you know what she’s looking for. Stay approachable and attentive, and maintain an open door and an open mind.  For additional help with your retention strategy, contact RPC today.

The term “Generation Y” usually refers to younger members of the workplace who were born between 1981 and 1990 and are now roughly between the ages of 20 and 30. These young men and women came of age as we moved from a pre-computer society to a society saturated by computers and arguably dependent on technology related to file manipulation and digital communication.  Many other aspects of our culture have also changed rapidly during the rise of Generation Y, and some sociologists and HR professionals see a connection between this changing culture and the forces that seem to influence and motivate twenty-somethings in the workplace.  

Bear in mind that generational distinctions, like any other assumed differences between broad categories of people, provide a vague framework that should only be used in an effort to bridge apparent obstacles to communication. Never assume that all young people share the same motivations, and recognize that presumptions based on stereotypes may be incorrect at best, and at worst may be damaging to both parties. 

That being said, young people in their twenties often have limited life and workplace experience. They also may have an unclear or inaccurate perception of their abilities when compared to those of their peers. Their ambitions and expectations are sometimes unrealistic, and they may overreact to minor episodes of failure and success.

Members of Generation Y may also be hesitant to take on high levels of responsibility without supervision. Often, young people of this generation were raised in very protected environments and were sheltered from experiences that may have led to physical or emotional harm. As a result, they may over or underestimate their capacity to tolerate difficulty, uncertainty, or change.

Members of this generation have also been taught to value fairness and to give equal respect to all regardless of differences. They expect the same in return and will often turn down advantages that have been distributed unfairly. They have a refined understanding of group and team dynamics and often perceive social and emotional undercurrents within groups far more acutely than members of older generations.

Younger workers often value praise from respected authority figures more than they value monetary rewards. But don’t assume they equate authority with respect. Their trust must be earned, usually through consistent, fair, and competent leadership. They are reluctant to respect a managerial style that comes off as bullying, incompetent, or presumptive. They tend to be flexible, open-minded thinkers and active listeners, and they appreciate leaders who share these qualities.  

For guidance and management tips on motivating younger workers, contact RPC. Our trained HR specialists can schedule a consultation to discuss your needs.

Securing a job offer in another state can be a great step for your career, and it may be easier than you expect if you make the right moves. But remember that the challenges of the long-distance job hunt are two-fold: You want to convince distant employers to invest in you, and you want to have all the facts you need before you invest in them.

On the employer’s side, long distance candidates can be a risk. Hiring you means bypassing other candidates who already have roots in the area and don’t have to be flown in for an interview. Local candidates are also less likely to experience changes of heart after an expensive hiring, training or relocation investment. So you’ll have to outshine the locals, and you’ll also have to convey a strong sense of dedication and a willingness to uproot your life for the company.

For your part, you’ll need to make sure you’re ready to follow through on a long distance job offer. Make sure you only apply for jobs in cities where you can see yourself living, and make sure you know what you’ll be getting in return for your sacrifices and moving expenses. Think a few moves ahead. Envision yourself living in this place and working at this job a year or two down the road and make sure you like what you see.

Polish Your Long Distance Job Search Skills

Employers who consider bringing you in from across the country, no matter the position or industry, will be looking for high levels of commitment and dedication. No employer wants to hire someone who will disappear again in a few months. And no employer wants to extend a job offer to a candidate who will probably turn it down. Make sure you know that this position is the one for you. Then polish up your long-distance interview skills. Work on your phone voice. Remember to smile and stand up during a phone interview, even if the interviewer can’t see you. And remember that you don’t have the advantage of facial expressions and gestures. Your persona will need to shine through via your voice alone. Get some professional training from a local staffing company if you need to.

Have a Strong Understanding of Both Your Needs and Your Limits

If you get the job offer, will you take it? Do you have a plan in place for your pets, your spouse, and your other current commitments? Are you ready to make new friends and go through the process of finding a new home? Are you ready to face adventure and the unknown? A long distance move is a big deal, no matter how many times you’ve done it before. Make sure you’re ready to get the most out of your experience. For help and guidance with the job search process, both local and global, contact the experts at RPC.

There are several advantages to selecting job applicants who are already employed. Likewise, targeting unemployed candidates can come with a few complications, but can also save you from a few potentially expensive problems. Before you decide on a preference between the two, understand the implications and considerations that come with each option.

Hiring Unemployed Candidates

When they’re out of work, candidates tend to be more affordable than the same individuals would be under different circumstances. Everybody needs to work, and nothing tilts the market in favor of an employer and drops the relative cost of an employee like joblessness. But if you choose to act on this tendency, remember: circumstances fluctuate, but talent is constant. If you underbid for a talented, out-of-work employee, you’ll still need to keep her happy. It won’t be long before another employer shows interest in her skills. Unemployed candidates also tend to be more likely to accept a position when it’s offered. But again, this doesn’t release you from the need to compete for top talent.

If there are any disadvantages to hiring an unemployed candidate, they may be easily revealed by a simple investigation of her work history. Unemployment obviously doesn’t always suggest poor performance, especially during the current economic climate. But sometimes it does. Before you hire any candidate– employed or unemployed– ask about her most recent position and check her references if necessary.

Hiring Candidates Who are Employed But Looking

On the positive side, employed candidates can appear to come already vetted. By this logic, an employee must be highly skilled, otherwise her current company would never have hired her. Right? Maybe. But maybe not. As with all important HR and management decisions, it’s rarely a good idea to take the lazy way out of an important decision. Complete your own vetting process, no matter how redundant it may seem.

Also, bear in mind that employed candidates who are actively looking are usually doing so for a reason. You may want to find out what isn’t working about her current situation. Can you offer an improvement? If not, she may continue searching even after she joins your company. Becoming an employee stepping stone can be an expensive mistake.

Finally, if you make a bid for an employed candidate, he may or may not accept. Be prepared to make a competitive offer, and don’t be surprised if he hesitates, rejects your offer, or accepts and then changes his mind. In either case, investing heavily in a new employee can come with significant risk and high potential reward, so you want to do whatever you can to make the right decision. For help with your complicated staffing problems, talk to the experts at RPC.