SOCIALIZATION | Recruiting, Inducting and Socializing New Employees

It may appear a little unusual that organizations invest significant amounts of time and money recruiting and selecting employees for highly routinized systematic work that they may leave after a relatively short period of time. The main reason for this is that even a highly structured work environment does not guarantee a good quality of service. For this to be achieved it is necessary to socialize all employees and develop a culture of customer service and discretionary effort.

During induction much of the time is spent developing an understanding of systems, products, etc. It is also used to develop values and norms that represent the organization. This is o en done by story telling and recounting events, eg where an adviser went out of her way to solve a problem for a customer that was much more than would be expected. These norms and values are o en printed on cards and given to advisers as well as being printed onto posters and placed on walls throughout the workplace.

Developing a positive ownership of corporate values is sometimes encouraged by specific workshops, eg Servo had a two-day workshop called the Servo Challenge. It had a popularist theme; a welcoming video message from the CEO, and a song: ‘One Team One Goal’. Motivational sessions such as these can buoy up delegates and inspire them to own the corporate values. One employee described how working for Servo was ‘an extreme privilege and only a select few would receive such an opportunity’.

Approaches such as these motivational sessions can have a very positive effect on motivation and morale. However, they are not enough if they are just isolated events, and if this ‘hype’ is not backed up by matching actions in the workplace there will be a disconnect. Employees uplifted by the motivational training and speeches may well return rapidly to earth if the rest of their work experience does not match the training event.

These motivational sessions need to be carefully orchestrated so that they represent reality and appeal to a wide audience. It can be quite easy to disenchant employees if the event is interpreted as superficial or just an import from a culturally distant headquarters. One employee stated that the Servo Challenge was:

A mass brainwashing session where new employees are blinded by the hype that is Servo. Servo was portrayed as a non-conflict company where nobody had differences with each other and all problems could be resolved through discussion. Employees were filled with extravagant hype and expectations of their future with the company. 

In reality, most employees are aware of the nature of these motivational events and evaluate them carefully. While they may feel some of the style is excessive, few have problems with the idea that good customer service is key to success.

Developing a shared identity and values, and encouraging a sociable atmosphere encourages employees to work towards organizational objectives. It also encourages them to ‘walk the extra mile’ with the customer and deliver a service beyond expectations. It is clear that, ‘Organizations that depend on the decision making of employees are likely to pay more attention to their hearts and minds’.

RECRUITMENT AND INDUCTION AT PRUDENTIAL ASSURANCE COMPANY

Colin Mackay, CCA

Prudential pre-recruits for anticipated turnover in groups of around 12. It uses an internet recruitment agency followed by telephone screening by the Human Resource department against a set of criteria identified by the training team. These criteria are based on the anticipated skill set, and potential employees are called in for interview, usually in groups of six. A minimum educational requirement has been introduced at six GCSEs or O-levels standard, including maths and English. The job is explained in detail and during the interview seven key behaviours are looked for including: empathy, relationship building, professionalism and the ability to close. Tests based on a complaint, a death notification, a complex message and dealing with a chatty caller give candidates the opportunity to display the required skills. The current success rate is one in three from these criteria-based assessments.

There are a wide range of employee characteristics within the centre with the full spectrum of age, ethnicity and education levels. The bulk of call handlers are female, most commonly in their early 20s. Prudential prefers employees to have some commercial experience. It is also ready to overcome the challenges of physical disability in applicants who meet its criteria. Examples include hearing impairment dealt with by headset modification; an eye condition requiring an increased font and reduced lighting; and a stroke victim left sensitive to light requiring reduced lighting arrangements.

The contact centre is perceived to be a potential entry point for the rest of the organization since all vacancies are advertised internally. The culture, however, is one of long-term career development in which the centre is not perceived as a temporary role. Contracts are flexible and there is a mix of full- and part-time staff with attrition around 10 per cent, much of which is internal.

New employees enter a 60-day induction programme that delivers product and telephone techniques prior to entry into a training team. This allows further development with monthly training sessions in a safer environment where performance improvement is developed and supported through set targets for accuracy and quality.

The first six days of induction deal with issues common to all new employees including how the Prudential works, health and safety issues and a specific introduction to the contact centre. The final period in this induction introduces the new employee to 4front, which is the front-end system tying together the various legacy systems holding customer and product information. The next 30 days deal with product information on life, funds and pensions products and the complex terminologies used in these areas. The last few days on induction deal with common generic enquiries and preparation for taking calls, including basic call handling skills and dealing with complaints.

The last few days in the initial induction period allow a move to a ‘warm’ site where calls from real customers are taken supported by on-floor coaching support. Stage two of the induction period consists of highly supported and coached involvement within the front line customer-facing environment for a period of up to 18 days.

The final stage in the development of Prudential ‘Premier Advisers’ involves working within a training team for up to six months. During this period key performance indicators on accuracy and quality are regularly measured and, before release, call handlers are expected to have moved to a minimum accuracy level of more than 95 per cent and quality responses of 95 to 98 per cent. Achieving these measures allows release into the full development stream. There are also sections requiring specialist knowledge and skills and these are a progression option for call centre staff since all vacancies are advertised internally.