Put excellent customer service and top quality candidates first

April 27, 2009 by jerrybrenholz
Filed under: Jerry Brenholz, Service, Staffing

jerryblogpicture-150x150 Last week I took part in the webinar on the topic of Staffing Industry Trends and Outlook in light of the current economy. It was presented by the Staffing Industry Analysts (SIA).

It was an exclusive event for the Corporate Members of the SIA with a video presentation showing and overview of staffing trends based on their recent study. It was designed to help boost the staffing business. There was really no news there. The economy is on a slump, the industry as a whole is taking a beating. But one slide stood out during the presentation: “Staffing Firm Top Priorities.”

The highest priority were:
• Growing revenue
• Expending/diversifying clients

We all want to grow our revenue and expand our client base. But what I found astonishing was that on the very BOTTOM of priorities were:
• Recruiting quality candidates
• Excellent customer service.

What a shocker. What a shame to the staffing industry. I don’t know how anyone can expect to grow revenue or expand their client base without giving the highest priority to customer service, retaining top performing internal staff or recruiting quality candidates. I strongly believe that in the current economic environment it is more critical than ever for staffing firms to realize that revenue growth and an expanded client base only comes when the focus is on excellent customer service, an excellent internal staff and top quality candidates.

In fact it does not matter what the current economic outlook is, no company can allow — even momentarily – itself to neglect efforts to keep its key staff. Even in the current economical climate most professionals have many different options whether or not to remain with an organization. As business conditions become tougher every single day and the economic recovery is nowhere insight it is absolutely critical to maintain our core values and preserve the corporate culture the way we treat, value and trust our employees.

I am baffled how customer service is not at the highest priority. In a fiercely competitive market, excellent customer service is what differentiates high quality companies from the mediocre organizations. First rate customer service encompasses a steady commitment to learning what the customers’ needs and wants are, in addition to developing action plans that implement customer welcoming processes.
As the labor market continues to weaken and we see increased layoffs across many organizations, we have a golden opportunity to attract high-quality job applicants. Attracting and recruiting quality candidates should always be the primary goal for any organization that prides itself with a high degree of excellence. Companies need and will always want quality candidates, not just quantity. In spite of the current economic slump there is still a shortage of qualified people available. This is due to the rapid transformation in technology and business environment in general. Consequently, companies look to attract employees with knowledge, skills, and experience who can quickly adapt to changes and prosper as the markets turn around.

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Comments

2 Comments on Put excellent customer service and top quality candidates first

Jason Lander on Mon, 27th Apr 2009 9:00 pm

Great post. I too was on this call and had the exact same conclusion. Good to know there are companies out there who are still focusing on the important things like customer service and good candidates. I wrote a similar post here: http://www.staffingrobot.com/staffingrobot/2009/04/employees-and-loyal-customers-standing-in-the-way-of-your-new-revenue.html

Jerry Brenholz on Wed, 29th Apr 2009 3:18 pm