September
2001
Customer loyalty scores were dropping. Market share was slipping. The company knew something had to change and called in the cavalry. In a year, customer loyalty measures increased from 40% to 76%. The workforce of CSRs and CSR management was reorganized to sustain these results, long after the cavalry went home. How did the company accomplish this turnaround?
The next few weeks and months may be the most challenging time in any manager's career, as employees cope with the horrific events of September 11. Companies that have done the best at managing difficult situations have used these strategies to keep employees engaged during turbulent times.
In sports it's often called chemistry: that blend of talent that makes a team able to accomplish the impossible. It's a balance that all managers want, whether they're coaching a baseball team, or leading a business initiative. Here are some strengths-based strategies for putting together a team that's more than the sum of its parts.
The room is roasting. The salmon order never arrived. That smell means something in the pan is burning. Before the night is through you will have sweated, altered the menu, and instructed employees. You may not have a show on the Food Network or a cookbook at Barnes & Noble, but according to The Gallup Organization, you have the talents that separate a great chef from a good one.
When it comes to big ideas about generating wealth in the information economy, it's time for a "show me" mentality to prevail -- as in "Show me the link between your idea and a predictable and reproducible outcome for my business."
In 1997, only 36% of U.S. Air Force pilots who had reached the end of their initial nine-year service commitment agreed to stay on -- far short of the organization's goal of 50%. When mentoring was targeted as a key process to enhance career development and communication, the Air Force turned to Gallup for help.
Many managers assume that friendships get in the way of work. But Gallup research suggests that having a best friend at work can turn a moderately engaged worker into a highly engaged one -- and highly engaged workers contribute more to the bottom line. What type of friendship most enhances a workplace?
The most valuable players on any team focus on the job at hand -- not on climbing the corporate ladder. Yet most companies tie raises, roomier offices and fancier titles to changes in job roles. To capitalize on employee talents, employers should make sure there is no trade-off between job satisfaction, suitable pay and workplace status.
Every year corporations spend millions of dollars attracting, training and retaining their employees, but few can quantify the return on their investment. But SAP Americas may have begun to crack the code. Using a new series of metrics designed by Gallup to identify the sources of turnover, SAP can test the revenue consequences of human capital investment options.
Your company hired its call center employees to make pitches, take orders, and provide technical support. While the best call center employees are on the phone creating and retaining loyal customers, in just ten seconds a poorly trained employee could lose you a client you've been courting for years.