Almost every training organisation in the world has used the phrase above to impress upon training managers and organisations on the need to ensure that staff are regularly trained and retrained. So much so it almost starts to seem like a sales pitch, complete with the consequences of not making a purchase. But it’s as correct today as it has always been. Unfortunately, small and medium scale businesses do not see the value of such a time-wasting intangible like training for staff. For them, it’s impressive enough that they even spend on staff in terms of welfare and salaries. Some hours off spent in a classroom; that’s definitely not something that sounds appetizing enough to sink more funds into.
There is no doubt that SMEs are massive employers of labour in all sectors. A fact they do not get enough credit for quite frankly. While running business in an incredibly difficult economy, coupled with unfavourable policies and a generally unforgiving environment, I have had the pleasure of meeting exceptional business owners who treat their staff with more respect and attention than some multinationals.
The challenge is that for exceptional growth as an SME, service and experience are factors that cannot be ignored. A smart business owner knows this. The challenge is actually imparting the same level of importance on staff. Generally, staff of companies has a detachment to the business itself and are there for understandable selfish reasons. First on the list of reasons being their remuneration and other benefits that come directly to them. Courtesy is implied at the point of hiring, especially for customer facing staff. But there is a further need to buttress this time and time again, and to show the link between great experiences and productivity.
Read also: An enabled workplace The future of work
Many organisations have made millions because of the right staff saying the right things to the right person. Many have also lost millions due to a wrong interaction. While employing the services of a trainer or training firm might seem like a lot of money, the resultant consequences of not hiring one can be dire. For a cash-strapped organisation, owner can look into self-training from free courses on the internet via sites like Edx, Coursera or Udemy, and then cascade to staff. For members of staff that are more educated, look into registering them for same free courses and getting their feedback on learnings in form of reports or policy and standard improvements.
Most importantly, draw a simplistic link between the levels of service offered and profitability of the company. If service is bad, customers will not return. Worse still, they will share their horrible experience with at least 8 – 10 people. If the customer doesn’t return and then dissuades others from coming, it’s a chain of events that spell doom for the situation of the company. Bad service also serves as a PR disaster for a company as reputation is everything, regardless of the industry.
Staff can elevate your business when you hire right. That elevation can double or even triple if you invest in them and do not expect that the skills and attributes you hired them with will stay same, months or years later. Training is not a luxury anymore. In this new normal, service is what will stand you out amongst a sea of competitors. Investing in your staff ensures that you show your organisation as forward thinking and competent enough to handle the needs of your new and existing customers.
Oluchi Okafor is a customer experience consultant and has trained and consulted for over 100 SMEs on how to improve their processes, retain happier customers and deliver great experiences every time. She is also the General Manager at Multimix Academy, Nigeria’s foremost supply chain management institute.
