The conversation in most offices has shifted from local politics to… well, global politics; from local economics to, you guessed it… global economics; from local sports to global games. And, at the heart of much of this shift is a growing desire within each person for a deeper human connection and more meaningful communication in the workplace and beyond. This article explores the delicate and meaningful connection between HR outsourcing and customer service.
Gone are the days when it was expected that employees would leave their personal lives and expressions of opinion at the door. In fact, those days expired long ago with the advent of social media. In that shift, your personal life was no longer able to be separated from your work. It quickly became impossible to segment your life into friends/family/work play. Instead, as social technologies permeate, you are now invited to become fully self-expressed, integrate your work and your social life, and to share your perspective and opinion on a global ethereal stage. And with that, the acceleration of the social globalization of human society is now “off to the races” as they say.
Just this past week, you’ve been drenched in a social media maelstrom about United Airlines, North Korea, Trump’s taxes, a renewed nuclear arms race and so much more. Somewhere in there, your work is getting done, colleagues are focused on the task at hand and customers are showing up, buying your products, and drawing upon your services.
In fact, beyond the commercial transactions, people are beginning to fundamentally connect in ways that are somehow deeper and more compassionate than ever before. Research has shown that when fear becomes present, people will instinctually turn to another person for comfort and connection. And, in the absence of another person, “When consumers are scared, they will reach out to an available brand for comfort,” study authors Lea Dunn and JoAndrea Hoegg write. “In this act of reaching out to share the experience, brands help relieve a consumer’s sense of fear. In turn, this shared experience leads to stronger emotional attachment.”
So, how does the recent dramatic shift in social media fervor and the compounding effect of an expanding self-expression affect the customer experience? How can you leverage the growing desire for connection and meaning, and what does outsourced HR have to do with any of this?
I’ve noticed a palpable and encouraging distinction in the culture within organizations, and the resulting customer experience, that intentionally extends their ecosystem beyond the traditional organization constraints. Organizations that deliberately outsource some, or all, of their infrastructural functions such as Human Resources, Marketing, and IT, consistently deliver higher client retention scores and customer satisfaction ratings that their industry average.
So why is that? Specific to Human Resources, throughout the business world, HR departments are focusing their efforts on improving customer satisfaction. They’re using HR activities – hiring, training, coaching, and evaluation programs — to give employees the necessary, best in class, tools and support they need to develop and nurture positive, lasting relationships with clients.
And so, what is the connection? A deepening desire to relate to clients has led to a drive to ensure that employees have access to the most current tools and methods of communicating that will fuel those relationships. Companies are quickly coming to realize that they can accelerate their employees’ effectiveness and thus their customer engagement by capitalizing on the diversity provided by an outsourced HR team.
And that means that agile companies are rapidly taking advantage of the depth and breadth of experience that outsourced HR organizations offer. By definition, your outsourced HR team will have exposure to a broad range of companies, industries, geographies, company stages, and employee profiles. By bringing this wealth of knowledge into your organization, both you and your employees are instantly given access to resources that you would not have otherwise secured. As a result, your culture can quickly be differentiated and begin to reflect the diversity and richness of character that attracts and retains your customers for the long term.
Customer service begins and ends with the depth and fertility of human connection and relationships. Outsourcing HR delivers access to an expanding wellspring of knowledge, tools and resources that will continually enrich your culture and ultimately help your employees to deliver upon your customer experience goals.
For guidance regarding Outsourcing HR, Strategic Planning, Performance Management, Employee Relations, Leadership and Executive Coaching and Development, and all things “HR”, The Pendolino Group is here to support you and your team.
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