CREATING A WORKPLACE OF CHOICE
By: Bobbi Sullivan
I n my last article, I outlined five traits associated with Workplace of Choice (WOC), the first being People Matter. No matter how strong your systems, you are truly only as good as your people implementing the systems and engaging the customer. When it comes to determining who to hire, generalizations like, “Hire attitude first, aptitude second.” are good rules-of-thumb. However, they give very little structured analysis of what temperament and skill set best fit which role in your business. This article outlines and defines some of the characteristics you should be looking for in Customer Service Representative (CSR)/ Dispatcher employees and some tools and tips to uncover those attributes. A great way to ‘test’ potential employees is to use a profiling tool. We chose the DISC Assessment because it is readily available, inexpensive, and easy to interpret. We then had a cross-section of Dwyer Group® franchisees give the DISC to their “best of the best” employees. Below are the results for CSR and Dispatcher. What Does DISC Stand For? • Dominance is your need for control and your source of ambition. Whenever you are feeling self-motivated you are using your “D” factor. • Influence is your need for communication and persuasion. Whenever you are feeling talkative, you are using your “I” factor. • Steadiness is your need for consistency and your source of thoughtfulness. When you go out of our way to help someone, you are using your “S” factor. • Compliance is your need for structure and your source of organization. When you become extremely focused on completing your tasks, you are using your “C” factor. CSR DISC Profiles Customer Service Representatives play a vital role in how the customer feels about your company. They need to be detailed and organized to not only make sure all of the customer information is captured, but also setup for effective use by the rest of the team. At the same time, they are the reason your customer feels at peace with your company and can stop the search after hanging up. The data shows that the “Steadiness” quotient is extremely important for this role. That is the ability to plan well and be
strategic. It also speaks to an ability to go out of one’s way to help someone. Also, ranking high was the “Compliance” quotient. This is the need for structure and the source of organization, useful for focusing and completing tasks. The “Influence” quotient was not conclusively linked to CSR success, but still plays a role in the effectiveness of the job done since it speaks to strong communication skills and a persuasive personality.
Dispatcher DISC Profiles A good dispatcher is vital for ensuring the office runs efficiently and effectively. Their value is in making sure communication and expectations with the customer and Field Professionals are clear and complete. Research shows that the “Steadiness”, “Compliance”, and the “Dominance” quotients are all important for effective facilitation of this role. Sometimes “Dominance” shows up substantially stronger than the others. That is a sign of a need for control and is the mark of a self-motivated person who is not okay with passivity. With “Compliance” and “Steadiness”, the Dispatcher demonstrates a healthy dose of organization, while at the same time being willing to go the extra mile to take care of customers or complete tasks. Interestingly enough, the “Influence” quotient was low across the board. High influencers are ‘life of the party’ people, often chatty and communicative. That doesn’t seem to indicate success in the dispatcher role. The complete “Workplace of Choice” booklet that was presented at conference in Las Vegas this year can be accessed on FranConnect > Library > Conference 2017 > Workplace of Choice. You’ll find additional information on DISC profiles for other positions within your business.
12 PIPELINE® | EDITION 1 2017
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