Recruiting and fostering dynamic CSRs even in rural America! (3 easy steps)

Website design By BotEap.comIf there’s one resounding challenge I hear when I visit agency managers, it’s that they’re struggling to hire and keep staff. I have an approach that I believe can enable anyone to hire not just someone, but someone dynamic, regardless of the job they’re hiring for or where their company is located. I will elaborate some of my theory behind this in the 3 step schematic.

Website design By BotEap.comYou need people and people are everywhere. It sounds simple, even ridiculously obvious, but don’t give up on me just yet. Let me elaborate. I believe that the way we staff our companies needs to adapt to embrace the many changes influencing life as we know it today. The tried and true standard for finding employees would be to post the position or contact a recruiter, which anyone reading this is probably already pretty good at, so my suggestion is to perhaps round out your hiring process with an alternative approach. And this technique starts with the recognition that you meet potential employees every day, because you have to interact with people every day. Why not slow down and engage with a few of these people long enough to gauge the potential value?

Website design By BotEap.comLet me break it down into steps and examples:

Website design By BotEap.com1. Define what you want in your next CSR. Sounds simple again right? I suggest you spend a little more time on this particular step, as it will not only help you find who you are looking for, but it will also help you foster the growth of your already established staff. Think about who would be the best customer service representative within your agency and then grab a notepad (some old school practices are still my favorites) and write down what attributes or skills you want your potential CSR to have and then rank them according to its importance. , I have created a very simplified example below to use when explaining this concept:

Website design By BotEap.com1 honesty
2 Positive attitude
3 Utility
4 problem solver
5 Notice
6 licensed
7 Previous insurance experience
8 Respectful
9 fast learning
10 adaptable
11 professional appearance

Website design By BotEap.comDefining your idea of ​​what you are looking for is half the battle. If you take your time and really think about this step, it will not only help you find an employee, but it will also help you restructure your approach and expectations of your current staff. Write it. Seriously, this is key.

Website design By BotEap.com2. Realize that the people you meet every day are your potential employees. Now that you have defined the position you are looking to fill, the fun begins. Yes, I said fun. Why does this process have to be tedious? You are looking to bring a person into your workplace with whom you will spend a significant amount of energy and time. Shouldn’t you enjoy the process of meeting people? I hope you will. Even those of you who don’t love meeting new people can certainly recognize the importance of the process I’m explaining in this article.

Website design By BotEap.comYou meet people every day and these are your potential employees. When you run errands, buy groceries, go out to eat, go to the movies, attend social events, or go to church. You meet people and if you start looking at them in a different way you can start a preliminary interview of a possible new employee. Here is an example:

Website design By BotEap.comLet’s say you’re at a restaurant with a group of friends, your server is clearly in a bad spot because the restaurant is full and they’re short on 2 employees. Still the experience is not horrible because of the way the waiter handles the situation. He maybe he communicates clearly, he gives you a snack to keep you satisfied until the food arrives, he puts down the pitcher of water and maintains a good attitude despite the difficult circumstance he finds himself in because his co-workers don’t know. they presented. In this example, his potential employee has just shown him that he has a good attitude, that he’s adaptable, and also a good problem solver…three of the items on your list (maybe four if his appearance is acceptable) . This person might be worth talking about a bit more. Dining at an understaffed restaurant could have given you a potential CSR. Seriously, this really is that easy. Is there a super-friendly assistant at the dry cleaner who you always look forward to seeing when he drops off his clothes? Why? What attributes does this person have that could make them a good employee for you? Think of all the interactions you had last week during your daily errands. You can probably recognize some examples even now.

Website design By BotEap.comThe other wonderful part of this approach is that you can figuratively dip your toes in the water without jumping. You can engage this person in a conversation, ask him a few questions, and see if perhaps he employs even more qualities than he is looking for. If you like what they hear, ask them to visit your office and see if they might be interested in working with you. Not everyone will be a perfect match or interested. This is the equivalent of posting an ad, but your chances are much better to find the right one for your office.

Website design By BotEap.com3. Clearly define your expectations in the role of the new employee. Fast Forward: Assuming you have successfully gone through steps one and two and have now hired a new CSR, the process is not complete. It is equally important to structure the initial phase of bringing someone into a new work environment to ensure that both of you communicate well. Clearly define your expectations within the new hire’s role and let them know what is most important to you and how they can meet your expectations. Commit to a specific time frame in which you will participate in new hire training in daily, weekly and monthly increments and make it a priority. Encourage feedback so the new hire can quickly feel a part of the new company by engaging in constructive conversations with you and/or their supervisors. Lastly, always have a list of what defines the ultimate CSR on hand and continually guide your employees to improve in that role. Enroll them in classes, conduct training, give constructive criticism, encourage them, and reward good behavior.

Website design By BotEap.comIn a nutshell, for you to have employees who truly follow your company and your expectations, you must clearly define them and communicate them effectively and frequently.

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