Match employees to target customers

Every business interaction is ultimately between two people – an employee and customer, or the employee who designs the customer interface and that customer. Most high-performance business relationships are heavily influenced by emotional compatibility.

Therefore, the employee selection process should begin with carefully selecting employees who will first best match the targeted customers, then the company. Although we lack understanding of the emotional state of the customer at the beginning of an interaction, it is possible to hire for and then match emotional predispositions of employees, e.g. sales, service to particular customers. This entails matching employee human attributes with customer human attributes. After a firm segments their customers by human need, it can then match the emotional attributes of employees to emotional attributes of customers. One of the ways to accomplish this is through applying classic personality typing during employee screening. The firm can then hire ‘‘personalities’’ who best match how the firm delivers its value to a certain segment of customers.

When employee and customer human attributes are not matched, it is stressful to the employee and increases the chance that the customer will not be satisfied. In many cases, management will end up chastising the employee for apparent performance shortcomings when in fact it is simply a mismatch of emotional attributes between employee and customer. Matching can be accomplished by creating customer needs profiles and employee needs profiles for particular customer ‘‘need’’ segments and employee roles respectively. The critical component of matching employee to customer is the first focus on what emotional end state the customer desires; next is hiring employees whose natural ability is to create such an end state. This goes far beyond the conventional job description of roles and tasks. When customer/employee emotional matching is embedded into core hiring practices, not only does customer and employee fulfillment increase but so does employee efficiency and effectiveness.

Ultimately, employees’ ability to fulfill customers is determined by their inherent human characteristics. Below is a comparative table of people with high self-esteem versus low self-esteem illustrating this principle.

Match employee values to business values

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In order for a firm to achieve its cultural and value objectives, it is critical to hire employees with a personal value system consistent with the firm’s cultural and value objectives. From the employee’s perspective, if the firm’s culture (value system) is out of sync with the person an employee believes himself or herself to be, the employee will be less effective, less productive, and less committed. In addition, the firm will be creating undue stress and possible emotional damage to its employees as human beings. More specifically, if the firm’s objective is to deliver humane and kind service to its customers, employees who are treated in the same fashion will be more likely to create this environment for customers.

The people who happen to be working as an associate for some business do not go through a miraculous transformation when they walk through the doors of that business. They are the same human being they always were. Employee stress arises when associates are hired because of their personality of wanting to please customers and yet the business has many restrictions that inhibit their ability to please customers. If an associate is empowered to please their customers, they will be a happier and a more content associate.

Leader’s Promise to Employees

I’ll ACKNOWLEDGE you – recognize your worth

I’ll be ACCOMMODATING – change things for your needs

I’ll be ACCOUNTABLE – take ownership of my decisions and their outcome

I’ll be COMMUNICATIVE – openly exchange ideas/information with you

I’ll be CONSIDERATE – think of you first

I’ll be COURAGEOUS – bold and tenacious, even when it’s tough

I’ll be EMPATHETIC – sensitive to your feelings

I’ll be ETHICAL – do what is right

I’ll be FAIR – balance your needs with others

I’ll be FLEXIBLE – open to alternatives

I’ll be GENEROUS – give more than expected

I’ll be HONEST – tell the truth

I’ll have HUMILITY – give credit and avoid self-importance

I’ll be INSPIRING – provide enthusiasm toward a goal

I’ll be LOYAL – always there for you

I’ll be PERSONABLE – easy to be with

I’ll be RESPECTFUL – recognize your dignity as a person

I’ll be SUPPORTIVE – provide help and remove barriers

I’ll be TOLERANT – accept you without judgment and forgive mistakes

I’ll be TRUSTING – believe in you

I’ll be TRUSTWORTHY – do what I say and what needs to be done

Source : Costumers are People, The Human touch. John Mckean 2002

Human Capital Perspective (Present View)

1. Human capital expenditures are viewed as a source of value.
2. The HR function is perceived as a strategic partner.
3. Top executives are increasingly involved in allocating HR budget.
4. Human capital metrics focus on results.
5. Top executives are involved in the design and use of metrics.
6. The use of ROI has become an important. tool to understand the cause-and-effect relationships.
7. Human capital measurement focuses on the data needed.
8. Human capital measurement is based on what is needed in the organization.
9. HR programs are linked to specific business needs before implementation.
10. Overall reporting on human capital programs and projects is output focused.

Source : Investing in your company’s human capital : strategies to avoid spending too little—or too much .Jack J. Phillips.2005

Human Capital Perspective (Traditional View)

1. Human capital expenses are considered costs.
2. The HR function is perceived as a support staff.
3. HR is involved in setting the HR budget.
4. Human capital metrics focus on cost and activities.
5. Human capital metrics are created and maintained by HR alone.
6. There is little effort to understand the return on investment in human capital
7. Human capital measurement focuses on the data at hand
8. Human capital measurement is based on what GE and IBM are measuring.
9. HR programs are initiated without a business need connected to them.
10. Overall reporting on human capital programs and projects is input focused.

Source : Investing in your company’s human capital : strategies to avoid spending too little—or too much .Jack J. Phillips.2005