Why a Recruiter’s Job is so Rewarding
March 17, 2014No School Nurse is an Island
March 20, 2014[responsive]
[/responsive]I was asked if there are different aspects of customer service as it relates to a particular industry. My response was simple “Customer service is just that – customer service”.
Today’s hurry up pace invites us to brush someone off if they’re taking too long to make their point or if their request is just too much of a nuisance to fulfill.
In the competitive world of temporary and permanent staffing services, customer service is what distinguishes one company from another since we are all selling a similar service.
Customer service in this arena comes in two forms – the client and the temporary/perm worker. We have an obligation to both – simultaneously.
The Client:
Let’s begin with the client. The client calls with a staffing need which more times than not, is urgently needed. Our job is to spring into action to try to fill that need with the most appropriately qualified worker, in the least amount of time. In order to accomplish this, we must have a clear understanding of the client’s need. If not, our questions must be not only succinct but clearly and intelligently phrased to get the most information from the client while not causing undue concern that we might not know what we are doing. Once this has been accomplished, we must be diligent about keeping the client apprised of our efforts. In our business, a client kept waiting without information is a client who will call another agency the next time around. It’s critical to place a return call as soon as possible if the need is for the same day so the client knows we are serious about finding someone. If we are given more lead time for a future placement, then we should advise the client of our activities before the first day is over and then daily thereafter until the need is filled.
The Worker:
Since staffing is an equation, the other half of the formula is the worker, in our case the nurse. A considerable amount of time, effort and money is expended to recruit and retain the best nurses so that we have a healthy supply of workers to meet our clients’ needs. Nurses that join our company do so for many reasons, but primarily to work; it’s our job to keep them working! Since there is a limited pool of nurses in any given area, it is vital to our business to keep the nurses engaged in our company with meaningful assignments that are fairly close to their homes and pay a competitive rate. Equally important is the need to communicate on a regular basis with our nurses – especially those nurses who may not have worked for us recently. If they’re not working for Horizon, they are probably working for another agency. We need to pick up the phone and “touch base, check in” with our nurses, even if we don’t have anything at that precise moment. When nurses feel a connection with an employer, they are more likely to be loyal to that employer – translation – they will be there when we need them.
Excellent customer service is not a novel concept – it is the lifeblood of any successful organization. The more excellent the customer service, the more it is embedded into each employee, the greater the rewards for the company and all its employees.
4 Comments
Great job Rosemarie !
That was excellent writing and very informative Rosemarie. I am not a nurse or a recruiter but have been in the
customer service field for almost 15 years including my position at Horizon. Customer Service, although it sounds
vague in many ways, it’s certainly not as I can confirm. I happen to thoroughly enjoy being in this particular field.
In my previous job I had to keep customers apprised of their furniture orders from start until the time the furniture
was delivered. I had to accommodate customers from very patient to extremely difficult but all the time having to
calmly discuss the status of their orders.
My customer service job here at Horizon is based on the same premise but now I have to be very diplomatic get the
status of payment to us. (in other words collections). Most of the clients are very cooperative, others are not.
No matter what the situation I am able to somehow get status as I have built a positive relationship with the
accounting people, administrators, or Directors. We address each other on a first name basis and sometimes
even talk about the weather (just an example).
Lets face it…..who wants to give away their money, but it’s part of the process of day to day living, so friendly
reminders is part of this process. I happen to enjoy building a good repore with my clients.
One of the keys to good customer service is always have a smile on your face when conversing with someone
over the phone. It makes a world of difference.
Thank you Rosemarie, Customer Service is the only way to build and maintain a great relationship with a client, The opportunities which are presented will only flourish with excellent relationships and building customer support services. Ongoing follow up is required to acheive the goals you are seeking
This is how and why Horizon will seek excellence with day to day operations!
Nancy
This blog is so true. With all the competition out there , excellent customer service skills can put a company on the top rung of the ladder. I have worked in different industries over the years and every company I have worked for strived to have the best service. Employees need to remember when they pick up that phone they are representatives of their company. A good experience by the person on the other end can lead to more business. A bad experience can be negative for the company in general. When people have a good experience with a company, more than likely they don’t talk about it, but when it’s bad they feel it’s their job to spread the word. This is human nature. Strive to always be polite, helpful and if you don’t have an answer, try to find someone who does. Rosemarie hit the nail on the head with this blog!