Friday, May 23, 2014

10 Admirable Attributes Of A Great Employee (Infographic)

By Jeff Fermin, Published April 15, 2014

What makes a great employee?
We often post about how to improve current styles of management, but company culture and employee engagement is a two sided gig.
Employees need to be performing awesomely in order to have a amazing culture within their office, and, more importantly, so an organization can become even more successful.

There are certain traits that go with being a great employee and we’ve take the time to bring it down to ten. So here are the 10 Admirable Attributes Of A Great Employee.

10 Admirable Attributes Of A Great Employee (Infographic) image infographic great employee

1. Ambitious

A great employee will always be ambitious and want to not only improve the company, but themselves as individuals as well.
Having ambition means that you have drive to succeed and are willing to do whatever it takes to accomplish your goals. So bringing that mentality in the workplace will benefit the company greatly.
Ambitious people often tend to be leaders in their workplace.

2. Autonomous

Having employee autonomy within offices give employees the freedom to work on their project and gives them the opportunity to confirm assumptions that they may have.
I think having integrity goes hand-in-hand with being autonomous.
A great employee will be responsible enough to handle autonomy and make the right decisions improve their work.
More importantly, an autonomous employee will be able to manage their time well enough to complete monster tasks quickly and be more productive.

3. Humble

We’ve all heard the famous quote, “humility is the key to success.”
That quote is even more real within the workplace. There is no room for arrogance within a great workplace.
Sure, there will always be a mix of characters in any workplace, but there’s no room for people who aren’t humble and will likely ruffle feathers whenever they communicate with others.

4. Passionate

What’s more amazing than having an employee that is passionate about their work?
Without passion there’s no real reason to go to work.
A great employee is passionate about going to work and loves being around their colleagues and making them better.
So if you’re having a bit of trouble finding passion in your work. Consider asking for new challenges that will rekindle the flame and have you fall in love with your job again.

5. Confident

A great employee needs to be confident in their work and on their influence on the office.
Believe it or not, it’s up to the office’s culture to really determine how confident an employee can get.
So create an inspiring that motivates and inspires people. So they can be confident and be able to perform better at work.

6. Honest

An honest employee allows the work environment to be loose and doesn’t leave any room for drama.
Honesty goes hand in hand with transparency!
An honest employee is going to be transparent and let people know what’s going on at all times. And remember, being transparent in the workplace will only make better the office’s culture and allow people to feel good within the office walls.

7. Creative

Creatives are being sought after now, more than ever!
We are entering a new workforce where people need great ideas to thrive and grow businesses.
Get your creative juices flowing by trying new things and breaking mundaneness and the redundancy of your daily routine. Change it up and continually try new things to make your days more productive.

8. Reliable

This one is pretty easy to guess, but reliable people usually make great employees.
They are people who are accountable and can be entrusted with tasks. They’ll also help with the synergy in the office and make it easier for managers to delegate tasks.
It’s no surprise that the reliable ones tend to be the overachievers, for the mere fact that they get things done.

9. Eager

I think the word eager may sound negative, but here it’s being used to describe an employee as someone who is striving for greatness.
This trait has a lot to do with being ambitious and wanting to succeed.
So if you can, go into your workplace eager to learn new things and want to try new concepts that will better your workflow.

10. Positive

This one might be the most important trait of them all!
It’s important to be surrounded by positivity. Great employees have the ability to positively influence all those around them and make sure that they can perform great as well.
Being positive is a mindset that will not only improve interpersonal relationships at the office, but also allow you to work optimally.

Do You Like The Traits Of A Great Employee?

Do you think we’ve missed out on any traits? What do you think makes a great employee? Let us know in the comments below!

Busted: 5 Common Myths Of Customer Service

By Adele Halsall | May 22, 2014

Featured: Design the Perfect Website Launch

There are dozens of misconceptions about working in customer service commonly assumed by businesses. Whether a fresh young start-up or established conglomerate, mistakes like limited thinking or an overemphasis on one particular aspect of a customer strategy has the potential to weaken a business from the inside. And it’s amazing how many companies continue to make the same mistakes, resting on the appeal of their renowned brand name whilst they fail to address gaps in their service structure.
It’s easy for larger companies to fall into bad habits and stagnant practices over time, but smaller companies should be aware of these common pitfalls from the start, and take necessary measures to avoid them.

1. 'So long as customer needs are met, we’ve done our job well'

Supplying the customer with what they asked for is one thing, but in reality it’s only half of the service. To build a real customer experience, it is all about how you make the customer feel — from the moment they become acquainted with your company, to the last interaction you have with them.

This includes everything from their surroundings and environment, your employees’ tone of voice, extra facilities, availability, the speed of service and so on. Everything about the customer’s experience must be as close to perfect as possible (and yes, if something goes wrong, you can indeed still achieve this).
It is not enough to simply satisfy a customer’s primary request. The customer experience is made up of tons of micro-interactions that all influence how that person will see your brand. In short … it really is the little things that matter.

2. 'Few customer complaints means our service is satisfactory'

A low number of complaints can be hazardous for a company. If customers aren’t complaining to you, they are most likely telling others about their bad experience. Encouraging your customers to complain enables you to direct and monitor this negative feedback — not only catching it at the source, but using it to make your business better. Customer complaints are the only real way to enhance and expand your services and move your business forward. Otherwise you are operating in the dark.
According to a blog post by Amanda Nelson, former manager of content for Salesforce, less than 25 percent of customers complain when they have an issue, and 70 - 90 percent don’t bother. Therefore, let your customers know you welcome their thoughts by getting in touch after they make a purchase to find out about their experience, then again a month or so later to check that the product is still performing well. Social media is also a great way to engage with new customers — don’t wait for negative mentions or hashtags.

3. 'Marketing and advertising is most important when trying to increase our customer base'

The cheapest and fastest way to grow any business is undoubtedly to take care of the customers you already have, rather than invest large amounts of money in acquiring new ones. According to the folks at Spoken Communications blog, it costs 6 to 7 times more to acquire a new customer than retain an existing one. Continuously acquiring new customers to replace the ones that might leave simply plugs gaps in your business, and does not lead to sustained growth. Positive customer appraisal will spread quickly and attract more like-minded customers who you can call your own.
Take extra measures to ensure your current customers feel respected and valued by your company. Don’t gush over new customers by offering exclusive deals, offer the same perks to your entire customer base instead. Reward long term customers with add ons and discounts that increase with value the longer they have been a customer, or offer a free gift when they have made a certain number of purchases.
It’s inevitable that a company will lose customers, but rather than taking an ‘out with the old, in with the new’ approach, consider approaching those who haven’t returned in the last six months or so to try and find out why they haven’t been back in a while. Make it a friendly, non-invasive enquiry (you could even use a short multiple-choice survey) and avoid any heavy promotions (though a welcome-back discount is a nice touch).

4. 'Our company must have a presence on every social media channel for the best effect'

In an ideal world, every brand would have a presence on every popular social media channel, and would enjoy significant levels of engagement from these. But in the real world, it’s unlikely you’ll be able to handle them all at once.

Social Customer Service Pt.2: What Customers Expect From Brands

Customer Experience

By Donné Torr, Published May 21, 2014

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The relationship between consumers and brands has completely shifted with the onset of social media. Not only are consumers online and actively engaging with brands, but in a recent study done by the CMO Council, they found that there is a profound difference between what consumers want from brands in social media, and what marketers think they want. As a result, it is often difficult for brands to know exactly what to do when building their social media customer service strategy.
In our current marketplace, the following 3 points can help brands gain insight on what their consumers expect:

Consumers have a voice and they expect to be heard
Consumers are online so they assume brands are, too
Consumers reach out because brands are supposed to be experts

What customers expect from brands

Consumers have a voice and they expect to be heard

Customer service used to take place behind closed doors. Social media has taken these conversations and turned them public. Similar to a megaphone, consumers that air their grievances now do so in a public sphere to a mass audience. This means that brands can use this as an opportunity to not only help their customer, but also turn the experience into something very positive.
See every complaint as a golden opportunity and treat every single customer like they are your biggest.Treat every single consumer as if they’re your most important, be proactive, and ask for feedback. Use social media to help you be more active in your customer outreach so you can gain insight on what your consumers are saying about your product and their pain points.
2. Consumers are online so they assume brands are too

Take advantage of the fact that your consumers are online and meet them halfway. Be available and be everywhere. If a consumer has taken the time to seek out your brand out on a social channel, ensure that your brand responds in a timely fashion. The longer your customer has to wait, the more frustrating their experience is. Likewise, it’s paramount that you proactively search out where your customers are and be there so they can reach you as quickly as possible.

“According to a recent Nielsen survey, more than half of all U.S. consumers now turn to social media to air questions and complaints about products and services. Acting immediately with honesty and transparency, and ensuring all employees are versed in social media, can help brands start turning potential PR disasters into golden opportunities.” Ryan Holmes, CEO, HootSuite

3. Consumers expect your brand to be experts
First of all, consumers are constantly moving between different digital mediums. Whether it’s on Facebook, Twitter, or a brand’s customer service help desk, they expect a brand to be on top of everything. Consumers don’t want to have to repeat themselves, backtrack, or wait for companies to compile all of a consumer’s previous customer service calls.
Know your product, inside out. When a consumer reaches out, insure your customer service team truly understands the product being sold. To be able to effectively help a consumer, brands need to fully understand where they are coming from and what their experience is like using a product. You can also use these moments to share product updates and resources beyond the services being sold. This type of social customer service gives consumers a meaningful experience, and hopefully builds deeper relationships.
Today, consumers are more empowered than ever before. They expect better customer service, real time communication, and consistency. To better understand the importance of fulfilling these customer demands, and to learn more about social customer service, download our white paper Social Customer Service: The Future of Customer Satisfaction.

Author: Donné Torr

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All about Gold

“Here’s to the crazy ones “Here’s to the crazy ones, the misfits, the rebels, the troublemakers, the round pegs in the square holes… the ones who see things differently — they’re not fond of rules… You can quote them, disagree with them, glorify or vilify them, but the only thing you can’t do is ignore them because they change things… they push the human race forward, and while some may see them as the crazy ones, we see genius. Because the ones who are crazy enough to think that they can change the world, are the ones who do.” Steve Jobs