Welcome to the December 8, 2004 issue of The Total View

Your resource for cutting-edge news, tips, and tools to help you hire, manage, and motivate top-performing employees.

If you are receiving this issue as a forward, and want your own subscription, visit
http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-t.pl?l=11&c=614

=============================
In This Issue
=============================
1. Why Customers Rant or Rave - It May Be DISC Style.
2. Perfect Labor Storm Alerts #301 to #305.
3. Are You Wasting Too Much of Your Valuable Time Sorting Through Resumes?
4. Background Checks -- Simple, Secure, and Affordable.
5. Checklist for Handling a Disciplinary Situation.
6. FirstView Job Fit Indicator Screens Candidates: Quick, Easy and Cost Effective.
7. Test Your Interviewing I.Q.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The Total View is written and published each Wednesday by Ira S. Wolfe, founder of Success Performance Solutions. (Yes, Ira writes every article, every week!) and is distributed with permission by The Chrysalis Corporation.

Ira S. Wolfe 2004 - All Rights Reserved. Reprints and other distribution by permission only.

To learn more about The Chrysalis Corporation or to read back issues of The Total View, visit our web site at
http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-t.pl?l=12&c=614

=============================
1. Why Customers Rant or Rave - It May Be DISC Style.
=============================

Black Friday came and went. Shoppers perused merchandise to the steady sound of cha-ching as harried clerks rang up purchases. Most people are pleased with their decisions. Others are not. Tell me. Will your customers rant or rave about your service?

Last week, you learned through this column that 73 percent of Americans with a product or service problem are extremely upset with how companies handle serious complaints. Customer Care Alliance, the survey publisher, dubs this unfavorable response “customer rage”.

What would turn these enraged people into satisfied customers? Curiously, it’s not a “freebee” or some other form of compensation. First and foremost, dissatisfied customers want a flawed product to be repaired, serviced or replaced. Then, 78 percent of these customers want to know why the problem occurred; with an equal percentage seeking assurance that there problem won’t reoccur. More than half of complaining customers need to vent their dissatisfaction and believe an apology is in order.

Here's the problem: Dissatisfied customers did not get what they wanted. A mere 38 percent of survey respondents believed they had ample opportunity to vent, with a scant 25 percent receiving an apology from the company. Less than a quarter of the respondents received assurance that the problem would not reoccur.

There is a gaping chasm between what it takes to keep customers satisfied and loyal and what actually happens. Why? Because customer service starts with the customer service representative and not every employee hired to manage customer dissatisfaction is suited to the task. Add to that the misguided use of the economy of scale principle. The reasons for customer dissatisfaction are as varied as the people complaining. Yet, many customer service representatives address all problems the same way. In customer service, cookie-cutter tactics don’t work. Sure, it’s fine to teach people to be “nice” and “good listeners.” But, excellent customer service goes beyond a friendly smile and answering all phone calls within three rings, Excellent customer service starts with speaking to each customer in a "language" he or she understands.

By way of example, let’s look at four responses to a customer complaint. Each scenario represents one of the four behavioral styles identified through DISC. Remember DISC? It’s the “universal language" of communication and assessed through Success Insights (tm) DISC assessment, available through The Chrysalis Corporation. As you read, picture in your mind each scenario. Recognize the participants? Remember, each employee believes the response given the appropriate one. We start with style D, the assertive employee.

“Just tell me the problem and I’ll take care of it right now,” says the employee with a high “D” behavioral style. No beating around the bush. On the plus side, high D employees listen to the complaint and quickly offer a solution. This person is perfect when customer service means getting to the point, fixing the problem, and moving on to the next customer. Bear in mind that assertive behavioral type employees are impatient and relationship building is secondary to fixing the problem. Never put an employee who exhibits high “D” behavior across the counter from the customer who wants to vent. If you do, this customer service representative may cut-off the customer mid-rant. An explanation may come across as an excuse, with an apology that seems insincere. "Oh yeh, I'm sorry too" sounds more like one more thing on the checklist evern if intentions are pure. Remember, DISC is a language and two-thirds of the population hear an abrupt “tell me what you want me to do to the fix your problem” as cold and un-empathetic.

Let’s move on to the “I” behavioral type. “I“ represents the influencer. This customer service representative offers explanations, over and over again. It’s next to impossible for a customer, who is lucky to get a word in edgewise, to vent. The influencer offers assurances, often not knowing if the promises can be fulfilled. Influencers measure results by good intentions. They trade on creating relationships, sharing personal information as a routine part of a customer service call. When the conversation winds down, the influencer may have to ask a customer to restate the problem. “I’m sorry, what was your problem again?” she says. “I have had so much fun talking; I forgot to write it down.” As an employer, you have to make a choice. Do you want customer service staff to satisfy customer complaints or make friends with disgruntled customers? I behavioral types often are the naturals at communicating but the least likely to track the details and follow through, without a conscious effort to do so. Apologies sound like, " I can't be this happened to you too. I had the very same problem." High I's generally tell stories about themselves, hoping that company relieves the misery of customer dissatisfaction.

Next is the “S” behavioral type, born to serve mankind, or so it appears. This person gets energy from cooperation. She is easy going, reserved, and listens well; a behavioral style most compatible with customers who need to vent. The “S” behavioral type employee easily builds endorsement, making it comfortable for an unhappy customer to speak freely. “Have we (note “we”, not “I”) successfully resolved your problem?”, asks the high “S” behavioral type employee. This person gets energy from bringing closure to what she starts, so follow-up is a natural extension of a service call. However, this behavioral style is exhausted by confrontation and may go to great lengths to avoid any type of conflict. An irate, demanding, verging-on-hysteria customer eventually gets to the high “S” customer service representative who simply wants to resolve the problem and close the file. Open projects and unattended files in the inbox frustrate a high “S” employee. Apologies from the high S appear the most sincere and honest when they say "I really wish this never happened and I'll do whatever I can to make this right." And most people believe them, too.

Finally, we get to the “C” behavioral type. High “C” behavioral type employees are evaluators. They need to understand everything about everything. The employee with this behavioral style makes sure the problem never happens again. He provides a minutely detailed product history including product evolution and repair record. This customer service representative believes failure to read directions is the root cause of most problems. Skeptical to the core, the high “C” employee goes through instructions line-by-line to rule out operator error. He may ask a complaining customer to answer detailed questions to ensure that he gets all the facts. Because accuracy is important, questions must be answered in order. This customer service representative wants to assign blame, although it’s important that the right person (who may be the customer) or department is identified as the culprit. The high “C” behavioral type offers an apology after identifying the problem’s cause and only if one is warranted. If an apology is offered, expect conditions and contingencies, and assurances couched with “there really are no guarantees in life.” When you are finished complaining to the high C agent, you're comfortable the company has the whole story but not sure anything will change.

So, what is the best behavioral style for customer service? The simple answer is the best style is SITUATIONAL. Flexibility is the essential core competency required from customer service employees. Interpersonal skills, listening skills, emotional stability, organization, and follow through are important, too. Good analytical and root cause analysis skills don’t hurt either. The key is the best customer service employees intuitively understand which skills to apply at the right time and with the right intensity. That’s how personality tests can help a manager determine which employees are the best natural customer service fit, if they will be motivated by helping people and solving problems, and how they will relate to different customer styles.

How crucial is putting the right people in customer service jobs? You tell me. More than half of all respondents to the survey mentioned earlier decided against doing business with the company again. Ninety percent of respondent admitted to complaining about the experience to friends, family, neighbors and anyone else willing to listen.

The take home lesson for business owners are that dissatisfied customers WILL vent. You choose the listener. It can be a competent customer service representative who assures future business and good-will. Or, you let loose hostile venting that will likely spread like wildfire. And, for the record and to bring the power of DISC home, the high “D” and high “I “ behavioral type customers are most likely to spread the negative word-of-mouth advertising that no company can afford and they make up 58 percent of the population. The "S" and "C" types may do even more harm - they just go away quietly. When you realize your mistake, it's too late.

To learm more about using DISC in your company and to view sample assessments online, follow this link:
http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-t.pl?l=2&c=614

=============================
2. Perfect Labor Storm Alerts #301 to #305.
=============================

We've been forecasting increases in employee churn and turn. A new survey by The Hay Group confirmed turnover is on the rise in pharmaceutical and biotech sales.

--Turnover jumped from 10 percent in 2002 to 14 percent in 2003.
--It cost the pharms an average of $89,000 to replace a single rep.
--Why are reps leaving? The number one reason is compensation. Number two is difficulty with an immediate supervisor.
Fact #301: The ratio of entry level wage earners to retirees has fallen from 9 to 1 in 1955 to 4 to 1 in 1995 to 2 to 1 by 2020. (Source: Hudson Institute)

Fact #302: In 1991 less than 24% of dentists were over age 54 and past their most productive years. (Source: American Dental Association)

Fact #303: By 2010 over 38% of practicing dentists will be older than 54, a 60% increase. (Source: American Dental Association)

Fact #304: The labor market grew approximately 1.2 % a year in the 1990s. From 2000 to 2010 is expected to grow only 0.8%. From 2010 to 2020 growth declines to 0.4 percent and 0.2 percent from 2020 on.

Fact #305: Active adults account for 60% of all healthcare spending. They purchase 70% of all prescriptions and 51% of all over the counter drugs.

Don't be caught in storm without all the facts. "The Perfect Labor Storm Fact Book: Why Worker Shortages Won't Go Away" is a must-read leading edge forecast that predicts workforce trends for decades to come. Order your copy today - $7.95 includes no shipping costs for limited time only. Follow this link to learn more:
http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-t.pl?l=7&c=614

=============================
3. Are You Wasting Too Much of Your Valuable Time Sorting Through Resumes?
=============================

You don't need a huge budget and staff to hire the best employees.

Eliminate The Hassles and Headaches Associated With Screening Candidate with Total APS.

The Total Applicant Processing System enables the small and medium sized employer to do online recruiting and screen applicants with customizable and scorable filtering questions with a click of the mouse. Save time and money by qualifying candidates before you interview.

Use Total APS to recruit and screen applicants for your next job opening. Total APS is IDEAL for small and medium size companies and is priced to be budget friendly.

To learn more, follow this link:
http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-t.pl?l=8&c=614

=============================
4. Background Checks -- Simple, Secure, and Affordable.
=============================

A Dauphin County (PA) woman was given two years probation from stealing $21,942 from her employer, an 83-year old dentist. She worked as a receptionist and bookkeeper.

Leaders of Rejoice Ministries thought they were being extra careful when they hired James Poole. That's because its last pastor bilked them out of $10,000. Three months after they hired him, he skipped town with $3,344. After reporting the losses, they discoverd both men were veteran con artisits. The church is now debating whether to hire yet another pastor or close the church.

Last month, the Arizona Diamondbacks hired......then fired their manager. Wally Beckman admitted to several "mistakes" in his past life - arrests for domestic disputes, drunken-driving, restraining orders - only after he was hired. Ken Kendrick, one of the Diamondbacks' managing partners, after the "mistakes" became public stated they will now make background checks a layer of their hiring.

The owner of a motel in New Holland PA might want to do the same. A young couple working as managers were arrested for stealing the cash payments received by guests.

If, like Pinocchio's nose, each lie a candidate told on his/her resume or during the interview became immediately apparent, business owners could easily weed out employees who cheat and deceive. So, how can you tell if an employee is lying about their work experience,

To provide our clients with one-stop shopping for employee evaluation from pre-employment to career succession, we are very pleased to introduce our new partnership with Information Architects, a leading provider of Employment Screening and Background Investigations.

BACKGROUND CHECKS. Sixty-one percent of the human resource (HR) professionals surveyed said they find inaccuracies in résumés after carrying out background checks. (Source: SHRM Background Checks/ Résumé Inaccuracies online survey, 2004)

Services include:

--Employment Verification
--Criminal Records Search
--Civil Records Search
--Workers Comp Search
--SSN Verification
--Credit Reports
--DMV Reports
--Bankruptcy Search
--Degree Verification
--Professional License Verification
--Drug Screening

To Learn more about background checks, follow this link:
http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-t.pl?l=9&c=614

=============================
5. Checklist for Handling a Disciplinary Situation.
=============================

Disciplining an employee is one of the most dreaded activities a manager has to do. On top of that, there are dozens of traps managers fall into. Click on the link below for tips on "Discplining an Employee"

A "Checklist for Handling a Disciplinary Situation" is just one of hundreds of pages of reproducible facts, tips and sample evaluation forms included in Janus Performance Managerment System.

Begin to improve your employee appraisal process today with the Janus Performance Management System. Order Volume 1 today and save $50. Or order Volumes 1 -2 -3 and save $200.

More tips for managers on completing successful employee evaluations. Follow this link to download a one page excerpt from the Janus Performance Management System:
http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-t.pl?l=13&c=614

To learn more about the complete Janus Performance Management System, follow this link:
http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-t.pl?l=14&c=614

=============================
6. FirstView Job Fit Indicator Screens Candidates: Quick, Easy and Cost Effective.
=============================

FirstView Job Fit Indicator is the newest generation of pre-employment personality tests which includes an optional cognitive section. FirstView requires only 15 minutes to complete and reports are available immediately. FirstView is the perfect solution to screen large candidate groups for 15 entry level positions in retail sales, hospitality, persuasive sales, administrative positions, drivers, IT positions, telemarketing, customer service, drivers, health care and more.

Each report includes job specific interview questions. FirstView evaluates a candidate's preferences in the following areas:

--Rules - consistency, ability to deal with change, need for structure, ability to follow rules and policies.
--Extroversion - need to work with others, communication of enthusiasm, ability to talk or listen.
--Assertiveness - decision making, selling and closing abilities, ability to handle confrontation, willingness to take direction from others.
--Teaming - teamwork, collaboration with others, competitiveness.
--Sensitivity - emotional stability, handling of criticism and feedback, dealing with stress.
--Organization - planning, spontaneity, time management attitudes, ability to handle details.
--Social Desirability - an internal validity scale to determine if the candidate is being frank with their answers.
--Cognitive Ability - an overall aggregate measure of cognitive skills.

To learn more about FirstView and to view sample reports online, follow this link:
http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-t.pl?l=5&c=614

=============================
7. Test Your Interviewing I.Q.
=============================

Interviewing is still the most commonly used selection tool even though the traditional interview is effective at identifying a top performer as few as 1 in every 14 times. It's not always the fault or due to the inexperience of the interviewer either. The laws are complicated, time is always too short and the candidates are a lot more savvy and have more time to prepare.

Test your interviewing skills (see link below).

Take this test and determine how well you know the ins and outs of effective interviewing.

Don't hesitate to forward this test to your manager or boss. We won't tell where it came from! Follow this link to test your Interviewing IQ:
http://www.chrysaliscorporation.com/cgi-bin/arp3/arp3-t.pl?l=10&c=614

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Contact Information:

The Chrysalis Corporation
2001 Hammock Drive
Valdosta, GA 31602
229-257-0665