They need treating like your internal customers.
What does exceptional customer service look like?
I rarely experience exceptional customer service but when I do I have to shout about it. Love them or loathe them Amazon have a dubious reputation in some quarters but their customer service model is second to none. I have had several personal experiences. Not only do they call you, no languishing in a queue with horrendous elevator music to listen to, nothing is too much trouble! I had to send back some headphones, from a third party. Within an hour of posting the item back I had a refund in my Amazon account … WOW! Now that’s impressive and where will I go to replace them, Amazon of course!
How do you treat people applying to your available jobs?
This got me thinking about how candidates are treated and what is the impact of their experience? We are in a market where most roles are receiving unprecedented volumes of response and this creates all sorts of issues for businesses. The savvy candidate will research, follow up and contact the company directly for information before applying and follow up after applying. Multiply these approaches by at least 4 x above your usual response rate. What impact does this have on your internal resource and can you deal with this as if they were a potential customer?
How many apply for your job roles?
So let’s say you advertise a job role and usually get 20 responses, half of these may be unsuitable. But now you are receiving 100 responses, maybe even more for each position. This is not an excuse to ignore people!
Job seekers are your internal customers
Candidates are human beings and we have all been there so should be showing empathy and understanding. Some have gone through horrendous redundancy processes which has tested their mettle and self-belief. Some have applied to many jobs with little or no response.
Think of candidates as your customers. Treat them the same. Even if they don’t get the job. If you treat everyone with empathy, warmth and kindness and give them some constructive feedback, they will sing about your business.
Tips to enhance the candidate experience
1/ Communication – even if it’s a thanks but you are not right for this role. Let them know!
2/ Empathy and kindness goes a long way – you will be remembered.
3/ Automate or outsource – dealing with volume responses effectively can adversely impact your existing team and processes.
4/ 360 Feedback – this is crucial. No one can learn and move forward in their job process without it. Feedback on process is equally important to make sure you are the first choice for top talent.
5/ Marketing – every opportunity for engagement is a way to promote your business as one that lives and breathes its values.
6/Measure – collecting data on the candidate experience is like collecting customer data and can lead to improvements that keep you ahead of your competitors.
If you are either an employee or employer who wants more information about any of the issues highlighted in this article, we can provide honest advice and support – get in touch.
