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We, humans, are imperfect creatures -- sad but true. Normally our quirks and preferences don’t make all that much difference in the world. Still, when reviewing resumes and hiring candidates, our unconscious biases can lead to an unfair and maybe even discriminatory set of practices. Biases toward people who have things in common with us can be eliminated or at least held in check just by taking a few simple steps to ensure the pool of candidates is deep and wide. 

This year’s challenges have certainly made some aspects of doing business more complicated than normal. Instead of being able to bring people in for interviews, everything is done remotely. Keeping up with customers is now a matter of video chats and phone calls instead of meetings and conversations over coffee or meals.

Working remotely has some opportunities as well: No longer are your applicants limited to a specific geographic area. If working from home is part of your current model and your future expectations, it’s time to embrace some tactics for finding and hiring excellent talent quickly.

Every customer is different, so when three people contact a company looking for support, they’re going to be looking for three different things.

When you work in customer service, you’re not expected to be a mind reader, but reading people’s tone is key to a good experience, as is the ability to stay calm when things get hectic.

There’s no one way to be a great customer service representative, but there are some skills and abilities that can help you stand apart from the crowd.

Here’s what to keep in mind, and what skills to develop to be an excellent customer service rep:

You don't want to attract just any job seeker. You want to attract one that will work for YOUR team.

There's another group of job seekers; however, people who are looking to find a place to make a professional home. They're looking for a way to advance and further their career, to put down roots and grow with a company as they advance through their career. These are the people you should look for when interviewing, the ones who should be called in for the second round, and the ones who can likely add the most to your team.

Starting a new job is an exciting time, from meeting new coworkers, getting acclimated on a team, and learning the way around a new building. New employees have a lot to learn to hit the ground running, including becoming familiar with a company’s culture. Some employees are now going through the onboarding process in a remote-work environment, without sitting face-to-face with their new manager or other teammates. But onboarding is even more important in uncertain times as it provides much-needed structure and guidance when everything else might seem shaky and unsure. 

One of the first things to fall by the wayside, as the COVID-19 pandemic started to hit North America, was the handshake, followed by in-person meetings and close conversations. For salespeople, those had been two staples of building relationships with clients and possible customers.Then people were sent home from their offices and told to work remotely for an unknown length of time. That meant no friendly competition among teammates trying to get the biggest sales or land the biggest client, equal parts morale booster and healthy motivation. How is a salesperson supposed to continue to be effective on the same level with all these limitations? 

Unemployment numbers are higher than they’ve been in decades as the international economy tries to stabilize during the COVID-19 pandemic.Layoffs happen to the best workers, people in all stages of their career, and usually come without warning. If you lost your job due to COVID-19, first and foremost, know you’re not alone! The economy is starting to restart, slowly but surely, and there will come a time when you’re back to work. Things might seem tough right now, but it will get better. Here are some tips for how to bounce back after a layoff.