JustSell.com’s latest newsletter has a quick-hit tidbit that caught my eye:

Be careful to avoid working to get the needs of your paying customers and highly qualified prospects “off your plate”. These are the people who deserve your attention and time.

Technology has allowed us to communicate by monologue – in one direction – sending or leaving a message in the written form (email) or oral form (voice mail) and then moving on until we receive a response. This can cause us to get lazy in our service efforts – creating gaps of needed care and attention and subsequently weakening relationships that might otherwise build stronger barriers to competitive entry.

“Communicate by monologue” is an apt phrase for email, voicemail and IM.  I have to admit to being guilty of this approach.  I sent the email, did my part, now it is up to them.  That isn’t the best approach to proactive customer service, is it?

I worked for a sales manager who liked to say that most customers leave because they feel under appreciated.  This tidbit shines some light on that truth.

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From the Herman Trend Alert (sorry, no link):

A global survey of 4,500 workers indicates that more people anticipate leaving their employers this year than last. In the 2006 BlessingWhite study, 65 percent said that they expected to “definitely” remain with their employers through the year. In the 2007 study, that number was down to 58 percent.

Also of interest, more respondents in 2007 said that there is “no way” they would stay (eight percent up from six percent—a 33 percent increase). European employers face the greatest threat: eleven percent said there is “no way” they will stay.

Moreover, employees in Europe and Asia appear less content with their current jobs than those in the United States or Canada. Only 49 percent of Europeans and 54 percent of employees in the Asia-Pacific region expect to stay with their employers, compared with 60 percent of North Americans. (We think that market volatility and the threat of recession was working here.)

“‘No way’ they would stay” is an interesting turn of phrase for a survey question.  I agree with their parenthetical comment that recession concerns are swaying North American employees.  Still, it is notable that so many people seem to have their mind set already.

I am curious to know how this data breaks out among the different ages.  My suspicion is that the Gen Y employees are far more eager to move on to the next opportunity than the older generations.  Career path is crucial to Gen Y, the majority of whom are at the beginning of their career.

If that suspicion is accurate then this graph becomes a significant concern for many companies:

We have been talking for years about employees’ lack of trust for their employers. This trust issue motivates them to feel like they must take control of their own careers. Our research indicates that workers are looking to their employers for training, education, and career pathing. This fact should concern the many organizations that eliminated their in-house training functions during the last economic slowdown and are still playing “catch up”.

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Ok, this is a bit dated, but still funny:

“COMPETITIVE SALARY”
(We remain competitive by paying less than our competitors.)

“JOIN OUR FAST-PACED TEAM”
(We have no time to train you.)

“CASUAL WORK ATMOSPHERE”
(We don’t pay enough to expect that you’ll dress up; well, a couple of the real daring guys wear earrings.)

“MUST BE DEADLINE ORIENTED”
(You’ll be six months behind schedule on your first day.)

“SOME OVERTIME REQUIRED”
(Some time each night and some time each weekend.)

“DUTIES WILL VARY”
(Anyone in the office can boss you around.)

“MUST HAVE AN EYE FOR DETAIL”
(We have no quality control.)

“CAREER-MINDED”
(Female applicants must be childless and remain that way.)

“APPLY IN PERSON”
(If you’re old, fat or ugly you’ll be told the position has been filled.)

“NO PHONE CALLS PLEASE”
(We’ve filled the job; our call for resumes is just a legal formality.)

“SEEKING CANDIDATES WITH A WIDE VARIETY OF EXPERIENCE”
(You’ll need it to replace three people who just left.)

“PROBLEM-SOLVING SKILLS A MUST”
(You’re walking into a company in perpetual chaos.)

“REQUIRES TEAM LEADERSHIP SKILLS”
(You’ll have the responsibilities of a manager, without the pay or respect.)

“GOOD COMMUNICATION SKILLS”
(Management communicates, you listen, figure out what they want, and do it.)

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