HR Manager for a Cable Company

Introduction 

Customer service representatives form an important part of business employees and play a major and crucial role in retaining customers for any business. This paper explains the process of recruiting and hiring of customer service representatives for a cable company call center that will be located in Baton Rouge, LA. The plans of the company is to hire 100 representatives and another 50 within a period of three years. 

Summary 

The customer service representative will be an entry level job. This will be in an environment that is client oriented and high performing. The representative will be responsible for a variety of customer focused duties in the call center. The responsibilities will include attending to clients requests, handling inquiries, carrying out negotiations on plans for collecting the purchased goods and identifying the best solutions to issues raised by clients. 

Minimum Qualifications 

The minimum qualifications for the position will include: 

Two to three years of work experience that is related to customer service duties. 

Experience on the use of computer applications will be required. 

Strong communication skills 

Excellent negotiation skills and abilities 

Understanding of company credit related issues and policies will also be important. 

Flexibility for shifts 

Primary duties/responsibilities 

The responsibilities and duties of the customer service representative will include: 

Offer customers information about company’s products and services 

Make credit negotiations with customers 

Look for ways to solve client complaints and provide a solution 

Address billing questions and attend to clients’ complaints related to high billing 

Refer clients to agencies that can be useful in providing financial help 

Make sure that orders placed by clients are delivered 

Recruitment program and selection process 

The main aim of the recruitment process is usually to recruit, chose and appoint workers who are appropriate to the current and future needs of a company/business (Lim et. al, 2016). Every component of recruiting and choosing employees contributes towards ensuring that the most suitable and qualified candidates are selected for any given position. There is a difference between recruitment and selection although in most cases they are seen as not distinguishable. Recruitment is the process of gathering talented individuals who are most likely to be hired by a company or business. On the other hand, selection is the final step after the recruitment process. 

During the selection process, the most suitable candidate for the vacancy is chosen. Generally, there are there major stages of recruitment and selection that most human resource managers use (Martin, 2014). They include explaining the requirements for the vacant position, attracting suitable candidates, and choosing of candidates. The recruitment process can be implemented in two main ways. They include informal and formal methods or internal and external methods (Martin, 2014). The informal methods is carried out by other employees, friends or even family members. On the other hand, the formal method involves the use of advertisements or employment agencies. 

Recruitment program 

In order to ensure optimal success from the recruitment efforts, a number of strategies will be applied. The first strategy is to gather the recruiting ability of happy workers. In attracting and keeping the appropriate employees, happy workers create a positive effect. Having happy employees is one of the best ways to attract the best talent. Therefore, workers should be viewed just like customers. Company employees ought to be willing to play the role of being reference for the company (Ladd, 2003). Whether inside or outside the business premise, employees should be motivated to speak positively about the business. This aspect can be more powerful as compared to others due to its extensive reach and impact. In addition, an incentive program for the employees will be implemented in the company. Such a program can be a major driver when it comes to attracting the best talent for the company. 

The other strategy to be implemented in the recruitment program is recruitment by participating in the community. It is crucial to be a part of the community. There are a number of platforms in the community where one can participate such as conferences, community meetings, forums etc. By participating in such platforms, a company/business can contribute to the growth of the community (Moshavi & Terborg, 2002). By getting visibility as a partner in community affairs, the company will enjoy a number of benefits which will include receiving assistance when it comes to recruiting. In addition, such an exposure can assist in boosting a business’ visibility in the community. This can be very helpful in developing a good reputation which can attract excellent and able candidates in the future. 

Another strategy that will be incorporated in the recruitment program will be nurturing and recruiting from inside the company. Some of the best customer service representatives are inside the company. This also will ensure the development of the company’s employees. Demonstrating to employees that a business is dedicated to growing the employees careers and ready to assist in improving their future is a very important way for the business to show that it is committed to the welfare of its employees and this creates motivation and as a result a positive employer brand (Peregrin, 2014). Investing in the future of the company’s employees, they will feel that they are being invested in the future of the company. 

Besides the strategies, a number of recruitment tactics will be implemented in order to ensure that the best candidates to fill vacant positions are attracted. They include various tools and methods. A website is one of the best tools to use. When vacancies come up, they will be featured on the company’s website. In addition, professional online sites such as LinkedIn will be useful tools for recruitment. Networking is another important technique in recruitment. Leveraging the presence of company workers during corporate activities is crucial in developing network and creating contacts that might be useful in the next hire (Torrington, 2017). Finally, competitors are another tool. Fishing employees from other businesses that might be in some kind of turmoil can be useful in recruiting candidates who are experienced. In most cases, employees from the competitor’s side possess the appropriate skills and experience that is required. 

Selection process 

The selection process will involve eight steps in order to ensure that the best candidates are selected. The first step is when a vacancy for a position comes up in the company. Before filling the vacancy, a number of considerations will have to be made which include: 

The reason as to why the vacancy came up. Maybe the previous worker left work because of company related issues. If the problems are not handled and solved, then the new employee will not be happy too and is most likely to leave after a short period of time too. 

If the company can manage without filing the vacancy that has risen. Every coin counts and therefore it is important to consider if the company can still run well without the position or if by doing a redesign some savings can be made. 

The possibility of promoting a capable and qualified staff member to take up the position and then recruit a new employee for the lower position. This minimizes the risks related to recruitment of new employees (Wieseke et. al, 2011). In addition, it shows the current employees that there is a possible career growth in the company which can help in retaining employees. 

The second step will be analysis of the job. Recruitment of workers is at times a subjective activity that unless active measures are taken to minimize the possibility of subjectivity, poor decisions regarding recruitment might be made. In addition, lack of an objective method in assessing the candidates might lead to selection of employees who are just like minded. This is not healthy for a business because it does not create diversity which is an important driver of business success (Burrow, et. al, 2017). In order to minimize the likelihood of subjectivity, there are two considerations that need to be made. They include, what the employees are expected to do and the qualifications. 

The third step will be attracting suitable candidates. By analyzing the position, a clear picture of the requirements of the job and the kind of person that best suits the position is important. After this, efforts to begin attracting the appropriate candidates begin. In this case, what matters most is the quality of candidates attracted but not the number (Liao et. al, 2018). In carrying out efforts to attract the right applicants, the following two sources will be considered: internal recruitment whereby the already existing employees can be considered for filling the position before searching for one from the outside; external recruitment which can be done by placing vacancy position on the company website, newspapers, recruitment agents etc. 

The fourth step will be screening the applicants. In cases where a large volume of applications are received, screening them in order to identify the most suitable applicants for interviewing is crucial. This may be done by comparing the applicant’s C.V. against the stated job description and qualifications or doing some brief telephone interviews to measure the applicant’s suitability. This can be very useful in assessing the applicants’ telephone techniques and manner which are crucial elements for customer service representatives. The objective of a screening process is to reduce the volume of applications so that more time is invested with every applicant during the formal interview (Burrow, et. al, 2017). 

The fifth step will be interviewing the applicants. For interviews, both the interviewee and the interviewer ought to be prepared. In order to help the applicant get thoroughly prepared for the scheduled interview, the following things will be ensured: 

Notice on the date and time for the scheduled interview will be provided to the candidate 

That the candidate is aware of the company location where the interview will be carried out 

Make clarity on the interview room and who to contact once arrived 

Communicate on the required documents that the applicants should carry with them when coming for the interview 

The interviewer is expected to be prepared by carrying out the following things: 

Review every information related to the position that requires to be filled 

Have a prepared plan on how the interview will be conducted 

Prior identification of an appropriate venue where the interviews will be conducted 

Prevent any disruptions during the interview process 

Allocate adequate time for each interview and enough interviews between the interviews 

A thorough and objective interview process that is free from subjectivity is guaranteed to give a suitable candidate for the position. 

The sixth step is choosing and appointing candidates. The decision on the candidate to be appointed ought to be made after all the invited candidates for the interview go through the interview process (Gutteridge, 2014). In cases where candidates who appears most suitable for the position is interviewed before the others, there is a likelihood that all the other subsequent applicants are compared to them. This does not accord all the candidates an equal chance for selection. Objectivity is therefore crucial at this point. In order to optimize the likelihood of choosing the best candidate, a number of steps are proposed. They include: 

Having a job description and the candidate’s C.V. in advance in order to assess the candidates based on these two 

Developing a brief assessment and evaluation form for each candidate 

Writing down brief notes based on each applicants responses during the interview 

Filling out an assessment form for every candidate after every interview process 

Comparing all the assessment forms after the end of the interview after all the interviews are conducted in order to identify the best candidate to fill the position 

The candidates selected will be appointed following a procedure that will involve the following steps: 

Candidate selection 

Appointment made verbally 

Completion of the medical form for the appointed candidates 

Delivery of the appointment letter 

Signing of the contract document 

The seventh step will be the induction and training phase during which the appointed candidates will be introduced and welcomed into the working environment. In addition, training for the new employees will be conducted at this point. The training program will include the following major areas: 

Telephone etiquette for the representatives appointed 

Technical skills required for operation by the customer service representatives 

Knowledge and understanding of the products that the company sells in this case cables 

Skills required in efficient and effective communication 

Negotiation skills 

How to use IT systems. 

The last step will be evaluation of the employee. This will be done in three phases which include after the first week, after the first month and after the probation period. A performance appraisal will be done after the probation period. 

Pay structure 

The pay for the customer care representatives will be regularly evaluated to make sure that it meets the minimum wage standards. New employees will receive a basic salary of $450 per month. In addition, compensation and benefits will be offered too. This will be done through a total benefits program that will be implemented with the aim of motivating the employees and ensure their personal and career growth. 

References 

Burrow, J., Kleindl, B. A., & Becraft, M. B. (2017).  Business management . Boston, MA: South-Western Cengage Learning. 

Gutteridge, L. (2014).  Business management . Oxford: Oxford University Press. 

Ladd, R. T. (2003). Employee Selection and Hiring.  Encyclopedia of Health Care Management . doi:10.4135/9781412950602.n251 

Liao, H. H., Lin, T. Y., & Yen, H. R. (2018). Linking Customer Service Representatives’ Role Stress with Job Performance: The Role of Adaptive Service Behavior and Feedback Seeking.  Global Fashion Management Conference, 2018 , 1266-1269. doi:10.15444/gmc2018.10.08.01 

Lim, G. S., Mathis, R. L., & Jackson, J. H. (2016).  Human resource management . Singapore: Cengage Learning Asia Pte. 

Martin, C. M. (2014). Recruiting, Hiring, and Retaining Good Employees.  The Consultant Pharmacist, 29 (8), 514-519. doi:10.4140/tcp.n.2014.514 

Moshavi, D., & Terborg, J. R. (2002). The job satisfaction and performance of contingent and regular customer service representatives.  International Journal of Service Industry Management,13 (4), 333-347. doi:10.1108/09564230210445069 

Peregrin, T. (2014). Competency-Based Hiring: The Key to Recruiting and Retaining Successful Employees.  Journal of the Academy of Nutrition and Dietetics, 114 (9), 1330-1339. doi:10.1016/j.jand.2014.07.016 

Torrington, D., Hall, L., & Taylor, S. (2017).  Human resource management . Harlow: Pearson. 

Wieseke, J., Kraus, F., Alavi, S. H., & Kessler-Thönes, T. (2011). How Leaders’ Motivation Transfers to Customer Service Representatives.  Journal of Service Research, 14 (2), 214-233. doi:10.1177/1094670510397177