Management Human Resources
Question 1
In the hiring process, Hispanics and African-Americans face a variety of adverse effects because they lack the potential qualifications for the Customer Sales Representative job. Therefore, a much lower number of applicants with these two racial backgrounds get hired for the job. In comparison to Caucasians who apply for customer representative jobs, a lesser number of Hispanics and African-Americans apply for the job. Consequently, this to a large extent minimizes the number likely to get hired for the job.
In the event that a Hispanic or an African-American did not get hired for the job, and they filed a lawsuit against the newspaper, it would be advisable that the company should comprehensively outline the process and criteria used to hire. The criteria include things like possession of adequate qualifications like education, skills and experience. From an analysis of the organization’s racial relevant break up of applicants, it is clear that most of the Hispanic and African Americans lack the potential qualifications for the job. In this case, the organization would confirm that the reason as to why the Hispanic or African – American applicant did not get hired was due to lack of qualifications required for the job.
Question 2
The most effective recruitment method is the use of newspapers as a source. That is because it provides the company with a large and extensive variety of candidates for the job. Consequently, highly qualified individuals happen to form the larger percentage of those who apply through this method. Therefore, they are likely to be the necessary manpower in the organization. In comparison to applicants from other sources who get hired, a larger number of them survive through six months. That implies that using the newspaper as a means of recruitment adequately provides the organization with the right manpower for the job.
Reliance on walk in’s as a source of recruitment is the least effective. Walk in’s provide the company with a limited selection of aspirants from which to choose. It also limits the area covered by advertisement of the vacancies since the company relies on employees to walk into the organization and not necessary to inform them of vacancies present. The number of hired candidates who survive for six months from this form of recruitment is also narrow which indicates that the pool of candidates from walk in’s is neither qualified nor suitable for the job.
Question 3
Secondly, the management of the newspaper could provide safe working environments for all employees as opposed to the current noisy and hectic environment. That is simple to accomplish through provision of well ventilated and partitioned offices or workstations. In order to further ease their work, water, soft drinks or snacks could be provided to the employees to keep off the fatigue or dehydration that comes with working in a very demanding environment.
Training is of utmost importance to all employees and especially for Customer Sales Representatives. Once the organization sponsors training for the employees, they gain the necessary skills, knowledge and abilities required that will enable them to perform their duties effectively with minimal difficulties. Training also fosters a feeling of loyalty towards the organization. Therefore, employees are less likely to leave an organization that they feel values them and remains concerned about their development. For the newspaper organization under study, the customer service representatives require training on how to handle customers with billing complaints. That includes training on the whole billing process and charges that accrue so that there is clarity of issues concerning billing.
Delegation of authority is a necessary action in the organization so that Customer Sales Representatives have adequate solutions to some of the issues raised by clients. As reported, 75% of the customers who call at times get irate with Customer Sales Representatives over issues that they have no control of. That might prompt them to leave the organization resulting to the high turnover.
One of the most successful actions towards reducing the high turnover of CSRs would be to enhance harmony between supervisors and employees. That provides a conducive environment for working since all employees work as a team especially in matters concerning customer complaints.
Question 4
The recruitment ad relatively captures the overall job contents which include the main activities that CSRs perform. It, however, does not give a detailed account of conditions of work or the personal attributes required. That could be one of the reasons as to why there is a high turnover after employees get hired. An ideal recruitment should have a clear explanation of the job contents so that potential candidates have an idea of the job for which they are applying. Consequently, it will allow them to conduct a thorough self-analysis of their strengths and capacities to conclude whether they possess the necessary skills and training to perform. A revised recruitment ad for the CSR job would involve the following information:
Adequate knowledge of MS Word or WordPerfect.
Typing speed of 35wpm.
Filing expertise.
Experience in customer handling such as answering phones and referring customer calls to supervisors; some selling of additional services and calls for nonpayment of bills.
Taking orders for products required.
Preparing payment vouchers and processing billing statements.
Dealing with and resolution of customer complaints and answering their questions.
Maintenance of sales records.
Preparation of sales budgets.
Identifying and contacting potential customers.
Skills and Knowledge
Adequate knowledge of the products and services on offer and those of competitors.
Skills in marketing and product promotion.
Basic accounting skills.
Presentation skills.
General Working Condition
Can cope well under pressure and promptly meet deadlines.
Flexibility to travel and meet clients.
Availability for flexible work schedules especially where one is required to work over the Weekends to meet customer needs.
Salary structure
Starting Salary: $8.50 an hour for a 30-hour workweek. CSRs
The right advertisement ad attracts a larger pool of candidates, which results in acquiring the right workforce for the organization. Right placement reduces the rate of employee turnover, and ultimately results in improved performance and efficiency.
