What type of employees does your organization hire for customer service? Do they like dealing with people? Are they tactful? Do they listen well? These behaviors are paramount in any organization that promotes good customer service, and the keys to this particular kingdom are hiring the right people and retaining the ones that meet your high standards.

This case study examines the steps a financial services organization in Louisiana took in an attempt to improve employee retention. Over a two-year period, Profiles International staff helped the company examine the relationship between employee turnover and job candidates’ match to the customer service position. Part of the study included measuring the degree of alignment between the jobseeker’s customer service perspective and the specific expectations of the company in which the candidate was seeking a job.

Method

The organization administered the Customer Service Profile to 1,287 jobseekers. The company developed a Job Match Pattern that reflects its views on customer service. Participants who respond in a similar manner to the organization’s views implicitly share the organization’s belief in customer service, and managers perceive them as a stronger fit for customer relations than those who don’t respond in a like manner.

Job Match percentages were assessed this way:

* 80 percent or greater job match, strong fit to the job.
* 79 percent or less job match, weak fit to the job.

The organization hired 226 of the candidates who participated in the study. Of those, 166 were seen as a strong fit for their positions, and 60 were seen as a weak fit.

Over the 2-year period, the company also tracked the 226 workers’ employment status within the organization, including turnover figures. The results? The turnover rate of the employees demonstrating a strong fit to the position was 61 of 166, or 36.7 percent. The turnover rate of employees demonstrating a weak fit to the position was 25 of 60, or 41.7 percent.

Results

This organization has shown the ability to successfully predict employee turnover based on Job Match percentage. The study showed a reduction in turnover of 12 percent, which helps in the expensive areas of selecting and training new people. By using the Customer Service Profile™, this organization will continue to hire candidates that it is more likely to retain.

The Job Match Pattern now serves as the organization’s benchmark for matching other employees.

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