News: Customer Service/Care
'HR needs to improve employee sales skills'
19 March 2008
Human resources (HR) has not gone far enough in its efforts to use employee engagement to increase business performance, an expert has claimed.
HR director for O2 Andre Harley told People Management that HR must provide staff with the skills to enhance the customer experience.
"Giving employees the skills to listen to customers, making employees close to them so you're getting a customer that becomes a fan of your product is where HR has such an opportunity," he explained.
Mr Harley, whose time with O2 has included the company's acquisition by Telefonica, told the news provider his biggest achievement was the implementation of O2's Reflect employee survey which gives staff the chance to give feedback on the firm.
O2 has always been interested in what things mean for our staff as the customer experience can only ever be delivered by the employee, he added.
A recent study by the Work Foundation and the Institute for Employment Studies revealed that firms which utilised HR to adopt a comprehensive approach to people management recorded higher profit margins and productivity, Management Issues reports.
