Redesigning Internally And Customer-Facing Jobs: Advantages, Disadvantages, And Job Descriptions

Best Process for Redesigning Internally Facing and Customer-Facing Jobs

What is the best process to redesign the internally facing and customer-facing jobs?

What are the advantages and disadvantages for drawing at least some of the top workers from existing staff?

How would you create job descriptions and person descriptions for jobs in the shops that do not yet exist?

Do the field sales representatives have similar key skills and abilities requirements to those that may be needed for the shop staff?

In business, meeting the expectations of customers remains the critical goal of an organization. Companies, like TK Ceramics, can achieve this objective by adopting processes that are supposed to make it operate efficiently instead of focusing only on the results delivered to the consumers. Importantly, the business processes have to be directed towards the business-facing activities including budgeting and planning while the customer-facing activities focus on the department directly involved with sales and marketing (Harmon 2003). In most cases, companies have established various departments to serve these activities. Nevertheless, the businesses stand an opportunity to improve its performance by ensuring its business-facing processes or activities are responsive to the demands of customers.

1.Based on the case study, the internally facing jobs must be established through designing the relevant departments to meet these expectations. Hammer (2007) argues that designing the internally facing jobs should begin with the planning process. With planning, it is possible for the company to analyse its processes, predict outcomes, budgeting, and forecast performance. Harmon (2003) holds that the internally facing is a business planning function that is essential in addressing the confusion experienced by the organization. By considering the views of European Tiles customers in Melbourne in planning, the TK Ceramics will make the process to be partially customer facing. This process will create a positive overall result for TK Ceramics. Harmon (2003) holds that planning functions can improve the processes of a business and satisfy the customer demands.

Marketing is a customer-facing job or process as it involves persuading the targeted market to embrace the new tiles. The sales representatives and marketers have the duty to deliver the expected product because this is a customer-facing duty. However, for the sales representatives to deliver this product, they require data processing techniques to help in tracking the needs of its customers and satisfy them. Nevertheless, the processes must be cost-effective and efficient because even the customer-facing jobs or activities bear business-facing qualities (Harmon 2003). The new design should also focus on order processing that is an important internal function of the company. The function interfaces with customers. Order processing is customer facing that compels TK Ceramics to meet the minimum business needs including shipping, accurate billing, booking sales, and identify the order-completion challenges. Despite being business facing, order processing affects customers. To this effect, an efficient processing would satisfy the customers.

Advantages and Disadvantages of Drawing Top Workers from Existing Staff

Purchasing is also important job that internally facing. According to Hammer (2007), purchasing is an internal function that can be achieved by structuring the organization to enhance the supply of the materials from the suppliers. Both the new and the old suppliers must embrace this internal function.  Nevertheless, the product quality is essential in the purchasing process because it is customer facing. The production process is an internally facing function. The task of the employees is to organize production tasks. Studies indicate that production is oriented towards satisfying customer demand and make products (Hammer 2007). TK Ceramics is a successful company that needs to operate production as customer-facing function. The business-facing function also influences the production process thus leading to cost-efficient and effective tiles.

Customer service job is also essential in determining the success of TK Ceramics in the new engagement. This function is customer facing that imposes tight scripts detailing desirable responses to any scenario. Customer service representatives motivate employees by deciding the best ways to satisfy the customers (Hoye & Lievens 2006). Finally, training employees ensures they learn new ideas and skills that can allow them to perform. Employee training is an internally facing function meant to influence customer-facing aspects (Shammot 2014). This is because; the workers have to interact with customers. The training facet benefits the customer service and sales as it allows the workers to represent the business consistently and positively.

2.Hiring workforce is a critical process that defines the success of an organization. TR Ceramics has invested in the HR department to help the firm identify and hire the top talents. Shammot (2014) believes that the success of hiring depends on planning so that the HR manager can identify the right person. Since the company already has qualified and experienced staff, both outsourcing ad internal recruitment would be beneficial (Linnehan & Blau 2003). Organizations give preference to internal recruitment resources to fill vacancies, especially where the pool of workforce is known. Hoye and Lievens (2005) held that internal recruitment is important because it is within the control of the organization. Kotler and Keller (2000) identify different methods that companies can use to conduct the internal recruitment like job posting. Without a doubt, employees of TK Ceramics offer a wide pool of job opportunities in this business. Shammot (2014) maintains that internal job postings allow the HR manager to issue circulars relating to the vacancies available for the staff. This recruitment method allows employees to access opportunities that can maximize their competences, capabilities, and efficiency as explained by Haroon (2010).

Creating Job Descriptions and Person Descriptions for Non-Existent Jobs in Shops

Importantly, employee referral is a strategy that companies use to recruit highly skilled employees (Tipper 2004). This internal channel of recruitment has become critical for many companies as they seek services of specific candidates for the opportunities. The employee referral is the cheapest and easiest recruitment source because there is no need for rigor (Nicu & Sturz 2008).

With this internal recruitment, the HR manager already has complete information about the employee. The HR manager can assess the strengths and weaknesses of the candidate. Noe, Hollenbeck, Gerhart, and Wright (2008) holds that this method is preferred by many organizations because the worker is conversant with the operations of the organization thus makes training irrelevant. Similarly, this method makes it possible for the HR to attract applicants because they can access them within the firm. Nicu and Sturz (2008) maintained that the internal recruitment process is critical for applicants because they have the knowledge about the vacancy. This method is also faster and cheaper in filling vacancies than other methods.

The inside recruitment limits chances of introducing new blood and applicant into the company. It becomes difficult for the company to infuse new skills relevant to the firm. Linnehan and Blau (2003) and Tipper (2004) have justified that internal process limits the number of new applicants from joining the firm. As such, it reduces the introduction of new ideas beyond the business thus reduces the diversity aspects of the firm.

The assistant manager will have to undertake numerous responsibilities. Indisputably, this job requires exceptional leadership skills, multitasking potential, and excellent people skills.

• Strong leadership skills
• Exemplary organizational ability
• Friendly and outgoing
• Recruiting and training staff
• Strong communication skills
• Problem-solving skills
• Customer-service skills
• Patience
• Interpersonal skills

• Review customer accounts
• Listen to customer requests
• Take orders, process billing, calculate charges
• Handle complaints
• Refer customers

• High school diploma qualification

• Short-term on-job training
• Training instils skills and knowledge about the company

• $18.21 hourly wage

• Sales incentives like gift certificates, bonuses, and paid day off
• Discounts like free gas cards, phones, and discounted suites

• Work shifts will be based on the location
• Able to work for 40-hour week
• Ready to work on weekends, holidays, and nights

• Managers dress in business casual
• Field salespersons and managers wear company brand
• Use company uniform

4.Sales representatives are the individuals who persuade and convince customers to accept a brand. Mayer and Greenberg (2006) argued that a good salesperson have two basic qualities including ego drive and empathy. The ability to feel is central to any salesperson. This is because; empathy will allow them to share the feelings of customers. They have to behave in a way that is humane and persuasive. Sometimes, an individual can know the feelings of others without agreeing with such feelings. However, the situation is distinct for a salesperson. For instance, Mayer and Greenberg (2006) found that salespeople could never sell without having invaluable and irreplaceable capacity to get critical feedback from the customers. Everything revolves around empathy. Unfortunately, a salesperson without empathy will aim at a target but if such targets fail, the sale is forfeited. A good salesperson never misses the sale even if they fail to meet the target.

Comparison between Key Skills and Abilities Requirements of Field Sales Representatives and Shop Staff

The salesperson should have good empathy to allow them react to the customers’ needs. A good salesperson should be responsive to the customer reactions. They value the real interactions with customers compared to the shop staff who are bound by the sales track (Mayer & Greenberg 2006). The field salesperson has to sense the feeling of customers thus respond to the needs of the customers. The salesperson should also have the ego or need to conquer. This makes the salesperson to develop the zeal and the feeling to maximize sales. This is distinct from the shop staff that rarely needs to conquer. The shop staff lacks the ego drive because the staff focus on maximizing money.

The conquest is a powerful strategy to enhance the sales representative’s ego. They have the self-picture that improves the virtues of conquest instead of failures. Given the nature of selling, the field sales representatives are willing to give more than the expectation (Mayer & Greenberg 2006). The synergistic effects of ego drive and empathy relationship triggers selling. Martin (2011) found that individuals with strong ego drive utilize empathy to maximize motivation. Since the salesperson in the field need sales, such a person can never spill over the empathy to let it become sympathy.

The ego drive rarely allows them to side with clients but allow them to maximize their knowledge to persuade and motivate customers to make the sales as presented by Martin (2011). For an individual to succeed as a salesperson, passion for selling is critical. This should be a factor to consider when an organization is recruiting sales representatives. The interpersonal skills including the negotiation and communication skill are important for a salesperson. Through proper communication skills, these salespersons can persuade and convince the customers to accept the products (Martin 2011). The experience of salesperson is never comparable to the passion for selling. To this effect, the HR manager should train the sales representatives to learn new ideas required in the organization. With training, the HR manager helps the staff to maximize potential. In most cases, companies prefer hiring individuals without experience is sales. However, through training, the new workers can acquire relevant skills through training.

Rampton (2014) argues that sales representatives are initiative because they can rarely wait for orders to act. This is a problem with shop staff who have to wait for orders from the manager to act. They are enterprising people thus maximize the opportunity. With discipline, the sales representatives are able to remain on track. In fact, the challenges experience is the stepping-stone. Therefore, the salespeople go the full stretch to accomplish their objectives. Similarly, the company leaders seek solace in coachable people. These individuals can make good sales representatives. Rampton (2014) also added that coachability makes it possible to predict the success of these workers. Without a doubt, the coachable people are early adopters. This ensures that salespersons do things right by adapting new strategies required in the market.

References

Hammer, M. (2007) ‘The process audit’, Harvard Business Review, April. (Available at https://hbr.org/2007/04/the-process-audit).

Harmon, P. (2003, Dec) ‘Analysing and improving customer-facing processes’, Business Process Trends, vol. 1, no. 11, pp. 1-15.

Haroon, M. (2010) ‘Determination of relative effective recruitment sources. a case based on experience of Pakistani banks’, Interdisciplinary Journal of Contemporary Research in Business, vol. 1, no. 11. (Available at :https://news-business.vlex.co.uk/vid/recruitment-case-based-pakistani-banks-229205815)

Hoye, G .V., & Lievens, F. (2006) ‘Tapping and grapevine: a closer look at word-of-mouth as a recruitment source’, Journal of Applied Psychology, vol. 92, no. 2, pp. 341-352.

Hoye, G. & Lievens, F. (2005) ‘Recruitment related information sources and orgnisational attractiveness: can something be done about negative publicity?’, International Journal of Selection Assessment, vol. 13, no. 3.

Kotler, P. & Keller, K. L. (2000) Marketing management (The Millennium ed.). Pearson Prentice Hall, Upper Saddle Rive, New Jersey.

Linnehan, F., & Blau, G. (2003) ‘Testing the impact of job search and recruitment source on new hire turnover in Maquila Dora’, Journal of Applicable Psychology, vol. 52, no. 2, pp. 553-562.

Martin, S.W. (2011) ‘Seven personality traits of top salespeople’, Harvard Business Review, June 27. (Available at https://hbr.org/2011/06/the-seven-personality-traits-o)

Mayer, D. & Greenberg, H.M. (2006) ‘What makes a good salesman’, Harvard Business Review, July/Aug. (Available at https://hbr.org/2006/07/what-makes-a-good-salesman)

Nicu, S., & Sturz, A. (2008) The advantages and disadvantages of personnel recruitment intern source. University “Aurel Vlaicu” of Arad, Romania.

Noe, R., Hollenbeck, J.R., Gerhart, B., & Wright, P.M. (2008) Human resource management:gaining a competitive advantage. McGraw-Hill, New York.

Rampton, J. (2014). ‘The 15 characteristics of people who succeed at sales’, Entrepreneur, November 25. (Available at https://www.entrepreneur.com/article/239465)

Shammot, M. M. (2014) ‘The role of human resources management practices represented by employee’s recruitment and training and motivation for realization of competitive advantage’, African Journal of Business Management, vol. 8, no. 1, pp. 35-47.

Tipper, T. (2004) ‘How to increase diversity through your recruitment practices’, Industrial Commercial Training, vol. 35, no. 4, pp. 158-61.