The Human Resources (HR) Department Within an Organization, Research Paper Example

The Human Resources (HR) Department within an organization  plays a critical role in the achievement of customer satisfaction.  The development of a client services or customer focused culture is key to the provision of service and ultimately the profitability of the business.  ” hiring the best talent and training them to serve customers effectively. An analysis on 800 Sears Roebuck stores in 1999 revealed that an increase of 5% in employee attitudes increased customer satisfaction by 1.3%.”  (Anon, 2009).  Cornell University conducted a research study showing how good HR practices helped to optimize bpth people and performance.  The research demonstrated that in maximising people and performance there was a direct correlation to improvement of sales, growth, profit and customer satisfaction.  (Bansall, 2008)

The key objective of the HR department is to find the right skilled people in order to complete the job.  Equally when interfacing with external cients you are looking for additionalo qualities that include : attitude, ensuring a high quality of work,  providing customer service, fluent communicators able to sustain good customer relationships, flexibility in terms of value-added qualities to your work.  As such you may end up with a complex matrix in terms of finding those star performers for your firm.  ” It has been shown that when the organisation nurtures relationships with employees, the result can lead to a real improvement in services provision to customers (Schneider & Bowen 1995). Employees who feel that the organisation provides them with a supportive working environment, and see that the organisation aspires to a high quality of service and excellence, are often more willing to give customers the best service.”  (Tzafrir, 2007).

Obtain a Good Recruitment Process

A good recruiting practice would be examination of the  applicants’ attitudes in alignment with  the right skills for a suitable position in the organization.  HR professionals may look out for qualities like optimism, flexibility and emotional balance in handling situations of stress and criticism.  It is important in being selective and ensuring that the personalities of the individual match the organization and business requirements.   Good business operations who wish to build good customer relationships should look for people capable of balancing their interests and the company’s interests with those of the customers.
HR firms often use psychometric testing for this purpose but a more accurate assessment would be by examination of behavioural patterns at work.  This might be through a probationary period where the employee was placed under staff supervision doing the job.  Often this can be simple elements like good manners, politeness, having considerations and respect for others points of view. All of these types of attributes can lead to better and improved customer relationships.

Channel Potential

It is important to build customer-friendly cultures.  This is far more complex than just hiring suitable candidates with the right personality traits and skills. Such skills need to be further enhanced with  proper training both in soft skills and technical skills  such that the customer interface work in a more efficient manner customer surveys are a means to determine the  customer needs and subsequently  build these into employees’ customer service training.

Building Good Internal Relationships

Building good  customer-friendly environments keeps employees happy. Reports from Management Consultants often state that an organizations quality of customer service is actually a reflection of the treatment received by employees from the management. Building the right culture and organizational environment is an essential part of building the bridge between the Client and the organizational goals and objectives. Gaining employee loyalty is also very important in maintaining customer satisfaction.  Often the two run in parallel  and as such where employees feel good about the Company the more this is likely for the employee to build his/her skillsets and equally respond well to the customer base. ” On being recruited, a candidate should be trained to establish customer relationships. To serve the customer better one needs to understand his needs. For this the employee should be aware of the different personality traits and their behavioural patterns. The Meyers Briggs Type Indicator questionnaire is an effective tool in identifying personality types. ”  (Anon, Recent Trends in Human Resource Management, 2009)

Works Cited

Anon. (2009, 4 24). Customer Satisfaction & HR Practices. Retrieved 12 22, 2009, from http://howtomanagehumanresources.blogspot.com/2009/04/customer-satisfaction-and-hr-hr.html

Anon. (2009, 6 24). Recent Trends in Human Resource Management. Retrieved 12 22, 2009, from http://managehrnetwork.blogspot.com/2009/06/hr-practices-customer-satisfaction-and.html

Bansall, R. (2008, 4 3). Customer Satisfaction Begins With HR at the Ritz-Carlton. Retrieved 12 22, 2009, from Management Paradise.com: http://www.managementparadise.com/forums/human-resources-management/25464-customer-satisfaction-begins-hr-ritz-carlton.html

Tzafrir, S. S. (2007, 4). HRM practices and perceived service quality: the role of trust as a mediator. Retrieved 12 22, 2009, from BNET: http://findarticles.com/p/articles/mi_6769/is_2_15/ai_n28479862/