Cause & Effect of Proper Hiring and Training on Brand Reputation

When it comes to a business’s reputation, oftentimes companies don’t appreciate the large impact hiring and training has on their brand. Did you know that 72% of recruiting leaders around the world agree that an employer’s brand has a significant impact on hiring? An employer’s brand is essentially the perceived reputation of an organization. Nowadays, your brand’s reputation tells a much larger story than what’s just on your “About” page.

Your employees are on the front line of the customer experience and how they engage with customers will have a direct impact on your local and national brand reputation. Brands who invest in the right hiring and training tools benefit in many ways. They’ll see higher revenue, lower employee turnover, and better customer satisfaction. Neglecting this can lead to a reputation crisis, employee turnover, and customer loss.

We interviewed members of the Chatmeter HR and Customer Success team to get their expert insight on the impact of hiring and training on a brand.

Creating a Positive Company Culture

The first step in a successful hiring process begins internally. Businesses should establish if their company culture connects to their core values. Every B2C business should leverage its brand identity and company culture to attract candidates who fit in. If you’re a brand like PetSmart, attracting employees who are passionate about animals should be a part of your recruiting strategy. Innovative brands have also found ways to advocate for their employees while focusing on brand awareness. An example of this would be Nike, who has named their employees “Nike Pro Athletes”.

A company’s core values are an integral part of building its culture and providing direction to the organization’s goals. They also play a large role in recruiting candidates who share these values. Chatmeter’s Director of Human Resources, Coua Phang, discusses how creating core values can build a great company culture.

“Here at Chatmeter, every employee has a voice in determining our core values. It’s important because it creates an authentic connection for the employee. It’s also important early on in the hiring process to see if potential candidates are the right culture fit. Company values are one of the ways we assess if they’re the right fit for us. We’ll also ask questions about hobbies enjoyed outside of work,” mentions Phang.

Your employees are your brand ambassadors. What they say about your company online and offline has a powerful impact. If your friend is always complaining about their job, the chances of you applying to that company is slim. Today, every person can amplify their voice through social media and online reviews. All it takes is one voice to destroy a brand’s reputation. How can a company prevent this?

“An employer’s interaction with their employees makes a huge difference. They’re walking, talking brand ambassadors for their outside perspective. If employers recognize employees, the employees will promote the brand themselves. It’s important for them to feel recognized and praised, I’ve seen it be a big motivator,” says Phang.

 By creating a culture where employees feel heard, this prevents complaining outside of the workspace. Companies can also give anonymous surveys and encourage employee input. 50% of employees are sharing pictures and videos on social media about their work, and a third of them are doing this without any encouragement from their employer. Instead of creating an elaborate brand ambassador program that can be costly, companies can turn to their employees and encourage them to share positive highlights about their work experience on social media.

Chatmeter’s Talent Sourcer, Mercedes Rasso, believes a great work culture for employees can boost a company’s reputation.

“Maintaining great morale is one of the best ways to keep employees happy. These employee-centric standards have to be set and reinforced by company leadership. Our CEO, Collin Holmes, set a great work culture in place and it can be felt throughout our environment. We hold events that allow team members to bond with each other through fun activities,” says Rasso.

The Value of Proper Employee Training

Proper employee training is essential for providing the best customer experience. Corporate Trainer, Carly O’Connor and Customer Success Manager, Brady Keller, shared their insight into how employee training shapes a company’s reputation and the customer experience, as well as how Chatmeter can help multi-location businesses identify employee and management issues at the local level.

“Training can affect a business’s reputation in so many ways,” O’Connor shares. “If employees don’t have the proper training it will reflect online and in person. Employees who interact with customers need to understand how brand management impacts a brand’s reputation.”

In B2C businesses, online reviews are one of the most important ways to measure customer satisfaction

“Reviews are a key indicator of a business’s performance and customer satisfaction. Think of it this way:  if you were to walk into the hotel lobby and give the General Manager feedback, would they walk away? Never. Now imagine if the whole conversation was broadcast over the speakers. That’s the same effect online reviews have on your businesses, they can’t and shouldn’t be ignored. But many businesses still don’t focus on managing and responding to reviews,” warns O’Connor.

Many of our customers have leveraged Chatmeter to improve their employee training process. The software’s AI-based sentiment and text analytics feature, Pulse, sorts through millions of customer reviews to help brands gain insight into the local customer experience. Pulse identifies employee management issues that are negatively or positively impacting your reputation. This gives businesses the confidence to make the right operational changes.

“We’ve seen clients use our dashboard to see if employees are providing great customer service. If not, executives will use Chatmeter as a training tool with employees to teach best strategies,” says Keller.

Great customer experience is one of the most important ways to attract and retain customers. After a positive experience with a brand, 77% of customers are willing to recommend that brand to a friend. Chatmeter gives employees the right tools to deliver the best customer experience. It also allows leaders to give recognition to the employees who truly go the extra mile. Chatmeter’s Pulse has found the topics “Service” and “Staff” to be some of the most discussed topics in online reviews. When a business’s staff members create an unforgettable experience, customers are much more likely to leave positive reviews, generating more online and in-store traffic.

All it takes is one bad experience to damage a brand’s reputation. Creating the right hiring and training process can help employees deliver a positive customer experience every time. Want to optimize your brand’s reputation? Schedule a demo with one of our experts today!

Want to join an amazing company with a great culture, Chatmeter’s hiring!