Employee Recognition: A Powerful Motivator That Improves Service and Boosts Profits Measure-X Offers Tips On How to Reward Your Employees

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
July 11, 2001

CONTACT: Tom Ellis
Ellis Communications, L.L.C.
Phone: (623) 780-4558
E-Mail: tom@elliscomm.com

PHOENIX, Ariz. - Employees are critical to the success of any call center, or any other business for that matter, and something as simple as recognition can get them excited about their job, the customer and their employer.
"I'm amazed by the number of companies that spend thousands of dollars to improve their technology, increase their marketing efforts and coordinate that next killer sales program," says David Saxby, president of Measure-X, a Phoenix-based firm that specializes in helping companies improve their customer service. "Yet they don't see the benefit of making an investment in recognizing the most valuable asset they have - their front-line employees who interact with customers every day and generate revenue for the business."

Following are five tips from Measure-X on how to provide effective employee recognition.


Tip No. 1 - Recognize small improvements. Recognition is not just about saluting top performers; it's about recognizing people who improve their skills every day to provide better customer service and sell more products. An investment in recognition will have a stronger impact when it touches more people, Saxby notes.

Tip No. 2 - It's not just the money. "Recognition comes in many forms, from a hand-written thank-you note, to the manager or president of the company praising their work, to the plaque with their name on it that sits in the lobby for the world to see," Saxby says. Short on ideas for employee recognition? Saxby recommends "1001 Ways to Reward Employees" by Bob Nelson.

Tip No. 3 - What is important to employees? Ask employees for their ideas on how they would like to be recognized for a job well done. "You might be amazed by the low-cost suggestions they share with you," Saxby points out. "The more personal the recognition is to the employees, the more impact your efforts will have and the longer they will remember it."

Tip No. 4 - Provide immediate recognition. Recognition involves more than the annual awards banquet. Recognize positive attitudes or behavior immediately. "Compliment and reward people when they are using those skills they have learned," Saxby says. "Create that special recognition award that you can put in their hand to reward them on the spot for a job well done."

Tip No. 5 - Is it working? Most companies have difficulty investing money in something that doesn't give them measurable results. Establish a process to measure the impact that recognition has on sales and service. "Survey the customers, survey the employees and track sales or productivity before and after you implement the recognition program," Saxby recommends.

Saxby personally witnessed a situation in which one small prize made an employee at a fast-food restaurant literally jump for joy: "If such a simple act of recognition can be so powerful, how much impact could a well-thought-out incentive program have on the bottom-line profits of your company?"


Measure-X is a Phoenix, Ariz.-based measurement, training and recognition company that specializes in customer service skills and employee retention. The company may be reached at 888-644-5499. Saxby may be contacted at the toll-free number or via e-mail at david@measure-x.com. Visit the Measure-X Web site at www.measure-x.com.