Confession: I’m still haunted by last week’s Rodeo about how “ghosting” has become an alarmingly common practice at all stages of the talent acquisition process (not to mention in business communications as a whole), with candidates, recruiters and companies being guilty of this bad behavior 👻. Apparently, the topic was equally horrifying to you, too, as I received quite a few emails after publication asking if I could include your ghosting stories in a future Rodeo (and I’ll try to find room for them soon!),

In the meantime, I want to reiterate that ghosting for any reason by anyone is 💯 unacceptable in talent acquisition. The practice has become so prevalent, however, I think it’s safe to say that burning sage is not enough to chase away all the evil spirits at work here. So what WILL actually fix the problem?

Let’s start by imagining a world in which all Companies treated job seekers and candidates in the same way they treat their valued customers… 💡

WELCOME TO THE RECRUITING RODEO VOLUME 6: THE CANDIDATE AS CUSTOMER! 🎉

When I receive great customer service, it brightens my day. It makes me believe that all is right in the world, despite the litany of unpleasant surprises that await us as consumers in the modern world. Like your phone’s screen going “dark” right before a 12-hour road trip (true story). The mysterious charge that appears on your credit card or bank statement that you either didn’t make or can’t remember making. The laptop that “dies” right before that HUGE third-round job interview with the Company’s Hiring Manager’s, Hiring Manager.

It’s the people — often behind-the-scenes and screens in far-flung customer-service departments and call centers connected to us by cell phone towers and sometimes, transatlantic cables — that save us. Over and over again.

In some cases, the customer-service heroes who come to our rescue are a lot closer to home, such as the retail employees in our own communities. When I moved to my suburban, quasi-rural town in Connecticut after years of living in larger cities, I started to notice something different about the customer service I was receiving not only from local shopkeepers and merchants , but also from government agencies like the United States Postal Service. Namely, it was exceptional.

When I had important errands to run, I felt like I was living in a manufactured dream world right out of “The Truman Show” with Jim Carrey in which the sky is always blue and the sun always shining. Whether overnighting an important package from my town’s independently-owned shipping and packaging store or running into the bakery or Subway to pick up something my kids could eat quickly on their way to sports practice, I was greeted with smiles; friendly, efficient service; clean, organized work environments; and employees who seemed to be able to predict my orders after a few visits.

Most transactions today take place anonymously on social media and e-tail platforms. I’ll take real and human any day, especially when it comes to customer service. To be on the receiving end of the “magic” that makes you feel like the person speaking to you — in the store, on the phone, or even on your device via an automated chat bot (some are pretty good!) — is as vested in solving your problems or concerns, as you are 🢚 that’s a gift. How do the Companies with the best, most attentive customer service do it? I wanted to find out and then apply my findings to Talent Acquisition so that we start to:

TREAT CANDIDATES LIKE CUSTOMERS…

This shift in mindset would remedy the ghosting problem, not to mention other common job search and hiring afflictions that continue to plague us all (some of which we touched on in Volumes 4 and 5 of The Recruiting Rodeo 🐎).

… BECAUSE “OUR EMPLOYEES ARE OUR GREATEST ASSET!”

Definitely not rocket surgery, folks. If we can all agree that a Company’s greatest asset is indeed its employees, logic alone tells us that potential employees — those we are recruiting, may want to hire, and could ultimately join the team — are its second-greatest asset. So let’s start treating Candidates in the way a Company with “Best Workplace” recognition would (especially those who didn’t fork over $10K for an ad buy in the presenter’s annual awards issue to merit special consideration).

As “trickle down” from leadership may not be working when it comes to infusing higher-touch strategies and tactics into the talent acquisition process, let’s make the LOVE ❤️ “bubble up” from below, starting with what is often a candidate or job seeker’s FIRST interaction with your Company (aside from perhaps buying its products or services, of course) — THE HIRING PROCESS. To me, it all starts with a smile. And a smile is something you can hear even across a fiber-optic cable.

To get an expert’s perspective on what it takes to deliver great customer service, I went right to the source and interviewed customer-service leaders and other senior-level insiders from businesses and Companies that I think  “get it right.” These are some of my all-time favorite brands that, based on my own personal experience, have not only never failed to deliver exceptional customer service while solving the problem at hand, but have quite often even exceeded my high expectations.

(In case you were wondering, I don’t get paid for endorsing or mentioning any Companies, brands, products, services on The Recruiting Rodeo. But for anyone reading this who might be interested to paying me to do so… let’s chat!)

We’re going to hear — straight from “the horse’s mouth” how these Companies approach the concept of customer service, how they define it, and how they train their teams to produce a “winning” customer experience. Then, in the next Rodeos, we’re going to apply their wisdom to the Talent Acquisition process.

WEBER GRILLS

I’m going to kick off my customer service recognition with the brand that has given me the best customer service, over and over again — flawlessly, in fact — for close to two decades. Exhibit A: my stunningly beautiful Weber Summit Silver A (pictured below). My father-in-law purchased this magnificent piece of steel for me and my ex-husband as a housewarming gift in (wait for it)… 2004. And it still works. Really well, I might add.

Over the years, I have called Weber’s toll-free number to order a litany of replacement parts including flavor bars, grill grates, an ignition switch, and even a new lid that was shipped to me within a week and — unbeknownst to me — still under warranty. A contractor friend could not make the new ignition switch work, but that aside, my Weber Summit Silver A has delivered history’s finest assortment of grilled sausages, chicken, steaks, fruits and vegetables for countless birthday and graduation parties, holidays, special occasions, celebrations and spontaneous “hey, we should totally grill tonight!” festivities.

My magificant piece of steel has saved me during power outages (you can boil soups and water on its side burner). And it has sat outside on the deck in the harshest conditions, from bitter blizzards and drenching downpours to sweltering summer sun, both covered and — in recent years, as a bee discovered that the Weber Grill cover (another high-quality product) would make a nice home for him and its friends — uncovered. I even own the rotisserie attachment, which works well but, as I have expressed to the wonderful people in Weber Customer Service, is frankly a real pain to clean.

Every time I have called Weber for parts and help, there was little to no wait time to speak to a live person — and whomever I spoke to immediately looked up my information; found my grill’s model number without needing to ask me for it; guided me through concise, strategic troubleshooting specific to my model; didn’t put me on hold to ask someone else how to help me; ordered the parts for me; and knew what was still under warranty. Once or twice, I’ve even called to talk about affordable new grill options because maybe after two decades, “it’s time.”

What has set my Weber experience apart — even from other exceptional customer-service experiences — in my mind, is its representatives’ patently obvious obsession with and passion for grilling, their deep knowledge about how to do it really well, and their familiarity with every nook and cranny that exists on the grill itself. And the best part, they genuinely seem to enjoy talking to customers!

Weber’s various customer service people have offered me (without me asking) recipes, ways I can use different parts of the grill more efficiently depending on what I’m making, and overall, make my grilling tastier and saved me time. My local ACE hardware store, another beloved customer experience in my community, started selling Weber’s seasoning packets and “rubs” on its counter years ago. That’s how I discovered them. I make a lot of marinades from scratch, but once I tried Weber’s, I was hooked and saved myself a lot of time as a busy parent and sometimes, hostess. One year, while ordering my grates, the Weber phone representative shared her favorite seasoning packets with me and gave me new ideas on how to use them, “off package.” She went “rogue,” recommending that I substitute another liquid vs. the package seasoning’s instructions. To someone who loves cooking and food, THIS is customer service. Best of all, none of the people I have ever spoken to at Weber have ever tried to upsell me.

So I contacted Weber for this Rodeo to find out what makes its customer service so special. How do they do it so well? The Company’s head of Marketing and PR person immediately got back to me (which says something, right there) with an interview with Weber’s Senior Director of Consumer Care. Here is what he said, direct…

“FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH” w/BRYAN BECKWITH

“Exceptional consumer care has been a tenet of the Weber experience since our founding 72 years ago. I believe great customer service centers on always delighting and helping our owners quickly ‘get back to grilling.’”

When I asked Bryan what he thinks is the most important or helpful skill to have when helping customers, he replied, “Empathy is often heralded as being far and away the most essential skill in the customer service world. While true, a close second and third are ‘attention to detail’ and ‘active listening.’ In those invaluable one-to-one interactions a great Consumer Care representative can capture and retain important details to help personalize an experience, guide someone towards the right solution, and delight in providing unexpected ‘magic’ moments. All these competencies can be natural strengths, but they won’t become outright strengths in someone without purposeful development.” (no wonder I experienced such great service that went well beyond the purpose of my phone calls!)

Something I always think about is, how can someone develop these type of skills Bryan mentions, if the person doesn’t have them organically and has never learned them? And does Weber train its consumer care team? On these topics, Bryan shared,

“Roleplaying (agent/consumer) is an effective exercise that helps Consumer Care/Success teams hear real-life examples ‘out loud,’ whether as an active participant or by hearing teammates talk through different examples. Everyone learns differently, so a mix of teaching and development styles is needed to help sharpen both the knowledge and the skills required to succeed and eventually excel.” He added that the Company’s “Library of Excellence” is a helpful resource as it helps boost morale when veteran agents hear their work is being celebrated.

A customer’s love for her/his favorite brands knows no bounds. And like I referenced above with Weber, it’s apparent to me that the people who work there love ❤️ what they do and love ❤️ helping their customers.

Speaking of love❤️… I’d like to introduce you to my second favorite brand in terms of delivering outstanding customer service — an American national bank. Its employee I interviewed shall remain anonymous because I didn’t go through its PR department for this Rodeo and I don’t want to get anyone there in trouble.

My local branch of this bank is phenomenal. I think of everyone who works there like family. I’ve probably known most of the tellers and managers for at least a decade. Which speaks to the bank’s ability to retain its talent. I’m not surprised by the level of employee retention, an important Talent Acquisition KPI (key performance indicator) we’’ll get to in another Rodeo, because of the level of service everyone there delivers every single time I have walked in for something, no matter how small or large in terms of importance — with or without my dog in tow. When I do bring my dog, one of the tellers gives him not one, but two treats. He literally pulls me over to this beloved person as soon as we enter its doors.

I have used this national bank’s services at its branches all over the United States — in Seattle, NYC, Oxford, OH… I have such extreme brand loyalty to it, based on my collective experiences, that I actually feel safe and secure whenever I’m in a new city or town and discover it has a branch there. It is comforting, peace of mind. But my hometown one “knocks it out of the park.”

So on a recent visit to set up an appointment, because I prefer to do business live and in person, if given a choice, I asked someone there, who works for the bank’s parent company, how s/he defines great customer service. Here is what s/he said.

“FROM THE HORSE’S MOUTH” w/SOMEONE FROM MY FAVORITE BANK

“I think it’s caring, that’s the key — caring about what you’re doing and how you help people. Great customer service comes from the heart❤️.”

As someone who leads with her heart ❤️, in business and personally, I could not agree more. And I only wish there were more people like the people who work at my local bank and Weber Grills populating this world and especially, working in customer service… AND Talent Acquisition.

In the next Rodeo, I’m going to share anecdotes from more Companies that provide extraordinary customer service: one being my favorite pet vacuum manufacturer (WYHALYK when you have a lab you know).

I can’t wait to apply all of these lessons learned to the hiring and Talent Acquisition process in Volumes 7 and 8 of The Recruiting Rodeo 🐎. In fact, writing this Rodeo on treating candidates like customers just sparked an idea. I’m going to interview Hiring Leaders and those who assist in the hiring process — Recruiters, HR — whom I think, “get it right” — provide an exceptional experience for their candidates and/or internal/external hiring teams/partners, along the Talent Acquisition process. THAT is some gold that needs to be shared — and celebrated 🥳.

Until the next installment in our multi-part CANDIDATE AS CUSTOMER series, enjoy the ride 🐎. And please remember to celebrate and thank the people who help you. Every day.

(thank you to all of the company executives and people in my local community who took time out of their busy days to share their consumer care insights with me including the artists below who provided some of my imagery for this substack)

Chase Bank Photo by Frugal Flyer on Unsplash

Red carpet image: 7715327 © Silvio Valent | Dreamstime.com

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