Questions you need to ask in your staff survey program

Customer service is potentially the most important part of any sales process. Research has shown that if you receive fantastic customer service you will experience the same feeling as when you are told or find out you are in love. This is obviously a principle which needs to be promoted in staff. A regular staff survey with the following questions will help assess how engaged your staff are and whether they are equipped to offer this level of customer service:

What are the company’s strengths and weaknesses?

No matter which company you work for there will be differences in procedures and the way/style in which the company is run. All employees should provide an answer to the things that the company does really well and the ones which are done badly. The workplace culture can affect the strengths and weaknesses of a company and this should be reflected.

How to motivate your employees

An employee survey should provide an insight into which things motivate and engage your employees. It is essential to study the answers received and to adjust procedures accordingly if necessary.

Do employees have clear goals?

It is essential that all employees know and understand all goals you have any what plans are in place to obtain the goal. With this information an employee can make decisions based on what is best for the company. When there’s no goal or objective on the line workers don’t feel engaged or motivated. They just do their jobs without a shred of enthusiasm, and have no interest to boost their organization’s bottom line.

Is management visible?

In order to understand what is happening inside a company or to motivate and even supervise staff it is essential to be seen. Research shows that senior leadership should be visible; the staff should be aware that they are around and that they know what is going on within the company.

Is there enough communication?

Communication is vital to any business. Everyday a company must communicate with its supplier and its customers.  It should also communicate with its employees. One part of this is to keep them up to date with leadership plans and the direction the company is going in. The other side of this is the need for all staff to feel like people; not just a staff number. To resolve this it is essential to have conversations with the staff. A hello and short, simple chat will make a huge difference to any employee’s level of engagement as they will feel they matter.

Are the managers the right ones?

In many companies the top rungs of promotion are management. Whilst this is an excellent choice for some individuals it is not always the best path. Some people are simply not cut out to be managers and these members of staff need to have an alternative career path available to them. If this is not the case then a business can end up with an unsatisfactory management structure. This can have a seriously detrimental effect on business.

Are the exit interviews giving answers?

Every company should do an exit interview. This can be a wealth of information. Knowing why an employee is leaving will allow you the opportunity to address any issues or shortcomings in the business. It may also allow you the opportunity to negotiate a new deal with the employee if they are of particular value. The information in an exit interview can be used to improve the business as a whole; as well as specific issues.

Many businesses suffer from a lack of willingness to step up and take responsibility. It is very common for someone to say they are only the HR manager and they have no power over how a role is fulfilled. Anyone in a leadership position needs to have the confidence to ensure the other employees do their jobs properly. The process of leading other employees will increase engagement and customer satisfaction.

The above mentioned questions are vital in a staff survey program. As a company owner you must understand that nothing beats employee engagement. The happier your workers are the better chances your company has to thrive. Do you remember the last time your HR department sent out employee engagement questionnaires?