How can something improve if you don’t know it needs it?
Today’s blog is by Margaret Stewart, Manager of HR and Administration at SafeSourcing
Striving for improvement within an organization is essential for any company to strengthen and grow, but many times it can be difficult to discern where to begin. First knowing what to improve is the first step, but where does that idea come from?
Employee feedback – We all hope that our organizations breed open and honest communication, but unfortunately openly expressed concerns from employees doesn’t always happen. Reaching out to employees for their feedback on the their workload, daily duties, management styles, and work-life balance can not only help to ease the concerns of an individual employee, but can forewarn an organization of potential problems other employees may face. Addressing employee concerns can help to stabilize and strengthen the core of a business, encouraging teamwork and comradery.
Customer feedback – Listening to customers is another important aspect of any business. If something happens with a customer base, the impact can hit the pocket of an organization hard. This kind of feedback can be found through comment cards, email, toll-free numbers, online surveys, and even customer interviews. It can be essentially important in business to find and address customer concerns before a customer decides to go elsewhere.
Research – Another great way to learn where an organization can use improvement is to look for outside sources. This can mean looking at processes of other organizations and determining if that process is something that could be implemented in your business, and whether it would have a positive or negative overall effect on both customers and employees. In addition to other organizations, looking at upcoming technologies and research can help a business not only stay up to date, but also ease the burdens on employees and customers alike.
While each method of obtaining information and ideas for improvement are instrumental in a growing business, utilizing all three methods will ultimately generate the most knowledge. Seeking feedback is essential in keeping employees, customers, and everyone else happy with an organization because without the knowledge, you would never know how far you could go.
For more information on SafeSourcing and how we can help your organization, or on our Risk Free trial program, please contact a SafeSourcing Customer Service representative.
We have an entire team ready to assist you today.
