Today’s entry level positions are nothing like the past where these easily obtainable jobs were limited in scope, had strictly defined duties and were a key way for a person with zero work experience to gain work experience. Entry level positions in this era are much more dynamic and come with higher expectations for productivity and performance. In the small and midsize business realm, entry level positions are an essential component of the operation and can have a direct impact on business costs and profitability. In the current economic landscape, expectations for performance are even greater within SMBs as each opportunity must be maximized in the face of a potential economic slowdown. The size advantage of SBMs gives them the ability to pivot and adapt to changing environments quickly and more efficiently than larger counterparts. Training and upskilling can be deployed much more efficiently and effectively in the small and midsize organizations, potentially improving performance and productivity at a much faster pace.

Customer Service From the Customer’s Perspective

For many small and midsize businesses, customer service is part of the daily operational agenda and is a key revenue generator for the organization. Each customer, or interaction, is much more valuable and maximizing the individual opportunity is foundational for success in the current economic climate. A jaw dropping statistic from Zendesk research indicates that more than half of respondents said they would leave a brand after just 1 bad customer experience. For SMBs, losing just 1 customer could have devastating effects. Strategizing and planning for customer service is essential for consistently delivering top shelf experiences. Reviewing the customer service process from the customer’s perspective can identify opportunities to better serve and maximize transactions. Improving customer service techniques in entry level and front line teams, such as communication skills and product knowledge. Businesses that handle telephone interactions can identify opportunities by reviewing call scripts and analyzing past call flows. Even minor tweaks to scripts or pace can create more opportunities for the business.

Controlling the Controllables

Reduced efficiency and productivity has farther reaching impacts in the realm of SMBs as does losses caused by either external or internal factors. Entry level personnel can have a direct effect on operational costs and a lack of training or organizational habits will impact business profitability. Learning specific tasks and processes is part of any entry level job but developing the individual’s organizational habits can improve accuracy of work and productivity almost immediately. Upskilling and reskilling new hires and veteran personnel with advanced organizational and time management habits can help lower operational costs. Training entry level teams on the types of losses businesses can experience will build awareness and help mitigate and prevent future instances of losses.

Leadership Sets the Tone

Another facet that carries a lot of impact around small and midsize businesses is leadership roles. Owners, managers and supervisors have much closer contact and increased interactions with entry level staff and their leadership abilities can easily set the tone and establish the culture within the business. Supervising entry level staff does require a specialized skill set, advanced communication communication abilities and organizational habits that will enable multi tasking. Driving productivity through motivation starts with direct leadership and SMB supervisors play a key role in managing performance, improving productivity and building a better workspace. Managerial decisions and execution will have that much more impact on the bottom line in the SMB realm and as with other areas, there is little room for error. Reviewing supervisor abilities and planning for increased productivity are first steps in driving performance. Managers, supervisors and even owners can benefit from sharpening and upskilling their leadership abilities and fine tuning communication skills can have a positive impact on productivity almost immediately.

The Bottom Line

Small and midsize business depends on the highest level of efficiency and productivity from frontline and entry level teams. The room for error is far smaller in the SMB realm and maximizing opportunities within the business is now one of the top operational priorities. Higher expectations for flexibility, performance and productivity are now integral parts of entry level jobs in spite of the current landscape of economic uncertainty. Training and upskilling entry level personnel can generate faster performance improvements and better results, positively impacting the business at a quicker pace. Frontline development and training drive worker experience and can yield long term benefits as well, such as reduced turnover and hiring / training costs. Improved worker experience can also increase ‘ownership’ of the business, yielding even more productivity benefits to the business. Express Training Systems supports small business through self paced or instructor-led entry level training and upskilling. Click here to view our course lineup.