Just managed to find a small window to scroll the "wall" and suddenly something strike my Monday mood morning. As usual, employees will be given a yearly sales target by the company whether during their sales seminar or in a team building workshop. Usually the location of the announcement will be at somewhere fancy, exclusive or even maybe over the South China Sea. It's a fun and glamorous activity or event for the sales team. They have proven their profitability to the company last year and deserved to be celebrated. Achieved their target. Achieved the company's vision and mission. This year will be a different target. Different vision and they need a head start in their motivation. Something positive needed to be planted in their brain. This activity is good for the business and self development. Way back in the old days, and I used to experience this and not only me, I think the whole branch went through this type of session especially the team building part. It was always a memorable moment for everybody as it is seldom organised for them especially those in the sales supporting role or those in the frontline. They are mostly very least important in an organisation. Their job don’t contribute much in the company profitability. All they need to do is, serve the customer. When voiced out to management, of course they will say the opposite thing. They will try bullshitting as much as possible that the front liners are equally important as the sales people. REALLY?? So what is equal treatment they received? Company annual dinner which they are the organiser themselves? A trip to Langkawi? A trip to Batam? A trip to Tioman? or it is enough for a trip to Sematan for them? I don’t know. All I know, they punch in and out daily. Open the business by serving the customers. End of the day, they’ll went home. Next day is the same thing. Month end, salary credited.
Enough is it? Have they ever been invited to a classy event. A grand function where they are the honourable guest? They just seat down and being served like a royalty? Or have they been send to a motivational course? Special training? Seminars? Giving them a chance to express themselves? Have a dialogue with senior management without middle man? Do any senior management know them personally? Some of them have been serving the company longer than the senior management. A decade ago, long service employees were celebrated in a very special event organised by the company. They will be flown to somewhere with their spouse, stay in a good hotel and treated with series of good event and was given an appreciation award by top management in a fancy dinner. Now, due to budget cut, none of that happened. I remember when I was serving my 20th year in the company. I waited and waited for my 20th year certificate. Not that I’m eager to receive it but I want to have it to hang on my staircase wall, next to my 10th year certificate. The 20th year passed and the 21st year passed. No news at all about it until I have to asked a rhetoric question to HR, “Do you still give out a long service certificate to us?” and that was in my 22nd year service. Couple of weeks later, I received my framed certificate in a courier service package, handed by a delivery guy, not my CEO. How pathetic it is. It is not the 1st time. My 10th year long service certificate was also handed to me by my ex-Services Manager on my table only after I asked HR for it in my 11th year of service. Enough of that.
Ya. What about customer service? Don’t they deserve an appreciation dinner? Do they deserve it? I don’t know. The only thing I know, these are the people that served the customer after sales. A sales that not done by them. These are the people that cleans up a mess done during the sales process. These are the people that explain the terms & conditions of the sold products. These are the people that got “bombarded” by the customer because of sales person mis-selling. Do they deserved it? Right. some will said that is their job. They are paid for it. No doubt they received salary for it but do they deserve for a motivational trip? Do they deserve for a sales course? Do they deserve to receive a product training? Never. They are on their own. Once they made a mistake, they are being coached (SOME CALL IT PUNISHMENT). They will be degraded. Their yearly score will be “Need Improvement”. How bullshit it is! Speak up. Speak up. Speak up. ...but once they speak up, they will be shut down with their poor service to customer. Sometimes, I pity their hard work. These are the people that gave the First Impression of the organisation. Their course of action is the image of the organisation. Never customer shout at a sales person for mis-informed of the products bought but once the customer service unable to fulfill their needs, it went viral up to the top management. Why it happened? Ever thought of the training they received? No? That is because they did not go for any formal training or a refresher course. That is why you can’t think of any.
Enough bullshit from me. Time to open up and received bullets from every corner. Adios.
