This week’s installment of the most significant challenges facing our 2022 Elite Dealer class turns its attention to another issue that has vexed the office technology sector, particularly during the past three years: hiring and retention. Recruiting and poaching (depending on your point of view) is either an advantage or obstacle (perhaps both) as dealers seek to bring their staff in line with profits and revenue growth opportunities.
The good news for America’s economy—record-low levels of unemployment—creates an added challenge for those dealers who are seeking quality team members to either accommodate growth or replace those who have exited. The Great Resignation may have more of an impact on less-skilled positions, but it’s also created bidding wars for some of the highest-performing sales reps.
The following is a representative sampling of how dealers have dealt with the challenge during the course of 2022:
Dealers such as All Copy Products of Denver have needed to motivate sales reps and managers to fall back on the practices that led to success prior to the pandemic. Still, the dealer saw significant turnover because it wouldn’t tolerate bad habits developed during the COVID-19 era, primarily the practice of upgrading current accounts and not prospecting.
“We have spent the last year rebuilding our teams with staff willing to sell all of our offerings, use the technology and marketing we provide to prospect for new opportunities and take great care of our current customers,” All Copy Products wrote.
Wholesale Changes
A combination of planned and COVID-induced unplanned retirements put Southwest Office Systems in the unenviable position of needing to replace an entire department. Through a total team effort that encompassed various departments, the Euless, Texas-based dealer was able to restock.
“We are fully functional and continuing to work through any challenges that arise,” the company wrote. “We use multiple methods of recruitment, as there is no magic pill. Our dedicated in-house sales training provides an environment of learning for both new and seasoned reps. [In terms of] retention, we offer lots of recognition, from pats on the back to monthly plaques and extra commission bonuses. We are always making an effort to catch staff doing it right.”
With a little patience and a ton of legwork, Advanced Business Solutions of St. Augustine, Florida, was able to add staff that turned out to be ideal fits. The key was ensuring personalities could gel with incumbent team members.
“We were able to do this by seeing how they meshed with the guys/gals here on interview day, as well as doing our detailed research outside of the resume,” the dealer reported.
Sales and service personnel have been particularly critical additions for Quality Business Solutions (QBS) of Baltimore, which is particularly selective in identifying team members who are customer-facing. That makes customer service proficiency a prime trait in its choices.
“We look for people who want to retire here at QBS and always put our customers first,” QBS wrote. “Being proactive with our customers and giving our team the tools to achieve their goals is critical. We have been flexible by offering very high salaries and letting them work from home as well as in the office. We are contributing more money towards their IRA and health benefits.”
When a number of veteran members of the team called it a career, Advanced Business Equipment of Asheville, North Carolina, found itself in the market for replacements. Fortunately, the company was able to identify and secure a number of top performers.
“We were able to find the right personnel to fill their positions and quickly get up to speed, working with enthusiasm and passion,” the dealer wrote. “They didn’t miss a beat!”
Balancing Act
Given the considerable changes in attitudes and expectations of prospective employees, it has changed the way a company such as Advanced Imaging Solutions of Minnetonka, Minnesota, approaches hiring. Learning how to create an environment that’s conducive to growth while managing the wants and needs of existing and new employees has added a new dimension to doing business.
“Trying to figure out the right balance between how we did business successfully pre-pandemic to how we do business now and in the future creates more and different conversations,” the dealer reported. “Adapting to new strategies of what the business day or week looks like, along with relating to our clients with what their changed business looks like. Relating to our clients that have gone through these different challenges, such as working remotely, has been a big advantage because as we change and we can understand the learning and growth curve that comes with these changes and challenges.”
When a company is experiencing significant growth, such as DOCUmation of San Antonio, finding key personnel in sales and support intensifies the need to make the right personnel choices. The dealer casts a wide net to attain its goals.
“We have started attending college career fairs and seeking out summer interns who can propel us forward during their downtime,” the dealer wrote. “They can feel out our culture, and return to a team they know and love upon graduation.”
Account executives can be particularly difficult to nab in the current environment, notes Fraser Advanced Information Systems of West Reading, Pennsylvania. While the company hasn’t been bogged down with significant turnover, it’s keenly aware of the pool of applicants that are juggling multiple interviews simultaneously, and quite often have multiple offers on the table.
“We must be able to convince candidates that Fraser is the best place to make their next career move, and we have had some success in that area,” the dealer reported. “We have created new recruiting content, including video content, that speaks explicitly to what a career at Fraser looks like and how we live our core values daily.”
Tapping Resources
In a fast-growing market, companies such as PERRY proTECH of Lima, Ohio, are tasked to stay ahead of market trends in order to gain access to the area’s top talent. Incumbent employees are a prime source for creating interest in the firm.
“By encouraging our most important assets, our people, to refer connections in their network, we’ve continued to grow a crew that is even stronger and grittier than the market challenges we’re facing,” the dealer wrote.
The quest to source skilled and talented additions to the staff has prompted Eakes Office Solutions of Grand Island, Nebraska, to seek out new touch points for potential hires. This is especially critical in new and emerging markets where the dealer may not be a well-known quality.
“We have started running recruiting commercials on both traditional TV programming and online/streaming services,” Eakes wrote. “The digital options give us more control over the demographics of those seeing and interacting with our advertisements.”
