Recap of results of study (Sales Job)

Two Objectives: To create a statistical benchmark of core traits and cognitive abilities for use in selection as well as to create a custom coaching and development report for use with Resale Sales Representatives and their direct Managers to improve sales performance.

Steps to creating the benchmark:

1. All current sales personnel were asked to take a personality and cognitive assessment online in order to assess their core behavioral traits and cognitive speed.
2. Management was asked to break down sales performance of current personnel into 3 categories (Above Standard “A”, At Standard “B” or Below Standard “C”).
3. The assessment data along with the job descriptions were analyzed in order to create a “benchmark” for top performance.
4. All personnel were then compared to this benchmark in order to create an overall “percentage” score to that benchmark.
5. Excel spreadsheets were created showing the breakdown of each individual according to the benchmark.
6. We attended some of the sales training sessions being held for current personnel whereby we could hear and see the expectations of current sales personnel
7. Using the data from the assessment and the knowledge from the training sessions, a custom report was created to be used for coaching and development and current and future sales reps.
8. Using the data from the assessment, a benchmark was created to be used in the selection process of future sales reps.

Results of the process:

• If the current benchmark had been utilized in selecting current sales reps, it would have accurately identified 100% of the struggling or “C” performers.
• If the current benchmark had been utilized in selecting current sales reps, it would have accurately identified 84% of top versus bottom performers.
• A custom report has been built that can be used for current or future reps to identify “tips” for coaching them to higher performance.
• A custom benchmark has been built that can be used in the selection process to help identify prospects that may not fit the position.

Data provided with study results:

• A spreadsheet showing all the individuals in the study sorted by their overall % fit from 100% to 21% being the lowest. This spreadsheet shows which “critical zones” they hit indicating a significant trait that is missing. It also shows their actual scores from 1-10 on each trait measured including cognitive speed.
• A recap spreadsheet showing where “T” top performers versus “B” bottom performers fell on each scale. This is the beginning of the development of the benchmark (Red is critically bad zone, Yellow is Ok and Green is ideal).
• A sample of the Custom designed Coaching and Development report that has been given to each of the current reps to help in their development.
• A sample of a hiring report that can be used for future applicants (whether internal or external) to make sure they actually fit the position.

About the Client:

The client is one of North America’s leading providers of visual communications with 85 facilities and 10,000 employees. The company ranks second in the printing and publishing category as Fortune Magazine's Most Admired Companies and ranked number five of the Russell 3000 companies on Corporate Governance Quotients by Institutional Shareholder Services.

Type of Company: Cable Television Technology & Services

Application: Hiring

Type of Position: DSR – Direct Sales Representative – “Team Members” (“Neighborhood” representatives for 500,000 homes serviced by the company)

Goals:

• To demonstrate an increase in retention rates with the applicants being placed.
• To decrease “training pay” (time new employees are being paid for their training rather than being able to produce).

Measurable Results after implementing the Psychometric Assessment System to measure behavioral traits and cognitive abilities:

• In one year of using the assessments, reduced “90 day or less turnover” by 50%
• In one year of using the assessments, reduced “training pay” by 30% to 50% in each division which allowed bottom line payroll savings to be re-allocated to improve training and development

Additional information shared by the client as a result of the study:

“We currently employ 150 Team Members in this position. We have assessed approximately 500 applicants during the year. We are able to screen many more applicants now in the same amount of time as before due to the ease of use of the online system. In the past, we would lose a large number of Team Members within the first 90 days simply because the job was not right for them or they came into the position without “focused” training on their individual development needs. By using these assessment tools, we can ‘see’ how the job is going to fit and we know what skills to focus our training efforts on for each applicant. It has cut our training pay expense for new reps by 30% and as much as 50% in some divisions. In most cases, we were able to reinvest these savings into more training for the reps themselves. Furthermore, our Team Member productivity has increased by at least 10% as a result of us hiring the best reps we can out of our applicant pool. With more time spent on Team Member development and less time spent dealing with turnover, the entire team wins.”

Type of Company: Staffing

Application: Hiring

Type of Position: Inbound Call Center for technical related issues (cable, high-speed data, payment issues, etc.)

Goals:

• To demonstrate an increase in retention rates with the applicants being placed.
• To increase efficiency by determining which applicants would be the most likely to succeed in the technical training course.

Statistics prior to using the Psychometric Assessments:

• 40% retention rate (60% turnover rate with other vendor’s placements)
• 33% “hire” ratio of applicants for these positions (66% of applicants being presented by other vendors were not being hired)

Statistics prior to using the Psychometric Assessment:

• 70% retention rate with 30% turnover

Statistics after implementing the Psychometric Assessment System to measure behavioral traits and cognitive abilities:

• 90% retention rate with 10% turnover
• Unexpected Benefit: The staffing company was losing about 50% of the remaining applicants who had been evaluated for the call center job but had not been placed and who were available to be placed in other positions. After implementing the assessment system, they have cut that loss dramatically to 25% and are now placing remaining applicants in other positions. This is primarily because their assessments can now be utilized efficiently to compare them to other open positions that may not have been considered.

Additional information shared by the client as a result of the study:

“The assessments have helped us to make considerably better placements in general for all of our accounts. We have seen some very dramatic results. In one example, we recruit inbound contact center reps that take calls related to cable, high-speed data, payment issues, and other technical related questions. We were able to refine our interview questions based on the summary results we received from the assessment. We were also able to make better hiring decisions. The great majority of the turnover we had experienced resulted from employees not being able to keep up in training and learn the material fast enough. The assessment system helped us identify those individuals who may have potential red flags. Another interesting fact is that prior to using this tool we would lose about 50% of the candidates we evaluated but did not place at the client. The assessment has been a great resource to enable us to place twice as many people in other positions better matched to their abilities.”

Type of Company: Staffing

Application: Hiring

Type of Position: Inbound Call Center for a Financial Company (“Client”)

Goal:

• In order to compete successfully with 5 other approved vendor sources for applicants, we needed to show a competitive advantage over them. We also needed to show how we could increase qualified placements for the Call Center position.
• To demonstrate an increase in retention rates with the applicants being placed.

Statistics prior to using the Psychometric Assessments:

• 40% retention rate (60% turnover rate with other vendor’s placements)
• 33% “hire” ratio of applicants for these positions (66% of applicants being presented by other vendors were not being hired)

Statistics after implementing the Psychometric Assessment System to measure behavioral traits and cognitive abilities:

• 100% retention of applicants placed by this staffing company
• 100% “hire” ratio of applicants presented for the position by this staffing company

Additional information shared by the client as a result of the study:

“The assessment system was very effective in getting a thorough look at the candidates learning and personality styles. Our client was very impressed with our in-depth profiles of the candidates and felt very good about hiring our applicants. Additionally, we have had a 100% retention rate with our recommendations while the client informed us that the other vendors had a 60% turnover rate. We just completed recruiting for a class and again increased the number of candidates we placed. Our client hired 100% of our submissions because of the comprehensive information we were able to provide from the assessments while she had a 33% hire ratio from the other vendors. In this situation where we are one of several approved vendors these assessment tools have really helped us differentiate our company and our candidates from our competition.”