The answer is yes and it can be measured! With a coach, salespeople double sales, managers decrease staff turnover rate by 100%, customer service staff increase their customer satisfaction complements by 50% more.
The coach helps discover new best practices and identify detracting attitudes and poor practices. Let’s explore an example.
A company contacted me regarding one of their top performing customer service agents. He was great at meeting and surpassing customers’ expectations; however, he was in constant turmoil with his peers. The company HR Director wanted to give him one last chance to improve relations with staff in hopes that she wouldn’t have to fire him.
I met with Don (not his real name) on the phone and learned about his issues and shared with him my coaching strategy. If I felt that he wouldn’t work with me and embrace change I would decline the assignment.
After our initial 1.5 hour discussion I told Don I would contact him in two days and determine if he thought I would be a good fit for him. He accepted my strategy and we began the process.
Don was suffering from chronic pain which showed in his facial expressions. His medical doctor advised him to let staff in his workplace know he experienced chronic pain. He shared articles explaining his condition resulting from an accident. His manager privately shared his condition with his immediate work team members. The strategy had no effect on their perception of him being grumpy and short tempered.
Through the discovery process we learned that no one really cared that he had chronic pain. His doctor’s advice was having the opposite effect; they didn’t respect him.
The solution was for Don to abandon the idea that he had to convince others of his plight. It was an enormous relief for him to give up that failed strategy.
We worked on making him more relatable. Over three months he became accepted by his teammates. He was still at the company three years later.
Here are some reasons why this intervention worked out so well:
1- The coach the coached agreed they could work together.
2- There was adequate time to solve the problem and improve performance.
3- All assumptions were challenged and a new strategy was implemented.
4- His human relations skills (emotional intelligence) were improved so he was more relatable and developed skill with people despite his pain.
5- The company was willing to invest in a potential remedy.
Coaching is the key to increase performance and gets results. Who in your company could benefit from a coach?
