#SpringRefreshSeries | #1 Stay Competitive
Happy June! We’ve got a new series this month so tune in. This month, for our #SpringRefresh series, we explore Four Reasons to Consider a Business Revamp.
Let’s be honest, business is what you do. It’s what you’ve always done. You have dedicated clients and customers. Your brand is known. You are satisfied with your progress. This is all good. But, would you like to know what separates good companies from great companies?
Great companies constantly look for ways to be better.
This month, we profile 4 companies we all know. We will look at how revamping their business models – new dedication to customer service, expanding internet presence, new leadership and updating processes-- took them from good to great!
Our first company profile features Automatic Data Processing (ADP).
In January 2017, I attended a fancy luncheon hosted, by our regional Automatic Data Processing office, known to payroll veterans as simply ADP. They chose to treat us -- and nearly 100 other payroll professionals -- to lunch at Russell's Steaks and Chop, as a show of Customer Appreciation. This was an amazing way to get out of the office for lunch at a fancy place without having to touch your wallet. To the normal person, this would seem "a nice gesture." But, to seasoned professionals, we knew better.
We knew exactly what was going on. ADP was trying to save face.
I remember interviewing for a Payroll Administrator position a few years ago, and in the interview it was revealed that the company used ADP for its New Hire Onboarding and Payroll Processing.
The Payroll Manager asked me, "Have you ever worked with ADP?" I told her I had.
Being the clever goose she was, she then asked me, "What has been your experience with their customer service?"
I had a decision to make here. I could either be nice, or I could be honest. I chose the latter. "Well, when I can actually get a human on the phone with the answer to my question, they're great. Otherwise, I reserve comment."
Ladies and gentleman, she looked as though she wanted to scream, shout and cry all at once. She told me she knew I was the one that very moment. We made a connection that day for one simple reason. Everyone who is anyone who worked payroll with the ADP system knew one thing for certain:
ADP had the worst customer service in the industry
ADP is a well-known brand, and global leader, founded in 1949. They specialize in payroll and workforce management, offering online solutions. ADP will also file and pay your payroll taxes, and is able to work with any size company. Will decades of service under their belt, and to date some of the best payroll system features available, ADP has always been a respected name. A respected name with a terrible customer service rating. My job ended up leaving ADP for a smaller, regional company with better customer care and lower monthly costs. I will admit that we indeed sacrificed in that decision. Where the new company thrived in gold standard, always available customer service, they did not contend as well in software, ability or processing. We moved a million dollar payroll account all because of poor customer service and expiring ideologies. After doing some digging, I realized companies all across the country were exploring other options and moving their payroll accounts to other companies, as well. I can imagine this has been the driving force behind ADP’s recent upgrades and new dedication to satisfactory customer service.
ADP realized even the global leader needs to watch the throne.
With new payroll and workforce management companies forming and expanding at an alarming rate, the need to stay competitive became more prevalent for ADP. And their revamp shows in their new, improved workforce products, shortened wait times for customer service reps via phone, new personalized notifications of information that may affect your company, and improved customer support modules. Forbes named them one of the top 100 Most Innovative Companies in 2013. I like to think this lesson applies to any and every business. We can never become so comfortable in how we are doing things because there is always a new competitor on the horizon. It is an inevitable part of capitalism.
Take a page out of ADP's book. Now is a good time to take a look – or bring an outside contractor in to take a look – at your processes and where you stand in an ever growing market. Complacency is an enemy of progress. Now is the time to ensure you remain competitive and the top of your game.
