While many resellers are focusing on increasing their sales potential they should not forget that ring fencing their customer service provision is just as important, writes Clive Jefferys of telecoms recruiter JMA Network.
In many companies the people that run back office billings and support have been overlooked during the recession years. However, they are just as vital as the flash salesman that walks in brandishing new orders and claiming his bottle of champagne.
I can vouch that a Top Three reason why good salespeople leave their job is because the company they work for can't install their orders properly.
At JMA we've seen a significant increase in client vacancies in back-of-house areas, and unexpected resignations are a common thread. So every manager and owner should take a good, hard look at their business in search of points of Staffing Vulnerability.
I bet that if you take the exercise seriously you will quickly identify certain people that are key to your continued success.
Such a person leaving can be even more damaging than losing a big customer account or a supplier hiking rates.
This is because such people are often 'force multipliers'. In other words, their skills directly influence large numbers of client accounts and many colleagues too.
If you find yourself in this situation you should next examine whether there is any skills overlap between key people. Unfortunately, given how tightly most companies have been run during the recession, there probably isn't much spare capacity.
So what's the solution? Firstly, reward your key people with accolades and a pay rise. Do it today!
Secondly, recruit an understudy. This may be an internal move or an external hire, but it's vital that you start straightaway.
Given that most professional level jobs are taking at least three months to fill, and when you consider the time it takes people to get up to speed, we are already talking about the shape of your workforce in 2016!