Situation: A company plans to grow from a single site to additional distant sites. The CEO has two concerns: how to bring in the new people, and how to preserve the culture that they have developed as they build new sites. How do you find and train staff for satellite offices?

Advice from the CEOs:

• First, how does the company currently identify customer targets?
  • Typically the company targets specific personnel within a potential client who will be decision makers or influencers on the company’s projects. Market developers then build relationships with these individuals.
• Points of focus in selecting employees in other geographic areas.
  • What will be the office configuration? Likely 3-4 individuals, including an engineer, office manager and project manager.
  • Promote the company as the preferred place to work in the new locations. Offer signing bonuses for employees who identify and bring in new people, as well as for the new employees.
• Does the company anticipate that maintaining company culture will be a challenge as the company expands? Yes.
  • Train new employees in the home office for one month to help them understand the culture. Immerse them in a project so that they experience the work ethic.
  • Have current personnel serve short term stints in the new offices. This will help to build consistency of service and delivery between the offices.
• What is the best way to recover from a service challenge?
  • Occasionally we all make mistakes. Don’t miss the opportunity that “service recovery” presents to strengthen relationships with clients.
  • A competent and timely response to a problem situation can create an indelible impression on the client.
• What else can the company do to improve its marketing?
  • Assure that there is an existing cost calculator in each remote site. This speeds response without having to wait for decisions from the main office.
  • Install a traffic plug-in on the webpage for each remote site and feature this on the site webpage. This allows current and potential customers to schedule their visits to their convenience.

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