And when service problems arise, the business office should be one of the first departments to be informed. Perhaps the most important tool that you can give your sales force is formal training. Many companies have the senior employees train new staff members. This approach is practical, and it can work if the senior employee exhibits the type of behavior that new employees are expected to emulate. But if the trainer has never received adequate training or has a poor attitude, this system just perpetuates a bad cycle.
Few companies measure individual employee proficiency.
Periodic testing to determine areas needing retraining or attention can be very effective. Many companies occasionally engage outside consultants to speak about sales in a generic manner. Frequently, these consultants are not familiar with the unique requirements of a local telco, so they fail to make the needed connection with the sales staff. This tends to promote employee confusion, prevent knowledge from being applied, and generate even more cynicism. If you do decide to use a consultant, make sure that the presenter is very knowledgeable about your telco's culture.