Monthly Archives: September 2022

Onboarding New Hires

The hiring process is often a dreaded one. Sometimes HR professionals are so excited to finally find the perfect candidate that they immediately relax and just cross the item off their crowded to-do list. However, not staying focused on our new hires after the paperwork is a mistake that could potentially lose an amazing employee you just hired. Here are our recommendations for onboarding new hires.

Onboarding New Hires Starts Immediately

Once the candidate has accepted the job offer, it is time to start onboarding! Even if that person isn’t starting for two weeks or two months.

Your First Onboarding Email

The first email you send to your new hire after they accept the job is crucial! And it should include more than just a request for the financial and legal documents needed to start. It should be the start of your onboarding journey with your new hire and celebrate them as a new part of your team.

  • Company Handbook: While we always recommend sending a copy of your Company Handbook in the email where you extended the job offer, the next best place is in the email immediately after the candidate has accepted the job.
  • Legal Documents: This email should outline any other information you need from your employee, including any financial or legal documents for your company, like W4 and I9 paperwork.
  • Security: If you have a security system that requires an access code, ask them what they would like their code to be.
  • Dietary Restrictions or Allergies: If you provide snacks or meals in the office, ask after their allergies or dietary preferences to ensure their needs are met.
  • Culture: Provide insight into your culture and environment, including what is appropriate to wear. Starting a new job is stressful and providing this information to new hires makes them feel like they are already part of the team on day one.

Internal Announcements

While your team, or the team you are looking for, probably already knows you are hiring, you should always announce the new team member to the existing team. Share their start date, what their training schedule will look like, and what job responsibilities they will be taking over.

Get Personal and Fun

Start to flex your creative muscles and think of fun ways to welcome new team members to your team. Our team has had a blast creating “welcome videos” with our team. We then include the video in our first welcome email outlining all the details they need to know to start their first day. Think of your company culture and how you could show off your personality and culture in a video. We think this is the best part of being an HR professional!

Here’s an example our welcome video! We shared this video both on social media and with our new hire in an email.

Making Your New Hire Feel Welcome

  • Incorporate a fun question into your interview process and turn the answer into a card for employees to sign and say welcome. We like to ask what kitchen appliance each new hire would be and why.
  • Organize a team lunch for the first day to help your new hire meet and feel comfortable around your team.
  • Put together a swag bag and include things they will need at the office or fun items to use personally. Our company swag bags always had branded company gear like a backpack and jacket!

Stay Organized and Consistent

Have a developed checklist of activities to complete to ensure the employee can integrate into your company as quickly and smoothly as possible. Ensure they are provided the proper training, introduced to the right people, and have all the equipment and software they need to do their job. Most importantly, create a structure to check in with them frequently throughout the first 90-days to ensure they are thriving and ask for their input on how the transition into your company could have been even better! We can’t even begin to share the first-day horror stories we have heard, so plan some tasks and goals for your employee’s first day and first few weeks.

Retaining top talent starts before day one. Craft an intentional journey for new hires or risk losing them. If you are not sure where to get started, we can help your team establish a journey that is unique to your business!

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Heather Morrison
Heather is the VP of Operations at Innereactive and we are lucky to have her. She has over five years of experience running an HR department and enjoys helping businesses like yours find solutions to their HR needs.

The Most Important Part of a Review: Your Response!

According to a study done by BrightLocal in 2022, 98% of consumers read online reviews for local businesses. Studies have shown, we as consumers are more likely to purchase if others around us, even total strangers, share a positive previous experience with that same purchase. The way customers talk about you is just as important as saying your name! So what does this mean? Having recent positive reviews on platforms like Google or Facebook can directly impact your business’s sales in a very positive way. 

Your Online Reputation is More Than A Number

While customers are focused on seeing recent positive reviews, your online reputation is more than just a number! Customers also want to see the company responding to reviews both positive and negative. A friendly, open-to feedback appearance can work wonders for your brand. This approach shows you care about your customers. If you have had some recent negative feedback, this approach can also help improve your ratings, allowing you to share recent changes you made with your company based on the feedback provided. 

How to respond to positive reviews

Responding to a positive review will help with customer retention. It shows you are actively listening to all feedback and willing to take the time to engage with real people that have walked through the door. When people know your business will see and respond to feedback, the chance of them turning into loyal customers is higher. 

A great way to respond to a positive review is first to say thank you. Then, show appreciation for the customer taking the time to share their experience. Positive reviews and high ratings are powerful social proof for attracting new customers. After showing your appreciation, tell them you’d love to see them again. It will help customers feel welcomed if you extend the invitation for them to return. Here is an easy templated response that you can use:

Sample Review Response

“Thanks *INSERT NAME*, for leaving us such a wonderful review! We are thrilled that you enjoyed your experience. We put customer experience and satisfaction as one of our top priorities, and your review reaffirms the hard work we put in to accomplish just that! We look forward to serving you again soon.”

**If you are in an industry with customer privacy regulations like Healthcare (HIPAA), there are rules you should follow when responding to reviews to make sure they are compliant. Reach out to us via the form below to get our quick guide on responding to healthcare reviews!**

 

How to respond to negative reviews

Getting negative ratings or feedback online is tough. It is understandable to get angry, defensive, or annoyed at first. But good news! Negative reviews don’t necessarily have negative consequences. On the contrary, they can add a bit of authenticity to your brand if you reply correctly. What is even more important than what a negative review says is how you respond! 

To make your reviewer feel heard and valued, you want to thank them for taking the time to share their experience. Next, you will want to show empathy and understanding for the product/company at hand, then reinforce your company’s standard values. Finally, always extend an invitation back. Here is a great templated response:

Sample Review Response

“Thank you *INSERT NAME* for taking the time to share your experience with us. We here at *INSERT BUSINESS NAME* take much pride in our customer’s success, which is why we would like to make this right. Please provide more details about this incident by emailing us at *insert email* so we can make it right. We would love to serve you again and show you our commitment to providing exceptional service to all.”

While one of the most important parts of a review is your response, first you need your customers to share their experiences! We understand that getting reviews is half the battle.  Innereactive helps busy business owners implement processes to receive more reviews and craft the perfect responses once they start rolling in.

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Marisa Lyon
Marisa is the Finance and Marketing Manager at Innereactive, and we are so grateful to have her. She enjoys helping businesses find the right solution for their marketing needs.