Sears Adds Computer Kiosk to HR Staff
By George Anderson
Applicants looking for a sales job at Sears need to impress the kiosk before they can move on to an interview with a person, according to a report by Sandra Guy in the Chicago Sun Times.
Sears chief executive, Alan Lacy, told the Sun Times the company’s human resources department developed a list of questions for applicants to answer. If they answer enough questions correctly they move on to an interview with a person. If they are unable to answer the questions, the machine shows them the door, albeit politely.
Sears is also using Web-based training to develop the customer service skills of sales associates.
Mr. Lacy indicated the company went to Web-based training to develop a uniform approach to customer service.
Moderator’s Comment: What do you see as the benefits/drawbacks
to computer-based applicant screening and sales training tools such as those
Sears is using?
The only problem we’ve seen with computer-based training
in sales is that some associates develop programmed responses. The words may
be correct but personal warmth sometimes gets lost in the translation.
[George
Anderson – Moderator]