Km for Frontline Staff

308 Words2 Pages
Introducing front-line staff Front-line staff are those who interact directly with customers or the public. This includes: • front-desk (or service-desk) staff • customer service staff • branch staff in general • call centre (or help desk) staff There are many other types of front-line staff, including sales staff, and those out in the field. These two categories in particular have not been focused on in this article, as they have very distinct needs. There is also already a reasonably substantial amount of literature on the knowledge management in the context of these two job roles. The front-line environment is unique within a business The front-line environment It is important to gain an understanding of the environment in which front-line staff operate, as this is very different to the management and administrative environment in most organisations. Some key characteristics: • Front-line staff typically have very defined job roles. • Front-line staff have extensive interaction with customers or the public. • There is a strongly hierarchical management structure in front-line environments. This typically goes from senior management to sector (area) managers, through to branch managers, team leaders, and then finally to customer service staff. • Lines of communication follow this hierarchical ‘chain of command’. • Most front-line staff hold relatively junior positions within an organisation. • The majority of front-line roles are non-professional. • Front-line staff typically receive a considerable amount of structured training when first employed. • There are very strong time and resource pressures on the front-line environment. • Front-line environments are often closely monitored through the use of a variety of metrics. (This is particularly true in call centres.) • The organisation is legally liable for the actions of
Open Document