Are Soft Skills Still Critical for Business in 2023?
With new technologies, processes and customer needs threatening to change the way we do business forever, there is one cornerstone of success that continues to endure – soft skills. The ability to communication, build meaningful relationships, adapt to change, and lead with empathy remain as important as ever for the success of modern businesses.
In this blog we will delve into why you should still consider soft skills important in an era of increasing change. We’ll also provide you with five soft skills solutions that you can use to not only adapt but to also thrive.
What are Soft Skills?
Soft Skills are defined as people skills, personal attributes and qualities that enable an individual to interact with others in personal and professional situations. Unlike hard skills, which are occupation-based skills, soft skills are universally applicable and contribute to the emotional intelligence of an individual.
Therefore, soft skills focus on an individual’s ability to form positive relationships, communicate effectively, handle challenging situations, and succeed in life. Therefore, soft skills and hard skills go hand in hand to ensure that an employee can perform their job effectively.
Because of this, employers are always on the lookout for employees that demonstrate remarkable efficiency in soft skills. However, not everyone has been trained to implement soft skills effectively. After all, nobody is perfect. That’s where soft skills training comes into play to help employees develop these essential skills.
Are Soft Skills Still Critical for Businesses in 2023?
The short answer is yes. Soft skills have always been, and will continue to be, a critical pillar to the success of any workplace. In fact, LinkedIn conducted a survey that found that 92% of hiring managers and talent professionals find soft skills equally or more important than hard skills. This statistic alone stands as a testimony to the effectiveness of soft skills training.
However, there are several other factors that contribute to the enduring importance of these business life savers. We’ve broken them down to make your opinion on soft skills training a little clearer:
Why Soft Skills are Important for Businesses:
5 Reasons you should invest in soft skills training:
1. Enhanced Communication:
Confusing emails, misinformation in meetings and unclear briefs can all be catalysts for a catastrophic breakdown in communication. We’ve all been there, and the consequences can be costly. Miscommunication can lead to operational errors, disgruntled customers, and the loss of valuable time. The thought of it is enough to make your skin crawl.
But have no fear, soft skills are here to save the day. Communication workshops can teach teams how to communicate effectively and professionally with both internal staff and external customers. This not only fixes communication blunders but can be a positive influence on decision making, healthy collaboration and keeping your customers happy. A study by Boston College, Harvard and the University of Michigan found that investing in soft skills training in communication, and problem solving can boost productivity and retention by 12%. And it doesn’t end there. These companies reported a staggering 250% ROI to the company.
2. Create Strong Team Dynamics
Teamwork is the pillar to all success, until it’s not. With such a complex mix of brilliant individuals all crammed into one room, there are bound to be some mishaps. Clashing personalities, struggles for authority, differing opinions and lack of compromise are all the right ingredients for a manager’s nightmares.
But what if I told you it doesn’t have to be this way? You can still have a dynamic team of individuals, but with the right training they can fight against the problem rather than each other. Soft skills workshops can help your employees deal with conflict, handle a team effectively and understand people from diverse backgrounds. With a brilliant team like this you could boost productivity, foster creativity and solve intricate issues.
3. Improved Customer Satisfaction
Your customers are human too. They want to do business with companies that see their needs and do something about it. In fact, Salesforce found that 89% of consumers are more likely to make another purchase if they receive a positive customer service experience.
However, when things are going well it’s easy to forget about staying on top of customer service. The world is constantly changing and so do the needs of your customers. That’s why it’s important to stay on top of what they want.
Customer service soft skills training teaches your employees the essential basic skills as well as techniques to stay up to date with consumer trends. Your team will learn how to understand customer needs, address concerns, and provide exceptional service that leaves a lasting impression.
4. Reduced Turnover
While the goals of soft skills training focus heavily on what the company gets out of it, it’s also important to remember how your employees can benefit. Investing in training not only fills a skill gap but it also shows your employees that you value them and are invested in their growth.
The numbers are in, and Teamstage states that 68% of workers consider training and development opportunities one of a company’s most important policies. Furthermore, if you’re interested in retaining millennials, then you’ll find that 87% of millennials find learning and training important in a workplace.
According to Applauz, a common reason for seeking out other opportunities is stagnation. Employees feel stifled if they are not growing. Make sure you aren’t losing your best talent by giving them the opportunities to improve.
5. Adaptability to change
No matter where you turn, change is everywhere. Artificial intelligence, quantum computing, nanotechnology. It’s enough to make your head spin. AI has already been used to help out with everyday tasks such as hiring new employees. HR can now sift through CVs and review cover letters at lightning speed with the help of artificial intelligence.
While this new technology is a promising to increase productivity, efficiency and well-being, an adjustment period is inevitable. We will all need to adapt and learn new skills to be effective in this new way of life.
Soft skills training in change management, stress management, self-leadership and problem-solving skills are all essential in helping your employees deal with these changes.
Are Soft Skills Transferable?
The good news is yes, soft skills are highly transferable. Because they are not tied to specific industries, roles or tasks, employees of any kind can use these skills to their advantage. This means employees can seamlessly transition between roles, departments, or industries by bringing their valuable interpersonal skills with them.
This is extremely valuable for your business as you can create an incredibly versatile and adaptable workforce. It reduces the time needed to train an employee when they shift roles and gives them the power to deal with new challenges with ease.
Our Soft Skills Offerings:
Are you ready to start your own soft skills workshops? Then look no further. Edge Training has a long history of providing effective soft skills training workshops to some of the biggest players in the industry. We have a wide range of soft skills workshops on offer, ensuring you’ll find one suitable to your business needs.
1. Business Communication
Effective communication is the cornerstone to a thriving organization. Stop miscommunication in its tracks by developing the right communication strategies with our Business Communication workshop.
In this workshop we will teach your staff how to identify barriers to effective communication, the 5 stages of the listening process, 7 simple techniques for listening, telephonic communication, compiling business documentation and other forms of business communication.
By investing in this workshop, you are investing in the future success of your business, where improved communication leads to stronger teams, better decision and overall efficiency.
2. Conflict Management
Transform office conflict into opportunities for growth with our Conflict Management workshop. No matter the environment, conflict is inevitable in some form or other. However, it is how you handle these disagreements that can make all the difference.
Our Conflict Management workshop covers identifying how conflict can be beneficial, dealing with aggressive, passive and assertive behaviour and implementing the seven steps for effective conflict resolution.
By the end of this workshop your staff will leave with the knowledge needed to use conflict for positive change. Invest in a more cohesive and productive working environment today by enrolling in our Conflict Management soft skills workshop.
3. Successful Selling
Are you looking to unlock the potential of your sales team? In today’s competitive landscape, having effective sales skills is more crucial than ever. Our Successful Selling workshop is designed to give your team the tools and strategies they need to effectively close the deal.
This includes profiling your customers, analysing their buying motive, understanding the art of persuasion, avoiding common selling mistakes, responding to objections and more.
With these tools at their disposal, you sales staff will build lasting customer relationships and drive revenue growth. Don’t miss this opportunity to boost your sales and ultimately beat the competition.
4. Customer Service
Exceptional customer service is your golden ticket to attracting and retaining loyal customers. Our Customer Service workshop is the perfect antidote to help you get there.
In this workshop we cover all the essential skills such as identifying the four phases of effective customer service, understanding people versus product service, maintaining long term relationships, and measuring client satisfaction.
Elevate your customer service, drive positive customer experiences, and ensure your business stands out from competitors by enrolling in our Customer Service workshop today.
5. Change Management
Prepare your organization for success in an ever-changing world by enrolling them in a Change Management workshop In today’s world, change is inevitable and how your organization adapts to change can be the difference in thriving and struggling.
In our workshop we cover understanding the change journey, assessing the strategic management process, the 3 stages involved in change, implementing successful change in line with goals, understanding techniques to implementing change, implementing change management and monitoring change.
By investing in this workshop, you are investing in a more resilient, agile, and future-ready organization. Empower your team to lead and manage change more proactively with our change management workshop
Next Steps:
In conclusion, as the business landscape continues to evolve there will always be one constant that we can all depend on, the importance of soft skills. They can bring about transformative effects on business communication, customer service, work relationships and more. To take advantage of their abilities, make sure you have a team that has effective training in these essential skills.
Luckily, Edge Training, an accredited training provider has a wide range of soft skills on offer along with over 22 years of experience in the training and development industry. Reach out to one of our representatives today to start seeing positive changes.