As people, we belong to a cooperative species that works together to survive and thrive. We’re hardwired to work collectively, and when we help one another, we instinctively feel good about it. However, there are more benefits to corporate social responsibility than just knowing we did something that benefits society.
Of course, you don’t help others because you want to be rewarded – but it’s rather nice knowing there’s a sort of instant karma. As the saying goes: “We do well by doing good.” Today’s post looks at the many business benefits of corporate social responsibility and offers you an opportunity to help others while reaping direct rewards.
What is Corporate Social Responsibility?
Corporate social responsibility means more than just supporting the occasional charity. It’s a mindset that’s deeply ingrained in an organisation’s culture – at least, that’s how it should be. It begins in your own backyard: limiting environmental impacts, choosing supply chain partners with care, and treating your staff and your customers fairly.
Once you’re confident that your business is doing everything it can to treat people and the environment well in its day-to-day operations, it’s time to look beyond it. Decide which causes your business can support, either by donating time or money. Consider optimising benefits to others by working with community groups, other businesses, or government organisations.
See some inspirational Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) examples here.
Business Benefits of Corporate Social Responsibility
While corporate social responsibility shouldn’t be a tawdry publicity stunt, there are good reasons not to keep quiet about what your business does for society and the environment. If you need an altruistic reason for letting others know about your CSR initiatives, here it is.
By showing how you serve others, you’ll inspire people and other businesses to join in. The more people there are that are helping, the greater the benefits to the causes that matter to you. At the same time, your business benefits.
Increased Employee Engagement
It’s no secret that people want to experience a sense of purpose in the work they do. As part of that, they want to know that their employers’ ethics match their own and their work benefits society.
While this has a lot to do with job design, simply knowing that companies care about those around them and are doing something to improve life for other people contributes. People want to be proud of the businesses they work for, and corporate social responsibility fosters that feeling.
Attract Top Talent
When you help others, people admire what you do. They want to become part of it. When you advertise vacancies, top-flight candidates will see an excellent CSR profile as an indication of a positive workplace culture. After all, who doesn’t want to work for a caring employer?
Increased Customer and Brand Loyalty
When people support brands, they like to know that they’re doing their best to make the world a better place. If they’re in love with your approach to CSR, they’re more likely to remain loyal to your brand and business.
Studies show that 50 percent of customers are willing to pay more for goods and services when providers demonstrate their commitment to corporate social responsibility.
Greater Consumer Trust
According to the World Economic Forum, consumers are increasingly turning towards brands they feel uphold their values. Factors like your environmental ethics and the social and environmental causes you support make them feel that your business can be trusted.
When a business goes above and beyond to do the “right thing,” customers have greater confidence that you’ll do right towards them too.
Positive Publicity
Of course, you don’t make positive publicity the reason for helping others, but by publicising your efforts, you also publicise the causes you support. Everybody wins. Your causes get noticed, and as a spinoff benefit, your business gains recognition. You may attract new customers, and in doing so, you’ll have improved turnover, better profits and more resources you can put towards helping others.
Cost Savings
As part of corporate social responsibility, you’ll work to reduce waste and pollution. Because your business achieves more with less, you can benefit the environment while saving costs. For example, a food business that works to reduce food waste will have a positive impact on the amount of greenhouse gases it emits, will utilise production inputs better, and ultimately stands to profit.
CSR Opportunity: Save Costs, Enhance Customer Service, and Help Others
RSVP presents a CSR opportunity that’s too good to overlook. As leading customer service specialists in the UK, we’ve partnered with His Majesty’s Prison and Probation Services and G4S to create the Restart Customer Service initiative. Here’s where you enter the picture and gain savings while boosting your CSR profile.
Get Premium Services for Less
RSVP has gained a reputation for being a cut above the rest when it comes to outsourced customer service. Now, you can benefit from quality, human-centred customer service for less while helping people and benefitting society at large.
What We’re Doing
Enhanced Status Prisoners have demonstrated their commitment to rehabilitation. As their release date draws near, their big worry is how they’ll be able to find work. The stigma is real. Can they make a fresh start?
Beginning during their last two years of incarceration, RSVP customer service specialists provide training that prepares them for customer roles. Once they’ve mastered the art, they deserve opportunities to practice it and will benefit from paid work and experience – while they are still in prison.
We’ve set up a call centre at HMP Five Wells to help them do just that. We know our trainees there have the necessary skills to help your customers. All they need is a chance to show their worth, and then on their release we’ll work to ensure there are job offers they can simply step into.
How You Can Help – And Create Benefits For All
Give our Restart Initiative’s people an opportunity to become the valued members of society they want to be. Let us know about your interest in subscribing to quality outsourced customer service for less.
Together, we can create a lot of happiness:
- You’ll be pleased with the way Restart candidates serve your clients
- You pay less for trained customer service agents
- You earn a reputation as a company that cares about others
- Your customers are delighted with the service they receive
- Your staff members are proud of your contribution to society
- Your customers are happy to know that you’re supporting a worthy cause
- Our Restart beneficiaries gain skills and earn money they can use to build a new life after incarceration
- Employment brings with it a reduced risk of re-offending, so society becomes a beneficiary too
Let’s Work Together For a Better World
Whether you directly support our Restart program or prefer to work with our more experienced employees, you can rest assured that you’re supporting a business that is doing what it can to uplift others. This includes your customers and your business.
Human-centered service shows you care about your customers. And RSVP has decades of experience uplifting brand images through sales and customer service. Contact us today and let’s work together!