Employee Engagement: Key to Improved Business Outcomes
Explore the essence of employee engagement and its impact on businesses. Learn strategies to foster engagement, increase productivity, and drive success.
Explore the essence of employee engagement and its impact on businesses. Learn strategies to foster engagement, increase productivity, and drive success.
Born between 1981 and 1996, the Millennial generation is a powerhouse in today’s workplace. It is estimated that by the year 2020, 50% of the workforce will be made up of millennials. This generation displays an intrinsic knowledge and trust of technology, a consistent work ethic and a commitment to excellence in standards and practices. To fully engage these employees, companies must not only honor what millennials bring to the table but also be honorable themselves. The key points below will assist in gaining insight on how to harness the power of millennials in your company. Build a Solid Professional Relationship Employers may fear that taking a relational approach to management is too time-consuming. However, accustomed to instant access to information, many millennials in the modern workplace prefer a coaching style that consists of frequent, brief check-ins rather than epic conversations. Value Their Strengths This is a generation of people who have been told their whole lives that they can be anything they want to be. Consequently, they have put a lot of effort into discovering and becoming who they want to be, and they expect you to learn who they are and what their strengths are. Generic praise and cookie-cutter tasks won’t cut it with these employees. Encouragement needs to be specific and sincere, and The good news for employers is that getting to know how millennials in your workplace like to be encouraged and the tasks at which they thrive won’t be hard to do. This generation tends to be pretty self-aware. They probably know off the top of their heads what their top five CliftonStrengths and they are likely to have some great ideas about how to best utilize those strengths in a call center workplace environment. You just need to take the time to ask them. Foster Open Communication Millennials, in particular, tend to see their jobs as a significant part of their identities. They don’t want to simply punch a time card and go home at the end of the day. Their personal lives may bleed into their work lives, and their work may be viewed as a second home. This holistic view can blur the lines of traditional hierarchies in ways that older generations are not accustomed to taking into account. Bridging this gap in perspectives can be tricky. For example, seasoned executives are not always comfortable with having decisions questioned by newer employees. If employers can look past the perceived affront to their expertise, however, these questions may prove useful. They not only offer an opportunity for professional development for the person asking them but also challenge decision-makers to analyze and, if necessary, adapt decisions to better serve the company and its clients. Exhibit Ethical Business Practices In 2018, Deloitte revealed that only 48% of Millennials view corporations as ethical. This number dropped from 65% in just one year. To improve this impression, the ideal call center workplace must show that it values people as much as or more than profit and have a certain level of transparency. Demonstrate Diversity and Flexibility The aforementioned Deloitte study concluded that millennials are more likely to be loyal to a company that actively champions diversity. Employees are more likely to feel a sense of belonging in a workplace where they can be mentored by people in leadership who look like them or identify in similar ways. Younger workers also tend to value team goals that stem from the collaboration of a wealth of differing perspectives. A flexible environment is vital to millennials’ successful work-life integration. With modern technology, most of the work that has been traditionally done at desks can easily go mobile, and there’s little discernible reason why it shouldn’t, particularly if it results in happier, healthier workers. Enabling employees to telecommute or choose their own location can increase their engagement and job satisfaction in their workplace. Practice Accountability Millennials tend to have a strong awareness of and commitment to ethical business practices. They want to make the world a better place, and, as both consumers and employees, they actively seek out companies that share their values. Communicating your commitment to ecological responsibility, social justice, and solid labor practices is a good first step. It takes consistent fulfillment of those promises to earn the trust and loyalty of millennials in your employ. Millennials will soon make up half the workforce, and that percentage is only going to get larger in the next 5-10 years. Seek out innovative service options and more efficient ways to reach company goals. In order to reap the multitude of benefits that this particular population brings to the workplace, employers must adapt the way they have always done things to accommodate their needs and preferences.
While leadership can take on many different meanings depending on who you ask, its definition is stated as the action of leading a group of people or an organization. While that definition may seem straightforward enough, it still leaves room for questions. How should you lead a team? Is there a right or a wrong way to lead? Is it good enough to simply lead, or do management’s choice of style and its effectiveness impact current and future business success? Most would agree that there are positive and negative forms of leadership, but does it have an impact on the business one way or the other if a company’s style of leading is found to be lacking? The simple answer is that it most certainly does. Whether high- and mid-level managers adhere to servant leadership styles or more autocratic, individualistic ones, their methods and principles seep throughout the company and impact the thoughts, ideas, and effectiveness of employees at all levels. It’s been acknowledged that businesses that focus on the importance of developing effective and ethical leadership often also enjoy increases in positive customer experiences. The Link Between Servant Leadership and Business Success Managers who practice servant-style leading are often thinking of others and coming up with ideas for how they can serve and help their teams and communities grow, rather than focusing on themselves and accumulating their power and wealth. While this is an age-old way of looking at leadership, the concrete ideas and foundations for servant leadership were created in 1970 by Robert K. Greenleaf. There are several traits often displayed by managers who utilize servant leadership for business success, such as: A heightened sense of awareness, including self-awareness Ability to show empathy Strong commitment towards professional and personal growth of employees Not acting as if tasks, positions or other associates are below, or less critical, than them When these and other traits are combined, they often add up to a happier, more engaged and highly-efficient workforce. The Idea in Practice Recent studies, such as this one conducted by The University of Illinois at Chicago Business School, show just what kind of impact managers who take a servant-style approach towards leadership have on their teams. This particular study focused on surveys completed by employees, managers and even customers at 71 restaurants within the national chain of Jason’s Deli. The results concluded that restaurants with managers practicing servant leadership benefited from: Improvement in job performance of 6% Customer service increases by 8% An astounding employee retention growth of 50% Lead Effectively to Reap the Benefits If you’ve bought into the importance of good, effective leaders, here are some suggestions for incorporating servant leadership into your day-to-day practices. Show That You Care The important thing here is making it clear that you care more about your employees than you do about the company’s bottom line. Get to know your associates and always be sure to reward and recognize a job well done. Don’t Be Afraid To Get Your Hands Dirty Don’t let your employees see you steer clear of what you may consider being “grunt work” that’s beneath you. Jump in and help when help is needed, no matter the task. Associates will most likely respect you more and see you as someone relatable, on their level and more trustworthy. It also shows that you understand and value the importance of all jobs and tasks within the company. Know the Value of Investing in Your Team Lift and encourage all of your employees. Help them grow their skills and don’t fear those who you believe could become a competition. A skilled and happy workforce is an effective and efficient one that is more likely to show loyalty to both their leadership and the company as a whole. With all the myriad ways that bad leadership can easily destroy a company over time, there’s a lot on the line, and it’s imperative for businesses to get this right. Managers that care, lift their employees, work alongside their teams and encourage the growth and development of everyone make the difference between companies that flourish and those that fizzle and burn out. When choosing a partner to assist in serving the needs of your company’s valued customers, look to a business ally with similar values and goals. Etech cultivates a culture of servant leadership that allows employees to grow and effectively do what they do best, which in turn leads to heightened customer satisfaction and improved customer experience. Contact Etech today to discover the solution that’s best suited to your business.
Images from the movies and popular culture might have you believing that machines are taking over the world. Cars carry on conversations with drivers or just drive themselves, robots are depicted as suitable dating partners, and that smartphone you keep on hand 24/7 probably recognizes your voice, face, and other biometrics. Contacting your utility company, buying groceries online, and ordering pizza delivery may not involve interacting with a human at all. In the world of business, Gartner estimates that by 2020, 85 percent of customer experience tasks will not involve a human. However, while it’s true that many functions in society can be automated, there’s still no substitute for the human touch. Many people are fairly adept at determining whether they’re dealing with a human or a machine and show a strong preference for the former. For that reason alone, fully automated customer experience tools are frustrating for many consumers, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a place. When it comes to engaging your customers and crafting meaningful communications, you can draw on the best traits of human intelligence when combined with artificial intelligence to create a quality customer engagement experience. For example, you might use an AI tool to walk customers through very common tasks or questions. But when a complex problem emerges, and you have an exasperated client on your hands, you need a human to de-escalate the situation, share insights and find creative alternatives that preserve the relationship with the client. How does AI Helps in Customer Engagement? Data management: Customer service is more data-driven than ever. Demographics, buying preferences, touch points, and many other factors contribute to a massive set of data that no one person can cross reference and analyze alone. Artificial intelligence excels in that arena, but it’s still impossible to map out every possible scenario of behavior where humans are concerned. Buying decisions and concepts like customer loyalty are purely emotional concepts. Pairing a robust set of data points with a human mind that can interpret the emotions of a customer and pivot accordingly to is a winning formula. Faster response times: Even if the response to the customer is delivered by a human, using AI tools in the background to generate responses and possible courses of action make your representatives more agile and efficient. No more “brief holds to research this matter” unless it’s a lengthy and complex problem. Simple and common questions can be handled in their entirety by machines faster and more accurately than your human agents. You can even configure the AI tools to lead customers down a particular path and divert them to a human representative under certain conditions. Always available: Artificial intelligence tools can work round the clock every day of the year, so even when your human staff is off, automated responses can help clients find basic information. Customers who are ready to buy can do so on the spot. When your employees return to the office, they can focus on the more complicated tasks rather than wading through piles of routine requests that can consume the day. Why Does It Matter? A 2013 Zendesk report found that: Survey respondents indicated that customer service was the primary factor in whether or not they trusted a vendor. A good customer service experience led 42 percent of B2C customers to buy more from that provider. A bad experience led 52 percent to stop buying from that vendor. More than half of the companies surveyed by Gartner are using or will be using some form of artificial intelligence to improve customer experiences by 2020. If you’re ready to develop a plan for implementing artificial intelligence tools into your business processes, contact Etech today. This blog was earlier published on LinkedIn.
The Importance of Chat Etiquettes The guiding principle for successfully providing customer service via live chat is to help the customer with the task or issue he or she contacted you about. It’s irrelevant whether you are handling the processing of an order, answering a billing question, or checking the status of a return; your job is the same. You can turn even a disgruntled client into a lifelong fan of your product or service by using appropriate live chat etiquette. Implement these 10 tips and watch your customer satisfaction scores soar. Know Your Stuff If you don’t know the product or service you’re supporting, it won’t matter how polite or friendly your sound. The fastest way to frustrate your customer is to display a lack of basic knowledge. Even if you don’t immediately know the answer to the problem at hand, you should at least know how to find it. Familiarize yourself with the visitor-facing portion of the company’s website so you can quickly direct your customer to the correct place if he or she is looking for product details or the FAQ section. Don’t Lose Focus While it’s important to be friendly and personable as a part of live chat etiquette, it’s also easy to drift off course into small talk in the name of polite customer service. Remember that your goal is to fix the issue the customer contacted you about. Be ready to gently steer the conversation back to the problem at hand if things seem to be getting off track. Listen Most products and services have features that generate questions from users regularly. You may feel that you answer the same queries every day and can make assumptions based on those experiences. However, listening to the customer’s words as they describe what they are struggling with is critical. Don’t assume their problem is the same as everyone else. Tell the Truth If you make a promise to a customer, keep it. That seems like a pretty simple principle of live chat etiquette, but operators get tripped up on it often. Don’t offer something that you don’t have the authority to follow through on, and if you do make a promise, stay with it until you know it’s done. Explain Yourself Rather than just replying to a question with a yes or a no, provide an explanation for why that is the answer. Even if the customer doesn’t like the answer, he or she is more likely to accept it if they understand the reasoning behind it. Know When You’re In Over Your Head If you find yourself faced with a customer support issue that you simply cannot solve, don’t be afraid to admit that to the client. Reassure him or her that repeating the whole story won’t be necessary, and then transfer everything you’ve done so far to the more senior agent to maintain the live chat etiquette. Speak Clearly Remember that the person you are communicating with may not be knowledgeable of all the abbreviations, technical terms, and other jargon associated with your product or service. At least initially, ask basic questions in simple terms. If you establish that the customer is more advanced, then you can elevate the terminology of the conversation. Keep It, Professional While it’s tempting to lapse into less formal language using slang or shortcut spelling, resist the urge. In a professional environment, stick to proper grammar and sentence structure to build your customer’s confidence in you. Don’t Leave Your Customer Hanging If you need to put the conversation on hold to research or get more information, be sure to communicate to the other party what you are doing. If you just disappear, the customer might think something happened to the connection. There’s no such thing as overcommunicating in the world of live chat etiquette. Try to Fix It With One Chat Customers feel most confident and happiest with your service when you answer their questions or fix an issue with one call. Having to contact your company again and again with the same problem damages brand loyalty and makes the customer less likely to recommend your products because of a bad customer service experience. Remember the Impact Obviously, most consumers wish they never had to reach out for support of a product or service. But if they do need to, the best way to turn around that negative experience is to provide a customer support experience that is so good and so helpful they want to tell their friends about it. In a 2017 study by Northridge Group, 81 percent of customers surveyed reported that the quality of the support experience would be a determining factor in whether they continued to use a product or service. If you need help in establishing a world-class live chat support team, contact Etech.
What Are Your Company’s Customer Service Standards? According to the Institute of Customer Service, your company’s customer service standards should include clearly defined and communicated expectations for timeliness, applicability, and accuracy. Service-level agreements are ideal examples of defined standards. It’s not enough to say that you’ll answer all calls within a reasonable period of time. Instead, a defined service level agreement would state that between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, calls will be answered within an average of 30 seconds at least 98 percent of the time. Applicability relates to inquiries from customers, clients, or potential clients. The expectation is that 100 percent of the time, the response to an inquiry will answer all the parts of the question correctly. Setting applicability standards makes it clear to internal and external stakeholders that giving out incorrect or incomplete information is unacceptable in your organization. Applicability is a strong proponent of an effortless customer experience. Accuracy as part of customer service standards, for every business, should be 100 percent. Nothing less is acceptable in-house because nothing less is acceptable to your customers. Accuracy and applicability go hand in hand – applicability applies to information, and accuracy to products, or service delivery. How Can You Raise Your Standards? Now that you’ve defined your standards and expectations, how can you improve their success rate? No matter how good you are, you can always aim higher. These five tips can help you move the needle Omni-Channel Experience: Omnichannel is a cross-channel content strategy that organizations use to improve their user experience. Rather than working in parallel, communication channels and their supporting resources are designed and orchestrated to cooperate. Whether your client interacts with your business via voice call, chat, email, social media, text messaging, website, or some other method, every interaction is recorded and related so that future touchpoints all share the same information. An example of a seamless omnichannel experience would be when a customer sends a message through your Facebook page with a question about a product and later calls the customer service phone number, the phone representative can see the information from the Facebook interaction and have a complete and up to date picture of the situation. Empowerment: Even in the age of so much technology, the human touch still reigns supreme when it comes to customer experience and satisfaction. Consumers expect a confident, knowledgeable voice on the other end of the line to take care of their questions or issue accurately and efficiently, preferably on the first interaction. However, your team members can only do that if they are knowledgeable, empowered to make decisions for the customer and the company, and have the technical toolbox required to deliver on each interaction. You must make sure they have the tools at hand and the authority built into your policies to take care of your customers without having to climb ladders for permission. Agent Experience directly translates into Customer Experience; any friction points the agent encounters will ultimately be felt by the customer. Developing a culture of servant leadership combined with purposeful training, coaching, and development provide agent the confidence they need to expertly handle each customer. Tie Your KPIs to Customer Service: Key performance indicators (KPIs) have traditionally been tied to quantity measurements, such as the number of calls processed per hour. Times-they-are-a-changing; more and more organizations now understand the value of tying customer satisfaction to the company’s overall performance measures. Team members who use everything within their power to create satisfied customers are now recognized as some of a company’s most valuable assets. They have the powerful ability to encourage loyalty and a deeper relationship with your customers. Prioritize culture, training, and employ enrichment and the numbers will follow; a robust and action-oriented ESAT program creates an environment of engaged employees and shared success. Consolidate Your Data: Gone are the days when each department within your company kept a separate file on each customer. With customer management software available in almost every industry, it’s easy to pull together a profile on each customer that the different areas can share. Your sales department can see how a client interacts with materials from marketing, for example. Your customer service team should have immediate access to client profiles so they can make the best decision possible. Data consolidation is the first step toward a cross-channel strategy. Integrate Artificial Intelligence: Artificial intelligence (AI) is not ready to replace your human customer service agents, but it has advanced enough to handle routine tasks or common inquiries. Many consumers consider it a good customer service experience when they can quickly and easily find what they need on your website or through your app. Automation adaption and bots can efficiently handle high-frequency, low-value interactions. This frees up your agents to handle more complex issues that require in-depth support. This balance of human and artificial intelligence can create a winning combination for satisfied clients. Why Does It Matter? Your company probably spends a significant part of its budget on marketing to draw in new customers. However, it’s equally important to hold onto the clients once you have them. Establishing high standards is only the beginning. Maintaining those standards requires constant vigilance, data gathering, communication, and analysis. With the advent of social media, the customer’s voice is amplified, and word of a bad customer service experience spreads like wildfire. That makes high customer service standards critically important to your company’s success. If you’re exploring service standards and experience management programs, Contact Etech today. We specialize in setting the bar high and consistently exceeding it! This blog was earlier published on LinkedIn.
Employee empowerment has many benefits. Empowered employees tend to be more committed to the company, which translates into lower turnover rates, improved processes, and greater customer satisfaction. Customer success is directly impacted by how connected employees are to the vision and believe their strengths and contributions are being utilized. While employee engagement is on the rise in the U.S., there is always room for improvement. Here are some ways you can improve your company culture and customer experience by empowering employees to work to their full potential. Proper Tools To Do the Job To provide fast, efficient service, your employees need fast, efficient tools. Employee empowerment is difficult if your representatives have to struggle to make the technology and resources you’ve provided work for them. The more user-friendly your programs are, the easier it is for workers to resolve customers’ issues. To maximize the customer experience, many companies put the employee experience on the back burner. Unfortunately, the stress caused by neglecting employees’ needs inevitably trickles down to the customer. Shifting your focus to employee experience can increase satisfaction in both. Providing everything the workers need to do the best job they can do lets them know that you have enough confidence in them to invest in their work. Happy representatives pass on that happiness to your customers. High Standards for Performance and Service Setting high standards can contribute to employee empowerment. Communicating well about company goals and how employees fit in the plan can give them a sense of purpose. This is not always as simple as it may look at first. Several key variables must be enacted for this important element of empowerment not to backfire: Hire motivated individuals. When you increase your hiring standards, you can expect that the productivity of those you hire will also be elevated. You can improve your hiring process with group interviews, which not only show how prospective employees act toward management but also how they treat their peers. It is also a good idea to exchange some of your standard interview questions with more open-ended questions that provide specific scenarios and ask how applicants would handle them. Provide clear and continuous training. Starting a new job is itself a big change, so the very beginning of an employee’s tenure at your company may not be the best time to dump everything they will ever need to know on them. Employee empowerment starts with giving new employees an adequate time frame for basic training. Then they can reap the benefits of continuous training as new responsibilities are added or new technologies come into play. Fight the urge to micromanage. If you want to communicate that you trust your employees to be competent enough to do what they’ve been trained to do, you must allow them to make the decisions they’re qualified to make. Set the end goal, but trust employees to use their creativity and resources to achieve it. Employee empowerment is based on action. You can say that you trust your employees all you want, but if you have set clear expectations yet are still requiring them to run their office supply order by you before submitting it, your overbearing actions are likely to drown out your encouraging words. Show a direct link between their behavior and customer satisfaction. Creating a great customer experience depends on the inner workings of the organization as a whole. Show your employees how they affect the customers’ views of the company, and keep them as informed as possible. This is especially important for those employees who are working at the front desk. Don’t put them in the position of being the last to know something when they are likely the first to be asked. Exceptional Professional Development Some employee empowerment strategies can produce the opposite of their intended effect. If employees are entrusted with more responsibilities but are not given the tools or support they need to do them; they are more likely to become overwhelmed than inspired. Some employees respond differently than others to the increased attention that empowering leaders often give. It pays to be sensitive to how your efforts are affecting your employees. One way to do so is to make the empowerment strategies about their professional development. If the extra focus you are putting on them shows a genuine interest in how their career is progressing and how you can help, even hesitant employees may be more receptive to it. By incorporating employee empowerment practices in your business, you build a more cohesive team. As employees become more invested in how well the company does, their empowerment will lead to the improved customer experience. This blog was first published on LinkedIn.
As the primary point of contact in the customer experience, call center agents to play an integral role in the success of a company. A negative encounter with a service representative may drive a potential long term customer to a competitor, while a positive interaction can result in long-term retention and referrals. Quality customer service is so vital to the bottom line of a business that 81 percent of companies implementing a robust call center agent training program with a heavy focus on an outstanding consumer experience will outperform their industry rivals. However, simply directing your service agents to follow a boilerplate procedure on calls won’t result in the high customer satisfaction rate you need to thrive in today’s hypercompetitive, global exchange. Instead, you need to guide your team in developing a specific skill set that will foster consumer trust and confidence and ensure the longevity of your business. 1. Stress the Importance of Empathy. Your call center agents will regularly encounter customers who are confused, angry, and frustrated. While it’s natural to respond to negative emotions by becoming defensive or dismissive, your team needs to know that such reactions are unacceptable. Instead, they should strive to see a situation from the consumer’s perspective to gain insight and understanding while working to resolve the issue. Train your agents to use empathy statements when handling complaints that will help to build a rapport with the caller, such as “I’m sorry to hear that,” and “I can imagine how upsetting this situation must be for you.” Emphasize that they need to take ownership of a negative customer situation, which means transferring calls to a supervisor or another department only when necessary. Quality customer service begins with respect and understanding, so instill these values into your team training program to elevate the front-end experience. 2. Promote Attentive Listening. Recent studies have shown that 72 percent of consumers will rate their service experience negatively when they must explain their complaint or issue to multiple company representatives before reaching a solution. Therefore, it’s vital that your team of live chat agents understands that outstanding customer service skills entail listening as much as speaking. Encourage them to allow callers to vent about a substandard product or service without interrupting or immediately offering feedback. They can then begin to ask to follow up questions to develop a deeper understanding of the problem while relaying the customer’s responses back to them to ensure clear communication. Above all, make sure your agents understand that a customer should never feel rushed to end a call before their issue is resolved. Allowing consumers the opportunity to detail their frustration while actively listening to their complaints and developing a personalized solution is one of the most effective ways to provide quality customer service. 3. Emphasize Product Knowledge. Since over 66 percent of consumers consider the features, design, and quality of a product or service the most important factor in brand loyalty, ensuring your chat agents can comfortably discuss every aspect of what your business offers is a fundamental element of a seamless customer experience. Initiate thorough training for each new hire that includes a detailed overview of company products, services, warranties, return policies, and shipping procedures. You should also consider administering a written test to service agents before they are permitted to take customer calls to confirm they have a working knowledge of your business and can adequately address product or service related questions and complaints. To keep quality customer service at the forefront of your company culture, institute continuing education in the form of product updates and refresher training courses. When it comes to establishing outstanding customer service skills, knowledge is power, so give your chat agents the tools and support to succeed. While marketing and new customer acquisition strategies are important ways to grow your business, the fact remains that you’re about 50 percent more likely to sell to an existing customer than a fresh prospect. And one of the most reliable ways to retain established consumers while converting new ones is to offer an unparalleled customer experience. Your call center agents are the front line of your company, so it’s essential to provide them with the fundamental communication skills they need to resolve problems and handle complaints. By teaching your team to empathize, employ active listening, and demonstrate product and service knowledge on every call, they’ll be providing the quality customer service that is the lifeblood of your company. With over 20 years of experience in providing superior outsourcing solutions across a wide range of industries, Etech is a world leader in helping companies develop a seamless customer service experience that allows you to compete in a diverse and globalized marketplace. Contact us today to learn how we can help you develop a customized consumer satisfaction strategy. This blog was published on LinkedIn.
My daughter (McKenna) is in kindergarten and her teacher (Ms. Dee) is an excellent facilitator, experienced in her role, a creative thinker and a real people person. I appreciate the role Ms. Dee has played in both my children’s lives (she has been teaching more than 30 years). I know that she cares and is willing to try even when things get tricky. I would venture a guess that many of us could not understand how stressful a kindergarten teacher’s job is! My daughter makes this situation even more strenuous by testing every aspect of Ms. Dee’s patience, and skill sets just as in the case shared below: The class was doing an exercise, and Ms. Dee was walking around giving some of the children encouragement. Some of the other children needed help getting aligned with the goals of the project. When she came to my daughter, McKenna was sitting there playing with her school supplies with no intention of working on the assignment. She absolutely can and will sit there without even indicating that she is not following along as she should. Even though McKenna had decided that she was not going to participate, Ms. Dee, was not going to allow that as an option. She tried a couple of ways to coax McKenna into doing the work with no success. After several tries, Ms. Dee finally resorted to discipline. She indicated that if McKenna would not comply with the directions, then her name would have to be moved on the wall resulting in a sad face stamp when it was time to dismiss for the day. The power of a “sad face stamp” is real. I have witnessed many kindergartners coming out of class trying to wipe off the ink or hiding it from their parents/guardians. As this is a serious infraction if you are in kindergarten most children would be motivated appropriately to comply with the request. So, what did my McKenna do with this potential threat? McKenna got up and moved her name and then sat down with her arms crossed in defiance as if that settled it. Although McKenna completed this action without saying anything, it was implied that Ms. Dee set the terms and that she was merely complying with one of the options. It was as if McKenna was saying, “We are done, and you can move on to helping someone else now.” As you can imagine that was not the end of the story. Ms. Dee had to escalate her tactics. To bring this story to an end; my daughter finally conceded and completed the assignment. For my little girl, it just had to be the hard way: It seems that on some occasions it just cannot be simple. Thankfully Ms. Dee has the experience, patience, and the desire to work with all types of individuals. McKenna is one of those individuals that for whatever reason we have to change our tactics to gain her “buy-in” to complete some tasks. Today it was riding in the truck with dad versus riding with mom. The day before it was something about cleaning her room. It will be something else tomorrow. It is not a discipline thing nor is it a rebellious thing as it has to do with defining success for her. Some might label her as difficult. Her teacher could have easily written her off as an obstacle not worth investing time in, just marked her and moved on. As in the case of McKenna’s teacher we have choices to make as trainers and leaders that either encourages team members to push themselves to greatness or to give up on them. I think as a leader we often get overwhelmed with the sheer number of obstacles and focus more on the problems than the people. We see people as “a task” to complete. Instead, we need to focus on people as individuals that may need help. You may have heard the statement, “If it weren’t for the people, this would be an easy job!” I can imagine a kindergarten teacher possibly saying similar things. Unfortunately, early in my career, I heard and even used this phrase on many occasions. I have since changed my view on this long-standing “joke” that leaders have used to relieve the stress of interactions gone wrong. Going forward you can hit them with a BEAM! Here is how you can BEAM your team/class and keep yourself centered with the right thought processes: Build Relationships: How you should start (or restart) any team/class. Focus on getting to know your team individually. Learn their learning style and personality traits. What do they need / desire to achieve short and long term? Find and understand what motivates them? How do they like to be rewarded? Establishing Norms: What should training look/feel like. Start / End on time. Respecting others. Avoiding cell phones except in cases in which they are directly used for an exercise. Active participants (participating is key). Be open to new ideas. Note: It’s best to have the class participants determine this list. Make an “agreement” that both trainer(s) and trainees will abide by. Ask Questions: Build the correct learning environment. Act from a place of curiosity to utilize questions that build knowledge. Use the “Socratic Method”. Implement a “Parking Lot”. Know when you want to field questions. Be ready for this and facilitate the class to participate in not only asking but also answering questions. Allow a discussion to take place. This is where some of your best learning can happen. Be upfront when you want the class members to hold questions until the end. Give them the ability to note questions, so they are not working on trying and remembering a question and not listening to you, potentially missing the answer to their question or other important data. Managing Tasks: Building efficiency to spend time with people and behaviors. Know the difference in managing tasks and leading people. Use your time effectively to complete tasks efficiently. Spend more time on people than processes. Now you can BEAM with pride in knowing you are laying a foundation that enables you to respect others. You
Contacting a company in the hopes of resolving an issue only to receive less-than-impressive service is likely a scenario you’ve personally encountered at least once in your lifetime. It should come as no surprise that negative customer experience with a company’s contact center poses a huge threat to the consumer’s loyalty to that product or brand. Customers have more options than ever, and competition is fierce. Most businesses understand what’s at stake each time a customer needs to reach out, so what’s being done to ensure more positive experiences? While CSAT scores and KPIs still rule for some companies, others are taking a more customer-centric approach that has managed to completely alter the landscape of what contact centers could be. Zappos is a perfect example of this. They’ve eschewed the typical game plan of emphasizing the importance of low call times by instead focusing on the opposite: high call times. Taking the pressure of finalizing customer calls as quickly as possible off the table allows agents to focus on really connecting with the customer and resolving their issues. I call this the “love the one you’re with” approach. While many companies may not strive to recreate the Zappos customer experience model, most want to continue evolving to meet consumers’ needs in a way that builds brand loyalty. Here are five trends to consider employing to elevate the level of service offered by your business in 2019. Pick and Choose Technology and Tools Wisely New advances appear almost daily, so realizing your company’s needs, and which tools will meet them, is key to ensuring the business isn’t left in the dust with outdated systems or weighed down with bloate, technology. Some industries, such as healthcare, are seeing benefits from utilizing newer digital care coordination technologies. Although some industries are reporting increased efficiency from new technology such as this, it doesn’t automatically mean utilizing it would bring the same benefits to your business. Think of what your employees need most to assist customers best, and then seek out solutions that will fulfill your company’s own specific set of needs. Consider your administration staff, clients and overall ease of usability when selecting technology. Don’t Overlook the Importance of Employee Engagement With the customer experience always top of mind, it can be all too easy to overlook those who most directly influence consumer satisfaction. Your agents are invaluable assets with great insight into the needs, wants and frustrations of your customer base. It’s true that the happiness of your employees often correlates with the happiness of your customers. Ensure agents have the tools they need to be successful, including equipment, training, and thoughtful feedback. To have the largest impact, feedback shouldn’t focus solely on KPIs, but rather also on individual experiences that can be discussed. Consider focusing more on coaching effectiveness and ensuring your leaders are equipped to transfer knowledge effectively. Confidence through knowledge makes a world of difference in your people, and you only get it through effective training and coaching. Your people aren’t interacting with your C-Suite every day – they are interacting with your customers! Involve your frontline employees in CX problem-solving. Your employees (and customers) already know everything YOU need to know – just ask them what you can do better and actively listen to the response. Fine Tune System Connectivity In today’s market, many companies want to give customers various outlets for contact. Most brands offer options of connecting via phone, email, chat, social media and SMS. An omnichannel solution is a key contributor to positive customer experience and low customer effort. Best practices for applying self-service options are – Make self-serve effortless, comfortable and inviting Provide multiple options – insure self-serve is not the only option available Content consistency across all channels and refresh content frequently Ask for customer feedback about your self-serve options using surveys or other feedback tools Stop making your customers repeat themselves! Use intelligent, integrated technologies that ensure a frictionless experience and secure information pass-through. It’s frustrating for all involved, hindering the customer experience when the same information needs to be continuously repeated, and the customer journey isn’t fully known or readily available. Efficiencies improve when the systems within contact centers are easily interchangeable and communicate with each other. Fine tuning is not a one-time event – establish a rhythm and a consistent update strategy that’s aligned with your marketing plan to make the most of your omnichannel approach. Consider the Benefits of Remote Work More and more employees yearn for work that can be completed remotely. With the benefits it can bring to a customer-focused environment, it’s in the best interest of many businesses to consider the possibilities. Hiring more remote agents, or allowing those already employed to work away from the typical office environment not only frees up precious space in the contact center and lowers costs, it improves productivity by an average of 24%! Remote employees have 82% lower stress levels and 69% lower absenteeism. Distractions like water cooler gossip, impromptu meetings, and loud colleagues are a non-issue. Happy employees = Happy Customers and nothing have more of an impact on customer experience than agent experience! Invest in the Type of Engagements Customers Want It has long been believed that when given the option, customers do not speak to another human to resolve their issue, even though surveys continue to point to this being untrue. CIO reported that 80 % of customers who pay for TV would prefer to resolve issues via digital channels such as chat or email. This emphasizes that many companies aren’t tuned in to the customer experience and voice of the customer. Even though it seems that most consumers still reach out through calling, other means of communicating such as chat, messaging and text to continue to experience exponential growth. Whether your focus this year will be on inbound, outbound, quality, analytics and experience management or live chat services, Etech has a wide range of solutions meant to elevate the customer experience effectively. Contact us today
Imagine this. You are invited to a board meeting, and everyone is getting settled. While putting his cup down, the CEO accidentally spills coffee onto the desk and floor. What is the aftermath your picture? Do you already, through your mind’s eye, see interns and mid-level managers rushing to clean up the mess? Or, even better, do you envision the CEO calling for janitorial to tend to it so that he can carry on with his meeting? According to one Harvard Business School professor, James Heskett, when he encountered a similar scenario at a ServiceMaster board meeting, neither of these outcomes played out. Instead, the CEO asked for cleaning supplies and got down on the floor to clean up the mess himself. While this is a very literal interpretation of what it means to be a service leader, it nonetheless accurately depicts the servant leadership model. What is Servant Leadership? Put simply it is a leadership style defined by giving rather than delegating. In the mind of a true servant leader, organizational success depends on the employees’ ability to do their jobs well. And, in turn, the employees’ ability to do their jobs well depends on the leader’s willingness to provide the tools they need. Thus, instead of commanding employees, a servant leader aims to promote success by asking the question, “How can I help you succeed?” This, in turn, gives employees a sense of purpose and motivates them to be more proactive while building a sense of teamwork. Is It Paternalistic? The complicated answer to this question is yes and no. The servant leadership model does feature paternal overtones, but it is not quite the same as paternalistic leadership. According to a study published by Pennsylvania State University, paternalistic leadership is not very well understood, even within the management community. This is because of conflicting ideas on how it should be applied, and how it has varied across cultures, based on how paternal roles vary. Sociologist and political economist, Max Weber, argued against the practice, stating that it led to bureaucracy and would only further the role of traditional domination. Perhaps because of this sentiment, paternalistic leadership has, in most First World countries, been likened to an autocratic leadership style, which is not at all in-tune with the principles of servant leadership. On the other hand, studies coming out of Asia opposed Weber’s conclusions, instead of painting the paternalistic leader as a caring fatherly figure. Researchers in Asia argued that paternalistic managers operated as a pillar of support and provided care and protection to their employees. This is much more akin to servanthood leadership. A study conducted in Turkey also found a strong positive correlation between paternalistic and servant leadership styles. The values of servant leadership that were perceived as paternalistic include the following: Altruism Empowerment Relationship building Participation Why Choose the Servant Leadership Model? In today’s increasingly individualistic culture, especially in American culture, you don’t come across many true servant leaders. But, when you do, they have amazing stories to share about how their leadership styles have helped to not only grow their business but improve the communities around them. Two leaders that have been named as true servant leaders include Kevin Johnson, the CEO of Starbucks, and Arthur M. Blank, the co-founder of Home Depot. So, if key leaders of household names have built their multibillion-dollar empires from this type of leadership, how can you benefit from employing the servant leadership model in your business? Read on to find out. Increased Social Responsibility Servanthood leadership encourages social responsibility both inside and outside of the office. As a benefit of this leadership style, a corporate conscience comes with many other benefits itself. Here are just some of the main advantages of social responsibility, according to Inc. Increases the appeal of your brand, thereby expanding the potential market size. Modern customers are eco-conscious and are willing to pay a premium price for companies they believe are engaged in social good. Customers are more likely to remain loyal to brands they believe are supporting their core values. Opens up the opportunity to receive financial grants from the government. Investors see a commitment to social change as a long-term positioning plan, thereby making your business more attractive. Stronger Team The servant leadership model focuses more on people than the work process. This helps to humanize the work environment, breaking down barriers and building stronger relationships based on a common goal. In this scenario, everyone plays a different but equal role. This sentiment energizes workers to step up to the plate, be proactive, reach for higher goals, and to see how they too can serve others. Lower Turnover Rates Turnover is an expensive cost of poor management. Every time someone walks out the door of your business, they are taking the knowledge and experience you have provided, with them. To encourage more employees to stay, you must create an environment where they are not only happy to show up at work every day, but also have the opportunity to grow. Managers who embrace the servant leadership model will provide opportunities for employee growth through student programs, on-going training, promotional opportunities, and the opportunity to work on special projects. Lower turnover rates not only save the company time and money but allows it to hold on to its primary investments: its people. Who Does a Servant Leader Serve? Most leadership literature on servant leaders seems to focus on serving employees to help them reach organizational goals. However, servant leaders also work hard to serve their clients and the members of the communities they operate in. One good example of this is Arthur M. Blank who, after helping to select the location of the Mercedes-Benz stadium in downtown Atlanta, then worked to develop the communities around it. Thanks to his efforts, crime has dropped 43 percent in the area, year after year, and he has helped 680 residents to find full-time jobs. At Etech, though serving
Long gone are the days of solely focusing on customer satisfaction. While nearly every company will agree that keeping the customer experience (CX) at the forefront of any business strategy is key to maximizing growth and overall success, it’s certainly no longer the only important factor. In recent years, it’s become more widely known, understood, and accepted that high employee engagement correlates to elevated customer satisfaction and gives a boost to many other signifiers of business success. Maybe it feels as if your company already has a strong handle on employee experience (EE) and engagement, but the truth is that for many, there’s always room for improvement. While even more recent surveys show that employee engagement is on the rise, there’s still significant work to be done. Gallup’s numbers point to 33% of surveyed employees reporting they are actively engaged, leaving 51% of respondents admitting of disengagement in their place of employment. These findings hold weight for businesses, as companies with some of the highest engaged employees enjoyed improvements in several areas, including: A 10% increase in customer satisfaction A 20% increase in sales A 21% increase in profitability If you’re beginning to think that your company should pivot to focus on EE, here are four trends expected to be huge in 2019. Flexible Work Schedules I know what you are thinking, “How can we possibly allow this?” It is not as difficult as it seems and can still fit the needs of the business. The ability to work on their own terms has shot to the top of the priority list for many employees. If business needs allow, this could take the form of employees choosing their own schedules based on the needed time slots throughout the day, thus oftentimes improving the balance between work and professional life. Many employees today appreciate and seek out companies that support the option to work remotely or from home, even if it’s just on occasion. Increased availability and improvements in remote work software cement flexible work schedules as a benefit worth looking into to raise the bar on employee engagement. Going Above Engagement To Focus on Overall Employee Experience Oftentimes, when a company first begins to dig into improving employee engagement, initial plans only manage to scratch the surface of EE. While asking for feedback and administering surveys is certainly a good first step, they do little to raise the bar if they aren’t backed by an effective plan of action. Today’s best course for empowering associates and impacting other areas of business success, including CX, is by focusing on the overall employee experience. This entails diving into and improving several aspects of your office environment, including: Opportunities for development Company culture Programs for recognizing and rewarding achievements Career paths Relationships among teams Opportunities for Professional and Personal Development Many companies have long thought of training and development as tools that simply prepared employees for a new position elsewhere, but this is quickly becoming an archaic viewpoint. Employees yearn to learn and grow, not only within their roles but also beyond them. Employers that provide ample opportunities for associates to spread their wings through training programs and continued learning often employ a workforce that is more content, harbors increased loyalty towards their company, and feels intrinsically tied to the continued success and growth of the business. On the flip side, companies lacking a focus on associate development may suffer from low employee engagement and higher rates of turnover. Simply put, if they can’t find a way to grow with you, they will go somewhere they can. Programs Focused on Mental and Physical Wellness Adding a wellness program to your company’s repertoire, or improving upon an existing one, is a great way to not only increase employee engagement but can also provide returns in associate health, happiness, and even productiveness. It only takes a look into the rise in popularity of wearables and fitness trackers to see that many enjoy taking an active approach when it comes to their health. The key to incorporating a wellness program is achieving buy-in from employees. If you have a solid plan that the workforce can get excited about, your company will be able to reap the rewards of increased health, camaraderie among coworkers, and engagement. You may have heard it said before that if you make and keep your employees happy, they will, in turn, keep your customers happy. Not only will a focus on employee engagement impact overall customer satisfaction, but engaged associates take more pride in their work and often show more loyalty to the company they work for. Not to mention it will create a better working environment for all. Etech understands the importance of engaging both employees and customers. Allow them to ensure your customers are engaged and satisfied while you focus on building engagement within your in-house teams. Reach out to Etech to learn more about their professional and effective customer solutions. This blog has been published on LinkedIn.
It is hard to believe it now, but artificial intelligence used to be nothing more than a futuristic dream. It was portrayed in old movies as the vehicle that would completely change the world and propel our culture to unimaginable heights. Now, artificial intelligence—the stuff of the future—is all around us, and we are still learning just how much it can benefit us. In addition to improving our daily lives by helping us find restaurants, driving us around in our vehicles, and even controlling the lights and appliances in our homes, AI is also improving the world of business in a variety of ways. Automated systems are especially helpful for call centers, and Gartner predicts that non-voice interactions in customer service settings will likely rise to 85 percent by the year 2020. Many contact centers are discovering how artificial intelligence can benefit them and help them turn a greater profit while serving customers’ needs more effectively. If your contact center does not currently make use of AI, you may be spending more than you need to and missing out on your full potential to appease the needs of your customers. Consumers are increasingly desiring self-service options, but they still want the ability to speak with a live customer service agent if needed. When you offer digital solutions that recognize and predict the needs of your customers, you create a seamless user experience. While artificial intelligence should never replace the human component of your contact center, it can be used to help busy call centers handle larger call volumes with greater efficiency. How Artificial Intelligence Drives Effortless Customer Experience With Human Touch One of the most universal challenges experienced by businesses of all types is the constant struggle to improve the customer experience. In fact, 72 percent of businesses list customer experience improvement as their top priority, according to recent data published by Forrester. Call centers that experience a high volume of customer service calls may consistently struggle to deliver a quick and effective customer service experience. Since recent research from NewVoiceMedia reveals that companies in the United States lose approximately $62 billion each year as a direct result of poor customer service, it is imperative for companies to turn the statistics in their favor by taking actionable steps to improve the customer experience for their consumer base. One of the most effective ways to do this is by incorporating artificial intelligence into the call center customer service process. Using AI in the call center can improve customer service operations in the following ways: Improving business agility Achieving operational excellence Providing machine-centric intelligence with human-centric interaction Increasing versatility and flexibility Predicting customer behavior Maximizing available resources and reducing operating costs Delivering a consistent, reliable experience to each customer Meeting customer needs around-the-clock Creating relationship-based interactions instead of transaction-based interactions Speech recognition systems can be implemented to relieve the burden of high call volume from human agents. Such systems can also take care of after-hours phone calls when call center agents are not available. This benefit makes it possible for businesses to take care of customer needs around-the-clock, without paying call center agents for graveyard shifts or overtime. In a digital age, more customers expect businesses to be able to meet their demands 24/7, and implementing a speech recognition into your call center can help you live up to evolving consumer expectations. When integrated into the call center, advanced speech recognition systems, such as interactive voice response (IVR) systems, make it possible for customers to easily navigate through a menu of options by using their voice instead of the telephone keypad. Other call center speech recognition options include speech-to-text, voice search, call routing, and voice dialing. For many businesses, automating the telephone answering system is an efficient way to handle anywhere between 40-85 percent of incoming calls. More and more businesses are leveraging the efficiency and predictability of speech recognition systems to improve efficiency and anticipate customer needs. Achieving the ideal blend between an automated, self-service environment and live agent interaction in the call center is a challenge worth pursuing. Providing customers with the option to navigate self-service systems without taking away their ability to talk to a real person as needed comes with a variety of benefits, including cost savings, more efficient customer service and improved customer experience. How to Use Artificial Intelligence As an Effective Quality Monitoring Solution If you were to ask 10 different companies for the definition of “excellent customer service”, you would probably get 10 different answers. There is no single, universal definition of superior customer service that can be applied to all businesses. For this reason, it can be hard to nail down the standards that you need your call center team to adhere to in order to deliver the highest level of customer satisfaction. The challenge of determining, analyzing, and enforcing behaviors and actions that meet excellent service standards for your business most likely falls on the shoulders of your quality monitoring group. Their task is a monumental one, but it is necessary for delivering a concise, uniform approach to customer service. By using updated Artificial Intelligence software, it is possible to increase the effectiveness of your quality monitoring team. The highly accurate data provided by the AI software can direct your quality monitoring team to changes that may need to be made by call center representatives. The end result is an improvement in your contact center’s processes and methods for interacting with customers. Automating your quality monitoring system can provide some of the following improvements to your business: Reduced agent effort Better sales results Compliance with regulatory requirements Improved customer experience Artificial intelligence, when used correctly in a call center, can effortlessly monitor and gather valuable data from your team’s phone calls, chats and emails. It can also assist management in identifying opportunities to improve customer satisfaction, sales conversions and processes. Speech recognition technology is capable of anticipating customer needs and quickly delivering predictions and solutions that are specific to each
We monitor calls to ensure that minimum quality standards are achieved. However, call monitoring is not only for identifying problems and agent opportunities but also for detecting what is working and cascading it to the entire team. Social media service is evolving and an increasing number of customers are reaching out through these channels, many more still turn to chat and inbound toll-free numbers for assistance. Omni-channel quality monitoring is an essential process to ensure that customers receive an exceptional customer experience no matter how they choose to interact with your business. Here are a few tips that can help you improve quality monitoring: Ensure you get the small things correct You already know the details of your operations and how your agents perform. To ensure consistent improvement — get the small things right. For example, verify that the agents have correct information about a product or service and responses to possible questions from customers. Also, ensure that agents are comfortable with and following prescribed interaction flow structure. With the small things in place, you can use your time to work on the big issues. Don’t make the employees nervous It’s natural for agents, especially newbies, to be apprehensive about having their interactions monitored. To get your employees engaged, you need to explain why you are carrying out monitoring. Emphasize your intention is to help them be successful and to ensure quality customer service is delivered. Your agents must clearly understand how monitoring benefits them or else you can expect challenges in adaptation. We have all used the acronym “WIIFM” and nothing will motivate people like knowing What’s In It For Me! To help your employees buy into the idea of quality monitoring, make the exercise collaborative and inclusive. Allow the agent to own the solution. It will help your employees understand the process better and what is required of them as they interact with customers. Remember to reprimand in private and praise in public. If you know there is a bad interaction, do not choose to play it in a calibration session that is attended by a large group. Take the agent into an individual coaching session to discuss the interaction whether it be a chat, call, or social media contact. The ideal coaching session takes no more than 15 minutes. Hire third party to monitor When a professional third-party monitors your team, they will produce unbiased evaluations. If you run a large contact center, you will need to have an internal team of quality analysts as well. They should stay calibrated with your third-party quality team to ensure that both groups deliver consistent results. Make sure that your internal team members have the right skills to monitor and provide feedback to agents in order to maintain the company quality standards. Reward positive performance Rewards are a great source of motivation. Come up with monthly awards like “quality agent of the month”. Non-monetary incentives oftentimes work as well as those with a cost to the company. The recognition of a “job well done” motivates employees to excel. Invest in coaching the agents You must invest in training and coaching your agents. In addition to new hire training, ongoing product and soft skill training will enable your agents to continue to grow. The time and resources you invest in training your employees will bear fruits in quality customer service. Also, use technology to guide your analysts and agents through the procedures. It might be costly at first, but in the long run, it will be worthwhile. Gather Feedback It is not enough to set quality processes without a feedback gathering mechanism. Internal calibration meetings should include both agents and supervisors to allow for an open question and answer session. Customer satisfaction surveys often tell the real picture. It can be surprising to learn that sometimes customers do not perceive the same quality of service that the internal team is assured they are providing. Monitor across multi-channels Today’s customer interacts with contact centers via multiple channels. It is advisable to monitor all sales and service channels to make an informed assessment. In conclusion, these seven tips will help you improve your quality monitoring. A quality interaction should provide an exceptional customer experience and showcase high performing teams. Until next time! This blog was published on LinkedIn.
Servant leadership is or should be the bedrock of all organizations. It is based on the principle of growth through individual recognition and achievement. The idea is that through a particular set of practices leaders can pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of the organization and the workforce to better balance efficiency, culture and ultimately profitability and growth. While the philosophy of servant leadership has been around for centuries, it wasn’t until Robert K. Greenleaf put the principles into print in 1970 that the corporate world began to take notice. Before Greenleaf’s writing, the corporate world was organized into a top-down structure – the executives, managers, assistant managers, laborers. As the philosophy grew in popularity, more companies began incorporating a horizontal organizational structure based on collaboration and communication, broadening ideas and understanding while increasing the overall effectiveness of the workforce. Servant leadership is an integral part of modern organizations, and the transition to this type of leadership style rest in the understanding of eight essential principles. Communication When discussing leadership qualities, there is not one more important than communication. Open and honest dialogue ensures clarity and also helps to reduce tension and confusion. When leading through a servant mentality, there are three areas of communicating to focus on. Listening As a servant leader, you should demonstrate a deep commitment to listening. This doesn’t mean to stay silent or avoid conflict, but it does mean that you must fully comprehend and understand the opinions of others before dismissing or condemning their views and actions. The will of the group should always be identified before any organizational decisions. Empathy In the same spirit of listening, empathy is the ability to recognize and understand the reasoning behind someone’s actions. This recognition is not an approval of performance or behavior, only an acknowledgment of understanding. Healing Healing can also be described as conflict resolution. It is the ability of a leader to listen to both sides, understand the logic behind the decision-making and provide a compromise or resolution that suits the best interests of the employees and the organization. Persuasion In top-down organizations, leaders coerce compliance through disciplinary measures and demands. In servant leader structures persuasion is preferred to positional authority, meaning that communication is used as a means of uncovering appropriate actions and convincing the whole as to its rightness. A leader using the servant philosophy understands the importance of consensus in community development. Awareness Successful teachers of servant Leadership know how to pinpoint the strengths and weaknesses of others and within themselves. This ability to be self-aware leads to balance in the team and the corporate culture. Awareness can be uncomfortable, admitting your need for assistance or lack of skill is not easy, but it is one of the best ways to foster a team mentality. Foresight Beyond communication and team building a leader must be able to drive an organization forward through growth and ingenuity, both of which present risks. Therefore, a leader must develop foresight – the ability to systematically examine and diagnose successes and failures to predict and avoid future mistakes. Conceptualization In the practice of servant leadership, conceptualization refers to the act of thinking or dreaming of further growth opportunities often through the scope of foresight, meaning planning without losing focus on the present or the past. Essentially, conceptualization is tied to innovation and is necessary for modern organizational success. Stewardship Stewardship refers to the responsibility an organization has to not only its contributing workforce but the world as a whole. Many companies are stewards for healthy environmental practices. However, stewardship can also be about fair labor practices, proper resource management or even fiduciary responsibility. Commitment to the Growth of People One of the fundamental principles of servant leadership is the commitment to the growth of people. While the goal of any business is organizational growth, servant leaders understand that profits and people are uniquely intertwined. Without a happy and developing workforce, a company will struggle to maintain and surpass expectations. Community Building Community building is established through a combination of the above principles and practices. However, showing that you are not above the community can enrich and inspire the growth of the overall culture more than any individual element. People are used to top-down structure, and despite the increase in servant led organizations, many still expect the do as I say not as I do mentality, meaning that leaders who practice what they preach can ignite the rapid development of a cultural and corporate change. Servant leadership is a necessity of modern organizations. The core principle of personal growth corresponding to corporate growth is something we sincerely believe here at Etech. We understand the benefits of community and communication. Contact us today. Let’s open a dialogue and see how we can benefit each other. This blog was published on LinkedIn.
Phishing attacks could be compared to actual fishing. The scammer creates an email that includes an enticement, essentially baiting the hook. Their next step is to send the email out to thousands of individuals, casting the line. Finally, they wait for an unsuspecting person to take the bait and reel them in, attempting to collect some form of protected information or possibly even payment. This modus operandi or method has been around for a long time as it continues to prove highly successful for the malicious actor. Prior to computers, phishing scams were accomplished through phone calls, direct mail, or even face-to-face contact. However, over the last couple of decades, digital scams have allowed for the casting of a much wider net as well as improved anonymity, which means the criminals are harder to catch. Therefore, it falls on the end user to be vigilant regarding their online activity and email usage. Many internet users in both business and home settings overestimate the ability of their cybersecurity to circumvent the threat of malicious actors. While it is true that internet security can minimize the risk of phishing attacks, it cannot account for human error, which is precisely what scammers will try and exploit. To limit your exposure to these scams, you should follow six simple tips to spot and avoid attacks. Always Be Cautious of Embedded Links While there are many signs of potential email scams, message links may be one of the most prominent. Many fraudulent emails will have numerous links within the body of the message, attempting to entice readers to click at least one. This will usually redirect the system to malicious site/content or simply download malware to exploit the computer system and set it up for the potential attack. Mismatched URLs Phishing emails will often have mismatched URLs, meaning that the web address that is spelled out in the text does not match the URL that appears when you hover your cursor over it. If you notice that the target address is different from the stated address do not trust the message. Redirects There may be times where the URLs in the email match the stated links, but when you click on the link, you are redirected through other addresses and sites. If you are redirected to a strange website, then there is a good chance that the email was a scam, and you should scan your system for potential viruses immediately. Be Wary of “Suspicious Activity” Emails A common tactic of phishing is to claim that there has been a suspicious activity or unauthorized changes to one of your accounts. Clicking on the provided link may even direct you to a site that looks completely legitimate. This is a major tactic for the malicious actor to trick you into entering your credentials. They can then seize control of your account and gain access to whatever information and/or funds are available. They may use the same credentials to gain access to other accounts and systems you have access to. Don’t be tempted to click on links, read or open attachments from these emails, instead of flag questionable emails and let your cybersecurity team worry about the details. Never click on an embedded link to enter your credentials. Exit the email and go to the site through the proper URL. Be Leary of “Urgency to Act” Claims Also, while winning a million dollars or inheriting some foreign prince’s estate would be a dream come true for many people, the odds are not in your favor. You have a better chance of being hit by lighting each day for the next two weeks. Many scams try to entice recipients with promises of lavish prizes and trips. However, they often have a ridiculous time constraint to try and force you into irrational decisions. Don’t think this scam still work? Recently, there have been reports of individuals approaching people in the parking lot of a bank they are entering convincing them to take out large sums of cash promising exponential returns on the funds. Of course, the malicious actors disappear with the cash never to be seen or heard from by that person again. If someone falls for the scam under these circumstances, think about how easy it would be to cast a wide net over the internet to get a nibble. Don’t Fret Over “Severe Consequences” Similar to the suspicious activity phishing attack, many scammers will take an even blunter approach by demanding action through the threat of lawsuits or arrests. The IRS has recently warned of phishing attempts that threatened huge fines. These scams are coercive and despicable. Take solace in knowing that there is no truth to them. The IRS does not communicate this type of information through email or phone calls. If you are being audited or owe money, the IRS will send you a letter via the U.S. Blogal Service. These attacks seek to prey on an individual’s fear of jail time or huge fines. Do not give them the satisfaction of falling for these types of attacks. Watch for Grammatical Errors Another common factor of fraudulent emails is grammatical errors. These aren’t typical typos and are usually overwhelmingly apparent because they are syntax errors, meaning that words are arranged in strange ways. Many scammers are not native English speakers and may struggle with recognizing syntax mistakes. Most reputable companies will have proofreading teams capable of editing spelling and grammar errors. Therefore, emails plagued with bad grammar should likewise be avoided. Don’t Underestimate Minimalism Phishing does not have to consist of a complex, persuasive strategy. Some offenders try to scam unsuspecting individuals by posing as friends or colleagues, sending an innocuous email with a blank body and single attachment. These types of emails should be immediately discarded unless you are acutely aware of the sender and their intentions. Email addresses can be spoofed and appear to come from a friend or coworker when they are actually
Incorporating artificial intelligence (AI) into your call center quality monitoring can feel like an uncertain prospect. With over 80 percent of businesses already using or planning to acquire automated technology as a customer service strategy by 2020, it’s apparent that AI is quickly becoming a baseline requirement to compete in an increasingly globalized marketplace. However, many business owners still have concerns regarding the effects that AI will have on customer relations. While the efficiency and cost-cutting benefits of automated technology are well documented, there is a widespread myth that consumers will always prefer to resolve issues with a live customer service agent rather than a front-end AI-powered chatbot or interactive voice response system. The truth is that AI, when properly integrated with human intelligence, can vastly improve the effectiveness of your call center quality monitoring. Success depends on aptly assimilating technology into the existing corporate structure and promoting a workplace culture that embraces AI as a helpful resource. By keeping this philosophy in mind, you can use automation to develop an elevated front end experience that will dazzle your customers. Harness AI To Improve Overall Efficiency Surveys have shown that customers place a high level of importance in how quickly their issue with a company is resolved, while fiercely resenting the need to explain their problem to multiple people before reaching a solution. And nearly 70 percent of customers prefer the convenience of a messaging program over a live phone call to resolve an issue. Consequently, the speed and organization of your customer service matter just as much as the quality of engagement. This is where artificial intelligence in a call center can be a game changer. By streamlining some of your most repetitive, low level customer queries to a front-end AI-powered chatbot that consumers can communicate with at their own pace, you’re able to provide an immediate response to a simple question while freeing up time for your live call center service agents to address more complex issues or to speak with older customers who may not feel comfortable utilizing technology. Implementing AI to supply rote solutions to recurrent consumer complaints allows you to offer personalized, consistent service based on the level of engagement required. The result is a more effective system of call center quality monitoring. Use Automated Technology for Enhanced Training When humans are tasked with assessing customer service agent performance, limitations become evident. Most companies without a dedicated AI platform only have the resources to analyze a tiny fraction of recorded interactions. This means that they’re only getting a restricted sampling of vital call centers quality monitoring metrics such as voice analysis, predictive patterns of behavior, and productivity rates. By adopting an automated quality assurance program that can easily track every call, you’ll jump to a 100 percent monitoring rate that gives you the full picture of service center strengths and weaknesses. The analytic capabilities of a good AI quality assurance system also have the potential to transform your training strategies. Automated technology can easily identify hundreds of different variables to a human voice and develop predictive models for emotions that can be applied to specific customer queries and demographics. This data can then be used to formulate standard live agent responses to common consumer complaints, resulting in a higher level of satisfaction. By using AI to enhance the effectiveness of your live service team, you can channel the combined power of technology and human intelligence to provide a superior level of customer support. Ask for Live Agent Feedback on AI Systems While weaving artificial intelligence into call center structure can dramatically improve your customer satisfaction and retention rate, the truth is that no current AI software can operate completely independent of human supervision and interaction. Even the most sophisticated automated call center quality monitoring network will struggle with complex customer queries that require the empathy and emotional intelligence of a live agent. That’s why it’s imperative to develop appropriate escalation procedures with your customer support team in the event that a front-end AI-powered chatbot or interactive voice response system is unable to adequately resolve a consumer complaint. To prevent AI from mishandling customer service interactions, incorporate periodic reviews of call center transcripts to pinpoint areas of weakness in system analytics that may need to be supplemented by live agents. You should also assign a dedicated team to monitor all call center automated functions and make quality control adjustments as needed. Keep in mind that the purpose of AI is to delight your customers, so utilize insight from your live agents to continuously improve your automated systems and avoid frustration and confusion from consumers that may cause them to move on to a rival company. While upgrading your call center quality monitoring system to incorporate AI may seem like a big investment, the truth is that you can’t afford to forego automated quality assurance in today’s marketplace. With over 91 percent of top branded companies that boast superior levels of customer satisfaction utilizing AI, embracing technology is a fundamental strategy for converting and retaining a loyal consumer base. The key to providing the consistent, personalized service that customers now expect is to use AI in tandem with a talented pool of live agents who are trained to view automation as a useful tool, not a competitor. By implementing AI to improve efficiency and provide faster response times to customers, amplify training strategies, and integrate feedback from your call center team, you’ll be offering a premium level of service to consumers that will build long term brand loyalty. With over 20 years of experience in providing superior outsourcing solutions across a wide range of industries, Etech is a world leader in helping companies develop a seamless customer service experience. We offer a variety of artificial intelligence strategies including inbound and outbound call center service, live chat messaging, quality assurance monitoring, tech support, and software application. Systems are customized to meet your individualized needs while allowing you to compete in a diverse and globalized marketplace. Contact us
The People-First culture is a buzz word in the business world now. Many companies have embraced this culture after witnessing the positive impact it has on the growth and success of various businesses. But what does People first Culture is all about? There is a variation of definition to this powerful term, but for Etech it is treating our workforce the same way we treat our customers. This is clearly reflected in our vision statement. Etech’s Vision To make a remarkable difference for each other, our customers, and within our communities. For a business, the quality of customer experience is directly proportional to customer satisfaction. And customer satisfaction directly impacts the success and growth of a business. Who determines the quality of your Customer’s Experience? The most valuable resource of your company – THE EMPLOYEES! The People-First culture – Benefits Magnet For Talented Workforce Who wouldn’t like to work in an environment where there is growth, creativity, where one’s voice is heard, and hard work is appreciated and rewarded? A People-First culture is a magnet that drives talent into your spectrum and gives them the motivation to stay. Increased Productivity According to one of Forbes articles, happy employees are up to 20% more productive. A People-First culture gives the employees the opportunity to utilize their strengths and platform to put in use what they have learned; this brings a sense of content and happiness among employees. If you have a strong and loyal employee base, nothing can stop your business from achieving its goals. When you put your people first, you are telling your workforce that they are important and their presence is valued. This generates a sense of trust and camaraderie among the people which is very important when it comes to the overall growth of the business. The Three Main Pillars of People-First culture Listen A good company listens to what its employees have to say. Approach your workforce with an open mind and listen to their needs and requirements. Understand what are the challenges they are facing? Make them realize that the company cares for them and their welfare. Communicate Communication gap is a pathway to a disastrous outcome. One of the vital factors that build a successful team is effective communication. Communicate to your people the company’s goals and vision. Effectively communicate with them the win-win situation that it will create when the employees align with the company’s vision. Support Show your employees that you are there for them. There are different ways of supporting your team members like surprising them with gift cards occasionally, setting up company marts system wherein people can buy needful things out of the points they earn, team lunches, fun activities for relaxation, etc. Developing a successful People-First culture takes time and effort. The leaders have to proactively invest and involve in the activities that will help build a strong culture. But, it is worth investing your time, money and effort for the positive results will serve you lifelong.
In a study out of the Clark School at the University of Maryland, researchers found that there is a hacker attack approximately every 39 seconds. A cyber-attack on a private user can be devastating enough, but in a call center that handles sensitive customer information daily, a data breach can be disastrous. Corporate security should be a top priority in every call center. Here are five ways to protect your customers, your employees, and your company. Install Strong Perimeter Security and Protective Software Call center data security hinges on how well your systems are configured and your network’s protection capabilities. You must be able to control what information can get in and out of your infrastructure. You should also have measures in place to thwart malicious attempts to infiltrate your systems and steal or corrupt sensitive data. To accomplish this, you need both a firewall system and anti-virus/anti-malware software. This first Protocol hits from multiple points. Defending the perimeter and defense on the inside of the perimeter. When we discuss perimeter control for the organization, we are discussing the outer layer of the network infrastructure. Think of it in this way; you have a secure building with one entrance. That entrance has a security guard that controls who enters and who leaves as well as what each can bring into the building and what they are allowed to leave with. The building represents your network, and everything inside is what resides within your network (Files, users, computers, etc.) The security guard at the single entrance represents your firewall and how well he/or she performs their task represents how secure your network is guarded. A firewall is a virtual boundary between your network and the outside world. It is your network’s gatekeeper so to speak. It uses a defined set of rules to determine what information is allowed into the network and what information can leave the network. It can also be utilized to control external access for employees through the use of a configured whitelist. It is important to have a firewall to protect the security of the organization, but it may also be helpful to have additional protection for the call center itself, preventing private customer information from leaking even to other parts of the organization where it isn’t needed. No matter how strong your firewall is, there are still ways that a malicious actor can gain access to your systems. Someone introduces a malicious file to your file system (knowingly or unknowingly) is always a consideration. Phishing attempts to employee email causing someone to click on an attachment or link causing malware to be downloaded to your internal systems through their workstation. These scenarios make it possible for a hacker to gain access to your infrastructure still. Malware can infect your network, causing it to malfunction, leak private data, open back doors for malicious actors, etc. Every system (workstations, servers, mobile devices, etc.) accessing your network should have anti-virus software installed to protect against malware that gets past the firewall. Multi-layered security increases the protection of your network and the sensitive data it contains. Ensure employees use Complex Passwords and Understand How to Keep Them Safe A strong password is one of the easiest ways to safeguard corporate security. I have seen so many people use easy passwords that can be easily cracked and yet passwords are the core protection component of our identity security. An excellent password is devoid of information that is easy to obtain, such as your birthday, pet names, etc., and it should not include common words or digits that are together on the keyboard. Passwords can be easy for you to remember but should contain a combination of upper and lowercase letters, numbers, and special characters. By using a combination of these, it becomes increasingly difficult for the password to be cracked. A single set of credentials should not be used by multiple individuals to access an account and system. Employee credentials should be back traceable to only them, and their respective passwords should only be known to them. Having a unique password for each system limits access in the event of a breach. This practice can protect the main network if only one account is compromised. You can set up rules to ensure that employees choose passwords that are complex and difficult to crack. Several free password managers such as https://.www.LastPass.com/ and https://www.Dashlane.com/ are available for establishing and remembering complex passwords. Rotating passwords at a minimum of every ninety (90) days will greatly reduce the likelihood of your credentials being cracked and can also prevent repeated access to the same account. Encrypt Sensitive Information at Rest and in Transit Unless you have been living under a rock, you have heard the quote “There are two types of companies, those that have been hacked, and those that don’t yet know they’ve been hacked.” If this is true, what happens once an organization is infiltrated? We must look at the primary purpose of someone maliciously gaining access. To access and exfiltrate protected information. What if we look at it from this point of view? Even if they access the information, they can’t do anything with it. They have gone through all that effort to gain access to something they can’t even use! If your call center is receiving, processing, storing, and/or transmitting sensitive data, encryption provides an extra layer of corporate security to discourage malicious actors. Encryption turns readable text into a set of numbers or symbols called ciphertext. There are three basic types of encryption: Symmetric – The same key is used to encrypt and decrypt the message. Asymmetric – A public key is used to encrypt the message, and a separate, private key is used to decrypt it. Hashing – An algorithm is used to create a unique hash for each data set to make comparing data sets and recognizing tampering easier. Encryption allows you to protect information classified as sensitive by providing an extra layer of security. Only those who
Consider this. How well would your company perform if every person on your team was a clone of you? When you hire someone, do you go out looking for someone who has all the same skills as the people you already have on the team? If you answer honestly, you probably have to admit that without variety among your team members, you would lose a great deal of creativity, many fresh ideas, and the ability to see things from different perspectives. Why then would you run your company without seeking input from your team, as if your thoughts and ideas are enough? It seems ridiculous when you say it that way, but Forbes reported in October 2017 that fully 70 percent of workplace initiative falls short of the goal due to a lack of employee engagement. Listening to your team members is the key to effective operation and improved employee satisfaction. Listening in the Workplace: The Challenges Managers who learn to listen see increased employee engagement, satisfaction, and productivity. With all those benefits, why is it still so hard to do? In 2016, a report by Deloitte found that one of the most difficult shifts for management to make is going from a once a year “conversation” with employees about their thoughts and opinions to an “always on” approach that listens constantly. The same study found that two-thirds of companies still only evaluate staff engagement once a year. Adding difficulty to the situation, only 22 percent of millennials surveyed felt that management would do something meaningful with their feedback. A lack of listening skills that reduces staff engagement has a significant impact on a company, right down to the bottom line. According to one study by Aon Hewitt, organizations where 70 percent of the workforce are engaged show higher rates of growth than those with lesser engagement. By contrast, the lower the rate of employee satisfaction, the more likely a company is to post a financial loss. Engaged employees are 87 percent less likely to leave the company. The United States Department of Labor estimates that the average company spends one-third of a new employee’s salary to replace the person who left. The Hay Group found that engaged workers are up to 43 percent more productive and make fewer mistakes than others. Listening and the New Ideas Making It Easier For most companies, listening to your employees has historically taken the form of annual satisfaction surveys, group meetings or conferences, and discussions with the Chief Executive Officer. However, in the new world of business, these expensive and time-consuming tasks are simply not enough. New ideas regarding employee engagement are emerging to make it easier to listen to your workplace team constantly. Social media: While most people think of social media as a way to communicate with the rest of the world, businesses can use the concept to keep up with team members’ ideas, questions, and suggestions for improvement. An internal Facebook page has worked well for Nokia, for example. The company also set up something called BlogHub where employees at any level of the company can post a thought or respond to someone else’s. You don’t have to create your tool though. Yammer and Groupe.io are two examples of inter-company communications instruments available on the market that can improve staff engagement. Chief Listening Officer: More and more large companies are coming to understand the value of having a Chief Listening Officer either on staff or contract. Study.com describes this position as someone who “specializes in monitoring both external and internal communications” about the organization. Companies that have chosen this route have realized improved employee morale, improved customer service, and higher staff retention rates. While not every company is large enough to sustain a full-time Chief Listening Officer, even a small company can build the measurement of employee satisfaction into the Human Resources or Public Relations Officer job description. Incorporating Listening Skills Into Management Training: Companies are taking note of the importance of listening to team members and incorporating that knowledge into manager training programs. In distributed environments where in-person training is impractical, virtual classrooms and interactive web-based teaching are utilized. Such staff engagement training focuses on the difference between hearing and listening, asking open-ended questions, and responding appropriately, among other topics. Listening as a Servant Leader The concept of servant leadership as set forth by Robert Greenleaf in the 1970s involves leading a team or an organization by being a servant first. Listening is one of the most crucial skills needed to be a true servant leader, signaling that the leader genuinely cares what the team has to say. True listening allows the leader to gain a clear understanding of the team’s thoughts, ideas, and feelings. Once the leader has that understanding, he or she can take action that makes use of that information. Finally, genuine listening shows the team members that the leader can be trusted and respected, which goes a long way toward improved employee satisfaction. Annette Franz and John P. Rees of the Ritz Carlton Leadership Center point out the importance of setting aside time to listen if you are a true servant leader. According to Franz, “If you’re too busy to listen, then you’re not a servant leader.” While some may see listening as an activity that takes away from more “productive” tasks, however, the teachings of servant leadership describe a process of giving and take that can lead to the identification of ways to increase productivity. For example, an open and honest discussion of processes may uncover areas of unnecessary redundancy. Reese advises managers to make a commitment of time to listening and stick to it, seeing it as important as anything else he or she can do to improve productivity and profitability. Since your team members know their jobs best, it’s very common for managers to learn ways to increase profitability from honest conversations with team members. Also, the link between reduced turnover and managers who listen well is clear in the research,