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How to measure call center agent execution exclusively?

Call centers have turned into the fast developing business in various nations due to the requirement for the mass hiring of employees. For instance, many outsourcing companies suit upwards of two hundred representatives in one center. One may state this is all because of its outsourcing nature wherein the call center is excited in taking care of the request of its clients branching out to various aspects and levels of businesses of all sizes. It is troublesome, if not impossible, to reasonably score and measures individual call center agents in light of the call center agent’s performance. It is additionally not a good thought because there is a high danger of compensating underperformers and demotivating the top performers. Further, if the call center is understaffed or not staffed properly for the target service level – both elements absolutely out of the call center agent’s control – the service level won’t be met. Call center measurements are best when they are connected to drive individual performance to help accomplish a common objective. An illustration would be that a call center agent can’t control service level, yet he or she can manage their timetable adherence, which directly adds to the group’s ability to meet process service levels. Call quality and scheduled adherence are both great metric for measuring individual employee performance. Call centers agent performers have their own order of Key Performance Indicators (KPI) that managers can use to decide the achievement of their operations. Below we will audit the common call center KPIs. Keep in mind, though, that the key management issue is not what these numbers are, but instead what you do with them. Call Center KPIs There are various KPIs that a call center can oversee. Recorded below are a portion of the regular ones, with short descriptions. Time to Answer To what extent does it take for an agent to answer an incoming call? Abandon Rate What percentages of the calls are lost before they can be answered? Call Handling Time To what extent does it takes the agent to complete the call? First Call Resolution What rates of calls are resolved in a single call? Transfer Rate What rate of calls must be transferred to another person to complete? Idle Time What amount of time does an agent spend after the completion of a call to complete the business from that call? Hold Time What amount of time does the agent keep the caller on hold during the call? Call Center Agent KPI Notwithstanding, the metrics above, which can be precisely measured by an Automatic Call Distributor (ACD) telephone system, many call centers utilize Quality Monitoring programs to gauge agent performance against fewer objective metrics, for example, the following. Phone Etiquette How did the caller or the observer rate the agent’s conduct or the call? Knowledge and Professionalism How did the caller or the observer rate the agent’s learning of the item or services being offered or the methods to follow to resolve the caller’s issue? Adherence to Procedures How well did the observer decide the agent did in following the script if there is one, or different techniques determined by the company for dealing with calls and callers? A call center resembles any other business in the sense that it quantifies its performance the way traditional businesses measure theirs. For the most part, performance measures include the comparison of cost against revenues. The higher the real profit margin, the more efficient the company should be. On account of call centers, a significant part of the performance assessment will concentrate on cost per call metrics; while in others, in a manufactory company, for instance, product unit cost metrics will be the most applicable. Call centers normally will be exceptionally worried about what amount is spent on calls in comparison to real revenues produced. Per call cost, keeping in mind the end goal to be an effective measure of call center performance, will be made out of phone bills displayed by telecommunication service providers, the cost of equipment, and different services. Amusingly, these costs account for just a little rate of aggregate per call cost. Work costs, which incorporate worker compensation, paid incentives, and advantages account for a powerful 67%, the greatest element influencing profitability or performance proportions. There is no denying the way that benefits are a definitive measure of business performance and call centers, to diminish per call costs and raise their performance levels, need to take a look at their labor costs intently. Call centers are very much aware of this, and this is the reason a considerable lot of them are falling back on outsourcing to the third world and emerging nations. One approach to eliminate labor expenses is to raise labor performance. This implies expanding call center agent time. Increasing the quantity of calls a call center agent makes in an hour or day can create more business and ought to diminish the rate of work costs to per call cost. This plan is a continuous practice in some call centers. Some even put daily quotas to augment time and agent use. Nonetheless, this plan has certain pitfalls and is just a single of many schemes that call centers use on raising performance. One of the disadvantages of keeping up many customers might be low quality of calls, as agents actually would be pressured to make more calls to meet their quotas. However, this can be remedied by steady coaching. Concentrating on the call center agents is a sound strategy of raising general center and individual productivity and enhancing performance, in spite of the fact that, of course, on account of the last mentioned, the nature of calls must be figured. Obviously, the issues postured by per call cost metrics as a technique for measuring call center performance are sufficiently profound to compel call centers to resort to outsourcing in nations where labor expenses are relatively lower. The number of call centers

Human Resource On-Boarding New Employees

How was your first day at work? Were you excited or nervous? Were you warmly welcomed or did you have to find your way around? For most of us, it was somewhat frightening;not knowing what to do, who to talk to or where everything is located. Everyone experiences a frightening first day, including the teams you will be working with. On-boarding an employee is the process by which new hires are adjusted to all social and performance aspects of their jobs quickly and smoothly. They learn the attitudes, knowledge, skills and behaviors required to function effectively within that organization. The market place waits for nobody; it does not care whether you just lost all your employees and need time to recruit new ones. The clock keeps ticking and the competition keeps growing. Proper on-boarding of new hires is vitally important because your success is dependent on their success. Whose duty will it be to see that the orientation goes well? Should it be the immediate supervisor, a colleague, or human resources? The human resource department is likely best suited for this as their key role is talent management. Here are some key practices to keep in mind as you take your new employee through the orientation. Be personal Corporate life can be busy and often the daily amount of paperwork can be over-whelming. However, it is important that this not take priority over integrating a new employee. Take the time to introduce them to the people they will be working with. Perhaps even assign a mentor who can help with the transition. Take advantage of technology to ease the load when possible. Familiarize the people with the corporate structure The new hire might have done their due diligence online and know the organization structure and who the key leaders are, but it’s good to familiarize them with the corporate tree. Show them who is in charge of which department; their name, photo, title and the way information flows. This can help them better navigate in the weeks ahead as they learn with whom they will be interacting. Familiarizing them with the corporate structure, as much as possible, will help them avoid confusion. Keep it interesting and simple Both parties have expectations of the new working relationship. The new employee, while perhaps a bit nervous, is eager to deliver on his promises, while the employer is eager to get the best out of the employee. You can ease the tension by informing the employee ahead of time about the on-boarding schedule, frequently asked questions and other relevant information. This will make them feel welcomed, wanted and excited, enabling them to start strong. Walk with the employee for a longer period While a one-day orientation is great, keep in mind that it takes time for a new employee to grasp everything. Your company has its own culture, benefits, processes and unwritten rules that can only be learned over time. That is why many companies implement a 3-6 month probation period to determine if the new employee will be the right fit for the long haul. These are just a few tips that I have learned along the way. Being personal, familiarizing the employee with everyone, keep a simple interesting model and walking with the employee. A well-received employee will own their roles and responsibilities faster than one who learns things the hard way. Enjoy! This blog was written by Etech’s Chief Operating Officer, Kaylene Eckels. If you would like to learn more about Etech Global Services, please contact us at info@etechgs.com.

How Human Resource Function Positively Influences Performance?

What is Human Resource Management (HRM)? This is a department in an organization which focuses on selecting, overseeing and coordinating individuals who work in it. Call center Human Resource Management manages issues identified with pay, call center agent performance management, organization development, safety, health, benefits, call center agent motivation, training and others. Call center human resource management assumes a fundamental role of overseeing call center agents and the workplace culture and condition. If active, it can contribute enormously to the general organization direction and the achievement of its goals and objectives. Human resources managers work in call centers to support banking, financial services, utilities, retail, and charities to guarantee ideal operational performance, workers engagement, and workplace satisfaction. These call center managers observe efficiency metrics, for example, call volume, resolution time and customer satisfaction, and they work together with directors to make necessary decisions about performance problems and satisfying call center agent’s training needs. Strategy Human resource enhances the organization’s primary concern with its knowledge of how human capital influences organizational. Leaders with expertise in human resource vital management take part in basic corporate decision making that underlies current staffing evaluations and projections for future workforce needs base on business request. Pay Human resource pay specialist creates sensible compensation structures that set organization wages competitive with other organizations in the area, in a similar industry or organizations competing for call center agents with similar skills. They direct extensive wage and salary survey to maintain pay costs in accordance with the organization’s present budgetary status and anticipated income. Benefits Benefits experts can diminish the organization’s expenses associated with turnover, attrition and enlisting substitution workers. They are crucial to the association since they have the right skills needed to negotiate group benefit bundles for call center employees, inside the organization’s financial plan and reliable with economic conditions. They also know about employee benefits which can attract and retain workers. This can lessen the organization’s expenses related to turnover, attrition and employing substitution workers. Safety Employers have a commitment to give safe working conditions. Working environment safety and risks management experts from the human resource area oversee consistency with the state’s Occupational Safety and Health Administration regulations through maintaining precise work logs and records and creating programs that diminish the number of work environment injuries and fatalities. Working environment safety experts additionally connect with workers in advancing mindfulness and safe treatment of dangerous equipment and hazardous chemicals. Liability Human resource worker relations experts limit the organization’s exposure and liability identified with affirmations of unfair business practices. They recognize, investigate and resolve workplace issues that, left unattended, could go wild and embroil the organization in legal matters relating to federal and state anti-discrimination and harassment laws. Training and Development Human resource training and advancement experts coordinate new call center agent orientation, a fundamental stride in establishing a solid employer-employee relationship. The training and development area of human resource likewise gives training that backs up the organization’s fair business practices and worker development to prepare aiming leaders for supervisory and management functions. Worker Satisfaction Workers relations experts in human resource enable the organization to accomplish superior performance, morale and fulfillment levels all through the workforce, by making ways to strengthen the employer-employee relationship. They regulate employee opinion survey, lead focus groups and look for worker input on occupation fulfillment and ways the employer can maintain good working relationships. Recruitment Human resource recruiters deal with the employment procedure from screening resumes to planning interviews to handling new workers. Regularly, they decide the best strategies for enlisting applicants, including evaluating which applicant tracking systems are most appropriate for the organization’s needs. Selection Human resource experts work in close collaboration with enlisting managers to impact right employing decisions, in accordance with the organization’s workforce needs. They give guidelines to directors who aren’t accustomed to human resource or standard employing procedures to ensure that the organization stretches out offers to appropriate candidates. Compliance Human resource workers make sure the organization agrees to federal-state employment laws. They finish paperwork essential for documenting that the organization’s workers are qualified to work in the state. They likewise screen consistency with relevant laws for organizations that get elected for or receive state government contracts, through maintaining applicant flow logs, written real action plans and disparate impact analysis. These days’ fruitful organizations should be adaptive, resilient and customer focused. Inside such an environment, the adequacy of call center human resource manager is important to business success. Human resource experts build up frameworks for performance advancement, profession succession planning, and call center agent development. This keeps call center agents motivated, happy, personally engaged and adding to organization achievement. Moreover, the call center human resource experts enable the advancement of organizational, culture and atmosphere in which call center agents have the competency, concern, and sense responsibility regarding serving the customers well. Interested to read another Blog with Human Resource Perspective, Click Here.

How Responsible Leaders Achieve Extraordinary Results with Accountability and High Performing Work Environment?

Your team has the skill and the desire to succeed, but they need leadership. As a leader, your job is to shape your call center’s individual employees into a highly effective team that exceeds all expectations. Good leaders know the importance of accountability, it is actually one of Etech’s leadership commitments. Effective leaders know that accountability applies to both themselves and their team, I cannot hold others accountable if I do not hold myself accountable! Here are steps accountable leaders take to develop their teams. Start with A Plan Call centers are fast moving environments. You don’t always have time to stop and untwist a mess that throws off the normal routine. You need a plan to keep processes moving and to help you get back on track when things go askew. Start by establishing a goal for your department that is tangible and measurable. Assess the skills and abilities of your team. Consider strategies that meet your goals. Break those strategies up into smaller steps. Prepare contingencies for inevitable problems. It isn’t enough to imagine a plan. Instead, write your plan down, and make it accessible to everyone. Share your plan with your team, and ask for input. This plan is a tool that you can use to keep yourself accountable to the standards of success that you have set for your department. Refer back to it often. It will help to guide your conversations towards productive outcomes, and it will help to relieve pressure when your team questions your motives or techniques. Be an Inspiration for Your Team Excitement sells. It’s normal to associate selling with the end user or customer, but you also must sell your ideas to your team. It is much easier to get things done when your team members buy into the plan, own the plan! Ask for their input, incorporate their ideas if appropriate. Ask for their commitment. Once the team is committed, implement the plan with enthusiasm & optimism! Follow your own plan. Once you have set a standard, you need to be the first one to adhere to it. Never try to enforce rules that you are not willing to follow yourself. Your employees can see right through duplicity, and it will make it harder for you to secure their cooperation. An accountable leader accepts criticism and is the first to try to improve. Share the success. Job satisfaction is one the reasons employees stay in their careers. When they feel like they have accomplished something, it encourages better performance. Celebrate wins with your team and, give your people the credit they deserve. Get Your Point Across Communication is a critical skill for any effective leader. Great communicators are aware of the signals they send beyond just the words they speak. Your team picks up on more than just what you say. They observe your tone and body language and then make assumptions about your intent. Effective communicators are also great listeners! Speak clearly and directly Avoiding overly complex phrases and technical jargon Use visual presentations in meetings to clarify meaning Graph out ideas to build associations. Use definitive measurements like timelines or production goals Ask for feedback from your team Confirm each team members understanding and expectations before moving forward In addition to getting your point across, you also need to follow through on the things you say. Failure to execute on what you have committed to damages your credibility and makes it harder to communicate. Meet Individually with Your Team Your team is a group of individuals. They each have different strengths and weaknesses. Sit down and meet with them separately. This gives you the opportunity to find out more about the dynamics of your team. Oftentimes an employee will share with you when no one else is present. The insights you gain in these meetings will assist you connecting with your team better. Use these meetings to set clear expectations for all your employees. Coach up individual’s opportunities while encouraging each team member to maximize their strengths. Document a growth plan for each individual team member that is actionable, measurable and time sensitive. Develop an Objective Metric of Evaluations In most cases, employees report that evaluations are nearly meaningless. Not only do your team members have their own ideas about their performance, your management team does not always provide feedback that is consistent. Use an objective evaluation of employee performance. Use sales figures or work output that can be measured Reference employee attendance records Show positive changes in habits and highlight positive outcomes Show positive changes in habits and highlight positive outcomes Show completed projects and the impact they have had Demonstrate mistakes and the costs Discuss changes in the employee’s training and career growth These objective measurements should be standardized. All members of the leadership team need to know how to provide the same feedback for your team. It will help to identify problems and reduce the frustrations that your employees feel when criticized by someone who does not use the same standards. Balance Meetings and Emails Email is a wonderful tool of communication. You can quickly send a string of instructions to different team members or update the entire team with one memo. Emails also track communication. Team meetings are another great communication tool. Getting everyone together to talk about the department’s goals is more than just an opportunity to share your ideas. These meetings provide you with feedback from your team. They are a team building exercise as well. Be careful to use both tools wisely, and strike a careful balance between email messages and meetings. Depending too much on emails disassociates you from your team. Spending too much time in meetings is wasteful and frustrating. Learn to run an efficient meeting, and keep your emails concise. Accountable leaders get results. They know how to create, lead, serve and inspire high performing teams! By implementing these important accountability traits you will be on your way to developing highly productive and accountable teams!

Continuous Process Improvement: A Part of a Call Center’s DNA

No matter what industry your call center is in continuous process improvement, a method of continually redesigning business protocols for increased efficiency is a vital cornerstone of business excellence. CPI can turn a struggling company into a major competitor in whatever industry your business is in. By systematically reviewing current company procedures and introducing incremental changes, you can provide the foundation for a breakthrough. As the changes are incorporated into day-to-day business protocols, you will notice an increase in efficiency that can lead to better response times, faster call resolution and a more positive customer sentiment. All of this translates to more success as a company. By improving processes regularly, contact centers can better prepare themselves to meet major business goals. Making Continuous Process Improvement a Habit If a business really wants to be successful, CPI has to be more than a talking piece. It must be a habit. It must be a predominant characteristic of a call center rather than a technique that is implemented occasionally and forgotten about the rest of the time. If the latter is the case for a company, the executives may find themselves wanting to change without knowing what strategies would be the best to bring about that transformation. What can you do to make CPI a part of your company’s DNA? Consider using strategies, such as: Planning for the change you want to see. If you want improvements to be successful, you need to know what the company’s goals are. Is it more important for the contact center to improve customer satisfaction or safeguard personal data? Once you know what areas need to be improved, you will have a better idea what sort of changes to implement on the current processes. Preparing the team for the upcoming change. In order to test out planned changes, you may want to make the alteration on a small scale first. Even so, you need to be aware that people do not like change. In order to avoid resistance from the workforce, you need to incorporate training and dialogue into the process of improvement. Listening to the feedback. Some business processes seem efficient on paper, but once you have tried out the change on a small group, you may come to realize that the efficiency is lacking. In order to really find out what the merits of your improvements are, you need to be willing to listen to the thoughts of your supervisors and customer service representatives. This is the time to make minor changes to your new processes, so you can better meet your business excellence goals. Implementing the change on a large scale. After the initial testing of the new process, you may be ready to introduce the procedure to the entire center. Remember to still incorporate adequate training, so the larger workforce is able to make the alterations a normal part of their interactions with customers. Incorporating this four-part, cyclical strategy into your business may make it easier for CPI to be a major part of the company. In order to really be successful with CPI, it has to be more than a fallback plan. It has to be etched into the DNA of your call center. This blog was first published on LinkedIn.

4 Top Tips To Boost Technical Customer Support

Technical customer support refers to a lot of services by which enterprises give help to users of a technology product, for example, cell phones, TVs, PCs, software product or other informatics, electronic or mechanical products. By and large, technical bolster services address particular issues with a product or services as opposed to the provision of training, customization, or other support services. Most organizations offer technical support for the product they offer, either openly accessible or for a fee. Handling the more technical side of customer services can be tricky now and again. At the point when clients require a more accurate solution to a tech test, there’s value in knowing how to resolve the issue in the speediest, best way. While a significant portion of similar core principles of customer service applies, help desk and tech to support regularly require a more specialized touch to ace. It’s significant that many companies roll the assistance desk and technical support roles together. In general, however, the help desk is most every now and again considered the first line of defense for handling initial customer contact and all the more easily corrected tech issues, while technical support is the more particular second level that harder problems get raised to for resolutions that require further expertise. A technical customer support ticket that comes in through telephone, email or any other channel your team uses will frequently hit the help desk, where agents will work to resolve the issue or gauge whether it should be raised higher up the knowledge stepping stool. If it’s a straightforward solution, for instance, if a customer obtained a product that is feeling the loss of a key component and they’d like a new part it’ll get resolved at the help desk level. If a customer is encountering more top to bottom issues with a product that the helps desk doesn’t have a useful answer for, notwithstanding, their inquiry would be knock up to technical support. For instance, if a gadget is acting bizarre and ordinary steps to reboot or reset the device aren’t working, an agent with more intimate technical ability on the product can help handle the issue. Depending on your call center technology organization, your products, and your team makeup, help desk, and tech support may be either united into one role or separated further into a bigger number of levels or department for every role or product line. Rather than the questionable catchphrases, how about, we discuss genuine, noteworthy technical customer service tips that you can use to do what makes a difference and develop your business. 1) Identify and assess the issue level Customer issues of a more technical nature can run the range as far as many-sided complexity and simplicity of resolution, which is the reason it’s vital to pinpoint the issue promptly and rapidly assess whether it’s something that can potentially be solved with a basic fix. Towards one side of the spectrum, a customer may require guidelines on the most proficient method to recoup a lost password or directions to restore a damaged product for substitution. On the upper end, they may need to troubleshoot a sudden device disappointment or report a software stopping glitch they’ve experienced that is never seen. Guiding customers to an important resource like video tutorials, well-ordered directions, and client gatherings that give quick responses to regular tech issues can be an incredible approach to speed things along. However, it’s additionally valuable to recognize more intricate problems early so they can be routed to colleagues with the proper skill to unravel them. 2) Gage the customer’s technical level Utilizing instinct and hints from the discussion or correspondence, it’s useful to attempt to distinguish the customer’s level of technical experience with a specific end goal to decide an ideal approach to help them. For a few customers, something that may appear like a simple fix could be significantly more complicated if they’re not technically inclined. Alternately, a customer with a more prominent level of technical ability may communicate all the more smoothly and get the solution they require from talking with an agent that has more specialized aptitude on the matter. For instance, cable and Wi-Fi connectivity issues are a typical illustration. An educated customer may make sense of a fix rapidly with access to your company’s learning base, while other casual users may be flustered over the thought of chasing around for the reset button. Making sense of a customer’s level of technical ability makes it less demanding to point your team’s response in the correct direction. 3) Check for previous support tickets It’s normal for some customers who encounter technical issues to experience a portion of similar issues or even related ones more than once. Looking into any earlier support tickets logged for a particular customer can give helpful pieces of information that may help speed the procedure along, which is a good thing for every person involved. Previous tickets may have notes that let you guide the customer to a better resolution or fast track them to the correct office to fathom their issues better. 4) Take detailed, useful ticket notes on each interaction Call center agents don’t need to compose a book on each customer, however keeping detailed, precise notes that help understand issues, their unique situation, the proposed solution, and the final result can be priceless both for following common problems and for helping customers who repeatedly reach out with similar problems. Technical custom service software solutions make the way toward tracking tickets and keeping exceptional customer information less tasking. In conclusion, while many individuals consider technical customer support as a cost of doing business, the numbers don’t lie: customer support pays off. It has been found that expanding customer degrees of consistency by 5% builds business gains by 25% to 95%. By utilizing the techniques above, you can be on the way to accomplishing profits like that for your call center technology organization.

3 Tips to Maximize First Contact Resolution on Live Chat

As a business owner, you want to do everything possible to take proper care of your customers and resolve any issues they might have. One of the best ways to do this is through first contact resolution. This is essentially a concept in which problems are taken care of the first time a customer reaches out to you through live chat. Learn three ways to make the most of this method and better ensure your customers remain with your company for the long haul. Do Your Part to Shape the Customer’s Expectations One of the first things to do after learning and verifying a customer problem is informing the individual of how long it will take to take care of the issue. While it’s understandable you want to resolve a problem as quickly as possible, providing exemplary customer service means taking care of the entire problem the first time rather than resolving only a portion of it, which can draw a customer’s anger or even result in his or her leaving your company for one of your competitors. When you do give a customer an estimate of how long the resolution will take, try to add a few extra minutes, that way you under promise and over deliver, which customers love. Remain Two Steps Ahead Imagine how nice it is to have your needs anticipated, saving time and making things much more efficient. When it comes to maximizing customer experience and first contact resolution, being proactive means pulling up the customer’s profile to see her or his membership details, account number and the like. Profile info can give you an idea of why the person is calling and narrow down potential solutions. Because customers might be doing something else while chatting online, it’s also a good idea to check up on them during long stretches of silence rather than have them ask if you’re still there. Not only is this a way to remain attentive, it also reduces the chances of the customer forgetting he or she is in a chat session only to “call” back with the same problem. Finally, being proactive also means making sure the right person is handling the customer’s problem. Doing so helps keep unnecessary transfers at bay, which people hate because they often must repeat their information and their issue to the new agent. Use All the Tools in Your Chat Arsenal Live chat technology and software have come a long way, and it pays to understand the full capabilities of whatever program you’re using. Make sure your customer service agents are fully versed in the features of your chat software and know how to use those features. For instance, you might be able to share a screenshot with a customer, take a glimpse at the customer’s screen or keep membership details in the corner of the chat window for easy referencing. Achieving first contact resolution is made much easier with the right information and a few suggestions. Make sure you and your agents are working together to keep customers happy and your business operating as smoothly as possible. This blog was first published on LinkedIn.

5 Steps to Creating a Winning Culture Without Spending a Fortune

Is it really important that call center agents enjoy their jobs? Absolutely. It’s no secret that happier customer service representatives make for higher levels of customer satisfaction, so it behooves call center companies to establish a fun, supportive working environment. The effort does not have to be costly, though monetary rewards are always popular. Here are some ideas for creating a positive working space that can translate into a better customer experience. Share Recognition Make time to show appreciation for an agent or the team that did outstanding work in the previous week. In large call centers, agents can feel anonymous sometimes. Presenting an opportunity to mention people by name in front of their peers can go a long way toward motivating workers to do their best. Employees can vote to select the most outstanding worker, or management can select the winner. Either way, the recipient will feel appreciated and flattered to have garnered special attention. Celebrate Regularly It is important that whatever type of activity you plan be done on a regular basis, such as once per week. And don’t forget to think outside the box when it comes to recognition. Maybe instead of rewarding top performers with a free lunch, you set up weekly volunteer opportunities and only people who reach benchmarks are able to participate. Not only will you encourage workers to meet team goals, they will be able to help others through the charity activity you set up. Offer Incentives for Performance Rewards are not the only motivation at your disposal. You can also offer development opportunities or project leadership roles as incentives toward strong work performance. Perhaps the team that has the highest customer-satisfaction rating for a given week is chosen to head up a new product launch or to be the test group for a new technological tool the company is considering. War Stories Contest They say laughter is the best medicine, so plan a monthly lunch for employees when agents can tell their tales about challenging – or silly – customer questions. Competitive agents will battle for the most outrageous call story, while at the same time explaining how they handled the issue. That allows other agents to both commiserate and learn from their coworkers’ experiences in order to establish best practices. And all it cost the company was some sandwiches and drinks. Play Time If the culture in your office tends toward the playful side, or at least you aspire to that kind of atmosphere, try adding opportunities for play time during the work day for teams that reach their performance goals. For the cost of some sports equipment or toys, you could offer a chance for employees to blow off steam and get a little exercise in at the same time. For a more compact option, create a basket of small toys that teams can pass around for a short break between calls. There are many ways to motive employees and build a fun company culture without breaking the bank. Look around to see what will motivate agents, and don’t be afraid to get creative about rewards.

Why Leaders Must Strive to be a Positive Influence?

“Leadership is influence. Nothing more, nothing less.” – John Maxwell Leaders demonstrate positive influence through both their behavior and overall attitude. At Etech, it is expected that our leaders are committed to developing team members who understand what is expected of them, know how to meet those expectations and understand how it relates to Etech’s mission. Below are my thoughts of the importance of proper influence and how to demonstrate that influence with your team. How to Demonstrate the Right Influence? All leaders will influence their team …. it can be a negative influence or positive one. Etech leaders serve and influence their team through passion, enthusiasm, positive energy and being optimistic rather than focusing on what is out of their span of control. Leaders should strive to build up their team members, even when offering constructive criticism. All team members should understand that performance evaluations will contain some constructive feedback that is intended to improve the team member. Team members should also understand company leaders aren’t infallible, that they too are constantly growing & developing in order to enhance their value to the company, customers and communities. When team members see leaders making a constant and intentional effort to improve and lead with humility, they’re much more likely to engage. Every day provides a new day to improve yourself and those around you, embrace the moment! Why Leaders Need a Positive Attitude? One big part of the equation is the fact that leaders must walk the talk. The DNA of the team starts at the top and trickles its way down. While team members can motivate themselves, team sustainable will be obtained with influence from the leader. Etech leaders strive to create an environment where people want to be emotionally invested. Committed team members have the ability to influence others without carrying the title of leader, when that happens the impact is powerful. The second part of the equation is the fact that being positive attracts positive energy. Moods and energies are contagious. Simply put, positive people want to be around other positive people. Leaders set the tempo for their teams. If you want a team that is engaged, energized, & committed to their work, then model that behavior! Finally, positive influence breeds more enhanced productivity, creativity and contributions. When leaders ignite each day with a positive attitude, their team members will be encouraged to do the same. If leaders are apathetic towards their work or the company, team members will be negatively impacted and may mirror the attitude of their leader. Etech Leaders strive to create a safe environment promoting courage, humility, trust, integrity, adaptability and learning. The focus is not on the numbers but are growing each other. When this happens, the numbers come. We all will influence others, be sure to always demonstrate the right influence. To the whole world you may be one person, but to one person you can be the whole world.

Charting a Career Path in Today’s Call Centers

It is a myth that call centers lack growth opportunities. Many think that the only path is from agent to director, and many of those jobs are already taken. While call centers tend to have many employees, and many of them are likely vying for the same promotion, that doesn’t limit anyone from working their way up the ladder. The key is to make yourself stand out. Make yourself noticeable by doing the things necessary to show you are not only capable of doing the job you are in, but are capable of taking on much more. There is a career path to be charted for agents with the right temperament and performance. Here are some of the steps toward moving up in the call center world: Benchmarks for Career Building So how do you stand out in a large workforce? Simply stated, do your job and do it well. You must demonstrate a strong skill set that allows you to rise to the top of the stack ranks, that has people coming to you for help, and puts you in a place where you continue to stand out from the crowd. If the call center has a high turnover rate, the most reliable agents can quickly establish their value. Here are some other indicators for employees who might excel in leadership roles: Consistency : Agents who don’t call in sick, who show up for work with a good attitude and who volunteer for extra hours demonstrate a level of loyalty that often is uncommon in large places of employment. Dependability and consistency go a long way in today’s call centers. Dedication : Agents who come to work each day motivated and ready to do their best can inspire other team members to do the same. They continually are looking for ways to raise the bar and in turn motivate others to do the same. Call centers want people willing to work to do more than the norm. Ambition : It is appropriate for representatives to show and tell their leaders that they are looking to move up the career ladder. If someone is willing to put themselves out there, then they understand that they will be in a position where their results, actions, and day to day interaction with others will be evaluated. I have said it often once you put yourself out there you either get exposure or you get exposed. If you find someone willing to put themselves out there, then chances are you will find someone eager and able to move up the ranks. Performance : Of course, no agent is going to be considered for a move up if he or she is not hitting benchmarks on a regular basis. In fact, employees with an eye on leadership must be doing their absolute best in demonstrating teamwork, positive influence and attitude, and performing consistently. Just because you are a great seller does not mean you can lead others to sell. Results do matter and provide you the credibility you need not only in the eyes of leadership, but in the eyes of your peers you may be managing soon. Being proactive : In addition to indicating an interest in career advancement, leadership-worthy agents should be on the lookout for job development opportunities, unique projects and special training that can expand their skill sets. Volunteer when you can, take on tasks others don’t want, self-develop, and say yes when you can. Don’t forget that whatever you take on though, you must continue to perform your current job. Be a leader in all ways! In many ways, the skills and traits needed for a leader in a call center are the same as in any field. Candidates must be good at their jobs, focused on company goals, excellent at collaboration and loaded with problem-solving skills. Even those who don’t move to a management position can still be team leaders if they have the right attitude and multiple areas of expertise. Be willing to lead without the title and be prepared as the title won’t be far behind.

Secrets for Retaining the Best Call Center Talent

Employee retention is vital to the success of any business, but it is especially important for call centers, where each customer service representative reflects an investment of time and training resources. There are plenty of ideas on how to maintain high levels of retention, from Google-style relaxation stations to fun perks tied to performance levels. But although workers love free stuff and the freedom to set their own break schedule, the best methods for gaining agent loyalty are linked to how they feel about their workplace and their job. Company Culture No one wants to work for a company that treats employees like a number. Businesses that succeed at keeping top talent around for a long time do so by creating a company culture in which each person feels he or she is valued as an individual and is working as part of a team. Happy agents see that they are important to the success of the company for a variety of reasons, not just because they are meeting benchmarks on calls per hour. Avoiding a Metrics Morass Too often, call centers might be so focused on measurements that they fail to understand the importance of customer satisfaction and agents’ ability to create it. Workers must have the authority to make decisions in order to create a one-call resolution. If agents seemed rushed and abrupt with callers, the company may be looking at a low customer satisfaction rating, and that is a bigger problem than failing to meet unrealistic call-volume quotas. Management Style It is often said that employees don’t leave jobs, they leave managers. That means a company’s overall management style must be inclusive and supportive if it wants to retain employees. Managers should be able to recognize that workers learn in different ways and are motivated by different things. It is best if direct managers can talk with agents in a constructive and helpful way so that they are encouraging a dialogue, not issuing directives. Top-level managers should be checking regularly with customer service representatives to ensure they feel supported in their efforts to achieve the company’s mission. Customer Satisfaction In call centers, customers should come first. Agents must feel as though they are able to do everything they can to ensure top satisfaction ratings. Workers who get the impression that hitting call-volume benchmarks is more important that serving customers quickly, graciously and helpfully will not feel motivated to do a thorough job. If the company culture showcases customers as the top priority, workers will be happy to follow that lead. Recognition Finally, every call center should have a structure in place to reward agents who are meeting goals or otherwise contributing well to the success of the company. It can be easy for individuals to feel lost in the large space of a call center, so finding opportunities for public pats on the back go a long way toward employee recognition. It doesn’t have to take a lot of time or money to retain top call center employees. Where there is a focus on company culture and a supportive environment, agents likely will be happy to come to work each day.

Why Do Leaders Require Vision to Drive Success?

Have you ever noticed how the word “boss” is often used in a negative context? Very rarely do people use the word in praise; rather, you more often hear terms like “the boss is getting after me again” or “my boss is so demanding.” Perhaps Theodore Roosevelt summed up the reason behind this trend best when he said “People often ask the difference between a leader and a boss. The leader leads, and the boss drives.” At face value, driving may seem simple. After all, you know where you’re going, and as long as your workforce is on board, everyone will arrive where you need to be together. Yet what if circumstances compel you to relinquish the wheel? Do the passengers traveling with you as you journey towards call center success know and understand the destination? Are they even aware of the route you’re taking? They are if you’ve made the decision to lead rather than simply drive. Do You Know Where You Going? Yet passing the vision of where your contact center may be going on to your employees requires that you first acquire it yourself. Do you have a destination that you are heading towards, or do your operations indicate that you are simply content treading water? Determining what your professional goals may be can turn your vision from a perceived desire to an achievable accomplishment. How Do You Show Your Staff How to Get There? Having a professional destination in mind helps in better leading your workforce towards improvements and success. It allows you chart a professional course by establishing the following five elements: A fundamental knowledge of what you’re doing : Too often, employees fall into the trap of doing what they do simply because that’s what they were told by their contact center manager. This can easily breed an atmosphere of content because they feel as though their only supporting his or her individual success. However, if you show them how what they’re doing supports your organization’s goals, your staff’s work becomes more purposeful. An operational framework : Once your workforce understands how the “why” gets them to where you all want to be, they then need to know the “how.” That comes by developing a framework designed specifically to help secure achievements rather than simply generating workflow. An achievable goal : Don’t allow your goals to simply be figurative; that makes it easier to justify not reaching them. Rather, establish a well-defined indicator of success that employees can see and experience once they reach help you to reach it. Continuous monitoring : It’s easy to get lost in your pursuit of an objective if you never assess where you currently are. Monitoring performance in relation to your goals allows you to become more engaged with your employees in your pursuit of success. Not only does it make plotting your course easier, but it allows you to identify areas where certain individuals are either struggling or over-achieving. An attitude of adaptability : Your plans will rarely go as you initially anticipated them. Thus, when new obstacles or opportunities present themselves, you need to be willing to adapt your operations if you see them leading you away from your objective. Every employee at every of a company is on a journey, and like all journeys, each must have a destination. It’s up to you as a leader within your contact center to convey your vision of where your organization’s journey will ultimately end up, and what collectively must be done in order to get there. Doing so ensures that you’re not simply driving a group of uninterested people along the pathway, but rather leading an engaged group of travelers.

Retaining Great Talent

Have you seen your classes slowly but surely dissipate until you can’t graduate the needed headcount for the production team to be successful? I can tell you, I have spent many a night wondering how we can close this gap. How do we hold on to great people that have been recruited for the role? As you already know, the answer to this question is not going to be a quick and easy “do this (fill it the blank) and everything will be okay.” What I can do is share some tips that will help you along the way: Communication with other departments : We should share the behaviors and skills needed to be successful with our recruiting team. Speak with the leaders that are doing the hiring to ensure that they know what to look for in quality candidates. This will ensure the necessary foundational knowledge is built into the new hires before starting training. Provide feedback on the results, and help them continue to solve for you. The operations team needs to participate in growing relationships with new team members during the training phase. Set specific times to visit the class and have a prepared agenda, which should cover key ideas trainees will need in their future roles. Show potential candidates the job : Let new hires know what the role is and how to be successful before taking the job. One of the biggest opportunities still lies in a different set of expectations on “what I will be doing” versus “what I am doing.” Set expectations early : Trainers need to be able to clearly communicate what training will include from beginning to end. They should provide agendas to track progress and communicate changes. Trainers should let trainees know how to conduct themselves to be successful. They should set the expectation early that class is participative, and then have activities that engage the learner allowing them to contribute. Connect with the learners : Trainers should be taught how to engage new hires and learn who they are quickly. How do they learn? What types of behaviors should they expect from everyone? Many forms of testing exist to determine these insights, and each company should research which works for their culture. Build an environment that breeds success : By creating an environment that is both educational and fun, you can remove the stress that accompanies learning material. When trainees are engaged and enjoy what they are doing, they will absorb the needed information before they even realize it. Teach your training team the metrics : Your trainers should know how to do the role they are teaching. They should be able to share the metrics that will enable the team members to achieve their commitments. The trainer should then be able to teach the behaviors that will drive success. Use the right language : Positivity breeds positivity, and unfortunately, the opposite is true as well because negativity breeds negativity. Instead of focusing on the opportunity missed, look at what was accomplished. Look at the positive. You could say, “You missed the target by 20%,” or you could say, “You achieved 80% of the goal; now let’s find the next 20%!” Utilizing the above action items in each class as well as on the floor will create a positive working environment that will instill pride in employees. Starting this atmosphere early on in training will set the right mindset for the trainees and ensure they stick around to be successful in production. You will soon be able to rest easy.

How to Raise the Emotional Intelligence of Your Call Center Staff

Emotional intelligence, or EQ, is the skill of being able to understand how others feel and using that information to influence how you can proactively interact for a positive result. While some employees may inherently have a high EQ, it can be nurtured to grow in all staff, improving interactions between agents and callers across the board. Using EQ, an agent can guide a call from its beginning to a successful resolution while simultaneously adjusting the tone and language of the call based on listening to and engaging with the customer. Management and training staff can create an environment to foster high EQ in all call center agents and improve customer satisfaction. Here is how you can increase EQ in your own call center. Positivity Call center agents’ positive and proactive attitudes help the interaction between the agent and customer get started on the right foot. In order to foster these attitudes in the call center at large, managers need to make agents feel cared for and important to the company’s mission. Creating a fun and cooperative atmosphere between management and staff is a good way to foster positivity and the first step in encouraging EQ to grow. Self-Awareness and Control Training for agents to be aware of their phone persona is the next step in developing a higher EQ. These questions can be asked and the answers discussed during training sessions and call critique sessions: How do I sound to the customer? If a call center agent answers a call in an abrupt manner, this will probably set an unfriendly tone for the entire call, with the customer gaining a negative perception of the company. Am I making the customer feel welcome? If the customer is not extended courtesy, diplomacy, and respect, the customer may feel they are an unwelcome guest and escalate the call in order to get their need for information and service met. How can I stay in control and guide the call to a satisfactory conclusion? Angry callers are a regular occurrence, but a call center agent can control her response to the angry feelings at the other end of the line. Staying in control by remaining objective and calmly responding to the caller’s request can transform the emotional energy of the call and guide it to a satisfactory conclusion. Adaptability The skill of being adaptable to a wide spectrum of customer attitudes and requests is built on the ability to be positive and proactive as well as self-aware and in control of customer interactions. Training agents how to respond proactively to difficult callers will raise their confidence and help them to perform at their highest level. Rewards When agents see that peers in the workplace are being rewarded for their high EQ during customer interactions, this sets the tone for higher agent EQ expectations overall. As a result, a culture of excellence is fostered to improve the customer experience. Ask high performing agents to serve as mentors for new hires to reinforce this expectation of excellence. Training, mentoring, and peer engagement can make a difference in a call center’s EQ. When positivity is fostered, training is implemented, and performance feedback is given, you call center performance will be poised to improve exponentially. This blog was first published on LinkedIn.

How Do Speech Analytics Improve Every Metric?

Are you looking for a way to improve your call center metrics? Incorporating speech analytics is actually a great way to improve many aspects of your call center. This tool can help you improve the overall customer experience through a better understanding of the following areas: Looking at Typical Response Times: How long does the average person wait on hold before getting through to a customer care employee? Minimizing this time can greatly increase customer satisfaction. Having a good understanding of the response time can help you figure out whether your resources are being used in the best way possible. Understanding Call Resolution: How many calls does it take for a customer’s problem to be resolved? If the answer is more than one, you can use the analytic software to figure out where your agents are going wrong by tracking certain keywords throughout the various phone calls. Getting more calls to be resolved without a transfer or follow-up can translate to higher employee satisfaction and lower operating costs as well. Focusing on Customer Sentiment: What attitude do your customers usually have while on the phone with your call center? You can monitor both positive and negative keywords used in average phone calls to understand whether people are happy, mad, confused or irate. You can use this knowledge to train your staff to avoid phrases that seem to make customers mad. Looking at the Management of Private Information: Do your employees properly handle private information? No matter what industry your company is in you likely have to deal with personal material. Mishandling customer addresses, billing data or history can lead to angry customers and even liability issues. This software can help you train and educate your agents, so they can perform better even in high-pressure situations. Learning About Broken Processes: Has it been a while since you have reviewed the processes of your business? The software that analyzes speech can make it easier for you to monitor, analyze and improve your existing procedures. While you may not want to fix something that works, many companies fall into a rut without realizing that their once successful methods are now outdated. A constant identification of failing practices can help you avoid this with your business. Keeping the Customer Satisfied: Do you know your average customer’s current thoughts on your company? Customer satisfaction surveys are a great way to get a person’s thoughts on his or her experience with your business after it is over. However, these surveys tend to lack context and may be too subjective to be completely helpful. Speech analytic software, on the other hand, gives you a recorded conversation you can review anytime you want. Once you have the speech analytics in place, you can monitor for keywords that you want representatives to either avoid or incorporate in their daily interactions with customers. This tool can improve all call center metrics because it gives you a window into who your customer is and what the typical experience with your business is like. In other words, you will be able to better understand the ways you can help your agents improve as customer liaisons for your company. Because this tool helps you monitor individual calls, you can even personalize the training to help individual representatives improve in their unique trouble areas. This blog was first published on LinkedIn.

How to Find Effective Leaders

While it’s great to have effective leaders now, call centers should be sure they’re looking toward the future for their next equally effective leaders. As careers advance and circumstances change, a contact center manager might leave and take her or his talents elsewhere. Being on the lookout for capable managers should always be a top priority, and here are few strategies for doing just that. Start Internally Rather than start your search externally, look at your current employees to determine which of them have the qualities of a leader. In addition to the qualities, these individuals should have the solid foundation of a leader, which is to say that the employee should display the character, knowledge and skills of an effective leader for your specific call center. Additionally, those you’re considering should have the charisma necessary to inspire other employees and give them the motivation necessary to accomplish the goals of the contact center. Any candidates you’re considering should be just as effective in the long-term as they are in the short-term. Recognize Leadership Identifiers Now that you know to start your leadership search internally, it’s time to learn the exact qualities of a good leader. One of the first things to do is gauge your potential leader’s commitment to your company. While an individual might display the qualities of a leader, those qualities won’t do you much good if that person doesn’t plan on remaining with your company for very long. Observe your candidates to see how eager they are to learn new things and help their fellow employees. Additionally, do your best to determine whether candidates are only gunning for a promotion or raise, or if they genuinely want to make the company better. Focus on the Future Generation The important thing to bear in mind about your next effective call center manager is that the individual should be aware of the changes taking place in the industry as well as the world around them. What this means is you shouldn’t neglect your millennial employees during your search. No matter how you might feel about how they work ethic or focus, you can’t deny the fact that they can serve as powerful resources for the success of your call center. Making a millennial a leader is sure to give you a unique insight that can’t be provided by an older leader candidate. Know the Different Roles of Leadership A truly effective leader is multifaced, able to change and combine roles as needed to lead a team and accomplish goals. What this means is you want a leader who sets standards and knows how to successfully keep the team on track. You also want a leader who excels at planning, team coordination and project management to take care of details great and small. Leaders should also work with their team rather than only give them orders. If you can’t find every role exemplified in a single candidate, consider a combination of leaders to bring out the best in your team and call center. With a little guidance, finding effective leaders is made much easier. Put these tips to good use during your search and you’re sure to be pleased with the results.

10 Ideas to Foster Leadership Every Day

In order for contact centers to operate effectively, call center leaders and managers must be skilled in their jobs. When management does not function properly, the chances of team success is almost nonexistent. The problem with this equation is that not all managers and team leaders have the skills needed to lead in the most beneficial way. What Leadership Qualities Should You Focus On? Knowing what leadership qualities you should practice is the first step in boosting the satisfaction rating of both your employees and customers. Here are a few that tend to make a noticeable difference: Improve yourself – Take time to understand all management styles and learn about more effective management styles. Being willing to make your own changes today will help your employees be more open to proposed changes down the road. Keep an open mind – Commit to an open and encouraging attitude when team members offer suggestions that they feel might add value to the company. Remember that they see and experience customer interactions from an entirely different perspective than you. Learn to serve – Take time to work with your employees when you notice that they might be feeling overloaded. Pattern the customer service behaviors that you preach as you take time to serve with them instead of simply standing above them. Encourage others – Being able to offer sincere words of encouragement is a talent that you will be able to use in many situations throughout your life. Make it a practice to not only notice what you employees are doing well but to stop and tell them what you saw and why it is great. You will notice that team members often work to be noticed and praised. Stop reacting – Make a goal to stop reacting and start responding. When the unexpected happens, taking time to think about the problem and possible solutions before you respond can make all the difference. Avoiding quick, harsh reactions is another way to bring your team closer together. Expect more – Contact center leaders spend many hours devoted to the task of evaluating statistics. At times when they fall flat, your typical reaction may be to point the finger of blame and accusation. Next time you see a drop in your numbers, perhaps you should gather your troops, give them a pep talk, remind them of how great they really are. Then stand back and expect more good numbers to follow. Start to really listen – Remember that listening involves more than the ears. In order to truly listen, you must learn to fully focus on the team member. At this point, you may notice body language, mannerisms, and expressions that can help you to really understand what your employee needs. Remember to ask – Once you have gotten into the practice of uplifting and serving your employees, don’t be afraid to ask what you can do better. Perhaps they have been afraid to offer suggestions that could be beneficial to the entire company. Don’t skip the review – Make it a habit to meet with your team and review any recent changes, updates or suggestions that have been put in place. By doing so, you will remind them that they are an important part of the successful call center machine. Keep at it – Self-evaluation is hardly comfortable; however, effective managers do not give up. Instead, they keep learning, serving and improving in hopes that their team will follow. Every Day is a New Day By learning what qualities will make you a better manager, you will be able to make changes in yourself, and in the call center. Remember that every day is a new day in which you can strive to learn more, do better, and help your team to reach its full potential.

How to Blend People and Machines for Better Customer Experiences?

You might be struggling to offer an optimum level of customer service as speed and convenience become more desired. How do you ensure customer satisfaction when they want both speed and traditional human interaction? Here’s how you can blend artificial intelligence (AI) with personal communication within your call centers to serve your customers more effectively. Create a Space Where Artificial Intelligence and People Work Together to Answer Questions Customers are increasingly tech-savvy and comfortable navigating technology without any human interaction. Gartner has reported that the vast majority of customers will manage their connections with companies without ever talking to a person. This means that you have to approach your customers as people who want a certain amount of independence. Despite this, there is still a need for a real person to be on the line. When customers need resolutions to complex problems or are asking a unique question, they usually prefer to speak in real-time with an actual person. You should work on improving both of these areas to dramatically improve your customer experience. When you deliver balanced, quick, and helpful customer service, you get repeat purchasers and loyal promoters. Where Automation Meets Empathy While automated systems will never be as empathetic as people, they can transform the way you assist customers. Technological breakthroughs have allowed computers to become continuously self-learning based on analytics. You can implement AI into your call center and it will monitor how your agents respond to inquiries. The technology will then be able to complete tasks and respond to questions on its own, meaning you can start to rely less on live agents. Using Analytics to Set Up the Process To start blending AI into your call center, rely on analytical tools and data. This will help you find out the best way to solve problems that customers call about. Your implementation will depend on the availability of live support and complexity of the inquiry. For example, you could set up an automated process to instruct customers to speak or enter a specific number that correlates with their question. The AI can provide helpful answers and information for each inquiry while providing a last-resort option to speak to a live representative. This is just an example of how you can utilize AI to streamline your customer service. Personalizing and Branding Your AI You want to provide relevant and helpful service based on preferences and demographics. Tracking trends can help you implement a dynamic call center experience that is automatically customized to previous customer interactions. Keep in mind that even your automated processes should be consistent with your overall brand experience. All content should be in line with your vision and goals. Getting started with automation and intelligence doesn’t have to be a daunting task. You don’t have to overhaul your whole IT department or throw up legacy systems. You can start off by choosing a single product to test your project for 2 or 3 months. Once you have perfected the process with one product, you can expand it across your entire platform. This blog was first published on LinkedIn.

3 Reasons Why your Business Should be Customer Centric

Every company’s top priority should be the customer. After all, the reason why you’re in business is to meet the needs and wants of the people, and to provide a service or product that ensures they come back. After all, without them you won’t have a company. It’s quite simple. A business will be more successful and will reach its set goals faster when all its operations and administrative efforts are focused on its most important assets; the available customer base or clientele. Customers who make daily use of your products do so in hopes that the experience will be effortless. The thin line between a one-time purchase and a customer who stays loyal to you and your company could be as simple as effective listening, constructive response and where it applies, and speedy and sustainable implementation. This post is the second in a series of blog posts which address the topic of customer centeredness and focus. Together, we will take an expository insight into the business which revolves around its customers and talk about the need for any business, including yours, to effectively link every business and operational action to its customers. So, let’s look at customer centeredness. Basically, customer centeredness is conducting your business with the goal of attaining a level of customer satisfaction or a measure of how a company’s products and services provided meet or go beyond the expectations of its customers. By now, you should already know why your business should be revolving around your customers. However, I’ll quickly share with you why your business needs to be customer centric and why customer centeredness should be a major priority when considering and implementing a business strategy. Your Customers Feel Valued Every customer will naturally feel more loyal and committed to a company they feel a certain emotional and sentimental connection to. When customers feel that a company is only out to make some quick and steady cash, doesn’t care about them or their feelings, or what it is that they want, they won’t be able to effectively relate to them and eventually they cut ties with such companies. Because of this, it’s more than important to be emphatic and sympathetic to the plights and feelings of your customers and to provide services and products that are aimed at directly and permanently providing for the immediate needs of your customer base. Originality is the key in this area. You need to show a service that is aligned to the needs of every customer and, although it’s a known fact that you can’t please everybody, you should be focusing on pleasing as many people as you possibly can. These aligned services are sure to attract, and more importantly, keep the customers that your business needs to maintain success. An ability to anticipate the needs of your customers will also be helpful in this regard. You should be able to foresee the needs that your customers will have. Study the trends in your specific area, research and be aware of social media trends, and ask your customers how you are doing. That way, when the needs eventually do arise, your customers won’t be running somewhere else to have them met. It Keeps You Competitive and Still in the Game Product development and comparison shopping have undergone a huge process of metamorphosis since the advent and widespread use of the internet. Now, it is much easier for customers to make purchases and find the best deals online in different marketplaces and platforms. In a world where every business is a competitor, it has become increasingly important for businesses to find areas of their operation that set them apart from the rest of the pack. Businesses which are customer centric excel exceedingly in this aspect because, as stated earlier, customers will be more loyal to businesses which they feel a personal connection to. Customers Could Help Increase Your Business’ Profitability Remember, your products and services are being provided to meet the needs of your customers. That being said, who better to know where you’re going wrong then the customers whose needs you are trying to meet? It doesn’t take much to create a detractor. In fact, one wrong customer interaction can spread like wild fire. However, the promoters of your business can have the same effect positively. Many of your loyal customers have a genuine concern for your business and will tell others if you continue to meet their needs. Communication is key. They could have ideas and tips on how you could improve in service delivery, what products you should carry, what products you should avoid, and in the long run, increase your clientele size and business profitability. However, if they don’t have an avenue to communicate with you, or if they don’t feel that connection to you, you might never have access to those ideas. Making services which are finely tailored to fit your customers creates an avenue for you to build relationships. If any of them have any ideas, and they usually do, they’ll be free to come to you and share their opinions. Apart from ideas, customers who feel heard and valued become those promoters we often talk about. They are a crucial part of successfully marketing your business. A customer who comes in for the first time and who has an awesome overall customer experience will be back and talk about their experience to others. Word of mouth is even more wide spread now through social media. The feedback your business may receive is almost instantaneous. So, take time to look at what you offer, what is working and not working, and make it a point to talk to your customers and align your products with their needs. Be customer centric!

Do You Have The Right Qualities to be a Servant Leader?

For many years, it was standard practice that the role of manager or team leader was often paired with strongly authoritarian descriptors such as controlling, sole decision maker, and unyielding. And while this type of management style was practiced for years, a newer and more effective style of management or leadership was introduced by Robert K. Greenleaf in 1970. Call center managers are among those who have realized that there are many benefits from learning how to manage by Servant Leadership. Some of the positive benefits that have been gained include an increase in employee satisfaction levels, in customer satisfaction levels, in innovative ideas, and a decreased rate of turnover. Each of these benefits then translates to increased revenue for the organization. Do You Have What it Takes? In order to be a successful servant leader, you must be willing to ask yourself if you truly have what it takes to lead with service instead of with force. This self-evaluation need not be a grueling or harrowing experience for contact center leaders, instead, it should be a way of pinpointing small changes that you can make that are sure to have a positive impact on the entire team. Some questions that you may want to review include: Am I empathetic? Do I understand how to listen? Am I aware of situations, undercurrents, and of myself? Do I believe that healing can happen? Am I able to see the big picture? Are big dreams to be encouraged or scoffed at? What am I doing to nurture my employees? Am I a good steward? Is the feeling of community important to me? Do I persuade or coerce? What Can You Do to Serve More Naturally? If you have conducted an honest self-evaluation, it is probable that you have come away with the knowledge that you need to work to be a more effective servant leader. For example, you may make the decision to research how to be more empathetic so that you can to treat each team member as a unique and valued individual, even if you must help to correct behaviors that may be hurting the productivity, overall attitude or the effectiveness of the call center. Striving to become more comfortable as a servant leader frequently leads to an increased awareness of more than just numbers. Instead, you will come to understand the struggles that your employees face each day. This clarity and awareness of values, ethics and personalities will help you to serve your employees and problem-solve more effectively. Expanding your own abilities to think big will also help in your efforts. When you take time to know and serve those on your team, you will also know where their hopes and dreams lie. Be prepared to listen, to encourage and to share your own dream. Serve Yourself So You Can Serve Your Team As you move through the process of becoming the type of servant leader you have envisioned, remember to take time out for yourself, so that you can practice, learn, and refresh. The increased knowledge and wisdom you gain as you take time to serve yourself are certain to benefit not only your own life but the lives of all those that you serve with each day.

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