Blog

How to Secure Internet Connected Devices in Healthcare?

Cyber Crime. What is it? Cyber crime is any crime that is committed electronically. This can include Theft and Fraud as well as other serious offenses. Why should you care? Crime is a danger offline and on! Cyber Self-Defense basics can go a long way to keeping you and your data out of the hands of malicious cybercriminals. Last week’s theme of Cyber Security Awareness Month was “Securing Internet Connected Devices in Healthcare.” Even if your programs do not deal with healthcare data, you should always be aware of what would be considered protected healthcare information as designated by the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) standards. So, what is HIPAA exactly? The HIPAA Privacy Rule establishes national standards to protect individuals’ medical records and other personal health information and applies to health plans, health care clearinghouses, and those health care providers that conduct certain health care transactions electronically. The Rule requires appropriate safeguards to protect the privacy of personal health information and sets limits and conditions on the uses and disclosures that may be made of such information without patient authorization. Why is it important to understand what data is considered “protected”? Several types of information fall into protected categories. Credit card data and Social Security numbers fall within PCI-DSS (Payment Card Industry Data Security Standards). Personal Identifiable Information or PII (examples of PII include full name, Social Security number, driver’s license number, bank account number, passport number, and email address) falls within the realm of ever-increasing privacy legislation. By understanding what information is considered protected, we can ensure we not only have the proper security controls in place but also have an increased awareness when dealing with this type of data. What can we do to ensure the information we are working with is safe and secure? Be Alert to Impersonators. Never share information over the phone or send protected information through email, chat, SMS, etc. unless fully authorized as part of the work process and have positively established the identity of the intended recipient When it becomes a requirement to send information via the aforementioned media, make sure the data is fully encrypted using the latest approved standards Safely Dispose of any Personal Information. Always Keep Passwords Private. Never share your credentials with anyone! These are for you and you alone. If someone commits a cybercrime using your credentials, it will look as if you are the malicious actor. Don’t overshare on Social Networking sites. Work with Security and IT to ensure all requisite security tools are installed on your system. This will protect you and from exposure and potential attack. Be Wise About using Wi-Fi. Secure you home Wi-Fi router. We hope that this information proves beneficial and provides you with the requisite tools, increasing your awareness in our fight against the constant threat of cybercrime.

What are the 5 Crucial Metrics You Should Measure to Improve Your Contact Center Performance?

Are you a quality assurance manager in any contact center? If so, you know that it is a part of your work to make decisions that directly impact the contact center’s bottom line. You have to keenly monitor the performance of your contact center and figure out how your team members can deliver better customer experience each time they interact with customers. How can you do this effectively? An excellent way to monitor call center performance is by measuring the productivity of your team members with stable and reliable metrics. There are several contact center software options available in the market that might give you a variety of metrics in real-time, however, you need to measure crucial and useful metrics for the most valuable insights information. Read the following to explore these crucial contact center performance metrics you want to track in order to take your contact center performance to the next level: Average Rate of Call Abandonment Every contact center wants to deliver memorable customer experience, and so does yours! Right? Therefore, it is important to be available when your customers contact you for any assistance, otherwise, you should be able to give them a logical reason why you are unavailable and timeline about how soon you can get back to them. It is one of the effective ways to build a good rapport with your customers and keep them satisfied. But, it has been observed that most of the time, it is just the opposite that happens in contact centers. Customers often hang up before they can even connect with a team member. This is what we call the average call abandonment rate. Monitoring this metric can give you an overall idea about your team members’ performance. If this rate is higher, try to identify the reasons behind why your people are unable to serve your customers in time, and take necessary steps to improve the scenario. You may want to communicate with your customers what exactly they can expect their hold time to be based on the availability of your team members and, if needed, hire more people for frontline work when the inflow of customer calls is more, coach and empower your team members on how they can be faster in answering customer calls, or give the busy callers an option to leave a voicemail or request a call back instead. It all depends on what problem your contact center is facing. Once you are able to identify that, your contact center can take the relevant steps to solve these issues. Blocked Calls Percentage   Blocked calls percentage is nothing but the proportion of incoming calls from customers that receive a busy tone. In an inbound contact center, even one blocked call can result in losing a customer forever. So, if you want to ensure your team is connecting with each inbound caller, you need to identify the common causes of blocked calls and encourage practices that can remarkably reduce them. One of the reasons behind increased blocked calls percentage could be that not enough team members are available in a specific shift and there are no call queues configured, so callers hear a busy tone. In such a scenario, you want to figure out the possible effective ways to solve this issue. Some of the major ones could be making sure your contact center software can support the call volume, optimizing call queuing, improving agent scheduling and adherence, as well as call forecasting, etc. Average Duration of Time in Queue   Another important metric to keep an eye on is the measure of overall performance for your contact center. The measurement of overall performance is the average customer wait time in the queue. How you can derive this metric is by dividing the total time callers wait in the queue by the total number of calls answered. It is important to measure the average time that your customers have to wait in the queue to improve the experience that they are receiving from your end. If you see that your customers end up waiting in line longer than usual, you can ask your team to be more efficient in handling calls and coach them accordingly so that they can drive this KPI to score lower. Also, you may choose to provide your customers with a facility to call back so that they don’t have to keep waiting. When it’s about measuring contact center productivity Approximate Speed of Answer One of the best metrics you need to consider is the average speed in which your team members answer your customers’ questions. If you notice that this metric is too high, it may mean your people are not able to assist customers, as expected. In such a situation, you want to figure out the reason why they are slow to answer customer calls. It has been observed, most of the time, that the use of improved work tools can help increase your team members’ average answer speed. Average After Call Work Time   You will see your team members’ work doesn’t end when calls are finished. In fact, they often end up spending quite a bit of time updating databases, sending emails and informing teammates about the call, etc. The time that your people spend completing a transaction after the caller has disengaged is the after call work time. As a quality assurance manager, you need to craft and leverage smart processes to reduce your team members’ after call work so that they can make the best use of their time interacting with customers while they are on the clock. It can help your contact center to solve more customer problems and ultimately deliver an effortless and consistent customer experience. Summing Up The quality assurance managers at contact centers typically have a general sense of how the team members are performing, even before they look at the metrics. But, it’s crucial to measure the above specific key performance indicators to identify the areas of improvement and

Importance of Healthy Lifestyle during Pandemic

While the entire world is battling against COVID19, it is important now, more than ever, to have healthy lifestyle. Physical activity is one of the best ways to keep our bodies feeling and looking better. It not only offers long-term health benefits but improves your overall wellbeing and quality of life. During these times, developing healthy eating habits, while also regularly carrying out exercise and staying fit is extremely necessary for a strong immune system. Here are some tips for a healthy lifestyle and their benefits on your health. Exercise for staying Physically Fit These times, when most of us are leading sedentary lives because of COVID19, we tend to take in more calories than are needed, and what happens is that the unused calories accumulate as fat. Along with a proper diet, exercising plays an integral role in controlling your weight by burning extra calories caused by dietary changes and sedentary lifestyles. By exercising regularly, you’ll not only maintain an ideal weight but will also stay fit and able to do activities that require a certain level of physical fitness. Often, inactivity has been mentioned as a top reason for losing the ability to do things on our own, even as we get older. Meditation to strengthen your Mental Health Meditation is to the mind what physical fitness is to the body. Meditation during these stressful COVID19 times is as important as ever and more and more people are searching for ways to improve this facet of their life. Challenge yourself to commit to a specific meditation each day for a month or longer to experience the long-term effects on your mental and physical health. Whether you choose to meditate in the studio or in your residence, make sure you remain consistent. As you begin to transform and reap the benefits of your meditative practices, you will notice your body’s reminders. Meditation can lead to mental clarity and emotional stability. It can help reduce anxiety, combat depression, lower stress, and offer a sense of calm in your daily life. Developing a positive mindset Maintaining a positive mindset can help you live a healthy life. Numerous studies have established that people who are generally optimistic about life enjoy better health and quality of life than those who aren’t. Positive thinking doesn’t mean keeping your head in the clouds and naively ignoring life’s unpleasant situations. It just means that you approach such situations in a more positive and productive way. Surrounding yourself with positive people, pushing back against negative thoughts, being open to humor, doing things that bring pleasure, and following a healthy lifestyle are some of the ways of boosting a positive attitude towards life. Breathing for Relaxation Breathing for survival is different than breathing for health. Take note of how you breathe while you meditate, slowing it down and making each breath deeper and longer. Count your breaths as you inhale, holding it for a moment, then slowly exhaling. Make sure every breath is full enough that you feel it coming in through your nose, going down into your lungs, and reaching all the way to your toes. Count a cycle of 10 deep breaths, then begin the count again. Chances are, you will realize just how shallow you breathe throughout the day when you are on the go, becoming more centered as you slow it down. Quality Sleep for reducing stress We all get bogged down with stress, but how you react to it determines the effect on you. While we can’t evade all sources of stress, we can develop healthier ways of responding to them. Often times, we fail to realize the many ways that relaxation can increase our stamina, calm our thoughts, improve mood, and allow us to be more productive. Deep relaxation techniques, like meditation, yoga, Tai Chi, and breathing when practiced regularly, restore energy and encourage a more positive sense of self. Quality sleep is also crucial in maintaining overall health and wellness, although sometimes it’s hard to get. Making time to rest, relax and be mindful is true nourishment for both the body and soul that gives us a great balance so we can better focus on our lives, the people in our lives, and our work. As we focus on all these elements and become conscious of mindful living, we become healthier and more intimately aware of our present life experience. Make yourself and your happiness, health, wellbeing a priority, and stay safe.

How To Stay Positive In Times Of Uncertainty?

We are now 6 months into COVID19 and not much has changed from where we were when this all started. As we witness in-person school being postponed and football seasons being cancelled, more & more businesses are shutting down while cases continue to rise across the globe. Although it is beyond our control what goes on out there, we can control how we respond to this situation. As a leader, it is essential to remain committed to make decisions that are in the best interest of the health & wellbeing of our team members, customers, and organization.

How To Keep Your Team Motivated During Covid19?

In times of uncertainty and stress it is important for leaders to be there for their team. This is a unique moment in our lifetime, with distinct challenges and unchartered waters. Now more than ever we are called to support, guide and equip our team to enhance productivity and position them individually and collectively for successful outcomes. This has been the first time for many to work remotely. Some have already successfully accomplished working from home while balancing both personal and professional life, while others still have an opportunity to strike a better balance. We as leaders have a special role to play in not only keeping our team safe but highly connected, inspired and productive. Here are some ways to keep your team motivated during COVID19. Focus on their well-being Global economist Thierry Malleret claims, “Leading a well life boosts our immune system and is, therefore, one of the possible antidotes to the virus.” We all have a responsibility to keep ourselves fine-tuned – mind, body & spirit. You can also help your team members boost their immunity and cope with stress by encouraging healthy sleep habits. Also, support their need to be active and physically move throughout the day. You can support mental health as well. Ask them how often they check Coronavirus media, remind them to consciously breath when worries arise, engage in ways to practice gratitude, stay connected with others, maintain a healthy diet, and take time off. Working from home, does not mean work non-stop. To be at your best, you need to take mental breaks to refresh and gain perspective. Encourage your team Ensure your team understands their significance and make every member feel important. Show them how their role is directly connected to the success of the organization. Connect with your team on a daily basis. Guide them on the tasks they are doing and appreciate their efforts and contributions. Encourage them to continue positive behaviours and coach them individually on opportunities that can enhance their performance results. Communication is the Key COVID-19 is reorganizing the way many organizations think about how they communicate at work. Organizations are heavily engaged in Work from Home temporary stopgaps. These social-distancing strategies make sense for flattening the growth of the virus. Social-distancing is changing not only the way we work but how we conduct meetings, coach team members and offer support to others. With many working from home, making sure each team member has the technology needed to communicate effectively has leaders finding new and innovative ways to stay connected with their team. Without intentional daily touch points, leaders can unwittingly cause employees to experience loneliness, a loss of “team” comradery and company culture. It’s important to communicate regularly with your team members by any and all means possible to ensure that all their concerns are heard and needs are met. Sponsoring online meetings and 1-1 coaching can keep team members feeling connected and part of your team, company and culture. It’s time for Training & Skill Development As a leader, you must also continue to play the role of coach by helping your team continuously enhance their skills. Get on a joint call with everyone once a week. Decide on a topic and discuss it with the team. Take questions from them, provide suggestions, and ask their views to enhance outcomes. Role play can be a great tool to role model successful behaviours. As you continue to meet with intention, your entire team can remain informed and connected while supporting each other to work towards individual and team goals. Rewards and Recognition are a Must Even at home your team is still serving your organization in the best possible manner. Be sure to let your team know that you haven’t forgotten them and that you appreciate all that they’re doing. Get your entire team together as much as possible. Show appreciation by offering rewards tied to behaviours and achievement of business objectives. Keep your recognition timely, consistent and visible. Rewards and Recognition shouldn’t stop because of COVID19. Be creative in the mediums you use, including phone, conference call, virtual team/company meetings, newsletters, and email are just a few of the mediums possible. Mix it up and have fun with it! At Etech we even had a Unique Boutique drive thru celebration where team members were able to pick up prizes in recognition of their success complete with no contact delivery to their vehicle. Work with Collaboration Innovation happens with joint collaborations, and now is perfect moment for innovation. Work together with your team to solve problems. When available, allow your team to work in groups to foster creativity. This also helps build a sense of community and keeps your team connected to you, the team, the organization and your vision. When collaborating with your team, respect their feedback. As leaders, we must have excellent listening skills, take feedback and demonstrate how to make our team’s suggestions actionable. Not everyone thinks alike. Hearing different perspectives gives everyone on the team an opportunity to be engaged, have input, and elevate each other’s ideas. Nothing will motivate your team more than finding ways to use their feedback. Trust your Team Members Especially during this time when you’re away from your team members it is difficult to control what you cannot see. You must show your team they can trust you and in turn you must demonstrate that you trust them to get the job done. Provide clear expectations timely feedback, guidance, and directions to do their job effectively. Let them try to work things out on their own when they can while also being there to be supportive when they need help. Being trusted will not only motivate your team members but also serve to empower them. At Etech, we may look different, talk different, have different beliefs, and live in different parts of the world, but we are all in this together. We encourage each one of you out there to not count the days of

7 Suggestions for dealing with Coronavirus Fears

It goes without saying that this pandemic has brought many challenges for all of us. Going for an outing, for a dinner or hugging a friend seems like a luxury of a past life. At the beginning of the year, this was almost unthinkable. With changes in the way we are living, life is taking a toll on all of us. With many of us quarantined inside of our homes, news reports, with an increase in the number of COVID cases, are causing fear in the minds of people. The pandemic is a part of our conversations, newsfeeds, and internet browsing – where everyone is searching for information around the virus. All this uncertainty is triggering a fear response. Here are 7 ways to cope up with your Coronavirus Fears. Practice Self-Compassion If you don’t love yourself, you cannot love others. You will not be able to love others. If you have no compassion for yourself then you are not able of developing compassion for others. – The Dalai Lama Be gentle with yourself. Don’t overthink situations that are beyond your control. Love and appreciate yourself for the things you have done till now. Embrace your life. Spend some time thinking about life, the moments that cheer you up. You not only have a responsibility for yourself, but also for your family members who are dependent on you. Stay Connected Virtually Though it is not possible to meet and connect with friends and family members living far away, connecting with them is still easy. Pick up your phone, call them, or get on a video call with them. Human connection is very important at this time. Try to avoid conversations around COVID. Discuss the happy moments you had together and appreciate each other. Having positive conversations with your loved ones will have a calming effect on you, your family and friends. Take breaks from Virtual World Avoid an overload of information pertaining to COVID. Constantly watching negative news will fuel your fear. Take a break from social media and the virtual world when you can. Spend quality time with your family by cooking, playing indoor games, watching funny movies, or just talking about life with each other. Being together with those you love will strengthen your family bond and show them how much you care. Help Each Other The best thing we can do at this time is to help and support others. People around you are also facing the same challenges as you. Talk with them and try to make them feel better by offering your support. If you need help, don’t hesitate to ask for it. Helping and supporting each other develops compassion that will help us to better fight COVID, together. Start Meditation for relieving Stress Meditation not necessarily prevents stress, but it can help you recognize the signs of impending stress and take measures to dissipate it before it becomes overwhelming. The mindfulness you gain from meditation will help you identify your body’s stress signals while the meditation itself will help you prevent a full-blown attack. By simply closing your eyes, taking deep breaths and refocusing your thoughts, you can stop your body’s fight-or-flight response and return to a calmer state of mind. Develop a Positive Mindset Maintaining a positive mindset can help you live a healthy life. Numerous studies have established that people who are generally optimistic about life enjoy better health and a better quality of life than those who aren’t. Positive thinking doesn’t mean keeping your head in the clouds and naively ignoring life’s unpleasant situations. It just means that you approach situations in a more positive and productive way. Push back your negative thoughts, surround yourself with positive people, stay open to humour, and carry out things that bring you pleasure. This is NOT PERMANENT Always remember, this situation isn’t going to last forever. This shall pass soon. Again, we will be able to go for an outing, dinner, shopping with family, and visit loved ones. Until then, take care of your mental as well as physical well-being. As we move forward, if we follow these methods to stay away from fear, we will feel more energetic and start living with a more positive mindset. Make yourself and your happiness, health, wellbeing a priority, and stay safe.

FCR: Define It, Then Measure It

Start with the letters Start with C before F and R. C has changed the most over time. F is usually accepted as First but with some caveats. R, or Resolution, is the simplest and most binary to define and measure. Years ago, life when business was simpler, defining FCR was simpler. It was quickly defined as First Call Resolution. That was it. Did your phone representative resolve the Customer’s issue It was resolved for the Customer during the call without transferring them to someone else or having to follow up later. One call to solve it all. Business gradually became more complex and often required transfers to supervisors for take overs or other departments because agents became specialized within their organization. First Call Resolution sometimes became more difficult to measure as well, after all, the Customer only made one phone call and even though they had to talk to more than one person their issue was still resolved with that one event. Now, with the internet Customers can connect with businesses in many ways be it email, chat, social media, and even still by phone or fax. These channels are sometimes not even in real-time but have moved into the world of asynchronous conversations. FCR has evolved with it with the C often changing to Contact or Conversation depending on the channel being evaluated because sometimes it’s just not mechanically possible to answer something with the first response to a Tweet or Facebook message. We have yet to imagine what the future holds for communication and that will continue to evolve C. C has been defined (Call, Chat, Contact, Conversation) for what works best for you. Next, we define F and R. R is generally accepted as resolution and is a pretty simple binary measurement. For an interaction, if your agent resolved the issue without transferring it, they get the check. If they didn’t, no check. You can add this into your workflow to get confirmation from the Customer during the interaction. R can become more complex if you add a measure of correctness to the resolution during a quality review but doesn’t have to. F, or first, should also be simple to measure. Was this the first time the Customer contacted you about the issue, and was the interaction transferred? In the simplest iteration of F, we only consider the interaction being monitored, we discard future or past calls from the Customer regarding the same issue, and we also don’t consider if the Customer reached out across multiple channels. Define the point of view measured There are two views to consider when measuring FCR; the Customer side and the internal side. A Customer may not be concerned with being transferred several times within a call since to them it’s still one call. It is also generally understood that channels like social media may need more than one interaction in a chain, so C lends itself to Conversation instead of Contact. This doesn’t mean their level of effort doesn’t go up with each transfer or message but that is not what we are directly measuring with FCR even if it the former is impacted by the latter. On the other side, FCR has an impact on your business’s bottom line. FCR means you typically had to pay one agent to resolve an issue with the Customer without having to have a first-level agent do some probing then escalate the issue to a specialist to resolve or a supervisor to deescalate unhappiness. Additionally, a high rate of FCR can reduce the number of contacts your agents have to support because Customers only must call once. FCR can also give you insights to the complexity of your business or your service recovery process. If your agents must transfer to someone else, you can begin to look at training opportunities for agents or create a better self-help interface for your customers. You might even be able to use the insights to iterate your product itself based on the intelligence you gather. All too often businesses don’t or can’t leverage their contact centers in this way, but the best ones find a way to do just that. How do you measure FCR? Now that we have some good definitions for FCR and which side of the conversation is being considered for measurement, how do we do it? With simple definitions FCR is a checkbox measurement: Was this the first call from the Customer, did the agent resolve the issue without transferring? We can add time variables and accuracy of the resolution if we want to get a more robust measure for FCR success. What if the Customer calls back in 24 hours about the same issue? How about 36 hours? 48? What if your agent gave the Customer the wrong resolution but it seemed right in the moment? Let’s start with a simple example, a Customer calls about a balance inquiry for their account. Did your agent give your Customer the correct answer they needed at the time during the first call without transferring? If yes to both, get the check. It doesn’t matter if the Customer calls back to ask the same thing because the interaction is transactional. Simple and clean. Here’s an example of how complex FCR can get if you don’t take the time to get clear definitions. It has been decided that FCR is measured by the agent confirming resolution during the call with the Customer and the time chosen is 24 hours. Your Customer calls in to get a password reset. They called the right department from your phone tree and your agent was able to help them. The agent confirmed that verbally with the Customer. The call checks the box for FCR if the Customer does not call back within the next 24 hours. Except the Customer calls back a few hours later because they locked themselves out again. The password gets reset and resolution confirmed. The second call gets the FCR check, but the first

The Impact Of Altruism On A Servant Leadership Culture

Servant leadership is the backbone of many leadership development programs today. While the leadership philosophy is too complicated and involved to learn by glancing over an article, it is possible to identify servant leadership’s ties to altruism and how that connection can help in boosting servant leader culture. Altruism Defined Altruism is the practice of putting others before your own interests, even if that means putting yourself in danger or at risk. However, despite Darwin’s own definition, altruistic behavior should not be confused with benevolence or pro-social behavior because these mentalities seek reward for a kind action. For example, helping a stranger find their lost dog or an elderly person cross the road can present sacrifices and risk to yourself, but if you are only doing these things to make yourself look better to someone else, then these behaviors are considered pro-social and not altruistic. Pro-social behavior is defined as doing something kind or good with the expectation of an external reward, like recognition or money. Pro-social behavior, however, also should not be confused with benevolent behavior, which seeks an intrinsic reward for doing good. For example, someone might donate all of their cash to a charitable organization, which is self-sacrificing, but they do it because they know it will make them feel good, not purely to help. Therefore, how you perceive a situation or kind act is what deter- mines the mentality behind the decision Altruism, then, is synonymous with selflessness to a degree. It is about putting the needs of others above your own without expectation of reward or gratitude. In terms of servant leadership and organizational culture, altruism is the concern for the growth and development of the company without the added agenda of self-interest. In other words, a servant leader’s focus is on the company and others. This ambition is driven by the desire to grow the company and others first, not by the want or need for personal recognition, promotion and compensation. Altruism and Leadership Skills and Development The scientific study of altruism identifies an evolutionary drive toward compassion and selfless behavior, though this does not mean that such behavior will manifest as dominant. In several studies, researchers noted that people often feel the need to help or make others feel better, even if it means sacrificing their own interests. For example, imagine two children sitting on a park bench, each with their own ice cream cone. One child drops their ice cream on the ground and begins to cry. The other child observes the situation and then gives their ice cream to the other child. In children, altruism is often a reactionary practice—it is not guided by substantial debate over the pros and cons. However, as people age and higher intrinsic value is placed on material things and emotional balance, altruistic tendencies become less dominant. Yes, some people will still hand over an ice cream cone without considering how it affects their life, but many others will not. Does this mean altruism is dead? No Altruism, while part of a person’s conscious makeup, is still a skill or ideology. Therefore, it is something that needs to be honed and practiced. Similar to servant leadership, which comprises many inherent traits and philosophies, such as empathy, listening and community, altruism is a learned skill. Altruism and Servant Leadership What does servant leadership mean to you and your organization? While often used to define a company’s leadership quality, the term is frequently mischaracterized or used to describe a plethora of management skills, which dilutes the meaning of the phrase. How should servant leaders be described and why? Servant leadership is, by definition, altruistic. However, that also depends on how you interpret the definition of altruism. For example, while servant leaders have a deep desire to help others and the company with- out expectation of personal gain, they do also require employees to perform! Does that limit their altruistic nature? Sometimes self-sacrifice is necessary for the good of the team; other times, it is counterproductive. Therefore, can a servant leader be truly altruistic? I believe that they can, and there are several reasons why: Desire to serve a greater goal Drive to help others succeed Compassion and empathy Not motivated by external or intrinsic reward Altruism and Martyrdom Many professionals will describe the quality of a good leader by listing those traits that make servant leadership such a sought-after management style—empathy, listening, fore- sight, etc. However, one term that is often left off of the servant leader list but tacked on to altruism is “martyr.” This tie to martyrdom is likely the reason that some business execs do not like to be classified as altruistic because they feel it makes them appear soft. Therefore, is martyrdom a requirement of altruism and by association servant leaders? No. While altruism is defined in terms of selflessness, it is not necessarily the same as self-sacrificing. This is especially true in the world of business and communications. Sometimes a leader must take the blame for certain mistakes made by their team, often in an effort to help the team grow. However, when one team member makes a mistake that compromises the whole, it is necessary to think of the good of the group. Therefore, while selflessness is an essential element of helping employees grow and develop, self-sacrifice is not always needed. Altruism and Organizational Success Servant leadership is not only about management style, but it is also an ideology dedicated to the development of an altruistic culture with a focus on organizational success. The idea is that, as employees experience managers who are compassion- ate and involved in employee development and corporate growth and excellence, those principles will rub off and develop future leaders and further success. Altruistic principles help to propel corporate culture forward by demonstrating the importance and contribution of every employee. However, servant leadership goes beyond internal culture and communications. It can also be used to boost brand loyalty through customer service and representative interactions with consumers and clients.

Go Beyond Net Promoter Score To Measure The Customer Experience Effectively

Forbes defines the Net Promoter Score (NPS) as an index used to determine how willing customers are to recommend a brand, product or service. Most brands rely on software developers, such as Zendesk, to create this poll. The answers create a popular metric used to evaluate the customer experience. Customers rank the probability of their recommendation on a scale of zero to 10. Companies then convert this into an index that ranges from -100 to 100. Not surprisingly, NPS has played a strong role in call center environments over the past two decades. Even so, managers now want more answers about what it measures, what its shortcomings are and more effective alternatives. What the Net Promoter Score Measures The Net Promoter Score specifically helps companies to categorize customers into groups based on how likely they are to recommend the company. Using the scale of one to 10, they identify the following: Detractors at scores zero to six Passives at scores seven to eight Promoters at scores nine and up Some companies further simplify the process by classing customers who give a score of eight and up as their promoters and seven below as their detractors. Whichever route a company takes, it helps to identify how satisfied a particular customer is. When companies convert the scores into the index range, they can see how well they rank against their competitors in satisfying customers Some business owners also use NPS to manage the customer experience and ensure satisfaction. They do this by following up in person and online shortly after interacting with customers. If the score provided is less than desirable, customer service representatives can then take action to rectify the situation. Shortcomings of Relying on the NPS Score A study by customer experience advisory firm Walker found that, by 2020, customer experience will become a bigger differentiating factor than the product or its price. When this happens, customers will have an even greater impact on what drives a business. Companies will then need to focus on improving this experience to earn loyal customers and their referrals. NPS does play a role in gauging and managing the customer experience. However, it barely scratches the surface. Here are some of the shortcomings that business owners identified over the years: It may encourage service staff to push customers to say they would refer the company rather than exhibit behaviors that would naturally make the customer do so without prompting. It fails to consider consumer demographics. Younger customers are more likely to refer a company than older customers. It may provide no explanation for why a customer would or would not recommend the company. Effective Ways To Measure Customer Experience Some managers believe that it is time to retire NPS altogether. Others believe that supplementing it with other effective measures may enhance the data it provides. Whichever metrics you choose, the important thing is to start with a strategy. Managers often collect data for the sake of collecting it. They then rely on the most popular metrics to measure their own company performance. A much better approach is to start with a strategy. Consider the company’s mission, vision and goals. Then, choose the metrics that align most closely with goals, while also evaluating the customer experience. It is also important to focus on that experience. Too often, businesses begin and end their strategies from their own perspective. To create a better experience, businesses have to first understand the current experience. What is it like to use your own product or service? What is it like to speak with team members at the contact center? Do customers enjoy using your website or app? These are essential to understanding how customers experience your brand and what metrics you should monitor to help you improve it. The following are some of the metrics you should consider First-Contact Resolution: As a well-known metric at contact centers, this determines the likelihood of a customer resolving their issue the first time they reach out to a company. Customers who get rerouted to multiple team members or who have to call back after realizing that the issue has persisted are more likely to become frustrated. To calculate this, divide the number of incidents resolved on the first try by the total number of incidents. The higher the FCR, the higher the customer satisfaction. Average Resolution Time: This is another popular measure of the customer experience for call center managers. As the name implies, it determines the average time it takes for team members to resolve issues that customers may call, email or open a chat to rectify. The longer the resolution times, the more frustrated customers become. However, keep in mind that some industries naturally have longer resolution times than others, so it’s important to compare apples to apples when looking up competitors. Customer Churn Rate: According to an eBook published by CX Network, the customer churn rate identifies how many customers unsubscribed from your service or stopped buying your products during a specific period of time. Managers calculate this by dividing total customers lost at the end of that time period by the number of customers the company had at the start. Remember not to include new sales in the calculation Cart Abandonment Rate: If customers feel that you ask for too much information or you don’t provide the payment methods they prefer, they may jump ship. Hidden shipping fees and taxes may also turn some people away. Cart abandonment is a strong indicator that something is unfavorable in the customer experience. Forbes recommends creating new strategies to make both the website and mobile experience more user-friendly. Social Listening: This is an often overlooked metric. As it is qualitative, it requires more interpersonal skills than analytics. It monitors what people say about your brand, product or service on social media. This often includes information customers may not share directly with the brand itself. Companies then have the opportunity to jump in and rectify the situation before it escalates.

8 Easy Tips To Boost Your Immunity During Pandemic

While the World is facing paramount difficulties because of COVID19, living a healthy lifestyle is extremely vital. There is no playbook for this unprecedented moment in time. Not even the experts know how it will eventually play out. The only way to stay safe is to practice social distancing when out of your home and adopt a healthy lifestyle to boost your immunity. It is paramount that we take care of our bodies and supercharge our immune system. We can do this by staying active to ensure we remain healthy and fit. Hence, it is necessary that we feed and treat our body in an appropriate manner. Here are 8 tips for increasing your immunity and keeping yourself in shape and protected against COVID19. Get A Good Night’s Sleep It is necessary for all of us to get an adequate amount of sleep. According to The National Institutes of Health (NIH), a part of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services and the nation’s leading medical research agency: “Immune system activation alters sleep, and sleep in turn affects the innate and adaptive arm of our body’s defense system.” Experts suggest that we must sleep more than seven hours per day. Besides that, your sleeping schedule should remain steady. Therefore, we must have a consistent bedtime and wake time for healthy sleep hygiene. Develop Healthy Eating Habits A healthy stomach leads to a stronger immune system. We need to eat a complete, balanced meal in order to strengthen our immune system. Each meal should consist of vegetables, lean meats, and healthy fats. A diet rich in probiotics, such as yogurt or fermented foods like kimchi, miso and sauerkraut, helps reduce bad bacteria in your stomach. Probiotics are made up of good bacteria which helps your body fight illness and inflammation. Making good food choices can help you stay healthy in the months to come. Stay Active Staying fit is so important, now more than ever. With more people working from home, it’s vital to continue exercising. Going for a daily walk, bike ride, or swimming are great ways to remain in shape. Exercising creates sweat that releases toxins from your body. A constant regime of exercise improves mental health, strengthens bones and muscles while also helping you to get a good night’s sleep. Experts suggest dedicating at least 30 to 45 minutes a day for keeping fit. Make it fun by changing things up day to day. Go for a walk one day and ride your bike the next. Walk a different route and enjoy the scenery. People who exercise daily tend to get sick less often. Therefore, something as simple as going for a walk after a meal or early morning exercises can do a lot to keep you sharp and fit! Say No To Alcohol and Smoking Since COVID19 is a respiratory disease that damages the inner lining of the air sacs in the lungs, you should take extra care to keep your lungs healthy. People with existing lung conditions are more vulnerable to COVID19. This is the perfect time for people to quit smoking, especially since it causes shortness of breath, reduced lung function, irritation, inflammation and mucus build up. People that live with chronic lung diseases may find it much more difficult to fight off the effects of COVID. As with smoking, alcohol can affect your overall health. Drinking alcohol can put your immune system and health in jeopardy, causing high blood pressure, liver scarring (cirrhosis), stomach ulcers, as well as anxiety and depression. Studies show it is better for your overall health to avoid or at least cut down on alcohol consumption. According to the 2015-2020 U.S. Dietary Guidelines for Americans, “If alcohol is consumed, it should be consumed in moderation—up to one drink per day for women and two drinks per day for men—and only by adults of legal drinking age.” Talk to your doctor if you need support to stop smoking or drinking. The right support can make all of the difference when making an important lifestyle change but the benefits are worth it. Don’t forget your Health Supplements Nutrients are essential for boosting your immunity. Health supplements like vitamin C, vitamin D, zinc, and elderberry positively impact your immune system. Consult your physician to discuss whether you should take supplements and how much you need to stay healthy When taking supplements, be sure to drink plenty of water. As per studies, drinking water maximizes physical performance, flushes your system, prevents and treats headaches, relieves constipation and provides other health benefits. Stay Connected With Friends and Family Due to COVID restrictions, it can be difficult to visit with your friends and family, especially those who live far away. But that shouldn’t stop you from connecting with each other. Find creative ways to reach out. With today’s technology, a phone or video call is just a fingertip away. If things have slowed down, this could be the perfect opportunity to link up with people, that due to your previously busy schedule, you weren’t able to connect with that often. Make the most out of your down time. Visits with family and friends may not only reduce feelings of loneliness and despair but also can have a health benefit of regulating cortisol levels. Cortisol is a stress hormone and is used by the body to balance out stress, sugars and can help you feel better and fight infections. Happier people are healthier people, so it’s important to cultivate the relationships that matter most while also keeping us healthy. Reduce Stress There is so much stress in the world right now. If you absorb the stress around you, it can have adverse effects on your overall health. Stress increases cortisol levels in your body, which can impact your sleep, increases blood pressure and blood sugar levels. Giving into stress and overthinking a situation can result in health problems and a lack of sleep. It can also create a domino effect, leading to bad decisions.

How to Rebuild Trust in the Workplace?

“Trust is the glue of life. It’s an essential ingredient in effective communication. It’s the foundational principle that holds all relationships.”- Stephen Covey When I think about significant relationships in my life, some of the most important ones began in the workplace. The book, The Trusted Advisor, by Charles H. Green and Andrea P., however, teaches us that “Trust requires Trusting and Being Trusted.” What this means is for trust to exist; someone must do the trusting (think risk), and someone must be trustworthy. Trust, therefore, is a choice. The moment you trust another, you choose to believe them. Merriam Webster defines trust as a firm belief in the character, strength, or truth of someone or something. When it comes to our workplace, it is essential to be trustworthy regardless of your role. Trust validates your leadership. We have all seen examples where people are sought out for their feedback because they are trusted. You will often see team members validating information from one another v. supervisors. Why? Because they have a trusting relationship. Leaders can destroy the trust of their team by: Promising what is not possible and cannot be delivered Withholding information or lack of clear communication Not showing trust on their team member Prioritizing process over coaching and development which build relationships Manipulating the truth or leaving out crucial information Not swiftly resolving conflict within the team If you do any of the above, it can lead to your employees mistrusting you. Knowing leadership is based on trust; it’s essential to nurture and protect trusting relationships. If you feel trust between you and someone you lead has been compromised or might be at risk, it is critical to take immediate action. Below are four practical strategies that can help you start your journey of rebuilding trust with your team members: 1: Promise only what you can deliver You should not promise anything that cannot be provided. It’s crucial to make promises you can keep. You have probably heard the phrase under-promise and over-deliver. This applies when it comes to building trust, although be careful not to take even this to the extreme. When you are deliberate in your words and actions, you can build trust. The bottom line is to do what you say and do it consistently. 2: Believe in your team Remember, trust is two way. If you trust your team, it will encourage them to trust themselves and you. If you have a lack of confidence in your team, it can manifest through unnecessary micro-management. Set clear expectations and guidelines around checkpoints, so there is clarity, and your team can meet your expectation while feeling trusted to do so. When delegating an assignment, you should give your team enough room to make their own decisions in the best way so that they can achieve the goals that are set. When you show your team members, you have faith in them and their ability to take care of business; it will increase confidence and help rebuild trust in you as their leader. 3: Accept your mistakes There are times when things don’t go as planned, and you may have to communicate tough messages to your team. If you made a mistake, you must lead by example and own the mistake. In my leadership journey, I have learned that by accepting mistakes, we reflect humility, and most importantly, our team understands that we are all human, and making mistakes is a normal part of life. By accepting your mistakes as the leader, you are showing respect and care for your team. Your staff will understand your sincerity and believe in you because you have spoken the truth. Nobody is right 100% of the time. 4: Solve problems with your team members It’s not possible to avoid conflict 100% of the time, nor do you want to as conflict can be healthy, even productive when handled effectively. The secret lies in how you handle conflict. If you find yourself in the middle of a heated situation with differing opinions and emotions, you must work to bring people together. Lead with an apology to the team for your part in the conflict and let everyone know you are there to help the team navigate through the conflict constructively. Next, acknowledge everyone’s emotions. You cannot move past tension if you are not willing to validate how others feel. Think of it like acknowledging the elephant in the room. Your team will also get a chance to see where they were wrong and take ownership for their part in the conflict. Once this is done, you can refocus the group on the common goal and viable solutions without all the pent-up emotions that can often cloud our judgment. You may not get 100% buy-in initially but stay the course. Your actions will go a long way toward rebuilding respect and trust and set the tone for how to handle disagreements productively in the future In a Nutshell Trust is a critical currency that can define your leadership effectiveness. Neither you nor your team can achieve much without it. If trust is lost, take swift action to repair it using the strategies outlined above. It may take time to mend fences, but in the end, both you and your team will be stronger as a result.

Four Tips For Leading A Healthy Lifestyle During COVID

Creating a healthy lifestyle is a multi-faceted aspect that involves a deep connection to one’s body, mind, and spirit, as well as to the community and the world. While we are all progressing through this global pandemic and it seems like so many things are out of our own control, choosing to lead a healthy lifestyle is in our control. This relates to finding balance in our lives. It is always important to be mindful of the choices you make for your personal health and wellness, as taking care of both your mind and body are as important as ever during these challenging times. Considering our bodies work so hard for us, we need to do our best to keep them well-rested, healthy and refueled. From taking the time to relax, to watching what you eat, exercise, rest, and managing your condition (if you have one) to prevent complications. Living healthy means making wise choices every single day. 1.) Nutrition All people require a nutritious diet for optimum health and wellness. It’s an important part of leading a healthy lifestyle as it results in increased energy levels, sharper mental focus and weight moderation. Unhealthy eating habits have contributed to the obesity epidemic in the United States, as well as major health risks that contribute to illness and even death. These include cardiovascular disease, cancer, kidney disease and diabetes. The cornerstone of a healthy diet is taking steps to replace processed foods with real foods whenever possible. Making changes to your diet by eating food that is as close as possible to the way nature made it and cutting back on unhealthy fat are extremely beneficial. 2). Exercise As more people adopt a sedentary lifestyle, the culture of exercise is often forgotten. Establishing a culture of activity and exercise is essential to your general health and wellbeing. Not only can it help a person maintain an ideal weight, but it also builds muscle, improves mood, boosts energy, promotes better sleep and combats many health conditions and diseases. Gentle group exercise at the beginning of the day could be a great way to improve social interaction and foster a culture of exercise. A well-rounded exercise programs that entail aerobic activity, strength training, flexibility training, and balance exercises is a great way to start. Each of these physical exercises benefit your body in different ways. 3.) Relaxation and Rest We all get bogged down with stress, but how you react to it determines its effect on you. While we can’t evade all sources of stress, we can develop healthier ways of responding to them. Often times, we fail to realize the many ways that relaxation can increase our stamina, calm our thoughts, improve mood and allow us to be more productive. Deep relaxation techniques, like meditation, yoga, Tai Chi and breathing when practiced regularly, restore energy and encourage a more positive sense of self. Quality sleep is also crucial in maintaining overall health and wellness, although sometimes it’s hard to get. Making time to rest, relax and be mindful is true nourishment for both the body and soul that gives us a great balance so we can better focus on our lives, the people in our lives, and our work. 4.) Positive Attitude Maintaining a positive mindset can help you live a healthy life. Numerous studies have established that people who are generally optimistic about life enjoy better health and quality of life than those who aren’t. Positive thinking doesn’t mean keeping your head in the clouds and naively ignoring life’s unpleasant situations. It just means that you approach such situations in a more positive and productive way. Surrounding yourself with positive people, pushing back against negative thoughts, being open to humor, doing things that bring pleasure and following a healthy lifestyle are some of the ways of boosting a positive attitude towards life. As we focus on all these elements and become conscious of mindful living, we become healthier and more intimately aware of our present life experience. Make yourself and your happiness, health, wellbeing a priority and stay safe.

How does Social Media Boost Customer Experience?

Those of us who are in leadership understand how important the customer experience is and the potential ripple effect that can take place due to a satisfied or unsatisfied customer. Today’s business environment is full of tough competitors. Offering an excellent customer experience is an effective way to compete in the market and stand out amongst competitors as a valued brand to do business with.

Why is Effective Communication Crucial to Become a Servant Leader?

Servant leadership can be defined as a leadership philosophy that focuses on service as the primary objective of a leader. This is contrary to traditional leadership where the success of an organization or company is the leader’s primary concern. Therefore, a servant leader puts the needs of his or her team members first, helping them develop and perform their best. It is also important to note that effective communication is at the center of every successful servant leader. Below is a rundown of some aspects of effective communication and how they can help you to develop and become a better servant leader. Understanding Yourself Self-awareness is an integral part of effective communication. If you don’t understand something yourself, it would be unfair to expect your team to understand something you do not. As a servant leader, you must be aware of your inner monologue. This will go a long way in preventing you from becoming frustrated with other team members, appearing unsure, discriminatory, or assuming other people can read your mind. It is also imperative for you to be fully aware of what you would like to achieve from each of your interactions with your team, in order for you to tailor your message accordingly. Understand Your Team Effective communication develops when properly understanding the people you are talking with. As a servant leader, you need to understand your team members in terms of the things that motivate them while also understanding their preferred learning and communication styles. These understandings have the effect of enabling you to adapt your message in a way that makes your communication more effective. Creating personal connections with your team members also facilitates empathy, which consequently makes it easier for people to build trust. However, you need remember that such connections must be genuine and not exploitative in nature. Being Respectful and Positive This may sound like a no-brainer, but sadly, that’s not always the case. As a servant leader, you need a strategy for cultivating loyalty which will in turn, boost the performance of your team. Being respectful and positive in your communication is one of the most important things you must do. Avoid holding your status over members of your team or using fear and coercion to get things done. Instead, incorporate an ego-less, positive, and honest attitude when leading your team. In other words, you will get better results as a servant leader if you serve as a cheerleader as opposed to serving as an autocrat. Focusing on Non-Verbal Communication In some interactions, you can learn more from what is not said than from what is said. In other words, the importance of non-verbal communication in servant leadership cannot be overemphasized. Non-verbal cues, such as posture, hand movements, eye contact and facial expressions can all play an important role in determining the effectiveness of your message. Therefore, as a servant leader, you need to pay attention to your own body language and that of the people you are talking to. You need to ensure that your non-verbal cues are consistent with what you are saying verbally. This will go a long way in helping you to become a trustworthy communicator in addition to portraying integrity by showing that you believe in your own message. Listening Carefully Modeling active listening is one of the most effective ways of encouraging honest and open communication in a team. As a servant leader, you need to pay attention when a member of your team is speaking to you. To demonstrate that you are really listening, ask follow-up questions. This can also help you to minimize the chances of miscommunication. It is beneficial to come into conversations with an open mind and be thoughtful when responding to what people are saying instead of responding to their suggestions with kneejerk reactions. This goes a long way in helping build rapport between you and your team, which will enable you to establish yourself as an ideal servant leader. Being Direct and Concise Being able to deliver clear-cut messages in a concise way is an important aspect of effective communication. As a servant leader, you need to communicate in a way that makes it easy for people to understand what you want to achieve. That means your instructions need to be clear, with no room for misinterpretation. In this way, you will be in a great position to get your team to accomplish the goals set with maximum efficiency. The Takeaway As we can see, servant leadership is an effective way of getting your team to perform optimally and meet its objectives in the most efficient way possible. Explore Etech’s blogs to learn more about other integral aspects of servant leadership. No doubt, it is clear that knowing how to effectively communicate with your team members is one of the most important skills you can have, as a true, servant leader. If you would like to become an ideal servant leader, it’s important to consider these steps of effective communication when leading others to reach their goals, achieving personal and corporate success.

4 Golden Contact Center Quality Monitoring Trends of All Time

When we speak to contact centers about what’s happening in their organizations, Quality Monitoring (QM) and Quality Assurance (QA) are the two challenges that they often mention. Although you can find there are several effective strategies of quality monitoring available on the internet, not everything makes sense. Instead, there are some ideal ideas and trends that are based on solid principles and drive great results. Being into the contact center business for more than a decade now, we, at Etech, believe that the below golden trends for contact center quality monitoring have helped us deliver effortless customer experience over the years. Dissection of interactions   To break down a interactions into different parts and grade these respectively is a smart tactic rather than reviewing and scoring a interactions as a whole. Here’s the idea – You need to start with the standard welcome or greeting. Examine how a specific agent is delivering how most of the customers respond to it. Also, look for whether this approach has the desired effect. Next, you should assess product knowledge. Are the agents prepared to face the customers irrespective of whether it’s an order, a complaint, or a question? Do the agents put the interactions on hold to acquire the required information? Are they following the script? Are the agents speaking with a tone of courtesy and support? Does the agent have developed skills specific to the type of interaction? Lastly, you should review the closing of the interactions while examining what sort of the last impression the agents made on behalf of his/her company. This strategy might be a basic one, but many contact centers don’t practice dissecting the interactions into sections and, in turn, fail to 100% monitor the actual quality of the interactions. It’s worthwhile to note that a solid send-off reduces repeat contacts and improves first contact resolution. Feedback is a Gift Whether your contact center determines the quality performance based on internal scoring and KPIs, accumulated data, or solely on satisfaction measurements like NPS, CSAT, one impacts the other. In the end, the only thing that matters is the customers opinion and assessment of how they have been treated. Many times there is a disconnect in what managers think is the most crucial factor and what customers truly care about. Have the courage to let customers define quality of your contact center’s quality management program based on a frictionless and positive customer experience. Use of Speech Analytics In the contact center industry, it fields approximately more than 50 million interactions every day. Hence, even if they are all being recorded, is it possible to monitor all of them? Quite Impossible! Isn’t it? Here, the Speech Analytics comes into the picture. This technology helps generate automated alerts triggered by voice data. While being alerted to these interactions in real-time, managers can react in time to impact their outcome. It defines the difference between keeping and losing a customer. Additionally, with speech analytics being integrated into a interactions recording solution, it’s easy for contact centers to link customer feedback with specific customer interactions. Hence, you will not end up working from a random sampling. Instead, you will work with a subset of interactions that have been flagged as crucial because of the keywords or phrases that customers have used. AI powered speech analytics takes all the unstructured, valuable data in your interactions and makes it easy to organize, analyze and act upon. Analytics also helps deliver better marketing intelligence in diverse areas at a lower price than the traditional methods. It further impacts the contact center compliance with data protection regulations. Thus, if there is one trend in contact center quality monitoring that will remain consistently useful for years, it is nothing but the speech analytics. The critical business intelligence that speech analytics generates can amplify both agent performance and customer experience. The Importance of Kaizen Mindset The Kaizen Mindset is a business consulting practice that says prioritizing the quality part of any process in everything a company does and making little changes over time can eventually add up to the significant organizational improvement. It requires every employee to identify what are the areas of concern, identify the reasons behind the issues, develop, communicate and implement countermeasure strategies, and examine the results, to achieve success. When it’s followed right, the Kaizen Mindset can make a real difference irrespective of whether it’s an auto manufacturing plant or the quality management department of a contact center. With this strategy, you can embed quality through small incremental improvements in the interaction monitoring approaches, and it will finally help you achieve fantastic results. We, at Etech Global Services, believe that technology is just an enabler; it is the humans that create a remarkable difference. Our quality management department, i.e., Etech Insights, follows the above strategies and team up Artificial Intelligence with Human Intelligence so that they can listen to the customers, identify and analyze the unstructured data, generate actionable insights, improve the processes, and predict better approaches to make the most out of the customer insights. If you strive to implement the best of contact center quality monitoring, contact us today.

Why is Leadership Training Important at the Organizational Level?

What makes a great leader? Although there is no one single answer to this question, there are some crucial qualities that ideal leaders should have in common. Great leaders should be secure in their role and in their ability to inspire others and do their jobs. They must be able to play the roles of not only advocates but also mentors and coaches. How can leaders get to this point? Leadership Training is the answer! Leadership training not only benefits team members, but it is also essential to the organization. When you decide to promote someone to a leadership role, you’re probably already well aware of their abilities, work ethic, and their drive for success, but how much do you know about their leadership skills and preparedness to lead a team? It’s really difficult to tell if they haven’t been in a leadership position ever before. Your team members that excel in their current roles may fail when it comes to leadership. Even the team members that have the best intentions and all the potential to succeed as a leader are going to struggle in their transition and question themselves of whether they have what it takes to be a good leader. This doesn’t mean that you shouldn’t promote new leaders, but that you need to ensure you do everything you can to prepare them for their leadership roles and give them guidance through the transition. This is where leadership training at the organizational level is crucial. You must equip your new leaders with the knowledge and experience to start them off on the right foot, and this can be achieved with training. Leadership training will help them understand the role of a leader, let them become accustomed to the responsibilities and duties of being a leader, and identify what truly makes a great leader. Even more great reasons why leadership training is vital in today’s organizations: To Increase Productivity If you train your leaders in practical leadership skills, it will enhance the productivity of your workforce. Transitioning to a leadership role can come with a steep learning curve, but leadership training can significantly diminish this curve. A leader that comes into their role with knowledge and confidence will have a positive influence on the efficiency and effectiveness of their team. Empowered leaders can provide direction to team members and ensure they are performing at or above expectations. Leadership training also sharpens problem-solving skills which means your trained leaders will be able to better handle assessing the problems that arise, managing conflicts, and providing practical solutions. To Nurture Future Leaders Leadership training is crucial at the organizational level to develop future leaders. . Ideal leaders are meant to be the powerhouse to which team members and associates turn for advice and direction. The abilities of leaders to communicate well and inspire and encourage team members increase their productivity while providing people with a more enjoyable environment to work in. So, it’s important to train and nurture future leaders with progressive leadership training. You want to provide adequate training to your people so that they develop the skills they need to fit the leadership roles that become available and take on those positions effectively. To Improve Risk Management Organizations worldwide know that an element of risk is always present in every business. So, it’s a smart idea to train future and current leaders in risk management so that they are able to tackle the demanding situations that come unexpectedly. . Critical situations require quick action and strategic thinking. A leader that has training and preparation on how to handle these circumstances will know how to approach the issue and take it step by step, resulting in a much better outcome than a leader with no or very little training in risk management. To Develop Better Emotional Intelligence Emotional intelligence is one of the crucial personality traits that make a truly great leader. . The right understanding of how emotions affect others ensures people lead in an efficient and considerate way. So, it is recommended to put a strong emphasis on the element of emotional intelligence while conducting leadership training programs because it directly influences the performance of team members and leaders. To Foster Project Leadership The sufficient level of project leadership skills is crucial because without that, leaders will likely struggle to handle the different aspects of a project and its overall success of implementation. It’s easy for a project to get off course, over budget and miss deadline after deadline without the proper training or experience in project management. This could result in a substantial loss to the business. And it will also affect the morale of team members because of misguidance and magnified stress. Don’t underestimate the importance of empowering your leaders with the development of project leadership skills. ; It will help them better manage their teams and close projects efficiently on time. On the organizational level, the increased efficiency will lead to an enhancement of the company’s overall productivity, resulting in higher profits. To Improve Team Members’ Retention Today’s organizations can improve the retention rate of their people by providing leadership training that focuses on developing great leaders. And great leaders are those who team members want to follow. If your people don’t feel connected, recognized, or appreciated at their workplace, they will eventually move on. These negative perceptions are directly related to the leadership around your people. According to Forbes, a Harvard Business Review survey reveals 58 percent of people say they trust strangers more than their own boss. Moreover, Global studies revealed that 79 percent of people who quit their jobs cite ‘lack of appreciation’ as their reason for leaving. In addition, Forbes has further put forward that according to The Conference Board, 53 percent of Americans are currently unhappy at work.” These alarming statistics clearly reveal where organizations are failing when it comes to retaining their people. So, it is the responsibility of employers to develop leaders who know how to communicate with and

I Have Got Problems

It is an undesired still an undeniable fact that there many problems that we all continuously face within our work and life. Sometimes, it seems we never have enough time to solve each one without dealing with some adversity along the way. The problems in our lives keep mounting so fast that we often look for shortcuts to alleviate the tension points temporarily – so we can move onto the next challenge. But, this process doesn’t help us solve the core of each problem that we are dealing with; thus, we continuously get into a never-ending cycle that doesn’t lead us to any real resolutions. Sound familiar? However, speaking about the leaders like us, problem-solving is considered as the critical essence of what we exist to do. As leaders, one of our primary goals is to effectively work through the problem and learn along the way. I believe a solution-oriented method provides us with enough courage to tackle them head-on before circumstances force our hand. We must remain resilient in our quest to create and sustain momentum for the organization and the people we serve. But the reality of today’s workplaces is that we must often deal with people that complicate matters with their corporate politicking, self-promotion, power-plays and ploys, and envy. Still, to become a great leader, we must overcome these obstacles and rise as an efficient problem solver. Great leaders are patient enough in work and life to step back and see the problem at-hand through broadened observation; a 360-degree vision. They see around, beneath, and beyond the problem itself. They see well-beyond the obvious. In today’s world, most effective leaders approach problems through a lens of opportunity to create a significant impact on their teams and families both. As a leader, we should never view a problem as a distraction, but rather as a strategic enabler for continuous improvement and opportunities previously unseen. However, there is a common misconception that leaders merely manage creative efforts; rather than become active participants in the process. But the reality is that leaders, it seems, play a crucial role in the creative problem-solving process. The critical leadership skills that they possess can significantly affect the quality of the innovative outcome. Consequently, as organizations increasingly depend on new products and processes to fuel their future, creative problem-solving stands as a critical leadership skill. It helps leaders have a clear idea about the problem to be solved, which makes it easier for team members to produce potential solutions, and a leader can effectively evaluate the quality of those solutions. To evaluate proposed solutions usually ignites leaders’ creative thinking, and they begin to generate additional ideas, discover alternative perspectives, and redefine the original problem. When they share their alternatives, insights, and additions, it stimulates team members to continue with solution generation and development. In this blog, I would like to discuss an interesting problem-solving method that has proven to be immensely helpful in my leadership journey. It’s called I BEET! I like to think of it as I BEET you can solve this problem. I BEET we can figure this out together. I BEET we will have victory over the issue at hand. I – Identify the Problem What are things like when they are the way we want them to be? If scenarios would have turned out the way we want them to happen, how will that look like? If someone was doing what we want him or her to do, what would he/she be doing? We need to ask ourselves these questions to find the standard against which we’re going to measure the problematic situation we are in. The next important question that needs to be in your mind is how much variation from the norm is tolerable? There lies the problem! You might have very little tolerance from the practical perspective, but there can be more tolerance if you think from a behavioral perspective. You might conclude that it’s fine with me when this person doesn’t do it exactly as I say because I’m okay with him/her taking some liberty with this. However, in case of some other issue, you may need 100% compliance. So, it depends on the problem that you are facing at the moment. It’s also important to ask a lot of other important questions like what caused this problem? Who is responsible for this problem? When did this problem first emerge? Why did this happen? Where does it hurt us the most? How do we go about resolving this problem? And can we solve this problem for good so it will never occur again? Having the answers to these questions is very important so that we can ensure we know the root cause of a specific problem. It will help us come up with practical solutions that people can use for a long-term benefit, rather than dealing with the same issues again and again. B – Brainstorm Problem Solving Ideas Undoubtedly, there are always more solutions to any problem than the one that you might have thought first while planning to deal with it. So, it’s best to take your time and think of different alternate ideas of solving a problem and develop a list of them instead of just jumping into a conclusion instantly. If it’s a problem for your entire team, all of you need to sit together and brainstorm different ideas to solve that, and it will help ensure that you and your team can assess and decide which one will be the best for solving that specific problem. E – Evaluate the Ideas After you are aware of some compelling ideas for solving a specific problem that your team or the organization is facing, the next step is to evaluate those alternatives relative to a target standard. You need to remain unbiased while evaluating the options and make sure you and your team are analyzing both proven and possible outcomes of that. It’s important to state the selected alternative problem-solving ideas explicitly and consider different

Fighting Against the Covid-19 Outbreak Empathetically

“Nothing lasts forever … pain and troubles included.” — Paulo Coelho, author and lyricist Can you believe that 2020 is almost 50% passed? I imagine that when we celebrated the beginning of the New Year back on January 1st none of us imagined it would be like this. To say that the first six months of 2020 have been challenging would be putting it mildly. I have heard many people say, “Let’s just give up this year and move on to 2021.” Here is the thing to remember, we still have half a year or 6 months to go! We are only at halftime. Growing up playing sports, I remember many times coming into the locker room at half time after having gotten beaten up pretty bad. I remember my college coach, Gene Evans, challenging us by saying “Guys, we may be losing right now, but we still have a whole second half to turn this around. Get out there and don’t focus on the scoreboard but instead focus on your efforts this half.” Matt Rocco = #54 Coach Evans was right, he was always right! We can’t write off the next six months of 2020 and wish our way into 2021. We can’t just give them up. Time is too precious. You are too valuable. So today I encourage you to embrace this moment as you begin your second-half comeback. Today I challenge you to find a way to make this year a little better, for yourself and for others. Many people have suffered heartbreaking losses this year and need support. Let’s support them. Many people are struggling with isolation and loneliness. Let’s reach out to them. Many people need someone to talk to and share with. Let’s be there to listen. Many people simply need to be encouraged to press on and ensured that this will not last forever. Let’s encourage them. At Etech, we may look different, talk differently, have different beliefs and live in different parts of the world, but we are all in this together. Yes, we’ve gotten our butts kicked in the first half of 2020, but we’ve still got the second half to go. We encourage each one of you out there not to count the days of Covid-19, but instead strive to make each day count for each other and for those in your community who need you to be there. Until next time, may you make a remarkable difference in the lives of the people you touch each day.

How Can a People-Centric Organization Reach New Heights?

Richard Branson said, “If you take care of your employees, they will take care of your clients.” It used to be that the only type of corporate culture that existed was centered around the company, where profits were number one, but the value of team members was overlooked and underestimated. Now that a company-centric culture is no longer the only option, the currency of these companies has greatly diminished. The culture that today’s companies have is significantly different from the past. We have moved away from the dogma where organizations, worship profits but undervalue their people. We have reached the point where being people-centric is clearly the effective philosophy to embrace. Interestingly, Branson, while building the Virgin Group, a multinational conglomerate overseeing his several ventures, adopted an engaging approach in which he decided to put the customers second and his people first. This compelling strategy has helped him earn a yearly revenue of more than $ 22 billion! How does a People-Centric Company Culture Work? The bulk of team members in today’s organizations are millennials, and with that, we have started to see a philosophical shift. Team members have gradually come to know their worth, which creates a highly competitive environment for the top-tier talent that’s available. Many companies have realized this change and have come to the conclusion that the best way to attract talent is to adopt and embrace a culture focused on their people. Imagine that you were working for a company in which you had to continually sacrifice the things that mattered to you, such as opportunities for career development or time missed with your family because of the constant demand to work after hours; All this because you always had to put the needs of the company before yourself. Would you grow to resent that company? How soon would you be looking for other options in your career? Those who resent their workplace are often a ticking time bomb. They may be driven away seeking out a better environment to work in, or simply going through the motions of each day demotivated and apathetic towards their work. It’s even possible for resentment to grow so much that it leads to malicious acts against the company. Whether they decide to leave or stick around, it’s a detriment to the company’s morale, culture, and overall success of the business. On the contrary, if team members know that their company is looking out for them and cares about their success as an individual as well as the company’s, it means team members will give their best to the organization and do all they can to help the organization succeed. In this scenario, a positive morale and work environment are thriving; People are motivated and enjoy working for the organization. A People-Centric Work Culture Drives Business All businesses function via sales in one form or another no matter what the industry, which means all businesses have customers. Interactions that customers have throughout their journey with a company are crucial, and your people are the key to this equation. Team members are the direct line to your customers. They make up the front line, back line, and everything in between, whenever and wherever your customers are. Everything that you put into the culture of your company and the way you treat your team members reflects in the way they work and interact with your customers. When you have a people-centric culture present in your organization, you will find newly motivated team members who are eager, curious, passionate, highly productive, and who never think twice about giving their best to you. When you invest in engagement and development for your team members and their quality of life, your organization will reap the rewards. How to Become a People-Centric Organization? Depending on your company, you should decide how you can implement a culture that values team members over customers and profits. There are different ways to make your people feel valued and ensure that they thrive in your organization. For example, an interesting approach that Google has implemented for a few years now is providing a luxurious lunch to its team members free of charge. Another example is Apple offering stock buying options and extra days off to their team members. Additionally, when it comes to a people-centric work culture, it is always crucial to keep in mind that your people are empowered with a sense of autonomy and responsibility. If you allow them to be creative and approach problems in their own way, the solutions that they come up with are likely to be much more effective and efficient than when in a limiting or controlling environment. If you want to create an environment where team members can shine and give their full potential , you should find out how you can best create a conducive workplace experience for them. More often than not, there are little things you can do, that make a big impact for them. The best way to figure out how you can help them is by asking. Engage your team members and discover how you can make a difference for them. The Final Note Being people-centric is all about how your organization creates a meaningful experience for your team members. Company culture is a cycle. At Etech, we believe our people are our asset! Click here to explore what we believe is the right way an organization can deliver great customer experience while empowering its team members. If you want your organization to be a customer-centric business, you should be centered on your team members first. Strive to build your organization from the inside out, and as your team members thrive, your company will also succeed and be able to reach new heights.

Servant Leadership: The Ultimate Way to Connect Effectively with Your People

As leaders, we find honor and inspiration in what we do. However, that might not always be the case with all of our valued team members. According to a survey by Hays, 43% of people in the US claim that an inspiring corporate culture is the main reason for their search for a new job. Many people prefer to leave a job because they don’t feel valued by their immediate leader. In the book, Managing from the Heart, the authors address five-time tested habits that true servant leaders possess. It was very encouraging to me to see how these activities aligned very nicely with Etech’s leadership character commitments. I encourage leaders of organizations reading this piece of writing to examine your consistency in these areas and to ask your peers to give you feedback as well. If you need to make some improvements then get after it, the sooner the better! You will be glad that you did. Hear and understand It is almost impossible to really listen to someone and not be preparing a mental response as they speak. When we do this, we miss all that is being said! Next time you are in a discussion with a peer, team member or customer, focus on listening to understand first, and then responding. Even if you disagree, don’t judge them wrongly One thing is for certain in the fast paced world of BPO, construction and hospitality companies, etc., mistakes will be made! Peter Luongo, the retired president of the Berry Company once told me, “You are going to make 100 decisions in a week, if you get more than 50% of them right, you are doing okay!” The fact is that all of us will make mistakes. Mistakes should be addressed, corrected and the learning captured. What we must not do is judge the person. What we have to do is coach the behavior. Acknowledge the greatness within all Our job as a leader is to fix what is broken. The fact is that we spend 90% of our time fixing things. However, it is just as critical that we find ways to recognize the greatness in others. Greatness is not isolated to our top performers, there is greatness in everyone! Your responsibility is to look for it and recognize it! Maybe you have a team member who is always there on time, maybe someone who encourages others on the team when they are down, or maybe you have a team member who is great at cooking brownies or banana pudding on pot luck days. Whatever the greatness, find it and embrace it. Remember to look for good intentions Unless negatively influenced by their environment, people will tend to do their best. But remember, everybody’s best is not the same! Great leaders understand “will versus skill”. The will is the intention. We can and always should work with team members who have good intentions (or will). Even if they fail on one campaign, we have enough diversity of programs within our centers that we should be able to find them a good place on a different program. Tell the truth with compassion Confrontation is a necessary part of coaching and it should never be needlessly delayed or avoided. It should, however, be conducted with genuine concern and compassion for the team member. This can be accomplished in three basic steps. First, speak directly to the person; do not talk about them to others. Second, after addressing the behavior, listen to understand their side. Third, discuss and agree on a plan of attack to fix the behavior and then inspect daily to ensure that the plan is working. In order to continue to grow your business and be in a position to impact more lives, you must find a way to do a better job of keeping your good ones. I do not believe that there is one single fix out there. I do believe that it will take everyone in an organization being committed to doing all things (big or small) in a way that reflects the leadership commitments. If applied, the ideas listed above will take your organization one more step ahead in the journey. Until next time, may you continue to make a remarkable difference in the lives of the people you touch each day.

Solutions

Company

Resources

Career

Blog

Events

Contact Us

Connect With Us

Copyright © Etech Global Services. All Rights Reserved

Scroll to Top

Contact Us

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Brochure is ready to Download.

*Please check your Download folder for the downloaded file

Download E-Book

Download E-Book

Download E-Book

Free Download Presentation

Free Download Presentation

Free Download Presentation

Free Download Presentation

Free Download Presentation

Free Download Presentation

Free Download Presentation

Free Download Presentation

Free Download Presentation

Download Presentation

Free Download Presentation

Free Download Presentation

Download Brochure

Download Brochure

Download Brochure

Download Brochure

Download Brochure

Download Brochure

Download Case Study

Download Case Study

Download Case Study

Read our Privacy Policy for details on how your information may be used.

Download Case Study

Download Case Study

Free Download Presentation

Download Brochure

Thank you for sharing your details. Click below link to watch.

https://www.youtu.be/xtPb9lU-Wsg

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Ebook is ready for Download.

Download Now!

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Ebook is ready for Download.

Download Now!

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Ebook is ready for Download.

Download Now!

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Presentation is ready for Download.

Download Now!

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Presentation is ready for Download.

Download Now!

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Presentation is ready for Download.

Download Now!

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Presentation is ready for Download.

Download Now!

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Presentation is ready for Download.

Download Now!

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Presentation is ready for Download.

Download Now!

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Presentation is ready for Download.

Download Now!

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Presentation is ready for Download.

Download Now!

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Presentation is ready for Download.

Download Now!

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Presentation is ready to Download.

*Please check your Download folder for the downloaded file

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Presentation is ready for Download.

Download Now!

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Presentation is ready for Download.

Download Now!

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Brochure is ready for Download.

Download Now!

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Brochure is ready for Download.

Download Now!

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Brochure is ready for Download.

Download Now!

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Brochure is ready for Download.

Download Now!

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Brochure is ready for Downloads.

Download Now!

Thank you for sharing your details. Your brochure is ready for Download.

Download Now!

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Case study is ready for Download.

Download Now!

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Case study is ready for Download.

Download Now!

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Case study is ready for Download.

Download Now!

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Case study is ready to Download.

*Please check your Download folder for the downloaded file

Thank you for sharing your details. Your Case study is ready to Download.

Download Now!