Basically, his point is that a company with a physical dress code expects that their employees adhere to it. Coming to work in shorts and a T-shirt when the dress code is slacks and a button down isn’t acceptable.  In the same vein, a company can expect a certain voice “dress code”.  An example of this might be using slang when the company wishes to portray themselves as professional or not including certain phrases that are required by the organization.  The first would equate to the earlier short vs slacks example while the second would be more like wearing a uniform or certain color to work.

I’ll have to use this in the future .. it’s a good way to explain something to an agent that simply doesn’t want to follow the defined guidelines.

The biggest pitfall that companies doing this need to be aware of is something that I’ve also noticed in the last three places that I’ve been where this type of brainstorming session has been put to use.

Identifying 10 priorities to improve and then only hitting 10% of them.

It’s great to have some major goals.  That’s the point. But if your list of goals is unattainable because you’re trying to do to much with the resources available, you’ll simply be compiling the exact same list next year … and the year after … and so forth.  Pick the top three priorities that need to be done.

If you get them done before the end of the year, have a second meeting — there’s no rule that says you can’t optimize your priority list more than once a year.

If you don’t get them done, you need to look at whether the priorities are actually priorities or whether you’re simply putting them up because they “might look good” if they were accomplished.

Having a list of priorities and things that really need to get done because they are the “worst” of last year means that they really should be focused on.  Get them done.  If you don’t, not getting them done will end up on the “worst” of the current year — morale will suffer, your priority list will simply cease to have importance, and you’re just wasting everyone’s time.

If you’re asked the question, answer it with fault that can also be perceived as a strength (perfectionism, focus, control, etc) and explain how you’re working on controlling / bettering it.

I’ve got a membership to theladders.com and they write articles every so often. One of their latest articles has to do with the weakness question and how to improve it. I thought it was quite insightful. Due to it requiring a membership, I won’t copy the entire thing here but if you’ve got one, you can read it in their Ops ladder career advice section.

The writer, Rob Sullivan, suggests that interviewers ask the following question instead.

“Someone who doesn’t know you well doesn’t like you. What are five adjectives he or she might use to describe you?”

Once the interviewer has the answer, then ask…

“Now, let’s imagine you are on a team with a new person at the company. You notice there’s some tension between the two of you. You also realize that this person would probably describe you as …[insert their list of 5 adjectives]. How would you handle the situation?”

From an interviewer’s perspective, I think that this would be quite interesting and more insightful than a regurgitated Q&A. The advantage to the pair of questions is also that you’ll also be more likely to surprise the interviewee which tends to get a more direct and truthful response.

If you’re the interviewee, he suggests that you answer the question of “What are your weaknesses” with your answer to the above question. For example, in his case, he’d say:

Sometimes people who don’t know me particularly well get the wrong impression and see me as intense, angry and sometimes even aloof. Even though people who know me well would never use those words to describe me, I know I can come across that way at times. For this reason, I am taking steps to be seen as more kind and approachable – like being the person who smiles and says hello to strangers.”

What would you do or say?

Rich has an interesting point. Although I only partially agree, the fact is that metrics alone is not the way to measure your call center. Measure your center by understanding what it is your customers are looking for and then focusing on those aspects. As he said, a customer that doesn’t get a resolution when the phone is picked up because the agent is rushing through is a customer that will be extremely dissatisfied. The point of the call isn’t to get the customer’s question rushed through … it is to get the customer’s question answered. If it’s not, then reconsider why you’ve got a call center.

Customer satisfaction. Isn’t that why you’re answering the call? Look at the reasons — the REAL reasons.

Possible Reasons

1. My product doesn’t work. I need help. — What is this really? It is an unsatisfied customer who, if resolved, will be satisfied.
2. My bills wrong and I want it fixed. — Again, what’s the customer looking for? They’re currently not happy. They want to figure out what it should be and hope to walk away satisfied.
3. I can’t find X. Where do I buy Y? — Again! Satisfying the customer is the goal behind the reason for the call. The customer can’t find something. Help them find it. They wan to buy something. Help them buy it by telling them where that can be done.

I’m sure there’s reasons that customer’s call up because they’re not looking for satisfaction, but I can’t think of any off the top of my head. Because of this, think about why your call center is currently running and focus on the necessary aspects of managing it.

When you get busy and the adrenaline is running, you may find yourself speaking to customers faster than normal. I am going to ask you to take a deep breath before you speak, so that you can relax just enough to slow your speech down.

Even though you don’t mean to, when you speak fast, the customer could develop the perception that you are trying to rush them. This may even be true, but it is not the impression you want to leave your valuable customers. Slowing your speech also leaves the customer with the perception that you are more sincere and have time for them.

This is also extremely true in call centers — maybe even more so. The entire perception that people have of your service is verbal. There are no body signals. There is no eye contact. Your tone is everything. Keep this in mind the next time that a customer has contacted you and you start speaking quickly — whether because you’re busy or because they’re pushing your nerves. Even in a call center that focuses solely on your AHT, you’ll find that customers are more satisfied and they’ll actually understand you quicker if you talk slightly slower. Their response won’t, nearly as often, be “Can you repeat that?”

Slow down. We’re not in a hurry.

Reactions that I’ve had in organizations where I’ve helped implement sales environments into a customer service center range the entire length of the spectrum from “Cool! I can now work towards commissions or helping the company” to “I was hired on to do customer service and will never ever sell something.  You can’t make me.”  Really?

Imagine the following summarized conversation between Service Center (SC) and Customer X (X):

X: Hey, I’m calling in because my product isn’t working. It’s serial number 1234.

SC: Great! Let me find you a local repair center. That serial number is definitely under warranty and will be for a while longer.

X: Thanks for your help.

3 months later

X: Hey, about 3 months ago, my product failed and I had to have it repaired. It looks like it is doing it again. My serial number is 1234.

SC: I’m sorry, sir. Your product is no longer under warranty.

X: What?! That sucks. I wish you had an extended warranty.

SC: We do, sir, but you would have had to purchase this before your product was out of warranty.

X: ….

The Service Center has now failed in their charter to offer the customer the best service that they can.  Most self-coined “customer service agents”, however, don’t realize that.  They perceive talking to the customer about anything that could be a sale to be a negative because it is “sales” related.

The same conversation should have gone more along the lines of:

X: Hey, I’m calling in because my product isn’t working. It’s serial number 1234.

SC: Great! Let me find you a local repair center. That serial number is definitely under warranty, but it appears that it won’t be much longer. Did you know about our extended warranty coverage?  We would then be able to ensure that you didn’t have a lapse in your product support.

X: Thanks for your help.  I’m glad you mentioned that! Can you give me more information?

The fact of the matter is that all too often, customer service organizations completely ignore the major opportunities that they have to be able to generate revenue for their overall company.  Service centers shouldn’t need to be a 100% cost center.   Some, such as the one I am currently consulting for, would have a very hard time breaking even through revenue due to corporate or divisional policies, but there’s no reason that there can’t be some sales or some revenue being generated!

Some examples of service-oriented-sales opportunities include:

• Extended or UltraValue Warranties
• Accessories to physical products
• Product upgrades (with, or without, a trade in policy)
• Software updates
• Software or hardware enhancements
• Webinar training

Every business has their own opportunity, their own area that they could offer extra service to the customer and make the customer really happy by mentioning (selling) something.  It’s just a question of figuring out what that something is.

Is your group a customer service center refusing to sell? Remember, there are a lot of situations where NOT selling is more damaging to your customer service (even though the customer may not realize it).

One of the blogs that I read is by Penelope Trunk called the Brazen Careerist. She’s got some very interesting topics and subjects that she covers. In July of ‘08, she wrote a post called:

Figure out how much you should be paid (and three cheers for transparent salaries)

I thought it was quite interesting, specifically the transparent salaries aspect. Every company that I’ve worked for has had strict rules related to discussing salary. Person A wasn’t allowed to speak with Person B about their salary. Even ranges tend to be hidden. I’ve never really understood the logic within it.

According to Penelope, companies should simply have their salaries publicized. Everyone should know everyone’s salary. I guess I don’t see a problem with this and can see certain advantages. She brings an example of her own personal business and some of the employee’s thoughts on the concept into her blog.

For example, the person who was underpaid was not so much jubilant about a potential raise, but upset about his current underpayment. The person who’s losing the housing allowance mostly for tax purposes does not seem to mind. The person who is making way more than everyone else minds a lot that I’m planning on revealing everyone’s salaries. But honestly, I think that person will work much harder if everyone knows the truth. And it should be that way.

People who are paid more should be expected to bring more to the table — not necessarily work harder, but better, more effective, and more efficient. The concept of transparent salaries is something that, to me, is just an extension of the “pay for performance” philosophy that a lot of companies are moving towards.

It makes sense to me.

Service Untitled » The system won’t let me. – customer service and customer service experience blog

The writer of the Service Untitled blog pointed out some of the pitfalls of that particular word. It’s quite true. Consider what your customers hear when someone says “the system won’t let me”. I know what I think. The first two things that come to my mind are:

1. They’re lying. The policy is just that they don’t want to help people and so this is a good, easy excuse.
2. Their system team needs to do better. A system should NOT be what causes the customer service agent to not be able to help the customer.

If your policies are what’s dictating that the customer can’t do it, don’t tell the customer it’s the system. If it’s the system that’s causing the problem, don’t have your agents tell the customer’s that. Have your agents say “Let me find out what can be done and I’ll get back to you by XXX date/time”. And then find out.