What's New at the Cafe- May 24th
May 24, 2008
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Hope everyone is having a terrific holiday weekend!
It has been a busy week at Call Center Cafe`.
Many terrific articles and features were posted to the Cafe` this past week. With so many new articles and features, it might be hard to keep up with all the great articles on Call Center Cafe. We thought we would make it a little easier on you.
Enjoy!
The Call Center Cafe` Staff
How To Have a Perfect Meeting (Avoiding Dreary, Directionless Meetings Go On Forever)
The title says it all! I think many of us have had the boss that loved to hold staff meetings- whether they were needed or not.
Al Lipper writes about ways to hold a meeting that is neither dreary or directionless.
5 Ways to Be a More Effective Manager and Leader
Duncan Brodie touches on the demands of managers and how each of us can be more effective. Read his article and see if there are any tips that can help you.
How Showing a Little Appreciation Motivates Employees
Martin Haworth always has good advice for improving workplace morale through positive means. We hope you find a chord in his latest piece on showing appreciation
Get More Business Results By Having A Little Fun! 
Do you think it's appropriate or professional to have fun in the workplace?
Research has shown that fun at work generally results in an increase of productivity, creativity, loyalty, and morale. Appropriate workplace fun is a key method for energizing workers and putting some life back into their routines.
Finding Your Business Management Style
Did you get a chance to read the article on business style by Nazir Daud? Nazir talks about the three categories that most managers fit into?
Which one did you fall into? Hope you enjoy this look into management styles
Autocratic Management
Democratic Management
Laissez Fair Management
Tim Connor takes a look at morale issues and learning how to spot the problem face on.
You would be amazed at how many organizations today, both small and large, have a serious moral issue lurking beneath the surface of all the smiles, happy faces, agreement and apparent cooperation between employees, employees and managers, and employees and customers.
The Biggest Mistake Potential Hires Make While Interviewing for a Job 
Ed Bagley writes about mistakes that many people make when interviewing and offers tips on avoiding these mistakes in your next interview.
Conflict Management Tips for Managers
Daryl Cowie recently wrote this article on workplace conflict management. He gives pointers on what to do, who to talk to when this situation happens in your life.
Online Call Center Outsourcing
May 24, 2008
By Scott Naxton
If you business has large customer base then you definitely work hard to provide efficient customer service to keep them happy. Many small and large multi-national companies such as banks, insurance or electronic companies, who enjoy the large customer base, need prompt and efficient customer service to handle customers’ inquiries and grievances. Customer service reflects organizational behavior and its strengths and weaknesses. Inquiries from customers should be given priority and must be attended courteously. Failure to do so may cast shadow on the market reputation of the company.
Having less time at the disposal, many multi-national companies now resort to outsourcing customer service jobs. This not only reduces their labor cost but also help in saving tremendous amount of time, which they can utilize in their core competencies.
Many voice and data based customer service jobs are now being outsourced to India and other Asian countries due to abundance of cheap well-educated workforce. They are even ready to work in shifts to help U.S. and western companies. Hence, Call Centers are ultimate answer for the wide customer based companies for all their customer service problems.
Outsourcing companies invest heavily in its infrastructure and staff. Their staff are well-educated and experienced and know how to handle overseas projects. Their infrastructure is world class and ready to meet the requirements of their clients’ needs. Many voice based call centers are now using automatic answering machines, which are doing most of the job for answering the overseas clients’ inquiries. These machines are technically so advanced that you can program it with the most frequently asked questions. Even if caller does not find answer to question, then call will be automatically directed to operator who will assist in getting right person. Sometimes calls may also be linked to a corporate data network. You will also get assistance from the online executives who are ready to help you whenever you call them.
Call centers not only attend the calls but they also help in solving problems satisfactorily. Even difficult matters such as high-tech matters are discussed and solved on phone and by exchange of emails. In any case, your calls are not answered properly, then it will be answered by senior employee in a detail email. Now voice and data network are being interlinked, thanks to network technologies, which help providing data information to clients without hassles. On the other hand, contribution of internet has added tremendously. Call Centers employees can now have a chat with clients, exchange files do video chatting and so on.
Please visit at Outsourcing to know more about kpo business.
Scott Naxton is a freelance journalist having experience of many years writing articles and news releases on businesses like outsourcing, internet marketing, health and insurance. He is also associated with KPO and Knowledge Process Outsourcing
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Scott_Naxton
By Scott Naxton
Get More Business Results By Having A Little Fun!
May 24, 2008
Do you think it's appropriate or professional to have fun in the workplace?
Research has shown that fun at work generally results in an increase of productivity, creativity, loyalty, and morale. Appropriate workplace fun is a key method for energizing workers and putting some life back into their routines.
Here are some additional benefits of having fun at work:
Fun fulfills the basic human need to be social
Fun can instill a sense of teamwork
Fun usually improves communication
Fun breaks up boredom that comes from doing repetitive work
Fun can dissolve conflict and tension
Fun can foster a positive company culture
Fun creates an opportunity for networking
The best type of workplace fun creates congratulations and "high fives" among coworkers. It might be a non-competitive ice breaker event scheduled in the office before a company meeting. Or it could be a sporting event that takes place after work with departmental teams that compete at the bowling alley or on the ball field. Lots of different activities can teach employees how working as a team can be fun as well as productive.
Social interaction among coworkers allows for an opportunity to improve one's "Soft Skills", or people skills. Soft skills are the compliment to Hard skills, which are the technical requirements of a job.
When having fun, we get to see our coworkers and managers in a more casual light. This glimpse into their non-business personality may make them seem more human and foster an improved, genuine relationship.
Matt Weinstein, author of the book, Managing to Have Fun, says that many bosses and entrepreneurs find it difficult to have fun at work. He feels they need to learn how to build more fun into the workday and to celebrate successes. If that doesn't happen, Weinstein warns that bosses can drive away the top employees who are responsible for those company successes.
But management can't just mandate that everyone else celebrate and enjoy themselves. The boss must participate, especially in smaller companies. Top management always sets the tone for the entire company, so if their fun isn't genuine or sincere it'll be obvious to everyone else.
Let's be clear that the following behavior should not be considered fun:
Telling inappropriate jokes
Being deceptive or playing pranks
Making fun of or teasing coworkers
Mocking or mimicking management
Play that intentionally excludes someone
Having fun at work should result in a renewed feeling of cooperation and a shared mission. If it doesn't accomplish this goal, in my opinion it's not a good use of company time and resources.
"A smile is the shortest distance between people." – Victor Borge (1909-2000)
Laura Adams is the host of the popular MBA Working Girl Podcast.The content combines brainy business school theory with real-world business practice from her career as a business owner, manager, consultant and trainer. Subscribe for FREE to this top-rated show and get the useful MBA Essential Tip athttp://www.mbaworkinggirl.com
Finding Your Business Management Style
May 24, 2008
By Nazir Daud
Business management combines an interesting mix of theory and practice, and it is a particularly good topic for management and entrepreneurial types to study. Finding a business management style that suits your personality and the nature of your business is both important and worthy of time investment, as being self-aware and being able to identify strengths and weaknesses of various approaches will enable more effective personal development and ultimately more effective management.
While many have their own individual business management styles, these are traditionally broadly categorized into three main classes of business management approaches.
Autocratic Management
Firstly, there is what has come to be known as the autocratic approach to management, which installs more trust in the leadership as opposed to the individual staff. This involves pulling rank and leaves employees in no doubt as to whom the management is or what decisions are being made. Rather than engaging employees within the decision making process, this business management style typically concerns businesses that require direct, effective leadership to produce results, often under pressure of working in a tough environment. Upon hearing the term autocratic, many tend to visualize a dictatorial approach to management. While that is perhaps the case, it is seldom as strict as this and it is often a necessary management style, for example in the armed forces or in a high-paced trading environment, where there is no margin for deliberation and group consideration.
Democratic Management
Alternatively, there is a business management style known as the democratic style, where employees are effectively engaged in consultation before decisions are made. While some consider this to be more motivating and more enjoyable to work under, it does nevertheless have its own disadvantages. Giving employees a say may undermine the authority of the management, and may ultimately cause inefficiencies in the decision making process. It is also time intensive, and perhaps not as effective in larger organizations with thousands of employees. While of course at a board room level this kind of decision making goes on everyday, it's one that works most effectively in slower paced business where decisions can be fully deliberated and considered.
Laissez Fair Management
An alternative to those two business management styles and the third main category is what's known as the laissez fair management style. This is by definition a more hands-off approach to management, which puts the trust of running the business within the hands of employees themselves, and allows a greater degree of autonomy than would otherwise be the case. While this is strong in creative industries, some business people find that this style of management can lead to a fragmented approach to doing business and is less organized and perhaps less professional.
Whichever business management style you liken yourself to; there are advantages and disadvantages of that approach. What's important is not that you recognize which of these categories you fall under, but rather that you're aware of the improvements that can be made to make your management more effective and efficient while also improving the relationships you share with employees at all levels of the organization.
Naz Daud is the founder of CityLocal. This Franchise Opportunity & Business Directory is for people who would like to work from home and be their own boss.
UK Business Directory & Franchise Opportunities
Business Opportunity & Franchise Opportunities
Copyright information: This article is free for reproduction but must be reproduced in its entirety, including live links & this copyright statement must be included.
Do You Care Enough to Keep the Very Best?
May 23, 2008
Last night we went out to dinner at a French Bistro restaurant in our home town in
The waiter did not engage you and seemed to be emotionally distant. The service was good, but no real effort was made to connect with us. It seemed so different than the Italian restaurants we love.
So what was the difference? My wife commented that you do not hear much about the French Bistro. The food was excellent, but we probably would not spread the word. Why? Because we did not feel cared about as customers.
Perhaps the owner of the Bistro could have a conversation with the waiter about the apparent disconnection with customers. The feedback given in a caring way could be pivotal to the success of the restaurant and the employee.
Do you create a remarkable experience for your customers where they are happy to spread the word? It does not take a marketing budget, rather a mindset of building relationships.
Engaged workers produce more, make more money for the company, and create emotional engagement and loyal customers. They contribute to good working environments where people are productive, ethical and accountable. They stay with the organization longer and are more committed to quality and growth than are the other two groups of not-engaged and actively disengaged workers.
Happily Engaged Workers
• Employees must have a strong relationship with their manager.
• They must have clear communication from their manager
• They need a clear path set for concentrating on what they do best
• They need strong relationships with their coworkers
• They must feel a strong commitment with their coworkers so that they take risks and stretch for
excellence
Engaged employees tend to get the least amount of focus and attention from managers, in part because they are doing what they are needed to do. They set goals, meet and exceed expectations and charge enthusiastically toward the next tough task.
Great managers do not leave these excellent employees alone. They spend most of their time with the most productive and talented people because they have the most potential.
The challenge for managers comes when the first signs of disengaging appear from an engaged worker. The symptoms need to be addressed immediately or else the disconnection is most likely to continue. Most of the time this disengagement process can be interrupted by having meaningful conversations that strengthen commitment through relationship.
Do you take the time to keep the very best fully engaged?
Working with a seasoned executive coach trained in emotional intelligence and incorporating leadership assessments such as the BarOn EQi and
Dr. Maynard Brusman is a consulting psychologist, executive coach and trusted adviser to senior leadership teams. We provide strategic talent management solutions to select and develop emotionally intelligent leaders and lawyers.
The Society for Advancement of Consulting (SAC) awarded two rare "Board Approved" designations for Dr. Maynard Brusman in the specialties of Executive/Leadership Coaching and Trusted Advisor to Attorneys and Law Firms.
Subscribe to Working Resources FREE electronic newsletter at http://www.workingresources.com Visit Maynard's Blog at http://www.WorkingResourcesBlog.com
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Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Maynard_Brusman
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Do You Have A Morale Problem?
May 23, 2008
By Tim Connor
You would be amazed at how many organizations today, both small and large, have a serious moral issue lurking beneath the surface of all the smiles, happy faces, agreement and apparent cooperation between employees, employees and managers, and employees and customers.
During the 35 years that I have spent consulting with clients in industries of all sizes, I have discovered from custom in-house bottom-up evaluation and interviews - that when this morale issue and its causes are not known, addressed, or shoved under the carpet - there is usually:
· poor productivity
· wasted time
· wasted resources
· customer turnover
· discipline issues
· a lack of creativity and imagination in problem solving
· employee turnover
· a circling of the wagons (departments and people)
· wasted profits
· and lot’s more…
How do you discover if you have a morale problem?
· don’t ask your direct reports
· don’t listen to the employees who always tell you what you want to hear
· start at the lowest level of employees
· conduct an anonymous employee survey
· use an outside resource to conduct some research
Every organization today is experiencing significant change. Change can be one of the greatest causes of poor morale. People are threatened by change and tend to pull in, hide, wait and see, not take chances, feel insecure, etc. You can’t stop the change, you probably can’t slow it down; you most likely are a victim of its relentless charge forward. So, what can you do to prevent it from having a negative impact on morale? Communicate everything (good news, as well as bad news) openly, on a timely basis, to the people who need to know or will be impacted.
Tim Connor, CSP is an internationally renowned sales, management and leadership speaker, trainer and best selling author. Since 1981 he has given over 3500 presentations in 21 countries on a variety of sales, management, leadership and relationship topics. He is the best selling author of over 60 books including; Soft Sell, That’s Life, Peace Of Mind, 91 Challenges Managers Face Today and Your First Year In Sales. He can be reached at tim@timconnor.com,
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Tim_Connor
3 Customer Service Ideas to Earn Customer Satisfaction and Customer Loyalty
May 23, 2008
Customer service has never been worse than it is in today's business environment. With companies trimming their budgets as much as possible, there isn't the time or money to spend on customer service skills. If it can be automated, it gets automated no matter how inconvenient it is for the customer.
How many times have you been ready for the now familiar message "please listen carefully for our options have changed" only to find yourself screaming at the phone after one too many option levels? Hey - it works for the business - it keeps their operating overhead down - they don't have to staff as many people as they used to because the call tree does the job on auto-pilot. No late or sick employee to worry about. No customers complaining about your phone receptionist cutting them off or having a bad attitude.
When you stop to think about all the conveniences we have lost over the years, it's pretty astounding. Doesn't it seem like we're doing more with all the automation that was supposed to make our lives easier? No more secretaries; we have a computer. No more gas jockey; we can do it ourselves and we even get to watch TV while we're pumping. Nobody to answer your call or tell you when they will; you can leave a message.
I don't know about you but all this convenience can be very frustrating for me. I can't ever sit back and let somebody else do the task because I'm expected to use self-serve. I remember the days when service people were expected to be extremely helpful. We have begun to expect poor service and we are no longer surprised when it occurs.
This is the perfect time for small businesses to step up and offer that which cannot be offered by the big companies. Convenience is such a big selling point, how about offering customer service as a convenience for your customers? Many small businesses are run by owners that are too busy running the business to implement good customer service on the Internet. In fact, customer issues may be rare and infrequently occurring, but as the business grows good customer service becomes a necessity. The business owner will eventually find it difficult and overwhelming in the long run.
The post sales process is just as important as the initial sales process when it comes to customer loyalty. A poorly treated customer will not have a reason to do business with you again even when you roll out new products and services. Here's three ideas for you to implement that will not take excessive time or money but will increase customer satisfaction and customer loyalty:
Follow-Up Personally with an Irate Customer
Running a business is like having a new adventure every day. You can never be surprised when the unexpected happens, only be ready to deal with it. When things go terribly wrong for your customer, have someone follow-up with a phone call. You may be surprised to learn that Internet shoppers think of online businesses with a bit of celebrity stars in their eyes. It is totally unexpected that an online business would call them to apologize for any inconvenience and make sure the issue was resolved to their satisfaction. I've done it - it works like a charm every time.
Use Words and Phrases Guaranteed to Calm Any Customer
Customers enjoy the speed of the purchase and the anticipation of the immediate download shopping on the Internet for digital products. Things can go bump in the night at any point in the purchase process, even getting to the download page. Make it easy for your customer to report the issue by having at least one method guaranteed to get results within four hours. And then be sure you always include "we apologize for the inconvenience", "please reopen this ticket if further assistance is needed", "thank you for notifying us of this problem", "please", "thank you", "we're so sorry for the delay", etc. This type of acknowledgment lets the customer know that you care. Isn't that really what we want?
Give the Customer Value for Their Inconvenience
New people are coming to the Internet every day so you should expect and plan for the "this is my first time" issues. One way you can do that is to provide your customer with more information than is required to resolve the issue. For example, solving the issue and telling your customer how to prevent a similar issue in the future will assist them in using the Internet and they will greatly appreciate the extra time and effort your business took to assist them.
Combine all three of the above ideas and you will provide customer service few have seen on the Internet, let alone in many offline businesses today.
Digital Info Diva™ supports Internet Marketers. Sign up for The Diva's customer service tips for Internet businesses and learn how to profit from your customer issues.
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Sherri_Wynters
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Effective Leadership Is Leading From Core Values within the Strategic Plan
May 22, 2008
By Leanne Hoagland-Smith
Effective leadership begins and ends with the core values. Businesses or organizations with leaders who consistently demonstrate core values or those non-negotiable behaviors will always outperform those where the values are inconsistently not being demonstrated.
One of my clients recently had to give a presentation to the employees of a company in which he was just appointed president. This was in an industry that has significant leadership problems. We worked together to create an effective speech using PowerPoint. (Executive Coaching Tip: PowerPoint is a great tool to outline a speech even if you are not using this presentation tool to physically deliver the speech.)
Within this presentation of 21 total slides, the slide for what he perceived as the core values of the business was repeated 5 times. For his belief as an effective leader is that he must lead first from these core values as should everyone else.
Giving lip service to these values was not an option. His goal is that within 60 days everyone will be able to repeat these core values and all actions will be in alignment with these values.
Also, this executive business coaching client recognizes that the adoption of core values is a great performance appraisal tool. If individuals are not performing according to the core values, discussing their performance during those critical appraisal interviews becomes far easier.
Just imagine for a moment, if you as a business leader had everyone leading from a value centered position?
- What would that mean for your business or organization?
- Would you have less redo's because value centered actions would become the prevailing attitudes or habits of thought as Zig Ziglar defined attitudes?
- Would you be able to focus more energies on achieving the desired results?
Of course, most businesses lack a strategic action plan that clearly articulates the core foundational statements including the values statement. This may help to explain why many of these firms have failed to achieve their desired results.
P.S. Effective means doing the right thing and should not be confused with efficient which means doing things right.
Download this free strategic plan checklist if you are creating or updating your action plan. Take a few moments to determine your effective leadership skills.
Leanne Hoagland-Smith helps small business owners to C Level executives from
7 Tips To Help You Maintain Your Discipline While Working at Home
May 22, 2008
by: ameenmk
The good news about working for yourself is that you don't have a boss breathing down your neck. The bad news about working for yourself is that you don't have a boss breathing down your neck.
Working for yourself can be great, but it can also be frustrating, especially if you don't feel that your self-discipline is in good working order. Self-employment gives you more flexibility to decide when you will go to work, what your priorities are, and when you need to take a break. But running your own business generally requires more self-discipline than you would need if you worked as an employee.
Thing is, self-discipline is critical. It is easy to get distracted or procrastinate. Family interruptions and our own resistance-especially when it comes to tasks that we don't like doing but that still need doing-can get in the way of making steady progress. Without a boss and coworkers around to help keep you focused, it will be easy to spend too much time eating, sleeping, watching television, golfing, or even working. You must be disciplined.
Here are some initial suggestions to help you increase your work discipline:
Treat the business as a business. Simply having this attitude can easily eliminate many problems. When you treat yourself like a real business, others will too.
Keep office hours. A realistic daily schedule fosters discipline. For many loan officers, discipline means getting to the office by
Make a daily task plan. Plan what you are going to do in the course of the day, and when you will accomplish each task. Consider making a rule that when you are done with the tasks on that day's schedule, you are done for the day. This will help avoid workaholism or burnout.
Know your rhythm. Some of us are morning people, some are best in the afternoon, while others thrive at
Set rules for yourself. Decide the circumstances under which you will take time off to play, read or watch television, what interruptions you are willing to allow, and when you will do household chores.
Dress for work, even at home. Similarly, some folks find that it helps to dress nice. No suit required, but the casual Friday look, for example, might be appropriate.
Create "company policies." In addition to setting rules for yourself, it is equally important to set policies so that family, friends, and business associates know what to expect from you and how to behave. For instance, you may find that your spouse or a neighbor expects you to do chores while they are at work. You may want to do this, or you may not. Either way, having policies that include this kind of thing makes such decisions easier.
Article Source: http://www.ArticleStreet.com/
Advertise With Us
May 21, 2008
Were you aware that you can advertise on Call Center Café?
We have multiple options available; all designed to help you reach your targeted audience: The Call Center Community. By advertising with Call Center Café you can capitalize on our high traffic from the dedicated Call Center Community. Our Optimized* site is ranked by Google with a PageRank of PR6**
Advertise with us and use our site traffic to your advantage!
By advertising with Call Center Café you reach the dedicated target audience: The Call Center Community. Our optimized* site is dedicated to Call Center Professionals from top to bottom.
When you advertise with us, you take advantage of our high traffic site. With a Google PageRank** of PR6, we have a solid market share of the Call Center Community with over 14,000 unique visitors that visit over 52,000 Call Center Café pages each month. By taking advantage of our high
It only makes sense to advertise with
We have:
Multiple Options Available: site-wide or selected pages for banner placement, our RSS feeds, dedicated E-Blasts and Weekly Newsletter ads
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Package Options: we offer combination pricing to include page site ads, newsletter and or email blasts!
Call Center Cafe Advertising Options and Pricing
We offer two methods of advertisement: Ad space in the top right hand corner of each of our pages and newsletter advertisement.
1) Newsletter Sponsorship/Dedicated Email Blasts
Our newsletter is sent out every Friday to all of our Call Center Tips subscribers. Businesses can place approved ads in our newsletter for $250.00 per issue.
The ad will also appear on one of our top page ranked CallCenterCafe.com pages for two weeks.
We also offer dedicated email blasts of approved CallCenter related information at a per subscriber rate. Companies announcing special events, new products or useful services have found our dedicated email blasts to be successful advertising. Our normal pricing for dedicated email blasts is $300.00 per 1000 subscribers. Our subscriber list is currently at approximately 3000 members.
For more information, please use our contact form today to ask any question or to get started today.
2) Online Ad Space
Located at the top right hand corner of each CallCenterCafe.com page (excluding our index & home pages).
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* What is optimization?
Search engine optimization (SEO) is the process of improving the volume and quality of traffic to a web site from search engines via "natural" ("organic" or "algorithmic") search results for targeted keywords. Usually, the earlier a site is presented in the search results or the higher it "ranks", the more searchers will visit that site. SEO can also target different kinds of search, including image search, local search, and industry-specific vertical search engines.
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PageRank relies on the uniquely democratic nature of the web by using its vast link structure as an indicator of an individual page's value. In essence, Google interprets a link from page A to page B as a vote, by page A, for page B. But, Google looks at considerably more than the sheer volume of votes, or links a page receives; for example, it also analyzes the page that casts the vote. Votes cast by pages that are themselves "important" weigh more heavily and help to make other pages "important." Using these and other factors, Google provides its views on pages' relative importance.
