Give Your Quality Team a Kick Start
May 12, 2008
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By Gail Yahner
Do you feel like you should start naming the days of the week after their behaviors?
- Maudlin Mondays – where they "can't get motivated" for the week?
- Tired Tuesdays- two days into the work week and you can see the productivity lessening?
- Where did they go Wednesdays- did they disappear or are they avoiding the boss?
- That isn't for me anymore Thursdays- are they looking for other jobs or career opportunities?
- Funday Friday isn’t fun any more
- Show no enthusiasm Saturdays- as the saying goes… I am up, dressed and at work; what more do you want?
Does this sound like your quality team? While we can hope for a motivated, happy team at all times, we know that won’t always be the case.
Since you can't just dump them, hire new QA's and start over again. You may privately dream that dream but that probably isn’t really an option.
Teams go through cycles and phases. Even the strongest teams have cases of the doldrums once in a while.
Once you determine that there are no underlying issues that need to be dealt with (or you have dealt with the issues) and it's just a case of the blahs taking over the team…. it is time to get that team Kick Started!
Show your appreciation: at least once a month come into work on a Sunday evening and leave little thank you bags on their stations! What a nice thing for them to see when they come in to start their new work week! You can purchase small plastic party bags at the Dollar Tree (or make your own), toss in a note pad, a colored gel pen or an unusual pencil, a stress ball and a few pieces of candy. It is like getting a Christmas stocking with stocking stuffers- fun!
Have your QA Team meeting outside- the weather is getting nice, so take that meeting outside and enjoy the change of scenery
Have a Trading Spaces for their work stations: team everyone up and have them do a work station redo. Limit the time to 45 min for each team and watch to see how many Hildi's or Doug's come crawling out of the carpet.
Hold a monthly productivity party: If the monthly required number of coaching/monitoring for the site is 98% or above, then the team has a Potluck Party to celebrate. With each team member bringing a dish to share and the site or the manager provides the main course. This doesn't need to be costly, think Italian theme ie spaghetti or a Mexican Fiesta ie tacos.
Create a trophy or award: let the team decide upon a weekly/monthly traveling trophy given to the QA that has the most monitors completed or has the highest quality ranking teams. Have fun with the presentation: make some well deserved noise, send out a "congrats" email to the center recognizing the honored QA. Once the trophy has been presented, it should reside at the workstation of the deserving QA until the next person pries it from their fingers.
Have fun and enjoy!
Gail is a contributing writer for Call Center Cafe, the Community for Call Center Professionals. As the self professed Call Center Quality Queen, Gail shares her experiences in Quality and Training with readers. If you are would like to read more of Gail’s articles please visit: http://www.callcentercafe.com While you are on the site, sign up for the free e newsletter: The Call Center Café Newsletter at http://www.callcentercafe.com/call-center-newsletter/
5 Simple Steps To Improve Your Customer Service Right Away
April 30, 2008
There are so many things we try to improve Customer Service. And the most effective are the simplest. Read about 5 ways you can improve right now!
There are 5 Simple Steps that you can do that will make a difference in your Customer Service right away. Some of the Steps will seem obvious.
It’s just that we assume everybody has what is commonly referred to as “The Basics.”
I’m here to tell you…….WAKE UP! And smell the coffee before it’s too late.
Here are the 5 Simple Steps to teach that will make a big difference.
1. Teach them to SMILE. I know, it seems too simple, doesn’t it? Why would I need to point that out? It’s because I travel all over the country and consistently receive better service whenever I am Smiled at. And I can always tell when I am about to receive less than Average Service when I don’t receive a Smile.
In today’s faster, unfriendly and discourteous world it makes a HUGE difference.
It may not seem too scientific, that Smiling thing. Just try NOT Smiling to your Customers for a couple of days and see what happens. Understand this is a big part of the Perception. When people Smile at us, we perceive it to be a much better experience, even if it was mediocre.
I recently had a meal at a restaurant in
2. Say their Name. It’s the most wonderful sound to our ears. Our Name. And when someone takes the time to learn ours, we feel really appreciated and will respond appropriately. Even in a quick Customer Service environment like fast food or dry cleaners, we will always return to a place that remembers our name.
It’s quite simple to do actually. Introduce yourself, and ask their name. It goes like this, “Hello, my name is Leonard, it’s a pleasure to meet you. Your name is…?” Whew, that was hard, wasn’t it? Here is the trick. Remember it by focusing on their name and either the color of their eyes or an article of clothing.
If you are in the restaurant business, introduce yourself, ask their name and when delivering their order, set it in front of them and say “Mary, you’ll really enjoy this dish.” Watch your tips go up.
3. Use Courtesy. Use those words you learned when you were little. They include “Please”, “Thank You”, “May I help you”, “How are you doing”, “Is there anything else I can do for you today”, “How did you find your service experience today”.
Courtesy also extends to actions, not just words. I worked at a dealership that emphasized things like walking your Customer to the item they asked about, cleaning the bathroom sink with a paper towel after using it and presenting the best possible face to the Customer along with other things that demonstrated their commitment to the Service Experience.
4. Ask for feedback from the Customer on the use of and experience of your Customer Service. Ask the right way. Instead of “How was our service today?” which will get you a “Oh, it was fine” kind of answer, ask “On a scale of 1 to 10 how would we score on providing Service to you today?” (It is the “Specific” question that gets results) You might get a lot more interesting answers especially if you ask the follow up question “Specifically, how could I make it a 10 in your eyes?” for any answer that is not a 10.
5. Invite your Customer to come back. The right way. It’s all in the presentation. “It was good to see you today, and I look forward to seeing you again. If for any reason you remember something we could have done better, call me at
I read somewhere that the most complex questions we face in our society are often solved with the simplest of solutions. Here are 5 Simple Steps you can take right away.
Customer Service is not that complex. It’s a Simple Business. We make it complex.
There is not a result unless you take action. This article is written in the hope that you decide what you would like to change and then taking action to make the change. If you like what you have read and would like to have more interaction to really have impact then email me at leonard@bizprotraining.com or call
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Leonard_Buchholz
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How Your Agents "Sound" Affects the Success of Your Call Center
June 14, 2007
Does that sound harsh? Yes, it does but in today’s world of increasing telephone communications, it is the truth. With the predominance of Call Centers taking over varied functions that influence many areas of the population on a day-to-day basis, the need for Vocal Empowerment in the Call Center is critical to both corporate profitability and individual employee success. The “sound of your agents” has a direct result on the degree of satisfaction that customers rate your company. Often customers equate poor vocal skills with intelligence, interest in problem-solving, and complete understanding of the situation of the caller.
Unfortunately, not just call center agents, but many of us live a vocal lie. Our voices - what we say and how we say it - does make the difference of whether we get the job, the next promotion, or even making it through the interview.
In the Call Center industry, managers grapple with performance measurements when metrics on some agents exceed minimum standards due to the need for repeated information and customer frustration with comprehension. Agent recruiters are always “listening” for clarity and good vocal skills in the next training class that is being assembled. Corporations continue to search geographic locations where dialect is minimal and the potential pool of employees is plentiful. I have seen that with proper short-term training and long-term coaching, call center agents can achieve proper vocal excellence.
Most people think that how they speak as an adult is part of their personality and not a physical skill set that they can change. That is not true. Through vocal coaching, the agent’s vocal ease and ability to be clearly understood without physical strain can be achieved. We learn our sound, our speech, and our vocal image from our environment. Fortunately, we can change that as easily as we first learned to speak. Improper vocal skills learned and uncorrected as a child trying to communicate with those in our world can be reversed.
Call Center Managers and Supervisors must invest in the vocal skills of all agents – whether they have discernible problems or not. Enhanced self-confidence and greater ability to concisely deliver the corporate message is an investment that will pay dividends for the agent, manager, and corporation.
There is no shame in needing this extra skill set to be learned and practiced. Many of the “basics” of education have been overlooked in the last several decades of progressive education. The skills of reading and comprehension are often discussed, but the lack of proper vocal training in pre-school and throughout elementary grades has all but disappeared from the curriculum. There are many training courses, schools and programs that address the needs of remedial reading and comprehension, math, etc., but there are only a handful of experienced vocal coaches that are training outside of the performing arts industry.
Most Call Centers budget for the latest in technology, and many purveyors of software for scheduling, scripting, up-selling, and process training for agents, but without the ability to properly speak and to be successful in vocally deliver the message, the desired results may not be attainable without utilizing the skills of a professional vocal trainer.
The ability to be able to speak with the proper vocal skills for 6-8 hour shifts does not entirely rest on the agents’ vocal skills or lack thereof. Part of poor vocal performance is related to physical posture, work-space ergonomics, and facility environment. With a brief evaluation of the call center facility, and by utilizing some fairly easy recommendations, in conjunction with formalized Vocal Training, can vastly improve the performance of the agents, but also will translate into greater employee satisfaction.
The ability to stave off high employee turn-over is an additional benefit of proper vocal training. By addressing the physical comfort and vocal performance, employees are more likely to stay within their current job.
The essence of Vocal Empowerment is made up of 5 Elements of Effective Voice: Interest, Clarity, Authority, Language, and Listening. When these skills are mastered and become second nature in daily speech, confidence and success follow.
Interest - Interest is an intellectual skill requiring that you orchestrate the rhythms of your sound.
Clarity - Clarity is a physical skill requiring the use of an active, exercised mouth.
Authority - Authority is an emotional skill that expresses your credibility about what you are speaking. Requiring self-confidence and cleanly executed emotional and physical choices.
Language - Language is the process of being able to respond to others with words and phrases which demonstrate interest, are clearly understood, and are informative, knowledgeable and helpful in evoking a sense of authority.
Listening - Listening is an act of respect and openness to others.
I am more convinced than ever with the global community that we all participate in, the need for clear and concise communications is vital to our continued ability to work together in an atmosphere of respect and trust.
When considering introducing Vocal Empowerment training, insist that training class uses interactive, job-centered exercises and techniques that meet every call center agent’s special performance needs in order to produce individuals who speak and move clearly with interest and authority. Demand that the vocal coaches and trainers have completed professional voice training and are able to illustrate before and after samples of their work and results. Request professional references. You are asking your agents to undertake a physical, emotional and challenging course. The trainers must be able to have a complete understanding of physical and vocal interdependence and be empathetic to the agents while still being able to effect a tremendous personal change to varying degrees for your staff members.
The success of your call center, the job satisfaction of your agent staff, and your company’s customer image are dependent on the ability to attain vocal empowerment for your employees.
Katherine M. Hart is President and Founder of Hartfelt Communications, a professional training and communications imaging company. Over the past 25 years, Ms. Hart has trained over 25,000 Call Center Agents, Corporate Executives, Politicians, Actors, Community Leaders. She has developed several programs including ICALL and the Communications Connection - a corporate communications training program to work with developing strong internal communications protocols that translate to greater customer satisfaction. For many other presentation, training, and vocal empowerment programs, please visit http://www.hartfeltcommunications.com Sign up for a monthly ezine-newletter "From the Hart" with vocal tips and communications essentials. To contact Katherine Hart for a recommendation from her network of professional voice-over artists to implement professional voice imaging in your company, please contact her at: khart@hartfelcommunications.com or call 312-786-1868
Article Source: http://EzineArticles.com/?expert=Katherine_M._Hart
http://EzineArticles.com/?How-Your-Agents-Sound-Affects-the-Success-of-Your-Call-Center&id=517903
Call Center Quality
May 17, 2007
When I purchased my first center I stepped in to a cluster. In fact, there weren't any processes in place that guaranteed everybody understood what our expectations were. We put this document into place for our QA. Doing this was a good idea because it provided all the reps with a clear understanding of what we wanted:
Quality Assurance
At ________, we are committed to providing quality, service and value to our customers because they are the most important part of our business. In order to keep our customers coming back for more, it is our duty to make sure the customer is satisfied. At ________We always strive to provide the customer with a World Class Customer experience by providing them with the best quality, value, and service. We must treat our customers with the utmost professionalism and handle our calls with “One Call Resolution”.
______________ expects everyone talking to customers to:
- Be courteous
- Know his or her job and provide accurate information to our customers
- Ask the right questions in a solutions oriented presentation
- Use Saves techniques on calls and use call guide when appropriate.
- Explain things in a way that the customer understands by avoiding Slang, Jargon- Remember, you are the expert!
- Handle Calls with efficiency by listening to the customers concerns, and by using your resources
- Make each customer feel his or her concern is important to you.
- Fully Explain All actions taken
- Remember to be courteous- treat each customer with kindness and respect
In order to ensure these expectations are met, we perform a Quality Assurance function in Customer Service. The Quality Assurance function allows us to:
- Provide you with the tools you need to effectively do your jobs
- To provide a consistently improving level of Customer Service
- Identify Client or Company trending
- Assess the level of service we are providing our clients customers
Bottom line: It’s to make you better!
Signature______________________________ Date____________________________
