http://contactcenter.ning.com/

http://www.icmi.com

http://www.hthts.com/index.htm

In either case, self management is the key.   And like anything else, it needs to be supported at all levels of the organization.  You know which of your agents self manage and which ones don’t.  The tricky part is figuring out which line supervisors and first line managers are comfortable with the self management approach.

Working with different clients, it’s become pretty easy for me to predict which front line management members are going to help drive self management and which ones will detract from it.   The advice I give  is - “sometimes you have to let them fall down and skin their knee”.

Don’t hover and try to correct each action.  Use recurring coaching sessions to point out patterns that are keeping agents from performing as self-managers.  If you hover and try to change each action you think is incorrect they will never grow.

It’s been a lot of fun watching and working with this part of migration to work at home.

For example, today I interviewed a lovely woman for a call center position my client has open.  She was on time, polished, professional, had extensive call center experience.  What’s not to like?

Well, my client is going through a pretty significant transition phase and the culture is shifting.  In addition, new technology is being introduced due to the lack of sophisticated technology they use today.

When I listened to the candidate discuss her extensive work experience she referred often to “this great software” that told me….., or this great process that allowed for……

I knew immediately that we would love to have her - but she wouldn’t love being there.  So, we’ll move on to someone who enjoys change and loves to contribute to the improvements and ideas used when executing a Customer Service Initiative.

Please don’t  just run out and buy a phone system.  Do you need integration to other phone systems?  Do you need multiple channels like email and chat also?  Do you want integration with CRM?  Are you planning to upgrade your current CRM?  Do you have a forecasted growth that will impact the type or size of phone system that you’ll need?  It’s not just IT projects to consider - be sure to have an open dialogue with Marketing and Sales, and most importantly your executive team.

It’s not just a phone system.  It’s the door through which you welcome your customers.  Make sure it’s attractive and that they’ll want to keep coming back.

Have fun doing the right thing!

The moral of the story is that as consumers, we tend to just believe the company we’re dealing with doesn’t care and wants us to spend more money.  We think we’ll end up in an endless circle of automated phone attendants if we try to call the company.  In some cases this is not true.  So, if you are that company that understands extreme customer loyalty and strive to provide, please be sure to let your customers know about it.

It doesn’t help to just provide high end, pampering service, you have to tell them about it.  Make it clear in your warranty instructions, market yourself with a message that is clear and tells customers they can count on you to do the right thing.  Then be sure to deliver on your message.

If you’re a consumer - please don’t give up hope.  Believe in the company you’re doing business with.  Hopefully, they’ll surprise you.

Prescribe a general philosophy that puts the customer first and then walk your talk.  Changing to this type of customer centric culture doesn’t happen overnight.  Agents will continue to seek management’s advice - and management better be consistent in their guidance.  Agents need to feel safe when making refund, return, and credit decisions.

I think there are two levels to this.  First,  have buy in at an executive level and make sure you have the corporate culture to support the change.  Second, tell agents to treat customers the way they want their families to be treated.  I once started an initiative of this nature and told the agents to treat the customer the way they (the agent) would want to be treated.  The shift to customer centric decision making was laborious.  However, I recently spoke with Rudy Vidal, renowned Customer Loyalty Consultant, and he shed a new light on the idea.  People that work in customer service tend to put others first.  So, instructing agents to treat customers the way they want their family members to be treated puts it in a perspective they grasp easier.  Thanks Rudy!

In addition to this advice, begin an incentive program that encourages agents to “Wow” the customer.  The rewards for their efforts should consist of activities that provide a pampering experience.  This might be a massage, a 5 star dinner, or a manicure - there’s plenty of activities to choose from.

It really all comes down to the Golden Rule.  Do unto others…..

So, develop the right culture, encourage your agents, and then reward them for their excellent service with pampering activites.  You’ll watch your customer loyalty grow by leaps and bounds.

If you don’t have user buy in, you risk project failure in many ways.  End User acceptance is key to a successful project.  If the end users haven’t had a say in the set up and overall navigation of the new system, chances are your project will fail.

If you don’t keep your users in the loop regarding project progress (or lack there of) you will experience a negative impact to overall morale. If you tell them you’re working on it over and over again - and don’t give them visibility to the project’s status, successes, and obstacles - they will lose faith.

Here’s a real life example:  A company is using an antiquated Customer Service application to process changes and cancellations to orders.  It sometimes takes up to 5 minutes to verify a zip code and often times “hangs” when adding items or removing items from an order.  The Customer Service Agents are becoming more and more frustrated with their jobs - because it’s hard to ask a customer to wait for these long periods of time, and the customer becomes frustrated.  One day, an agent called my attention to how long it was taking her to verify a zip code.  I “reminded” her that we had a lot of resources working on upgrading the system and told her it’s a top priority.  Well, turns out it was the first she heard of it.  Now, we give a weekly update to the agents to let them know when something better is coming.  And we’ve invited a number of agents to participate in design and testing.

In spite of not including the agents in the beginning of this project - this project will be successful; because now they are fully informed and engaged.

I hate to think of what would have happened if we hadn’t included them.  So, please keep your users and agents in the loop on project progress and changes to business processes as you go along.

When you have a Customer Service Executive representing your customers at Executive level meetings, customer focused decisions are made faster and with more accuracy.  A Customer Service Executive is focused on just that - customer service.  Revenue and Operational considerations need to be represented by someone else.  Otherwise, other priorities can get in the way of the customer’s voice.

For example - a company I recently worked with had their Customer Service department in the Sales and Marketing arm of the business.  The department ultimately reported to the Senior Vice President of Sales and Marketing.  This SVP was held accountable for growing revenue.  When he had a choice to launch a product line that needed a little more planning before it was released, he opted to launch it anyway.  His revenue grew - but low and behold - his costs sky rocketed.  If there was a Senior Vice President of Customer Service to add balance to this decision - the product release probably would’ve waited about 3 weeks and the costs for service of the product would’ve been much less.  After doing the calculation, the company actually lost money during those first three weeks.

So, if you say your customers are your most important assets - be sure to give them a voice.  Have a Customer Advocate at the executive level of your company.