Author Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, publishes books about business, customer service, the call center industry, and business and writing.
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD About six years ago, I made a presentation at a trade show about CRM (Customer Relationship Management). When I was asked to speak at this event, the choice of topic was left to my discretion. At the time, CRM was the new buzzword. Because I was unsure about what CRM […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD What will your agents say to make a sale? The answer might surprise you. I recently had two telephone sales experiences that didn’t turn out as I expected. The first related to changing satellite TV providers. An abrupt network lineup change left my family without their two favorite shows. In […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. I am a bit of a movie buff. Among my more arcane interests is a fixation with memorable, unique, or humorous lines from films. Some phrases make their way into pop-culture, such as Clint Eastwood, pointing his ominous sidearm and snarling, “Go ahead, make my day.” Others transcend generations, as […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Working in a call center is challenging and demanding work. Owning and running one is even harder. Daily activity seems, all too often, to consist of reacting to the urgency of the moment. There is little time to plan and few opportunities to look beyond the confines of the call […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Go back with me a few years. Internet-centric companies were the next big thing. It was purported that they would change how business was done, render traditional commerce models obsolete, and usher in a new way of valuating companies—at historically unfathomable and untenable levels. They were the dotcoms! Their basic premise […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. What is your self-service strategy? Is it in-place and fully functional? Perhaps it’s moving forward, slowly but surely. Conversely, you may still be contemplating what your self-service offerings should be – if any at all. If you do make self-service available to your callers, is it used much? How is […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD “My labor percentage is down to 28%,” boasts the owner of a mid-sized call center. “Have you ever heard of anyone lower?” he continues, as though seeking affirmation. “Twenty-eight percent!” I exclaim. “So, it’s good?” he probes, still seeking validation. I carefully consider my response. “No, it’s terrible!” I pronounce. […]
Closing a Sale but Alienating a New Customer in the Process Is Bad Business By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Back when my family had an entertainment subscription (aka cable TV), a new network launched, and we wanted to watch its shows. I wondered if my provider would offer it, but repeated contacts to our provider via […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD In every industry, there exists a Standard Operating Procedure, or SOP. This SOP is a collective compilation of what has been known, proven, and verified to work over time. It is the prevailing wisdom of how things should be done and how things are done for that industry. This is […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. With the United States’ fall elections behind us, I am now recovering from the inundation of all messages political. From these saner confines of a post-election U.S., I can address the “serious” problem of outsourcing. Succinctly put, outsourcing, an often prudent, wise, and cost-effective practice, has been politicized. Once a […]