Author Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, publishes books about business, customer service, the call center industry, and business and writing.
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD This fall, the thoughts of school age children everywhere are focused on returning to school. Some approach the new school year with dread and trepidation, a few with excitement and high expectation, and others with inevitable acquiescence and acceptance. Regardless of their personal perspective, many will be faced with the traditional […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD 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 available self-service to your clients or their customers, is it used […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. On a weekend trip a while ago, my wife and I found ourselves at the local McDonald’s for breakfast. “I’ll have a number 10,” I decisively informed the perky and personable teenage-looking girl at the counter. She acknowledged my request and smiled pleasantly. This encouraged me to make small talk […]
By Peter DeHaan, Ph.D. Voicemail systems have come a long way during their 25-year history. When first introduced in the early 1980s, these systems came in large floor to ceiling cabinets and did little more than match the functions of an answering machine. At that time, many call centers and teleservice companies feared that voicemail […]
Adhere to Best Practices, Follow Guidelines, and Write for Your Audience By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Consider this: “ABC Company, a strategic provider of advanced business technology applications to facilitate organizational utilization of game-changing convergent networks, announced today the release of its unprecedented Widgetizer solution, which is guaranteed to revolutionize existing technological infrastructures overnight.” This is […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD A reader complained about our content in the May issue. In fact, he was downright mad over our coverage promoting outsourcing call centers. The ironic thing is that this reader actually works for an outsourcing call center! Yes, they go by a different label, but they are, by definition, an […]
By Peter DeHaan, Ph.D. Your call center may be an in-house operation or an outsourcer processing calls and contacts for other organizations. Regardless of the type of call center you work in, there is a common need for increased, positive visibility. This is necessary for two key areas. The first is budgeting; the second is […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. For as long as call centers have been answering calls for doctors, there have been requests to handle appointments, be it to set, cancel, or change an appointment. Although the doctors were serious about these requests and the call centers anxious to assist, the result was, at best, less than […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. A few years ago I bought a new car. Although it wasn’t my practice to take my cars to their respective dealers for maintenance, a new car changed that habit. After all, there was warranty work to be considered and their coupons for low cost oil changes were enticing. It […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Two decades ago, as a first-time manager, I was green and had much to learn. Management had looked easy when viewed from the outside. Many times had I assured myself that, given the opportunity to lead, I would never make the same seemingly dim-witted, hasty, or unwise blunders that I […]