By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD I wonder if my local phone company is clueless; it seems that they just don’t get it. By “it,” I mean everything: marketing, pricing, customer retention, technical support, and customer service. Although they are surely aware that they no longer function in a monopoly environment, their actions belie that reality. […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD If you have technology in your call center, then you’ve likely been frustrated by false alarms and erroneous error messages. I was recently reminded of this as I searched for the source of an alarm, warning me that something was awry at home. The culprit: was a carbon monoxide detector. […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan I selected on an internet firm to file my trademark application for my new publication, TAS Trader. After a perfunctory phone call to remove concerns over their viability, I submitted my information online. This set in motion a series of email communiqués with their “trademark team” that became increasingly frustrating, lacking […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Recently, I had questions about my HSA (Health Savings Account). Expecting the worst, I reluctantly called my provider. To my delight, my call was quickly answered, there was no queue, and no queue announcements. I don’t even recall being subjected to an IVR on the front end of my call. […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Although I frequently write movie reviews, this is the first to appear in a trade publication. However, given that the setting for this Broadway musical-turned-movie is a telephone answering service, the justification can be easily made. In The Bells Are Ringing, Judy Holliday reprises her Tony Award-winning role as Ella […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. I often hear from outsourcing call centers (by the way, they generally email me) who wonder how they can obtain more clients. I have been hesitant to give them my ideas because that was not one of my strengths when I ran a call center, but I’m starting to realize […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD My family moved the summer before fifth grade, and I started a new school. I quickly realized three things. I was far ahead in math, hopelessly behind in grammar, and had been placed in the wrong class by the school secretary. The result was that my teacher gave me special […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD I’ve spent most of my adult life in call center related vocations. I’ve worked in call centers and for a call center vendor, did consulting for call centers, audited call centers, wrote about call centers, and publish magazines, newsletters, and websites about call centers. Call centers are a vital part […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD There has been a great deal of change in the DeHaan household over the past year. Last summer Laura and Chris were married, with Laura moving out of state and looking for a new teaching job. Plus, they both started graduate school last fall. This spring, Dan and Kelli graduated […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD A few months ago, I choose not to renew a tertiary domain name for a website. One semi-resourceful individual saw that it was now available, researched that I owned a similar one, and offered to procure it for me — not realizing that I was the former owner. (See “The Difference […]