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. […]
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, PhD People often contact me looking for information about the outsourcing call center industry. Sometimes I am able to point them to content residing on the Connections Magazine website or one of our other related online resources. These queries are the easy ones. Other times the inquiries relate to benchmarking and […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD My son, Dan, recently completed his first year of college. After spending last summer relegated to working a smattering of part-time odd jobs, he desired a different outcome for this year’s educational respite. He learned that it was important to start his search early to beat out the competition. By […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD My daughter graduated from college this spring. She majored in English and minored in Math; her focus — and passion, however — is elementary education. Although reports abound of a teacher shortage, that is not the case in our area. With above average compensation and several respected local schools churning […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Last month’s column, entitled “Answering the Call,” discussed the decreased call volume that most inbound call centers experienced in past years; many are still in the throes of this downturn. At this same time, a groundswell against outbound calling and its associated practices occurred, ultimately led to the enactment of […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD A few weeks ago, I did something outrageous. I stopped answering my phone. Although that is a bold, foolhardy step for anyone in business, it is heretical for someone whose entire professional career has revolved around the telephone. However, before you plan an intervention on my behalf, let me assure […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD I had been thinking about it for quite some time. However, something inside seemed to say that, “today is the day.” What was that something? It was seemingly simple and of no real consequence. I was going to reposition my computer monitor on my desk; it would be moved a […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD It seems that lessons can be found all around us – life lessons, business lessons, lessons of what to do, and lessons of what not to do. I wonder how many of these learning opportunities are missed because I am too busy, too caught up in myself, or too preoccupied […]
By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD Perhaps you’ve heard this story. Imagine you’re sitting in a college class. It’s one of those big classrooms, with tiered seating, able to accommodate hundreds of students. The class is assembled in eager expectation; what will the professor do today? At exactly 8 o’clock, he strides in and without acknowledging […]