Learn more about writing and publishing in Peter’s book: Successful Author FAQs: Discover the Art of Writing, the Business of Publishing, and the Joy of Wielding Words. Get your copy today.
Peter Lyle DeHaan is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book Successful Author FAQs for insider tips and insights.
I’m part of multiple critique groups (yeah, they’re that important) and receive all manner of feedback, from good to bad, helpful to hurtful. They fall into five general categories:
1) Unhelpful: Let’s start with this one and get it out of the way. Some critique partners don’t provide useful information. The reasons are numerous, but it includes people who don’t know how to give a critique, people who aren’t qualified (such as someone who only reads nonfiction, attempting to critique fiction), people who try to make their writing look better by criticizing others, and people who simply like to talk. We must discern and then dismiss this type of feedback.
2) Encouraging: Some readers gush with praise. They may not know what else to say, not want to criticize, or hope if they’re nice to you, you’ll reciprocate with them. We all need encouragement, but a steady diet of accolades will skew our self-perception.
3) The Big Picture: Some people look at overall structure; they address confusing passages, awkward flow, and unneeded passages. They may also suggest you reorder your piece, delete sections, or insert new content. Following their advice is time-consuming, but each suggestion warrants careful consideration.
4) Line Edits: Some folks are detail people. They provide copious comments on punctuation, word choice, sentence structure, and so forth. Their feedback is tedious to process. It is also most valuable, assuming they know what they’re talking about.
5) Less is More: These critique partners challenge you with one major item to address. Their words are concise and profound. One trusted reviewer simply smiled at me and said, “I want to see you bleed.” I immediately knew I needed to pour more of myself into my piece and not play it safe.
When we share our work, we’ll receive all five types of feedback. Knowing how to receive and respond to each one is critical to improving our writing.
Learn more about writing and publishing in Peter’s book: Successful Author FAQs: Discover the Art of Writing, the Business of Publishing, and the Joy of Wielding Words. Get your copy today.
Peter Lyle DeHaan is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book Successful Author FAQs for insider tips and insights.
Jamey Hopper and Darlene Campbell both contributed to the recently released book, In It to Win It: The World’s Leading Experts Reveal Their Top Strategies for Winning in Business & Life.
In addition to Campbell and Hopper, the book features Tom Hopkins and other experts sharing their insights. Hopkins opens the book by reminding us that “everyone is in sales” and then sharing his pointers to be successful when selling.
Darlene Campbell’s contribution is “The Difference Between Marketing and Sales: Clinching the Deal.” In it she recounts lessons learned from her days at toy maker Mattel. She would later apply these insights when she founded her own company, which is now known as Information Communications Group.
She desired to create a “culture of success” in her business, fully implementing it when she rebranded her company in 2002. Her chapter concludes with several rules for rebranding, reminding us that “customer service isn’t a department” and to always include the wow factor in our sales efforts.
Jamey Hopper’s contribution for In It to Win It is entitled “Eight Steps to Building an Outstanding Team Which Provides World-Class Customer Service.” Jamey opens with something we all love to read about, an inspiring telephone answering service story, this one an example of superlative service.
Building on the books Good to Great by Jim Collins and Mastering the Rockefeller Habits by Verne Harnish, Jamey shares the eight steps he took to change his company, Dexcomm, from good to great and provide superlative service.
These steps, he asserts, can be used by any organization “to provide world-class customer service.” Always striving to improve, he ends with this astute advice: “Once you discover the state of mind of your employees and customers, it is time to begin anew the process of building your company.”
In addition to Tom, Darlene, and Jamey, twenty-two other successful people share their stories, covering everything from sales to leadership to success, both in business and life.
In It to Win It was released earlier this year and is published by Celebrity Press; it can be purchased through their website and on Amazon. It is available in hardcover and Kindle.
I recently received a press release that surprised me. In part, it said, “It’s an open secret in healthcare communities: Patients lie.”
I suspect that the reasons are many. Some lie because they don’t want to admit unhealthy behaviors to their doctors. Others, by not voicing a concern, subconsciously deny its existence. Still others make their own determinations as to what’s important and what’s not, lying to keep from revealing what they deem to be irrelevant.
Yet I think I understand this. I’ve made casual comments to doctors, and the next thing I know they want to schedule me for a series of tests unrelated to my visit. Or they prescribe a medicine for a minor issue, and the drug’s side effects are worse than my minor ailment.
Sometimes these trivialities are verbally regurgitated visit after visit, long after I’ve forgotten them. As in, “Are you still suffering from blurred vision?”
I respond, “That was three years ago, and I haven’t accidently poked myself in the eye since then.”
Too often doctors only half listen. Once they hear a certain keyword, they tune out the details that surround it. They leap to a diagnosis or treatment for a problem that isn’t there.
Sometimes when we lie to doctors, it’s simply to keep them from reaching a wrong conclusion and subjecting us to needless tests and costs.
Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, is the publisher and editor-in-chief of AnswerStat and Medical Call Center News covering the healthcare call center industry. Read his latest book, Sticky Customer Service.
Author Peter DeHaan spoke at the Breathe Christian Writers Conference on October 12, in Dutton Michigan. This year’s conference enjoyed a record attendance and attendees flocked to Peter DeHaan’s workshop, “Writing 101: Getting Started in Your Writing Career.”
Although billed as an introductory session, it was attended by both new and experienced writers. “I was honored by the high turnout at my workshop,” said Peter DeHaan. “I printed three times as many handouts as I thought I’d need — and I still ran out.” After the session, DeHaan conducted one-on-one meetings with several attendees and had a follow-up lunch session with others.
“The response was great to what I shared,” added DeHaan. “The attendees were eager to learn and I was honored by their presence and feedback.”
Attendees were excited about what Peter shared. “This was an excellent workshop,” stated Cathy Rueter. “This was my third year at Breathe and [Peter’s] was one of the most informative workshops I’ve attended.”
Tom Zook, another attendee, enthusiastically added, “Excellent content; wonderful presentation.”
DeHaan will be providing follow-up information and free writing services to those who attended his workshop and signed up to receive his monthly newsletter.
Learn more about the Breathe Christian Writers Conference and Peter DeHaan.
Learn more about writing and publishing in Peter’s book: Successful Author FAQs: Discover the Art of Writing, the Business of Publishing, and the Joy of Wielding Words. Get your copy today.
Peter Lyle DeHaan is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book Successful Author FAQs for insider tips and insights.
Although I live in a rural area, my immediate surroundings are not; my house is in a subdivision. Even so, wildlife abounds. During the non-snowy months, at any given time I can, look out my office window and see at least one animal and usually more. I’ve spent the last five months verifying this to be true.
Most often, I see birds. Squirrels come in second; sometimes they’re in pairs: darting, jumping, chasing, climbing.
I also see rabbits; they’re common but not a daily occurrence (though I really don’t spent my time gazing out my window). When I see a rabbit, it’s always alone, which is a bit sad to mention.
But today I saw two: hopping, playing tag, just hangin’ out. Then a third one appeared. One hopped left, the other scurried right, while the third went in a circle. They were on the smaller side, perhaps siblings born this year.
Then, to my delight, a fourth one hopped into view, a bit larger and more deliberate in movement. I surmised this to be the mom. For quite a while I admired their comings and goings, their freedom, and their life.
I’m glad I took the time to watch them frolic; it was good to slow down – and to marvel.
Most people who work in healthcare are finding there are more pressures, work, stress, and changes than ever before. While there’s not much that can be done to stop that, we can periodically slow down.
Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, is the publisher and editor-in-chief of AnswerStat and Medical Call Center News covering the healthcare call center industry. Read his latest book, Sticky Customer Service.
I was quite skeptical when I first heard about “gamification,” the use of gaming concepts to motivate desirable behavior among customers (or employees).
I reasoned that while expecting customers to “play games” might result in a short-term increase in brand involvement or purchases, I doubted if it was sustainable. However, I am rethinking my initial assessment.
As a Netflix customer, I was likely involved in a basic gamification effort. As I posted movie reviews on their site, I was given a “reviewer rank.” As I posted more reviews, my rank would improve. At one point I had worked my way to the neighborhood of 5,000 out of several million reviewers. Bettering my reviewer rank became a game for me. Yes, I enjoyed watching the movies and yes, I found it rewarding to share my input with other Netflix customers, but the validation of my efforts came through watching my reviewer rank improve.
However, if it was a “game,” the problem was I didn’t know the rules. I assumed that more reviews were good, more readers of my reviews were beneficial, and more people flagging my reviews as “helpful” in comparison to “not helpful” were a factor. But this could not be verified, as everything I did was in competition with what others did. I could do something to improve my reviewer rank, but if others did even more to improve theirs, my rank would actually decrease.
I reviewed 71 movies and then abruptly stopped when I realized I no longer enjoyed doing so. It seems gamification may work after all — at least for a while.
While I’m yet to envision a viable gamification application for call center callers, I do see it as having value for call center agents: to improve their metrics, learn new skills, increase first call resolution, and enhance caller satisfaction. Plus, as covered later in this issue, gamification is also being used to improve employee health and reduce costs. Game on!
Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, is the publisher and editor-in-chief of AnswerStat and Medical Call Center News covering the healthcare call center industry. Read his latest book, Sticky Customer Service.
I needed to order some ink cartridges for my printer, the kind I can only buy from the vendor. I called and told the agent I wanted to order two black ink cartridges. Not surprisingly she suggested I buy a package that included two color cartridges. “No thank you, just black,” I replied.
Upon discovering the age of my printer, she tried to sell me a new printer. “No thank you – I just need ink.”
When I acknowledged that I own several computers from her company, she asked if they were working okay and did I…. “No, I just want to buy ink.”
Then she offered me a special price on anti-virus software for only…. “No, I only want ink!”
Next she inquired if I was interested in a maintenance plan to…. “NO, just ink!”
Perhaps she was supposed to try to upsell me five times, or maybe she was on commission. I don’t know, but I do know the call took much longer than necessary. I became irritated, and I won’t buy another printer from this vendor.
Now let’s imagine a call to refill my prescription. The agent says, “Would you like to meet with the doctor to review your current health status?” I decline.
“When was your last annual checkup? Should I schedule you for one?” I refuse.
“We have a special this month on colonoscopies, and I see you’re at the age….” I spurn that offer.
“Can I have a representative contact you to review all the services that we offer?” I reject her proposal.
“We have a new family plan to save….” “NO!”
What would be the results of this pretend health call? Did we have a positive interaction? Has the agent made a positive impression? The next time I have a healthcare need, will this organization be first on my list to contact – or will they be last?
Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, is the publisher and editor-in-chief of AnswerStat and Medical Call Center News covering the healthcare call center industry. Read his latest book, Sticky Customer Service.
Peter DeHaan attended the recent Festival of Faith and Writing conference held at Calvin College in Grand Rapids Michigan on April 19 through 21. The three-day event was attended by 2,000 from across the United States and around the world; it featured 64 presenters.
At the Festival, attendees were treated to an array of presentations and readings from notable authors, including Lucy Shaw, Shane Claiborne, and scores of other accomplished writers. The event also featured a concert by Bruce Cockburn.
Normally writing non-fiction, DeHaan focused his attention on several presentations about writing memoirs. “I’m currently working on two memoirs,” stated DeHaan. “Both address my lifelong practice of—and struggle with—church attendance. The sessions I attended will be a huge benefit as I write, helping me to navigate some of the tricky challenges that come with memoir writing.”
DeHaan attended sessions led by memoir writers such as Amy Julia Becker, River Jordan, Jana Reiss, Jennifer Grant, Margot Starbuck, Daniel Taylor, Kate Braestrup, and Paula Hudson.
“The Festival of Faith and Writing is a first-class conference,” DeHaan added, “and the beautiful Calvin College campus is an ideal location.” The biennial event started in 1990, with the next one planned for 2014.
Learn more about writing and publishing in Peter’s book: Successful Author FAQs: Discover the Art of Writing, the Business of Publishing, and the Joy of Wielding Words. Get your copy today.
Peter Lyle DeHaan is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book Successful Author FAQs for insider tips and insights.
Peter Lyle DeHaan, the publisher of Connections Magazine and TAS Trader, gave the keynote address at the recent SNUG (Startel Network Users Group) convention in Albuquerque, New Mexico, which was held March 11-14.
Peter focused his address on the theme of “how to get the most out of this convention.” He encouraged people to share ideas generously and receive information graciously, which he summarizes as “Peter’s Law of Reciprocity.”
With that as the focus, Peter then continued his address, expanding on this premise by adding his thoughts on “how to get the most out of your business and your life.” His presentation was well-received, garnering enthusiastic and appreciative comments from attendees.
On the convention’s second day, Peter gave a subsequent talk entitled, “The TAS Industry: Preparing for the Future.”
In it, he shared eight areas of consideration for the telephone answering service (TAS) industry to address if it is to be well situated for the future.
Despite all the rapid changes in the TAS industry, Peter is optimistic about the future prospects—providing that business owners and managers are willing to make strategic and well-informed changes.
“The SNUG group is a great association—with some progressive ideas – and I was honored to be invited to speak at their convention,” stated Peter DeHaan.
“Being around industry leaders and innovators is exciting and invigorating—and I was privileged to be part of the collective discussion.”
Peter DeHaan is a veteran of the call center industry and president of Peter DeHaan Publishing Inc, whose publications include Connections Magazine and TAS Trader.
Learn more about writing and publishing in Peter’s book: Successful Author FAQs: Discover the Art of Writing, the Business of Publishing, and the Joy of Wielding Words. Get your copy today.
Peter Lyle DeHaan is an author, blogger, and publisher with over 30 years of writing and publishing experience. Check out his book Successful Author FAQs for insider tips and insights.
