Category: Call Center

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 and timeless writing assignment, “What I Did on My Summer Vacation.”

What I did, or more precisely, what my family did on our summer vacation is not noteworthy or unique as far as family vacations go. True, the time together as a family was special and the memories will last forever.

The time of bonding, through both the high points and the not so high points, fostered a deepened understanding of each other and a renewed respect for our individuality and divergent personalities.

My daughter summed it up succinctly, “Ya know, this is kinda like a once-in-a-lifetime thing.”

Family issues aside, it was also a vacation for me. It is one thing to take a vacation from the office; it is another to take one from work. Taking a vacation from the office means you aren’t there physically, but you’re still there mentally.

Taking a vacation from work, on the other hand, means leaving work behind completely. That was my goal; one that I accomplished with a considerable degree of success. Nevertheless, our vacation experience did bring to mind some workplace lessons.

Our vacation was a pull-out-all-the-stops, eight-day adventure at Disney World. The Disney experience and their unique vision for achieving high “customer satisfaction” is legendary and has been the focus of many a discourse.

While true and correct, that was not the central theme of the three insights I gained.

Change Is Not Only Inevitable, It Is Also Necessary and Must Be Ongoing

At each of the parks we visited, we would see signs of change. At Epcot Center one whole attraction was being demolished; at MGM shows present just a few months prior were nowhere to be seen, replaced with newer, fresher alternatives.

The Magic Kingdom had one area boarded up with the simple explanation, “New attraction under development.” Some rides were shut down for “maintenance,” other areas were being expanded, and new developments were being squeezed in where space permitted.

Even Disney, with its reputation as the premier family entertainment company in the world, is continually reinventing itself. If this is necessary for them, then it is all the more true for us.

If you’re not making an ongoing effort to keep your business fresh and moving forward, then the rest of the industry is going to pass you by; don’t get left behind. The moment you assume that you have everything in place will signal the beginning of the end for your business.

Nothing Lasts Forever – No Matter How Good the Idea

Several standard fixtures of the Magic Kingdom had been impacted by the march of time.

The ride 20,000 Leagues Under the Sea was no more; the lagoon still exists, but the attraction has disappeared. The Tiki-Hut was “Under New Management,” and “It’s a Small World” was, well, smaller – the portion of the ride outside of the building had been eliminated.

Even Disney, which has been thus far successful in re-releasing its animated movies every seven years for a new batch of kids, knows that no attraction will draw visitors and hold their interest perpetually. The same is true for us.

No innovation will last forever, no paradigm is without end, and no idea cannot be bettered. Today’s revolutionary, earth-shattering development is nothing more than tomorrow’s status quo.

Staffing Is Key

Despite all of the technology, all of the marketing, and all of the organization and structure, the key to Disney World’s ongoing success resides with its people.

As I watched Disney employees in action, their performances (remember, all Disney employees are “cast members”) were on a higher level than any other organization I’ve encountered.

Certainly they outshone everyone at the airline, which brought us to Orlando, as well as the employees of the shuttle bus company which took us from airport to hotel, but they also outpaced those at other theme parks. How?

Quite simply, they acted as though they enjoyed their work. They appeared to be saying, “I have a choice on how I do my job. I can do what’s minimally required to get by or with little more than an attitude change, I can make my job really enjoyable – for both myself and those around me.”

I assume their training played a big part in this, but I also saw many of them switch jobs frequently and conclude that variety and variation played a key role as well.

These are lessons we can apply directly to our businesses. Yes, we all advocate training, but do we really practice what we preach? Do we give our employees enough training to get by or enough to excel?

Do we do ongoing training, as well as live coaching and silent monitoring? All are required if we are to have employees who outshine the competition.

Then there is variety. True, our rank and file can expect little in the way of significant alternatives in their work as that is the nature of our industry, but even variations on a theme can have refreshing benefits.

To whatever degree your staff functions are divided, spread them out for everyone to enjoy. It may be working awhile as “lead” agent, or “dispatcher,” handling text chat, or processing email.

Even the opportunity to sort mail, make copies, or stuff billing can serve as nice diversion and refreshing alternative. To whatever degree is feasible, give your staff as much variation as possible.

Conclusion

It is highly unlikely that our businesses will ever achieve the status or prominence of Disney. However, we can all aspire to improve our business and take it to the next level.

Rather than be overwhelmed by the formative challenge that the Disney example sets and the enormity of the task before us, we are well advised to start small and put things in proper perspective by recalling the humble words of Walt Disney himself when he stated, “Remember, it all started with a mouse.”

Read more in Peter’s Sticky Series books: Sticky Leadership and Management, Sticky Sales and Marketing, and Sticky Customer Service featuring his compelling story-driven insights and tips.

Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Connections Magazine, covering the call center teleservices industry. Read his latest book, Healthcare Call Center Essentials.

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD

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. I

t was about the time that my auto servicing behavior was firmly altered that the warranty ran out and the discount oil change incentives stopped. Still, I continued returning to the dealer for service. It was smart marketing on the part of the dealer. Too bad their efforts were thwarted.

It was time for my regular oil change and I had a list of other things that needed attention. Since I am not a mechanic, I try not to tell them what needs to be done, but rather inform them of symptoms.

I want to make sure that I don’t ask for, and pay for, a tune-up when the problem may be a loose vacuum hose. It only took one passive-aggressive mechanic to do exactly what I said, while ignoring the real problem, to drive this point home.

When I dropped off my car, I said, “It is time for an oil change. Also, the car pulls to the right and it starts hard and runs rough.” I left anticipating that they would change the oil, do a front-end alignment, and give the car a tune-up. I estimated the cost would be about $100.

Later, I was somewhat taken aback when I was presented with a $175 bill. As I read the paperwork, my mild surprise changed to anger. Here is what it said:

1. Change oil: Oil, lube, filter, labor: $24.95
2. Car pulls to right: Test drove car; recommend front end alignment: $19.95
3. Hard to start: Instruct driver not to press gas pedal while starting vehicle: $56.00
4. Runs rough: Perform engine analysis; checks okay; do tune-up in 3,000 miles: $75.00

So, for $175 I had my oil changed and was given some costly advice. Advice to start my car differently, get a front-end alignment, and have a tune-up in a few months.

My complaints weren’t getting me anywhere, so I left – and never returned. Once again, my local mechanic, who I trust to do good work and to be fair, is servicing my cars.

Like call centers, car dealers measure the work their employees do. Mechanics are checked to make sure they are productive throughout the day, that they document and bill for all of their time, and that they complete their work within the “standard” allotment.

Mechanics who meet expectations are given raises and promotions; mechanics who don’t, even when it’s in the customer’s best interest, are given poor reviews and lower raises or let go. I have read that some operations pay their mechanics based on billable work.

Therefore, the more they bill, the more they make. I think I have been to those places, too. At one shop, specializing in unusual foreign cars, it seemed that every bill was always around $500. They weren’t in business long.

Other people also bill by time. Lawyers and accountants come to mind. I have been advised to never use an attorney trying to make partner. In order to get the attention of the other partners he or she will need to log over 2,000 billable hours a year, and their clients will pay the price.

I once saw my attorney across a crowded restaurant. I briefly considered going over to say hello, but quickly decided not to. Our only connection was the work he did for me.

What would we talk about, if not about our commonality? It would be all too easy for him to give some advice in passing, which I feared might result in a bill the next day.

I once called my CPA’s office to discuss converting my IRA to a Roth IRA. I talked with the junior accountant to whom I had been assigned. I told her what I was considering and asked if there were any other tax ramifications that I should know about.

She said there weren’t and suggested she do an analysis for me. “No, that is not necessary.” I replied, “You confirmed what I needed.” “But we just got this new program that I want to try out,” she begged. “Will you let me do an analysis for you?”

Thinking that we were friends and that I was doing her a favor, I consented. The call took less than a minute. A few days later, I received a bill for $100 and a one page spreadsheet telling me that I should switch to a Roth IRA.

The managing partner agreed that the charge was unwarranted – but insisted that I pay it anyway! He promised to “make it up to me later.” As soon as that tax year was over, I found a different tax advisor.

Many years ago, a friend landed a summer job repairing TVs. He was paid 20% of whatever he billed. Needing money and being enterprising, he analyzed the rate chart and quickly determined how he could add $35 to each bill for only a minute and a half of additional work.

He would take the back off of the unit and hit it with a burst of compressed air, charging $8.00 to “clean chassis.” Next, he would squirt the tuner with cleaning spray, charging 10.50 to “lubricate tuner.” Then he would turn on the set.

If the filaments glowed, he would bill $16.50 to “check all vacuum tubes.” With these rudimentarily tasks completed, he would then repair the problem and add to the bill accordingly. He earned a lot of money that summer.

It has been said, “What gets measured, gets done and what gets paid for gets done more.” Consider what you are measuring in your call center and what you are paying for. The intent, no doubt, is to improve the bottom line.

But carefully consider the consequences. In an effort to please you or to maximize their take home pay, are your employees directly or indirectly encouraged to do things that ultimately drive away clients?

If you bill by time and measure agent productivity, do agents intentionally, or at least subconsciously, prolong calls? If you bill by the call and track units of work per hour, do agents assume they need to work faster, setting aside quality?

If your customer service staff invoices clients for the amount of time spent programming accounts, are unnecessary features added? Are the bills padded?

Do they think they need 2,000 hours of billable time a year to get a raise? Alternately, are they passively-aggressive, giving the client exactly what has been requested, even when it won’t work?

Do your commissioned sales reps sell services that aren’t needed or even wanted so that they can meet their quota or earn a bonus? Do you have a “no credits” policy, either stated or implied, that leaves the only recourse to “make it up to them later?”

Lastly, consider billing. One only needs to look at phone company bills for examples of how to do it wrong. First of all, does anyone really understand their phone bill? Can the phone company reps comprehensibly explain it?

Often times they can’t. Consider the countless surcharges and fees that are tacked onto each bill. The amounts change frequently, but coherent explanations are rare.

These ancillary charges are blamed on the FCC, credited to an esoteric law, or attributed to local or state government when the intention was that these would be rolled into normal rates, not separately itemized (like gasoline prices).

On my long distance bill, dividing the total owed by the minutes used, reveals that my 4.5 cents a minute long distance actually costs me 9.7 cents a minute.

It has been said that 85% of all phone bills contain errors. Although we generally accept all of this as a necessary evil, is it any wonder that we mistrust our phone bills and the companies behind them? If there were a real alternative, wouldn’t we all switch?

What message do your bills send? Are your bills easy to understand and read? Can your staff correctly and concisely explain every line item and charge? Are you billing surcharges and blaming it on HIPAA?

What about holiday fees, call logging charges, phone number rental, on-call fees, and so forth? Are you making your clients’ 95 cent a minute service, actually cost them $1.50? Are your clients silently accepting these charges, but ready to jump ship when a real alternative arrives?

Yes, there can be sound business reasons for each task that you track and measure, for every activity that receives extra compensation, and for all the charges on your bills.

Arguments can be made that these practices leave your company stronger and more profitable, but there is also the risk that they push clients away, giving them an excuse to leave when anyone else comes along promising a better way.

Don’t be “penny wise and pound foolish” when it comes to client retention; being truly astute and pragmatic – from the clients’ perspective – will produce the result you want.

Read more in Peter’s Sticky Series books: Sticky Leadership and Management, Sticky Sales and Marketing, and Sticky Customer Service featuring his compelling story-driven insights and tips.

Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Connections Magazine, covering the call center teleservices industry. Read his latest book, Healthcare Call Center Essentials.

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD

“You need a hobby,” my wife exclaimed in exasperation. I don’t recall the circumstances, but it is safe to assume that I was doing something she deemed a nuisance. Regardless of the cause of her frustration, her impromptu advice gave me pause. Yes, a pastime, a relaxing diversion, would be good, but what should I do?

I briefly considered stamp and coin collecting, both of which I sporadically dabbled in during my youth. But I realized that my interest lay solely in the hope of stumbling onto a valuable find or realizing greatly appreciated value over time. These were not hobbies but investments, investments which demanded time, organization, and planning. They would be more like work – far removed from a relaxing hobby.

I asked myself what I was interested in. What about my proclivity for watching classic movies? But to be a true hobby, I reasoned, it must consist of more than watching timeless films.  It seemed that to reach hobby status, I would need to collect them, or catalog them, or perhaps read about them. This additional effort, however, would serve to diminish my infatuation with ageless cinema.

Next, I considered a passing, yet ongoing attraction to crossword puzzles. Even though I had only rarely picked up a crossword puzzle and was never able to complete one, it did seem like a worthy pursuit, a good complement to my interest in words and my longstanding effort to use them to help, educate, and inspire. Yes, I concluded, crossword puzzles would be my new hobby. I began looking for these word challenges, setting aside time to contemplate and complete them, reasoning that with a consistent effort I would improve. I was wrong. By my own initiative, I had not been able to develop my skills.

The turning point came by chance, on a plane. As I puzzled over the seemingly impossible offering in the airline magazine, I sensed that my seatmate was reading over my shoulder. Finally, no longer able to contain herself, she gently whispered, “You should know 12 down.” I looked at the clue anew and an answer formed in my mind. I shared my suspicion with her and with a pleased smile, she confirmed it to be correct. Immediately, she apologized for intruding, but I assured her that her help was appreciated. Though she attempted to distract herself, a few minutes later she was again captivated by my perplexing puzzle, so I slid the magazine in her direction, allowing us both to see it. She quickly directed my attention to another clue, encouraged me think in a different direction, and then confirmed my uncertain solution. Again, she apologized and again I said it was okay. This pattern repeated itself throughout the flight and soon we had most of the puzzle complete. I learned that she was a retired schoolteacher and that one of her many interests was crossword puzzles. She shared with me tips for discerning a puzzle’s theme and how to tap in to it. She gave advice on deciphering seemingly arcane clues and cutting through the deceit of intentionally misleading references. In the span of an hour, she gave me the direction and education that I needed to improve my skills and increase my enjoyment in my nascent hobby.

Another interest of mine is horticulture, one instilled in me by my parents, but I only gave it passing attention for many years. My home’s landscape once consisted only of green grass and strategically placed trees. Inside the house were one miniature orange tree and a lone aloe plant.  (Aloe is a reoccurring word in many a crossword puzzle.)  To increase the greenery inside and add color outside, I endeavored to tap into this slumbering fascination with plants. Again, guidance was in order and easily found in my parents. They have more insight and experience in this area than anyone else I know. Plus, any additional information can be quickly uncovered in their treasure trove of resource books, which would rival or surpass many a library. Now my yard has an abundance of carefully selected plants and shrubs, designed to add color and beauty throughout the growing season. My indoor collection has also greatly expanded, at times prompting complaints of overflowing its designated areas.

All of us, myself included, need guidance in many endeavors, not just hobbies. When I embarking on my consulting career, many people gave me sage advice. Three people in particular stand out. One was an industry friend who helped me sort through and clarify a transition strategy and first year game plan. Another was an industry consultant who shared years of experiences and warned of common pitfalls. The third was a consultant in a parallel industry who gave expert recommendations for a pricing strategy. Together, these folks shortened my learning curve and paved the way to success.

In similar fashion, when I bought this magazine, the sellers provided a wealth of advice, guidance, and recommendations. Even now, with his formal consulting commitment long past, Steve Michaels continues to generously share his ideas and observations. I also needed assistance from a publishing insider and contracted with an industry guru who quickly got me up to speed on standard practices and procedures for the magazine business. In a previous column, “Going Virtual,” I mentioned that I have outsourced key aspects of Connections Magazine. Though I could lay out and design each issue, it is better left in the capable hands of Dave Margolis, whose design cleverness and creativity far surpasses anything I could offer. Similarly, I could handle advertising sales, but that important task is better suited to the focus, tenacity, and precision of Valerie Port. Additionally, I tap others to proofread articles and catch errors that I overlook.

As with most businesses, I have an attorney to assist with legal matters and a CPA to navigate the maze of accounting and tax issues imposed by the IRS. Like many of you, I even have a computer and technology expert available to guide me through the latest developments with Microsoft, the Internet, and computer hardware.

The point is that I get help from many people. With some, it is a formal, contractual arrangement; with others, it is informal and freewheeling. In all cases, it helps me find a quicker and better path to an end goal or desired result.

All of this is outsourcing in one form or another. In a previous column, I advanced the premise that any aspect of a call center (save the ownership aspect) could be and has been outsourced. I added that for every call center, there was at least one key area that should be outsourced. Indeed, no one can master everything, and no company can excel in all areas. If someone else can do something you can’t, tap into his or her expertise; it is foolish to proceed under your own resolve. Likewise, if someone else can do something better than your company can, form a partnership or outsourcing arrangement. Today, when excellence is expected and demanded, are you better off to do an acceptable job in the house or to do a superb job with the help of others? We can all use a little help from our friends.

Read more in Peter’s Sticky Series books: Sticky Leadership and Management, Sticky Sales and Marketing, and Sticky Customer Service featuring his compelling story-driven insights and tips.

Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Connections Magazine, covering the call center teleservices industry. Read his latest book, Healthcare Call Center Essentials.

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD

It amuses me to tell people that I went to college for 26 years. Their reactions vary from shock to admiration, from pity to surprise.

As a high school sophomore, I learned that the local community college would admit select high school seniors. Acting partly out of youthful arrogance and partly from moxie, I met with an admissions counselor, hoping to be admitted the following year. The advisor never asked my age or my grade as he mechanically pulled my high school transcript. Apparently mathematically challenged, he struggled to convert my quarterly grades into the semester credits to which he was accustomed. “Well,” he eventually concluded, “it sure looks like you have enough credits.”

I completed my first college class before I started my junior year in high school. I took at least one class a semester for the next two years. College offered a challenge that high school lacked. And though I earned high marks in high school, I excelled in my college courses.

As my senior year in high school wound down, classmates began announcing their college plans. My best friend was headed to a private school to study a new field called computer science. It seemed an interesting and promising choice and I decided to follow her there.

However, despite my parents having sacrificed to make weekly deposits into my college fund since the day I was born, the amount they had accumulated was woefully inadequate. This reality, coupled with the frequent media reports of college graduates being under-employed in entry-level positions, led me to a more practical decision. I enrolled in an electronic technical school, where I could quickly learn practical job skills and enter the work force, for a fraction of the cost. Upon graduation, I grabbed the first job that came along: repairing copy machines.

It quickly became apparent that this was not the job for me. My electronic school credential read, “electronic engineering technician,” and though I fancied myself an engineer, prospective employers more correctly viewed me as a technician. To make the career change I wanted, I needed more education. I reapplied to community college and earned a pre-engineering degree.

I transferred to a local university and enrolled in its electrical engineering program. Well before graduation, a job change took me out of state. I established residency there and resumed my education. During this time, I responded to a help wanted ad. The stated salary was three times what I was currently making. I met every qualification and dashed off my resume, fully expecting to be hired. But I was never even interviewed. I later learned that the company was deluged with applications and it summarily rejected every applicant without a four-year college degree. I resolved to never let that happen again.

Now, cynically convinced that a college degree was little more than an attendance certificate, I sought the shortest path to a four-year degree. I found the perfect solution. It was geared for full-time employees who had at least two years of college. By attending evening classes, in an intense one-year program, I could parlay my various college credits with documented experiential learning into a bachelor’s degree. I didn’t care what the degree was in; I just wanted that piece of paper. As the school year wound down, however, I met with a surprise at work. In my annual review, I was told that my management skills had greatly improved and I was rewarded with a substantial raise. Although I had been striving for an arbitrary credential, I inadvertently ended up improving my job skills. I shared this news with my professor, thanking him profusely. In what I thought was unwarranted humility he dismissed my gratitude. “I don’t deserve any credit,” he said matter-of-factly. “All we did was offer you an opportunity; it was up to you to make something of it. It’s what you have inside that made the difference.” It was years before I would fully comprehend what he said.

Now seeing a direct connection between education and earning power, I returned for a second major. What I had previously learned were “soft” skills (interpersonal communication, group dynamics, human nature, and so forth). Now I needed to complement this with course work in accounting, business law, and strategic planning. This major, business administration, would enhance my job skills, making me a better employee.

After a few years, missing the elixir of education and feeling inadequate as a manager, I began considering a master’s degree. Again, I found a program geared for the non-traditional student. Their offer was compelling, but even more intriguing was that for an additional fee, in advance, I could enroll in a joint masters/doctorate program. And I did. I anticipated that the master’s degree would make me complete as a manager, but I viewed the doctorate more as a personal milestone. My master’s degree was completed as planned and I immediately began working on the doctorate, which I had two years to complete. Already worn down by the intensity of the master’s, I soon regretted committing to the doctoral program. But stubbornness prevailed and I plodded on, meeting the requirements only a few months before the deadline. I was 42; it was 26 years since I had gotten a jumpstart on college at age 16. There were some diversions along the way, job changes, relocations and even a few breaks, but for the majority of that time, I was attending classes – somewhere.

So for me, college has meant many things: a challenge, a means to a job, help with a career change, an attendance certificate, an avenue to a better salary, enhancer of job skills, and management training. College can be many things depending on what you need and what you want to accomplish, but it is not a cure-all.

As a consultant, I do weeklong call center audits. I begin the week with an overview of the client’s company and then drill down to uncover weaknesses and opportunities. In doing so, a distressing pattern has emerged. On about the third day, I often find myself in a follow-up meeting with the person who manages the call center. That person’s common concern is presented in different ways and with various levels of emotion, but it always boils down to the same sentiment: “I feel inadequate as a manager. I think I need a college degree.”

It breaks my heart when I hear this. These are successful, dynamic women, who have started at entry-level positions and through hard work, dedication, and a talent for doing what’s nearly impossible, have risen to significant positions. These are individuals who oversee the majority of their organization’s work force, control about half of the expenses (primarily labor costs), and maintain virtually all of the incoming cash flow, yet they still feel inadequate. They believe that a degree will make everything right. This always catches me by surprise because they conduct their work with such great aplomb, confidence, and success. I am never sure what to say, but next time I will be ready.

I will say, “Yes, college can help you. If you have the opportunity to go and are willing to make the sacrifices of time and money, while putting much of your life on hold, then do it. It will make you a better manager. But it is not a panacea. There will still be times when you will feel overwhelmed or inadequate or unprepared. Most managers have these feelings. But a formal education isn’t everything.

While my educational choices have, in part, enabled me to get to where I am today, I know that had I gone down a different path, the result would be no less meaningful, because as my college professor said, “It’s what you have inside that makes the difference.”

What if you don’t already have a career? These comments about college are strictly for those who have an established career. For the recent high school graduate and those just starting out or without a career path, I always recommend college, provided they can handle the workload. Being a traditional student and going to school full-time allows you to get your degree in the shortest time, but it is not financially possible for everyone. In this case, as for me, you can intersperse education with vocation. Although this approach takes longer, it enhances the experience as your education is magnified by your work and your work is complemented by your education.

What if you have no idea what to study? If this is the case, be sure and pursue marketable job skills (don’t focus on skills that will maximize earning potential, but rather on what will maximize your enjoyment of life – which is not money.)  For those who are analytical thinkers, business and computers are good pursuits; for creative minds, consider marketing or graphic arts. And remember, many college graduates don’t end up working in the field they studied, but rather they use their education as an entry-point to the work force. Once you have successfully proven yourself in full-time employment, work history generally becomes more important than your degree — as long as you have it.

So, go to college, study hard, make the most of the opportunity that you are given, and remember, it’s what’s inside that makes the difference.

Read more in Peter’s Sticky Series books: Sticky Leadership and Management, Sticky Sales and Marketing, and Sticky Customer Service featuring his compelling story-driven insights and tips.

Peter Lyle DeHaan, PhD, is the publisher and editor-in-chief of Connections Magazine, covering the call center teleservices industry. Read his latest book, Healthcare Call Center Essentials.