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Healthcare Call Centers

It’s Your Move: What’s It Going to Be?

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. I recently entered into a casual conversation with friends; they were talking about chess. One gave me a sideways glance, “You play?” It was stated as a question, but an underlying astonishment was embedded. I nodded affirmatively. “Any good?” came the follow-up query. Good is relative. Tournament good, I am […]

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Healthcare Call Centers

Don’t Count Your Chickens Before They Hatch

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. In my office is an evocative black and white aerial photo of my grandfather’s chicken farm, circa 1960. Grandpa and Dad ran the farm, along with a revolving assortment of hired help. The farm accommodated 15,000 hens. Four buildings housed “layers,” with eggs being the farm’s principle product. Each building […]

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Healthcare Call Centers

Who Signs Your Paycheck?

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. I tend to put off buying things. It’s not because I procrastinate (at least not too much), or because I am adverse to making decisions, or even because it’s a money issue. Sadly, the reason that I often avoid purchasing what I want or need is simply because it is […]

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Healthcare Call Centers

Call Recording in Your Call Center

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. Once thought of as a call center luxury, call recordings (also known as voice loggers) were used exclusively to document agent conversations with callers. However, call recorders are no longer just a tool to prove who said what or how it was spoken. Call loggers have proven themselves invaluable as […]

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Healthcare Call Centers

Customer Service is More Than a Slogan

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. Does your call center make the caller or patient a priority? I expect that it does. In fact, I suspect that the phrase “customer service” is found somewhere in your mission or vision statement, etched on a wall plaque, proclaimed in your marking material, and oft cited by upper management. […]

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Healthcare Call Centers

What’s Your Mission?

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. I am a bit of a movie buff. Among my more arcane interests is a fixation with memorable, unique, or humorous lines from films. Some phrases make their way into pop-culture, such as Clint Eastwood, pointing his ominous sidearm and snarling, “Go ahead, make my day.” Others transcend generations, as […]

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Healthcare Call Centers

What Is Your Self-Service Strategy?

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. 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 self-service available to your callers, is it used much? How is […]

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Healthcare Call Centers

The Politics of Call Center Outsourcing

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. With the United States’ fall elections behind us, I am now recovering from the inundation of all messages political. From these saner confines of a post-election U.S., I can address the “serious” problem of outsourcing. Succinctly put, outsourcing, an often prudent, wise, and cost-effective practice, has been politicized. Once a […]

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Healthcare Call Centers

The Secret of Delegation

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. Years ago, as a first-time manager, I was green and had much to learn. I walked down the hall with my boss; he had just given me yet one more assignment, a task that I didn’t have time to do. I protested at his directive, insisting that I already had […]

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Healthcare Call Centers

The Pursuit of Perfection

By Peter Lyle DeHaan, Ph.D. Based on the title of this article, StarTrek fans may be anticipating an enlightened discourse on Seven of Nine’s unremitting pursuit of Borg-style perfection. Alas, this is not the case. (If you are disappointed, I recommend watching, “The Omega Directive” – StarTrek Voyager, season 4, episode 19 – and then […]