Leading a Remote Team
In the old days, managers saw their direct reports daily. They may even have eaten lunch with them or been on the same company bowling team. However, today, managers often oversee people around the globe, in places as far away as India, Kuwait or Korea. The days of...
Your Job Includes Being a Coach
Managers of phone reps all want to see their reps exceed customer expectations each day. But, today’s worker isn’t automatically committed to excellence. John Naisbitt in Re-Inventing the Corporation said: 88% of today’s workers want to work hard and do their best on...
How to Mold Outstanding Reps
Nobody is born as a peak performer. Just ask Serena Williams or Simone Biles. They achieve excellence by being coached and by practicing. They never accept that they are “good enough.” They strive to get better. To coach peak performance in a call center environment,...
Avoiding Peak Period Blues
In any call center organization, there are peak times when we are very busy and times when we are very slow. When it is hectic, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Don’t despair. There are some things that you can do as a manager that will help you survive. Start by...
Make Your Meeting Worth It
As business professionals, we attend meetings constantly. Sometimes, many of the meetings we attend are a waste of time. Often, they are counterproductive. If you are chairing a meeting, there are a few tips to remember. Preparation Preparing ahead is important. It...
From Conflict to Cooperation
It would be nice if we could wave a magic wand and have all workplace disagreements disappear. In the close confines of a call center or an inside sales organization, conflict will happen. As the manager, you may be asked to assume the role of a mediator. It is...
What Counts in Exceeding Customer Expectations
Jake was a supervisor of a call center for a large telecommunications company. He had worked for the company for four years when a consultant with Impact Communications coached the inside sales team and their supervisors. One of the things Jake religiously preached to...
Facilitating Workplace Disagreements
It would be nice if we could wave a magic wand and have all workplace disagreements disappear. In the close confines of a call center or an inside sales organization, a conflict will happen. As the manager, you may be asked to assume the role of a mediator. It is...
Acknowledging the Inside Scoop
When a customer, whether internal or external, has an issue, the good listener acknowledges it. By empathizing, the person feels you understand him and becomes more receptive to hearing what you have to say. He or she becomes less hostile. You build rapport. Do not...
The ABC’s of Coaching Peak Performers
Nobody is born a peak performer. Just ask any professional athlete. They achieve excellence by being coached and by practicing. They never accept that they are “good enough.” They strive to get better. To coach peak performance in a call center environment, the...
Tips For Managers On Surviving Peak Periods
In any call center organization, there are times when we are very busy and times when we are very slow. When it is hectic, it is easy to feel overwhelmed. Don’t despair. There are some things that you can do as a manager that will help you survive peak periods. Start...
Credibility Busters
Listeners on a call or web session make instantaneous decisions about the speaker’s trustworthiness. In fact, they often feel they have a clear read within seconds. Be aware the following missteps can be costly and can inadvertently “bust” your credibility. Sounding...
Globe Smarts for Effective Virtual Presentations
Communicating with any team via teleconference or web session is challenging. When the team is spread across the globe, your task as a presenter requires real ‘globe smarts.’ Do not overlook the importance of adapting your message and slides to the audience...
How to Hire Super Stars for Your Call Center
Call centers are the heart and soul of an organization. Customers form an impression of you and your organization within seconds based on the person on the other end of the line. If the first impression of a call center representative is positive, customers will be...
Globe Smarts for Virtual Presentations
Communicating with any team via teleconference or web session is challenging. When the team is spread across the globe, your task as a presenter requires real ‘globe smarts.’ Do not overlook the importance of adapting your message and slides to the audience...
How You Keep People Engaged in a Virtual Meeting
Virtual meetings are a perfect storm. Since attendees know they are not seen, they are often tempted to do additional things. People check email and voicemail. Some even let the dog out or do laundry! If you are the host, multi-tasking attendees are not what you want....You’re the Host of Your Teleconference – So Act Like One!
Instead of face-to-face meetings, many of us facilitate teleconferences or meetings over the phone. Without seeing people’s responses to our points, teleconferences can prove to be challenging. To be successful, one has to think of being the host of his or her own...Hanging on by a Thread? How You Can Help
Franklin Delano Roosevelt once said, “When you get to the end of your rope, tie a knot and hang on.” It sounds like sage advice. However, many people working in customer support will point out that they have been doing that for quite a while. They wonder how much...Motivating the Team When Times are Tough
Everywhere you go people are talking about the economy and its effect on them personally. On a recent business flight, the person sitting next to me mentioned that seven members of her family are out of work. At my aunt’s 90th birthday party last week, the...- Are You Inadvertently Killing Your Career?
Everyone wants to succeed, to move up the ladder. To ensure success, we strive to attain advanced degrees and multiple certifications. What we don’t think about is how little missteps can sabotage a promising career and ruin one’s reputation to boot. While these gaffes are not of catastrophic proportion, they add up and undercut any […]
- Lower Customer Stress and Achieve Customer Loyalty
Picture for a moment your customers on the other end of the phone line. Whether they show it or not, many of your customers are highly stressed. They feel tremendous pressure from their own management team to do things faster or cheaper. When they purchase from your company, they do not want to add stress […]
- Did You Have Them at Hello: Your Tone of Voice is What Counts!
A good portion of anyone’s day is spent on the telephone. Everyone wants to make a good impression, but it’s the first few words out of your mouth that determine whether people will perceive you in a positive or negative manner or whether they will trust and believe you. In fact, studies confirm that your impact over the phone is established within four-seven seconds through the tone of your voice.
- So What If I Speak Fast
A lot of us speak quickly when we are on the phone with our customers or clients. Sometimes it is because we have so many calls in cue or because we feel pressured to get on to the next call. Whatever the case, it is a habit that can cost us business. Why? When we […]
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