Passion Produces Passion
Filed under: Engagement, Leadership, Management, People, Relational Leadership
I recently had a conversation with one of my colleagues in the industry. We talked about why one company struggles with turnover and low morale while another company flourishes? We came to the conclusion that the answer is often leadership! As we continued to talk, this story unfolded.
He told me a story of how a CEO was recently talking to a group of his customer service folks about how important they were to the success of the company. After the meeting, one of the frontline people approached him afterwards and was “beaming.” She told him that he made her want to run from the meeting and solve all customer problems. I asked him what the CEO said that would have that kind of impact on an employee. He said it was pretty basic – in fact, the CEO said he was sure he had said much of it before in other management meetings – but that somehow the message was not getting through to the frontline.
He said that in the meeting he discussed how important every customer interaction was to the success of the company. He thanked them for their attitude of service and challenged them to do even better.
The employee said that she had “no idea how passionate he was about customers” and that she just felt so special now.
Wow – let’s think about that for a moment. The CEO did not give the agent a raise, he did not change any policies, he did not adjust her work schedule – he just spent some time talking about his vision and his thoughts about how important customer service is to the company.
Ask yourself this, how long has it been since you told your people how important they are? How long has it been since you found a way to show your passion for the customer first-hand? It does not matter if you are CEO or a frontline supervisor – your vision – your passion for excellence is a motivator like no other. It is important that your people feel the passion – that they WANT to follow you… that they trust their leader…
Schedule some time to share your vision with your people and don’t be afraid to show your passion for excellence!
People are Valuable
Filed under: Engagement, Leadership, Management, People, Relational Leadership
About 15 years ago, I had a manager tell me that I would never go anywhere because I cared too much about the people that worked for me. He said that I needed to pay more attention to the business and less attention to whether people were happy. Well, here I am 15 years later still espousing the concepts of “loving people.” I have worked in the call center industry now more than 30 years (which is really hard to believe). And, throughout all that time, the one thing that is a constant for all successful managers is this one concept – “they loved their people!”
If you are new to the customer service or call center industry, and either a new manager or thinking about becoming a new manager – ask yourself this question – do you love people? Do you love watching them succeed? Do you love the feeling that comes with a successful coaching session? Do you love the people part of your job? If not, it is not too late to find another profession…
As a buddy of mine likes to say, no one walked to the front of the room in 2nd grade holding a headset and telling the class, “when I grow-up I want to work in a call center.” But if you find yourself there now, I believe you are in one of the most rewarding jobs in America. I don’t care what my manager named Ravi told me 15 years ago – you cannot love your people too much!
Looking Through the Lens of Your Employees
Filed under: Engagement, Leadership, Management, People, Relational Leadership
I recently had the privilege recently to take a tour of St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Memphis, TN. St. Jude is unlike any other pediatric treatment and research facility in the world. The discoveries made there have changed how the world treats children with cancer and catastrophic diseases. It is a place where cutting-edge research happens every day. And what is even more amazing is that all patients are accepted without regard to the family’s ability to pay. The tour was amazing and reminded me of how blessed I am as a parent.
It was also my honor to have more than the standard tour – a former patient conducted my tour. As we walked though the halls of the hospital she shared a perspective that was different. When she described what it was like to pull-up to the front door with her mom and to get out of the car and check herself in for the daily treatment, the perspective and the details were very real. I will never look at St. Jude or the kids of St. Jude the same. She gave me a whole new perspective on life.
This past week my son started his first “real” job and stepped into the path of his father to work for a call center. I am very proud. Since the first call telling me he landed the interview, it has been interesting to hear his perspective of the process. We talked about the interview and the follow-up (he told me how he slipped in the part about his dad being a “call center guru” and going to the call center when he was six-years old. I loved hearing the story!). Earlier this week he began his six weeks of classroom training. It has been interesting to hear him talk about the training process through the eyes of a millennial. We have talked about the training agenda – the positives and the negatives. We have also talked about the pace of the training and the delivery. After the call yesterday it occurred to me that listening to his stories was similar to taking the tour of St. Jude. I was hearing things that I KNOW his company would love to hear – that any company should want to hear – the view through the lens of the employee. Just like the hospital came to life through the lens of the patient, it was amazing to hear the little ideas of change and improvement that by the new employee.
So, let me ask this question – what are you learning from your employees? What questions are you asking to new trainees? Not the typical “satisfaction survey” but real question about how things can be made better. Deep focus group questions about how they learn and what might improve the experience? Questions that provide insight into how the trainer relates to the participants – Boomers, Gen-Xs and Millennials.
There are several ways to gather this information. Online or written surveys are good if the questions are written to ask the tough questions. Focus groups or one-on-one discussions soon after training are also great tools. Touchpoint Associates consultants all have more than 15 years of hands-on call center experience. We have also worked with some of the top companies in the company to help the write effective employee and customer surveys. If you need help, please don’t hesitate to contact us.
Just like the story of the patient made me see the hospital different, the stories of your employees can provide deep insight into what needs to change in your company.
Bob Furniss
As founder and President of Touchpoint Associates, Inc., Bob Furniss has more than 25 years of experience in the customer service field - assisting organizations to increase productivity and profits by bringing out the best in their people. He has shared his experience in the areas of leadership and service with some of the top companies in America - companies like FedEx, Corporate Express, DePaul University, Delta Airlines, Hanley Wood and more.
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