Hot Topics @ ACCE 2010 Conference
Filed under: Leadership, Management, Relational Leadership, Uncategorized
New Orleans in mid-June redefines the word humidity. I am from Memphis and we thought we invented the word, but a week in NO let me know we are B-league at best. So, it was hot… but so was the sharing and learning at ICMI’s ACCE Conference. Traditionally one of the best call center conferences, there was a buzz this year in the sessions and on the trade-show floor. I heard that attendance was up (perhaps a leading indicator for the economy) and the hot topic was social media.
Having been in the industry for more than 29 years, there have been years when everything seemed to be status quo. I remember being excited about quality systems in the early ‘90s. The technology went on to revolutionize the call center industry and I believe has been a key element in the consistency in centers. The IVR had a huge impact on centers in the mid-90’s. IVRs are now a part of every-day life (although they can be a HUGE point of frustration for those companies that don’t do it very well).
In the late 90’s CRM was “all the buzz.” It was everywhere. I even remember seeing a headset company that advertised their headsets were “CRM approved.” If you were a vendor in the 90’s you had to find a way to be a part of the craze! Of course the success has been undeniable. CRM systems are now a part of centers as small at 10 agents and as big as 10,000. Email management, chat and speech analytics were the next hot topics.
Well, this year the buzz was Social Media – and I say that not just because I had the opportunity to speak about it in three different sessions. It was the topic of conversations at breakfast and lunch – and on Bourbon Street when attendees put down their hurricanes to talk shop at night. One guy at lunch said it best, “Jezz, it is all I hear.”
ACCE is always an interesting blend of all levels of call center leaders. I talked with VPs of Customer Service for large corporations and to a lady leading a team of 25 in a small health practice.
It is cool to think about the possibilities of Social Media. There’s no doubt that companies with an online presence are the early-adopters and are leading the way for the rest of us. Actually I think we are all on a huge learning arch. In our session on Monday, I was happy to hear a story of one leader who said their small doctor’s group is “dabbling” in social media. Mike Pace with Constant Contact was a great resource in the session – sharing many success stories from his center. 1-800-Flowers, Dell and Intuit also shared best-practices. It comforting to know that even these companies, who are leading the way, have been doing this for less than two years so we all have time to ride the Social wave behind them.
Salesforce.com knocked it out of the park again at the sponsored lunch event. They may not be the only vendor doing Social CRM but they are definitely leading the way in teaching us how to do it right.
The trade show floor was lively. There were the usual suspects in the area of CRM, Outsourcing and Quality Management. I continue to be intrigued by CallCopy. I have several clients that have their systems and all have been VERY satisfied.
Many may have not noticed it but there was a new vendor in the mix this year with a totally new concept. He is actually an industry veteran. Michael Tamer (a previous Call Center Pioneer winner for his contribution to Quality Management while at Teknekron/etalk) was there representing his company Tamer Partners Corporation. They are offering a new SAS application that provides a way for customers to give feedback directly to the call center agent. The system allows the customer to become a direct “coach” for the agent. It is pretty cool stuff. I might add that I have worked with Mike and his top consultant Scott Thomas for many years - so while my comments may include some bias, they are still relative.
The ICMI team should be congratulated for a great conference. If you choose only one conference in 2011, this is the one to attend.
Finally, here are some great Social Media links that we shared in our session. If you have questions or want to talk more about how Social Media might affect your center, please give me a call or send me an email:
Learning more about Social Media:
http://mashable.com/ - Understand more about Social Media
http://www.socialmediatoday.com/ - great blog
http://mashable.com/2009/01/21/best-twitter-brands/ - 40 of the Best Twitter Brands and the People Behind Them
http://blogs.zdnet.com/BTL/?p=22754 - Directory: 100 technology experts on Twitter
http://blogs.techrepublic.com.com/hiner/?p=916 - Techies: The top 10 people you should follow on Twitter
http://mediasosial.com/socialnetworking/the-ultimate-list-of-people-to-follow-on-twitter/ - The Ultimate List of People To Follow on Twitter
http://www.chrisbrogan.com/ - the guy I read consistently…
http://socialmediagovernance.com/policies.php - great site for policies.
Thanks to Faith LeGendre for the opportunity to co-present on several sessions. She always makes me look smart!
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.
Millennials - Educated, Respectful, Connected, Successful
Filed under: Engagement, Leadership, Management, People
It seems to happen with every generation. We look behind us and think - they are end of the world as we know it. My generation saw the he Gen-Xers as skaters and slackers - but today they are running corporations.
At the edge of the Gen-Xers are the Millennials (defined as born after 1980), they are the new workforce. They gave us Google, Facebook and Twitter. And they seem to be doing a pretty good job raising families and improving our lives. But in the area of customer service and support, they perhaps offer a special problem for leaders.
While their attention span is short, they have high expectations for success. Their measurement of success is not necessarily being “number 1″ but in “doing something that matters in life. Remember, they have been given trophies all their life, not for winning but for participating!
They are the most connected generation every. They have never known a day without a TV remote, a microwave or the Internet. They live with their phone never more than arms-length away and have always had access to immediate information.
So how does that affect the job? Consider these questions for the future:
- “What do you mean I can’t have access to the Internet on my computer? You have to be kidding!
- “Why is everything on paper and in manuals? Don’t you guys have a knowledge base online?
- “What do you mean I am not allowed to text while on the job?”
- “Is there anything else I can do? This job seems to be pretty boring….”
The access to information has made them one of the most “multi-tasking” generations ever. My son, who falls right into the middle of this generation, has it down to an art. I walk into his room when he is home from college and he has the TV on with the sound turned down, his laptop open to espn.com, his iphone next to him with several text threads in progress, his ear phones plugged in with music from itunes and a book in his hand. When I ask, “What are you doing?” He says, “Studying.” Think for a moment of what his perspective will be when someone in a company says, “no phones, no espn.com, no music….just do your job…”
The recent Pew Research also says they are one of the most educated generations ever. They are expected to also be on of the most successful. So here is the assignment for the day - what have you done to make your policies and processes more acceptable to this generation? Does your technology meet their expectations? Perhaps even more important, is your customer strategy ready for this generation to be your primary buyer?
For even more information about the details of who they are and what they want, click through to the recent Pew Research: Millennials - Pew Research
-
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.
Click here to email Bob direct -
Connections
