Recent stories in "Kathleen’s Corner"
The Simple Act of Recognition
I read recently about a Japanese study whose findings were that “compliments can help improve student and employee performance as much as monetary rewards.” Researcher Norihiro Sadato stated that “to the brain, receiving a compliment is as much a social reward as being rewarded money.” This is yet another indication that the simple human connection [...]
When My Old Best Practice Was New
My father often sang a song to my mother entitled, “When Your Old Wedding Ring Was New.” The lyrics went something like …”I remember with pride how we stood side by side; what a beautiful picture you made as my bride.” The essence is that while time has passed the ole’ love machine is still [...]
Offense or Defense … Where Do Your Skills Take You?
Although football season is over, the game’s basic functions provide a reasonable context for evaluating the inner workings of your Customer Care communication approach. To effectively apply these functions, we must understand what they are. The team charged with carrying the ball down the field to score plays offense. Defense attempts to prevent offense from [...]
Plan and Measure = Pleasure!
Like all humans, Contact Center leaders are driven by the brain’s insatiable desire to experience PLEASURE and in so doing avoid PAIN! I think I have a PLAN to accomplish this mission.
Here’s What I Can Do Now …
Let’s get right to it … Vocabulary is a key player when it comes to Customer Care. Choosing the best rapport-building words and phrases contributes to the efficiency of the contact, the CSR’s confidence, and the customer’s experience.
Lighten Up … The Magic of Leadership Levity
This is my brief end of year message to all of us in the Customer Care/Experience/Service business … Lighten up! I am strongly recommending taking a good, long, hard look in the mirror and asking yourself, “Do I need to lighten up? Does my organization need to lighten up? Have levity and wit taken their [...]
Customer Experience … The STRA-TACTICAL Approach
Customer Experience strategy has been cited by executives in multiple surveys as “very important or critical.” This is the case for 90 percent of respondents to a 2010 Forrester survey and 80 percent in a Gartner survey. Eighty percent of executives surveyed also want to use Customer Experience “as a form of differentiation.”
Which Is It … Supervisor or Super Agent?
Contact Center Supervisors are the first tier of management at the front line of the Customer Experience. But are they REALLY Supervisors or simply Super Agents? Webster defines Supervisor as “one who is in charge of a particular department or unit.” Are your Supervisors really “in charge?”
What Is A Quality Call And How Do We Know When We Have One?
Quality is more than what happens within a phone call in today’s Contact Center, although certainly the call continues to be a major communication channel and a significant player in designing the Customer Experience. That said, we must continually ask ourselves, “What is a Quality call and how do we know when we have one?” [...]
Are You Using 20th Century Solutions for 21st Century Problems?
We are in the 21st century. This is not news to anyone I’m sure; although if you watch Celebrity Apprentice you may have witnessed two contestants debating the statement. It was embarrassing to watch … as is so much of reality TV. Anyway, I believe there are many examples in business these days that point [...]
The Ball Is in Your Court
The quality of your customers’ experience is in your hands. Improve your game by defining and delivering on the critical elements.
