10/17 2011

Posted in:  Coaching, Communication Behaviors, Leadership

I just talked to a call center manager who insisted that, “How long it takes to handle our customers over the phone does not matter to us. All that matters is that the customers are happy.”  This statement really concerns me.  So what you are saying is that it does not matter how much money you spend (since time is money), as long as the customers are happy?  

A wise leader manages to all of the necessary metrics to ensure that the business is healthy and stable.  A wise leader cares how much money is spent, how much money is made, how happy the employees are and how happy the customers are.  (With my utility clients, happy employees also means safe employees.)  To say that you do not care how long the employees talk to customers is being financially irresponsible and is sending the wrong message to the employees and the rest of the leadership staff. 

What is important to remember is that we as leaders have a responsibility (and should be held accountable) for the business’ success.  Our job as leaders is to manage the numbers (metrics) but we should be mentoring to the behaviors.  So here is the process for a call center manager…

1. Look at your average daily stats report
2. Review all of the numbers for your representatives on the phone
3. What is their average handle time?  The really low ones should concern you as much as the really high ones.  (The ones in the middle may not be doing all the right behaviors, but they are not my first concern right now).
4. Listen to the phone calls of the representatives who have really low average handle times.  What do you hear?  Do you hear behaviors of interrupting the customers, transferring them to someone else rather than offering all of their assistance, not providing all the necessary information and not offering other alternative solutions?  None of these behaviors should be rewarded and yet we typically praise the representatives who handle the most number of customers each day. 
5. Now listen to the representatives who have really high average handle times.  Just because they are spending a lot of time on the phone with your customers does not mean that the customers are happy.  Are they spending a lot of time looking for information, giving more information than they need to be giving or confusing the customers with too much jargon that is causing the customers to ask a lot of questions?   
6. Identify the behaviors that ARE working for you and identify the behaviors that are NOT working for you.  Be sure to communicate those behaviors to your representatives.  Communicate to your employees that if we do all the right behaviors, the goals will all be in alignment and we will be spending the right amount of time, giving the right amount of information, and keeping our customers happy. 

All of your goals matter to you and it should matter to you how long your employees are taking to meet your company’s needs and the customers’ needs.  Focus on what the behaviors are that are helping you and the behaviors that are not helping you and then clearly communicate those behaviors to your employees.  You will be sending them the message that all of your goals are important and that it is our behaviors that we are most focused on. 

MOMENT OF REFLECTION
How do you gauge success for your business?  Are you sending the right message to your employees as to what is important to you?  Are you communicating the behaviors or are you simply telling them to lower this number or raise this number? 

Leave a Comment »

Share:

Facebook Twitter Stumble Digg