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How You Can Improve Efficiency of Your Call Center Using Workforce Management

According to Forbes, engagement is the key to effective workforce management. With estimates claiming that only 30% of employees are engaged, managing the workforce becomes a lot more difficult than it used to be. Some managers say prior generations were easier to manage because they were more predictable. Employees worked their 40-plus hours per week at a call center and went home with little complaint. Their primary expectations were job stability, a pay check and good benefits, making them relatively easy to please. This is not the case today. Here’s how you can improve efficiency of your call center using better workforce management techniques. Understand the Millennial Workforce While there are certainly exceptions, millennials are more well-known for valuing corporate social responsibility, flexible work hours, remote work opportunities and work-study benefits. Why is this important? Baby boomers are either in or nearing retirement. As a result, millennials now make up the largest generation share of the American labor force. This is especially the case in a call center workforce, where employers often attract younger workers. Thus, a big part of effective workforce management now depends on the ability to understand, motivate and compensate millennials. Depend on Accurate Data When managers better understand their workforce, they can then use that knowledge to increase efficiency. One page that employers can take from the “internet generation” book is the love for technology and a reliance on apps. Software allows employers to use data to provide objective feedback to employees and make effective adjustments. Some key data that managers should employ tech to track in a cell center environment include the following: • Average customer wait time • Average handling time • Conversation rate • Average talk time • Customer rating • Upsell rates Call centers can also use data to better serve customers. Many call centers keep track of customer preferences, purchase history and other valuable information. Agents in turn can use this information to better assist callers and upsell products and services. Setting Data-Driven Schedules Another important use of data is to create schedules. This prevents the likelihood of having too many or too few agents on site during slow or peak hours. How so? Managers should pay close attention to data related to how many customers call hourly, how long they must wait in the queue before receiving assistance and how long it takes on average to resolve their queries. By compiling and analyzing this information, managers can create shift schedules that reduce customer wait time and increase customer satisfaction. Better schedules also help to reduce work overload during the busier times, as well as prevent boredom when call volumes are low. Finally, employees are in a better position to choose their shifts. Provide Solid Succession Plans When it comes to industry turnover rates, call centers are among the highest. One contributing factor is the failure to provide solid succession plans. A good succession plan should come in two parts. The first is that employees should have trained at least one person to replace them. The second involves a mapped route for promotional opportunities. If employees believe that their current position or pay rate is as good as it is ever going to get, then advancing will mean leaving the company. It may also create the mental perception of the company as a temporary opportunity or a stepping stone, leading to limited investment on their part. Remember that employee turnover is expensive. By increasing retention rates call centers can save money and maintain productivity, thereby increasing efficiency. Prepare for an Agile Workforce Workforce management solutions are fairly easy to apply in an office space, but remote work is gaining traction in customer service. While employees typically enjoy working from home, it may become more difficult to keep employees engaged. Forbes notes that in these instances, managers who are used to hands-on managing or even micro-managing, will have to get comfortable with a certain degree of uncertainty. Again, this is where getting to know the team on a personalized level comes in handy. This makes it easier to keep everyone actively engaged through various tactics, such as company newsletters announcing developments and introducing team members, planning regional get-togethers or hosting meaningful and well-planned conference meetings. As the job market continues to change, many companies find it easier to outsource call center workforce management to capable hands. This allows them to focus on what they do best, i.e., creating a product or service that best serves their target market. If this is an arrangement you would like to consider, contact Etech at info@etechgs.com to see how we can help make this a reality for your company today.

How To Create a Culture of Accountability

In business school, a commonly spoken mantra is that team leaders can delegate virtually every aspect of their work — except accountability. When Leaders practice this by also holding themselves accountable, team members pay attention. It shows that no one is above the simple principle of individual responsibility for their work. Here are a few tips to help you build an effective and efficient culture by encouraging your team to celebrate a greater sense of “ownership”. Set Clear Goals   Entrepreneur.com points out that before a company can hold team members responsible for contributing to goals, it must first be clear about what those goals are. Goals should include not just corporate or even department-level objectives, but the expectations of that specific team member. The company may need to make $2,000,000 worth of sales this month, but how much of that dollar value will be assigned to each team and subsequently each person? Entrepreneur.com believes the best goals meet the following criteria: • Written • Relevant • Achievable with effort • Measurable and specific • Constrained by resources and time Eliminate the Culture of Punishment   According to Forbes, for a culture of accountability to thrive, leaders must first eliminate the culture of punishment. If team members believe they will be punished harshly even for small steps out of line, they are less likely to share or act on brilliant ideas. No one will want to try anything new for fear of rocking the boat and being expelled from it. Note that there is no innovation without some level of risk. Even so, inadequacies do need to be addressed. Remember to tie these missed objectives back into the goals and not into shortcomings of the actual person. Entrepreneur.com recommends trying to understand why the team member is falling short rather than berating them for doing so. By helping to discover the cause, you can then help to craft the solution. Empower Your Team   While leaders should never attempt to delegate accountability, they should delegate authority. Doing so empowers team members by giving them the freedom to think and act on their own without a lengthy bureaucratic process. This benefits customers too by shortening the length of time they wait to be served. Imagine the difference in satisfaction between these two customers: • Customer A shares a unique problem with Customer Rep Z who comes up with an agreeable solution and implements it within 24 hours or less. • Customer B shares the same problem with Customer Rep Y, but gets transferred across multiple departments and then up the hierarchy to find one person who is authorized to resolve the issue. Foster Opportunities for Teamwork   Companies often strive to create highly competitive environments that then pit team members against each other on an individual level. Team members may compete for individual monthly bonuses, promotions or the opportunity to work on coveted projects. Inc, however, recommends using collaboration rather than competition to encourage a sense of personal responsibility. In fact, according to Harvard Business Review, the best teams are those that hold themselves accountable. How does this work? Research cited by HBR showed that top-performing teams are those where teammates confront each other immediately but respectfully to address problems that may arise. Put simply, when it is in the best interest of the team, anyone should be able to constructively hold another person responsible for their commitment. This is called universal accountability. Hire and Train Accountable Team Members   Team members make up the building blocks of an organization, and therefore, its culture. This makes workers the easy starting point when trying to change organizational culture. Some leaders immediately turn to hire more accountable people to resolve the issue, but this can create friction. The new team members acting on universal accountability in a workplace where this did not previously exist could be seen as confrontational, causing others to become hostile to them. Because of this, training existing team members is also important. This may not necessarily make the existing workforce accepting of employees who come “ready-made” with this value ingrained. Still, it does make it clear that accountability is an organizational value that is important. This can make all the difference in how individuals react to that first incident when another team member asks them directly about a missed commitment that impacts the team. Partner with Responsible Companies   Accountability is the most critical part of any organization, especially when it comes to contact centers. Etech team members and leaders spend a great deal of time not just representing clients but keeping your most prized assets happy by ensuring commitments are met, i.e., your customers. By embracing a culture of individual and shared accountability, we maintain honesty and integrity as key values in our everyday work lives. For more information about our contact centers, send us an email at info@etechgs.com. This blog was earlier published on LinkedIn.

Effects of Servant Leadership on Personal Life of Employees

Servant leadership is buzzing in business circles, and for a good reason, it works. Servant leaders understand the value of focusing on employees and company culture over corporate growth and profit. Employee burnout is a risk to not only organizational success, but more importantly, to employee satisfaction at work and home. By choosing the servant approach to leadership, a company can still maximize their potential while improving the lives of the workers that make such things possible, which leads to greater company commitment from employees. While it may seem hard to believe the same principles that make the servant style of leadership beneficial to companies, also enhances the personal lives of employees. Workers can emulate the environments they are in. Therefore, if leadership in a call center is closed off, leading to the increased stress of employees, then those same employees may be closed off and stressed out at home, leading to troubling personal struggles. However, servant leader business models use several key factors that have been proven to improve the lives of employees through emulation. Inclusion   Servant leadership helps to encourage employee happiness through inclusion. One of the main objectives of this style of management is to improve collaboration and to blur the lines between the more traditional top-down management styles of the past. By including employees in discussions about responsibilities, objectives, and company culture and success, leaders make workers feel connected to the business, which produces a certain level of pride in their work. Also, this happiness is then transferred to the home, where the worker feels the drive to be more inclusive with their family. Empathy and Conflict Resolution   Another critical aspect of servant leadership is empathy and conflict resolution. Workers in crisis tend to be less productive and more stressed out, which is why it is crucial to handle problems quickly and with care and understanding. Most leaders learn the process of active listening to aid in conflict resolution, which means making sure that everyone is heard. When the details from all sides are acknowledged and understood, it is easier to find a resolution through cooperation, which, in turn, creates a more pleasant place to work. The roles of empathy and conflict resolution in the home are essential tools in creating a healthy and well-balanced family life. By learning how to communicate with empathy and compassion, an employee can find that their personal relationships improve and their overall satisfaction outside of work improves as well. Loyalty   By reducing employee stress, servant leadership can enhance employee loyalty and avoid high turnover rates. The collaborative nature of servant models breeds loyalty because employees feel connected to the corporate culture and the services the company provides. If employees emulate such a leadership style at home, then they may see an improvement in family commitment and balance. Involvement   Again, servant leadership is about collaboration, which hinges on the involvement of every employee. While not every worker will bring the same skill-set to the table, each is valuable to the overall objectives of the business. The promise of that involvement produces levels of pride and satisfaction in the workplace, which are often combined with reduced stress and greater happiness. The satisfaction one feels at work will often transition into the home, where a happier and more energetic worker transitions into a more involved and engaged partner, friend, and parent. Productivity   While it may seem strange, the family role is foundational to the role and effectiveness of servant leadership. The entire business model is developed around the idea of creating a culture and familiarity within the varying levels of a corporation. By encouraging and supporting employee development and involvement, businesses see higher productivity and success, and when emulating such leadership, employees find greater fulfillment in their personal and professional lives. The constant focus to evolve and build a greater version of the corporate image results in the same effort being taken on the individual front, leading to greater satisfaction, less stress and ultimately happiness at work and home for many employees. Servant leadership is not just a philosophy for improving corporate culture and employee satisfaction. It is an ideology that is boundless, spreading beyond its intended purpose and improving on the lives of all those practicing and exposed to its principles. At Etech, we have a similar goal of improving our client’s businesses through enhancing consumer experiences. Our customer-focused culture is the perfect addition to help your business experience more significant gains through actionable insights and data-driven recommendations. Reach out to one of our representatives today, and discover what Etech can do for you.

Do We Need AI to Truly Transform the Customer Experience for the Better?

According to a Gartner Report, 85% of customer interactions will take place without human involvement by 2020. Put simply, artificial intelligence is transforming the way companies interact with their customers. But, do we really need AI to maintain high levels of customer satisfaction, or can we rely solely on human intelligence? To answer this question, here are some of AI’s transformative qualities and how they complement human intelligence. Constant and Immediate Availability   When customers call customer service or initiate a chat, the wait time is longer without the help of artificial intelligence. Bots can at least begin the greeting process while customers wait for an available agent. Bots can also help to confirm what kind of help customers need, ensure they are communicating with the right department and redirect them if they’re not. Forbes notes that because bots never need to sleep, they can handle these tasks even when there are no available agents, because it is outside of business operating hours. This is especially important for business with restrictive hours, such as the post office, banks or government institutions. Artificial intelligence also reduces the pressure on contact centers to schedule more agents to work at nights. The Financial Times notes that night shifts present a fundamental biological challenge to the human body. People who work nights generally sleep less. Note that routinely getting less than six hours of sleep can increase mortality risks by 13%. Improves the Work Process for Human Agents   Sorting calls and verifying that customers are on the right line is the less exciting part of customer service. It can also be the one most frustrating for customers because they hate to be transferred. When bots handle the sorting in chats or automated operators handle this on the phone, people can focus on aspects where human intelligence is best applied. Humans are more urgently needed for the real people skills and creative problem-solving. These are the aspects where artificial intelligence may fall short, no matter how brilliant the coding is. Bots may, for instance, fail to understand a message riddled with typos or which is written by someone who does not speak English as a first language. Humans would pick up on these errors, whereas bots tend to need more specific parameters to act. When bots can handle sorting, scheduling appointments and other small tasks, it further helps to make work easier for human agents. It reduces the bottleneck they may otherwise meet in the morning when they begin their shifts. Bots can also help to reduce the pressure when centers are short-staffed during an unexpected incident related to the client’s products and services, such as a service outage. Provides Actionable Data and Predictions   Artificial intelligence may also provide personalized information on customers. Depending on how advanced the system is, this information may even include predictions based on a customer’s purchasing behavior. For example, agents may see current subscriptions, how long customers have done business with the company and even ratings on the likelihood of successfully upselling certain products and services. By arming agents with this valuable information, it prepares them for higher levels of success in interactions. This is true even when the customer begins the conversation frustrated or upset. Forbes notes that this personalized data helps companies to tap into the coveted 1% of the customer pool. These are the highly discriminating customers worth more than 18 times the value of a regular buyer. One bank even uses it to maintain unsolicited but helpful contact with customers. When a customer of the Royal Bank of Scotland continuously overdrafts their account, bots flag the account for a follow-up. The best employee for the job then calls the customer to offer financial advice. The Bottom Line: The Argument for AI in Business   Put simply, artificial intelligence is an indispensable part of transforming the customer experience for three main reasons: • It reduces the cost companies would otherwise sustain for providing 24/7 customer support and a strong commitment to customer satisfaction. • It reduces the workload for customer service agents, while increasing their effectiveness through personalized data. • It keeps customers happy. It does this by helping companies to better cater to a buyer’s individual needs, while being available right around the clock. At Etech, we are in the people business. We believe that the role of AI in transforming customer experience is to complement the work of our amazing team by taking over menial work. This allows workers to shine at the tasks that require creativity and interpersonal skills. For more information on how we use artificial intelligence at our contact centers, email us at info@etechgs.com. This blog was earlier published on LinkedIn.

How Artificial Intelligence Is Revolutionizing the Customer Journey

As traditional brick and mortar stores continue to struggle in an increasingly global economy, businesses have been forced to shift their approach to customer engagement just to survive. While metrics, such as carrying a superior product or offering the lowest price, may have attracted consumers in the past, almost 90 percent of companies are now focusing their competitive energy on providing an elevated customer experience. The successful integration of artificial intelligence (AI) into a front-end interface is one of the most important factors when it comes to delivering the personalized encounters that customers now expect. AI is revolutionizing the customer experience in so many ways, that it’s becoming vital for businesses to adopt AI technologies to stay relevant into the 21st century. The Customer Engagement Process Is Streamlined. AI has improved front-end efficiency so much that over 67 percent of consumers now expect the option of chatbots or messaging apps to help them resolve a problem before speaking to a live customer service agent. The benefit of fusing technology into your business model is twofold: providing a fast and personalized method for resolving common high-volume issues with customers while live service agents can focus on more complex problems that require human intervention; delegating the bulk of consumer interactions to AI, which provides a superior customer experience while improving the cost-effectiveness of your live chat agent training resources. Market Potential for Visual Search Options Has Exploded. As smartphone technology continues to improve, customer engagement has become centralized on pictures and graphics instead of written descriptions. Today’s consumers expect companies to offer phone applications that can search, track, and order past-history purchases while intuitively filtering products and services based on their needs by offering a simple, visually organized format. AI has disrupted the customer experience so much that 72 percent of internet users now expect access to visual content before deciding on a purchase. Businesses that fail to adapt to the “one-touch” smartphone shopping concept, ushered in by technological advances, will likely falter in the current marketplace. Consumer Insight Capabilities Are Rapidly Advancing. An influx of customer data will not be helpful without adopting the latest AI programs to collate it efficiently. A quality Customer Relationship Management (CRM) system capable of tracking purchase data while also building targeted consumer profiles and alerts, such as reminders to send a follow-up marketing email, can dramatically improve your customer engagement. What’s more, an AI-backed CRM system can help you retain more customers while building a brand based on the highly personalized experience that’s expected in a global economy. And with an average return on investment (ROI) of $8.71 for $1 spent on CRM implementation, your business will only benefit from integrating this technology into your consumer interface. AI-powered CRM’s can also be very valuable in information pass-through and ensuring the customer doesn’t have to repeat information at each interaction point, thus significantly reducing customer friction points. While the global marketplace of the 21st century has created a hypercompetitive economy, developing a focus on the elevated customer engagement that today’s consumers take for granted can give your business the best chance of success. Adapting to rapidly evolving technologies by putting them to work for your company is one of the most important ways to improve front-end customer interface. AI systems and software can revolutionize your customer’s journey, which in turn, help you develop a strong brand while attracting and retaining a steady customer base. With over 20 years of experience in providing superior customer engagement solutions across a wide range of industries, Etech is a world leader in helping companies integrate the latest artificial intelligence automation that allows them to compete in a diverse and globalized marketplace. Contact us today to learn how we can assist you in utilizing technology to advance your business. This blog was earlier published on LinkedIn.

Worried about the Capital One Hack? Here’s what to Do

According to IBM and the Ponemon Institute, 50% of data breaches in the financial sector are caused by malicious or criminal attacks, while 27% results from system glitches and 23% from negligent employees. Organizations are already threatened with this, as well as many other such statistics, and an incident that has recently happened, disturbed us again. And this time, Capital One is the victim. A data breach to Capital One servers is one of the most threatening incidents that happened recently. This renowned financial corporation has announced that 106 million individuals holding a Capital One card or who had applied for a Capital One card, had their personal and “protected” data breached. Recently, Capital One disclosed that over 100 million individuals that had applied for credit had their information compromised. Among those, 140,000 had their social security number stolen, and about 80,000 had their linked bank account information swiped. The FBI arrested the one they believe is responsible, and it turns out this individual was an AWS engineer that exploited a firewall vulnerability. Are you holding a Capital One card or have applied for credit from Capital One?   Follow the below crucial steps to avoid any financial loss: 1. Freeze your credit   Security experts are unanimous that a credit freeze is an essential step to protecting your data and halts scammers from creating fake accounts in your name. Freezing your credit at the three credit reporting bureaus is now free, and can be done online or over the phone. You’ll need your name, address, date of birth, Social Security number, and other personal information, according to the Federal Trade Commission. Each credit bureau will give you a PIN, which you can then use to lift your freeze when you need to apply for credit, such as a mortgage or a car loan or a new credit card. The three credit reporting agencies are Equifax, Experian, and Transunion. “This is the best way to prevent a criminal from opening an unauthorized account in your name. Security experts note that a freeze is much more effective than a fraud alert. Credit freezes don’t affect your credit score, but they prevent loans and other services from being opened in your name without your consent. A fraud alert is simply a red flag alerting companies to the fact you may have been the victim of fraud. 2. Enable two-factor authentication   Adding an extra layer of security to your logins can help prevent scammers from gaining access to your accounts. The most common form of two-factor authentication is when a business texts you a one-time code that enables you to access your account. That means a hacker would need to have access to your mobile phone as well as your account information to gain access to your accounts. 3. Sign up for credit monitoring   These services can help you keep close tabs on your accounts, alerting you if someone opens an unauthorized account in your name or even another family member’s name. Some sites offer free access to credit monitoring, such as Wallet Hub’s free monitoring of TransUnion credit accounts. However, the most thorough credit-monitoring services generally will cost you anywhere from $10 to $30 a month, according to CBS partner site CNET. Due to a reported breach of the Equifax credit bureau, many consumers can take advantage of the Equifax settlement and sign up for free credit monitoring this week, but experts say it’s not clear when that will actually kick in. “The settlement with Equifax is pending so there’s no guarantee about when that will take effect until we see something that says, ‘On this date, you will receive your award,” said Charity Lacey, vice president of communications for the Identity Theft Resource Center. 4. Don’t get phished   We have discussed phishing in-depth as it is one of the most common ways cybercriminals will attempt to obtain your data. Ignore unsolicited requests for information, which could be phishing attempts, or when hackers pretend to be a trusted company or individual. If you haven’t asked to be contacted and not expecting the communication, don’t respond to the email. Check with the organization or individual and verify validity if you feel it’s necessary. Otherwise, ignore and delete. Capital One is asking that consumers who believe they receive a fraudulent email seeking their data forward the email to abuse@capitalone.com. After forwarding the email, the company recommends deleting it. 5. Change your passwords regularly   You can also protect yourself by taking a step that most don’t follow: Changing their passwords. And of course, too many individuals continue to use easy-to-guess passwords like “123456”. Use a password aggregator such as LastPass to ensure secure, unique passwords for all of your logins. More than 8 in 10 U.S. adults re-use passwords, which is a significant security vulnerability. If you are notified or think your information was affected, consider the following:   Immediately change your passwords Monitor your bank and credit accounts for malicious activity As stated earlier, take advantage of free credit monitoring services. Know the warning signs that your information has been compromised Withdrawals and/or charges on your accounts that you cannot explain Charge accounts being opened in your name or using your information Unfamiliar accounts are appearing on your credit report Debt collectors calling about debt that is not your You stop receiving expected mail Be Safe and Secured A data breach at a major US bank like Capital One has exposed troves of sensitive information, putting thousands of people at risk of online fraud. It’s one of the most disappointing affairs of all time. Don’t forget to take these right precautionary strides and keep your finance protected.

How to Improve Customer Experience and Sales With Voice of the Customer Research

Companies offering inbound call center services often train their employees to believe that the customer is always right. When it comes to customers’ knowledge of their own needs, expectations, preferences, and dislikes – that is, the voice of the customer – the adage is correct. VoC research, obtained through both qualitative and quantitative methods, gives a company insight into how well its products or services are going to fare with its target customer base. Researchers at MIT identify four aspects of VoC outcomes: • Customers’ needs • Hierarchical ranking of those needs • A prioritized list of importance • Customers’ perception of products or services Through the use of research methods such as focus groups, interviews and surveys, data collectors gather statements in customers’ own words about how the inbound call center services the company offers should meet their needs. The list they compile is sorted into primary, secondary, and tertiary needs to discover what the customers want most and what specific things can be done to satisfy those desires. The information gleaned from the customers is also used to arrange needs according to their relative importance to customers. Finally, customers are asked to weigh in on the performance of products or services on the market that fulfill the needs discussed or, if no such product or service currently exists, on how they satisfy that need without it. By understanding their customers better, companies can improve customer experience. An improved experience, in turn, improves customer retention and sales. The Relationship Between VoC and the Customer Experience   According to Oracle’s 2011 Customer Experience Impact Report, 86% of customers are willing to pay more for excellent customer services experience. Conversely, 89% have no qualms about taking their business to a competitor if their experience with a company is bad. Customers expect to be treated well, and if they have any problems or concerns, they expect those issues to be addressed and resolved promptly. Information gleaned from VoC research is helpful because it offers detailed insight into how to improve the customer experience across multiple levels. It improves marketing and measures the effectiveness of the product or services offered. When VoC is utilized effectively, the features of the inbound call center services that are most helpful to customers are continued and improved, and the features that don’t satisfy customer needs are retired. Customers notice when their feedback is taken seriously, and they are likely to remain loyal to a company that uses their input to drive decisions. The Benefits of Using VoC Research To Improve Customer Services   Listening to customers leads to clearer direction and focus. When companies seek to improve call center services through VoC research, they can expect certain benefits: • Stronger Customer Relationships   – Good relationships depend on mutual knowledge and trust. Customers typically know the companies they patronize frequently, but how well do those companies know their customers? Through VoC research, companies gain knowledge of what the customers want and need as well as the role the companies play in fulfilling them. The process itself humanizes the customer, making service providers even more excited to make them happy and build a lasting rapport. • Retention of Current Customers   – No matter how great inbound call center services are, problems are bound to arise occasionally. The efficiency and professionalism with which the company resolves customers’ problems improve their perception of the company and VoC can help make this process go smoothly. In fact, companies that use VoC effectively may experience up to a 55% increase in customer retention rates. • Increase in New Customers   – Satisfied customers are walking, talking advertisements for their favorite companies. When companies use VoC research to help improve services for their existing customers, the customers tell their friends. Companies who take advantage of the information they glean can improve their sales. • Improvement of Existing Products or Services   – Negative feedback can be a positive sign. It is proof that customers are invested enough to care how inbound call center services perform, and this input can lead to vast improvements in what the company already has on the market. • Inspiration For New Products or Services   – Information from VoC research helps companies identify needs that are not being met by their current offerings or the market in general. This gap can lead to the creation of innovative new products or services. When a company takes an interest in not only in its customers’ preferences but also their aversions, it can see a marked increase in customer satisfaction, marketing strategy success, and its bottom line. VoC research helps improve inbound call center services to inspire loyalty in existing customers and pique curiosity in new ones.

5 Strategies for Effective Call Center Operational Performance

Working in today’s call center is a demanding job. The simplest of transactions are now often handled via self-service tools, leaving more complex work left to today’s agent. Effectively leading today’s call center agent can be even more challenging. From handling escalated calls, upset customers stressed-out agents, and endless to-do lists; the list of challenges tends to get longer and longer. This leaves an interesting question – how do you lower stress levels for your team members? How do you keep their moods up, so that they are bright and cheery treating each new customer as if they were their first of the day? How do you improve call center performance to ensure your team member, company, and clients get the necessary results they need? Here are five clear strategies to implement for effective call center operational performance. 1. Effective Sourcing   An ideal time to hire call center agents is at the start of their career, usually when they are entry level. Be open to those with little previous work experience. By starting the development process early, you can prepare workers with valuable experience to become not just high-performing agents, but future supervisors and managers. There are many ways to attract employees who are at the start of their careers. Here are just a few tactics to consider: • Provide paid internships for students fresh out of college or during their college breaks. • Attend workshops and conferences at high schools to market your company as a desirable employer. • Allow flexible work schedules, so that students may work part-time, while attending college. 2. Employee Incentives   Once you’ve increased the pool from which you can draw permanent workers for your call center operations, the next step is to be a desirable employer. If your goal is to attract mostly young workers, then it’s important to note that flexibility and work-life-balance are extremely important to millennials and Gen Z, often even more so than a high salary. Here are some incentives you should consider that will benefit your older call center workers, as well: • Opportunities for professional development • Fun and creative experiences • Innovative tech in the office • Flexible work schedules • Give back initiatives 3. Employee Training   Many call center operations leaders make the mistake of believing employees only need training for their first few weeks on the job. Others have training programs in place just for the sake of having them, with no real process and no real way of measuring their effectiveness. By investing in proper and frequent employee training, you are building an unstoppable workforce. In fact, Forbes recommends frequent employee training as the key to organizational success. Besides the obvious knowledge improvement, how does this benefit call center operations? See below for a few key benefits: • Reduced need for supervision • Increased productivity • Lower turnover rates • Improved efficiency • Decrease in errors • Improved morale 4. Employee Empowerment   One great benefit of employee training that deserves a section to itself is employee empowerment. By providing call center employees with the knowledge and tools they need to make informed decisions, management can turn its focus back to admin and strategic functions. The workers, in turn, can focus on achieving company goals without a manager breathing down their necks. As mentioned above, employee empowerment leads to a reduced need for supervision, which in turn helps to flatten the organizational structure. Flat organizational structures are more efficient and more adaptable to change. They also boost customer satisfaction as workers reduce resolution times by resolving issues on their own, thereby reducing the need to forward customers through multiple channels. 5. Health & Wellness Focus   According to a 2014 study published by the U.S. National Library of Medicine, there are some health conditions that become a risk for workers at call centers. For starters, because of the 24/7 nature of call center operations, many people are usually working at times when they would have otherwise been sleeping, causing disruptions to their internal clock. Interpersonal relationships with family and friends may also be negatively affected, often resulting in unhealthy lifestyle habits. Additionally, the need to suppress negative emotions to please customers may also lead to depression and anxiety. Because of this, it’s very important that companies focus on health and wellness programs for employees. Some perks, such as a creative space for breaks, can help with this. However, there should also be solid employee benefits for both mental and physical care. In addition to this, employers should implement measures to reduce or prevent employee burnout. Every call center has its own organizational culture and strategies in place to ensure high call center performance. However, sometimes organizational culture can work against improvements and sometimes strategies become outdated. By making small tweaks to those original strategies, however, you can transform your call center business, keep your workers in great shape and generate a return for stakeholders. For more information on how partnering with Etech can help, contact us at info@etechgs.com. This blog was earlier published on LinkedIn.

5 Strategies to Enhance Proactive Customer Service

Proactive customer service is about foreseeing client needs and meeting them before they have to ask. This type of service is also aimed at increasing retention rates while boosting performance. Unfortunately, many companies do not employ proactive strategies. Instead, they flounder with reactive services, which means that they are always behind the curve when it comes to customer satisfaction. Before truly understanding the difference and highlighting proactive strategies, however, it is necessary to draw attention to proactive approaches, specifically messaging. Types of Proactive Messaging Many reactive companies struggle to limit customer turnover or suffer from flooded inbound call center services. Often, these struggles are due to poor communication between a brand and its customers. For instance, some companies fail to explain or notify consumers when updates or changes to service are going to occur, meaning that when those things happen customers are rightfully confused and sometimes upset. Also, reactive companies often fail to retain customers who do not fully understand the benefits offered by their products or services. These situations can be avoided with the use of the two types of proactive messaging. • Broadcasting – Broadcast customer service messages are aimed at early influence. These messages do not depend on specific user data or timelines. Instead, they are designed to highlight broader aspects of a product or service. For instance, these messages may display as pop-ups or banners notifying all customers of product updates or outages. Primarily, this messaging tactic is used to inform and reduce confusion in the event of product or service changes. However, broadcasting can also be used to deliver announcements of newsletters and other customer-friendly information. Remember knowledge is power and in this case informative power. • Trigger-based –Trigger-based messages are automated and designed to suggest a user takes action at a specific time. For example, these messages could be used to encourage nonactive users into action by offering support material, or the messages could encourage a customer to use certain aspects of the system that they have not explored yet. In either case, trigger-based messaging is directed at a more specific piece of the customer cycle, and as with all proactive messaging it is designed to encourage user or customer participation whether that is to explore a new feature or purchase an upgrade, service or product. 5 Strategies for Proactive Service While implementing a proactive approach is ideal, it does take work and should not be rushed into recklessly. Implementing this type of strategy requires the identification of common issues and customer concerns as well as the collaboration of ideas for the development of appropriate solutions. However, any successful plan will develop its solution around five tried and true strategies. 1. Acquisition – During the acquisition phase, proactive customer service will guide customers throughout their buying experience. This can be done through live chat services or even guides that help customers understand how and what to fill out in a form. 2. Influence – When discussing influence, proactive service is all about highlighting new or compatible products or services. Therefore, if a consumer places an item in their cart, a message would alert them to similar items. 3. Education – Trigger-based messaging is often used to educate consumers. However, unlike physical customer service, these messages are likely automated and provide instructions or advice on unused features. 4. Support – While many reactive companies can become overburdened with support tickets, leaving their call center services in a constant cycle of angry customers, a proactive trigger-based or even broadcast message can be displayed for those instances of shared issues, like outages or glitches. 5. Retention – While there is no great method for customer retention when discussing reactive companies, there are numerous proactive solutions. Customer service centers can be alerted to users who are not actively participating in the provided service through trigger messages. Therefore, inactive customers will experience a personalized message, encouraging them to remain loyal and active users. Reason Proactive Service is Superior The main difference between reactive and proactive customer service comes down to wants and needs. Reactive services are only concerned with the immediate want of a client, ignoring the greater need. Sure, they will still sell products and services, but their retention and satisfaction rates will likely suffer. Proactive service is about resolving the underlying needs of consumers, resulting in improved customer experience with higher retention and satisfaction rates. Is your company suffering from high levels of user turnover? Is your call center overwhelmed by repetitive consumer complaints surrounding similar issues? Don’t waste another minute being reactive. If you are interested in implementing a proactive customer service strategy, then contact Etech services, where serving your customers is the only priority. Yours in service David A. Carrizales

Why You Need Omnichannel Customer Engagement Solutions?

When a company is set in its ways, it can be a hard rush to encourage managers to create lasting change. This is as true for call centers as it is for other types of businesses. One aspect where companies can become stubborn is communication. A business that has excelled from taking only phone calls at their contact centers, for instance, may not be willing to open up new lines of communication through email, live chat, social media, and other omnichannel customer engagement options. Unfortunately, this would be to the detriment of the business. Here’s why. Some customers do prefer a phone call, but others may prefer to type a few words in a Facebook chatbox. Thus, by keeping multiple lines of communication open, i.e., offering omnichannel solutions, a company makes it easier for customers to resolve issues. Estimates say that 98% of your customers expect you to communicate consistently across multiple channels. If it is instead easier for a customer to engage with a competitor to start a new service than it is to reach your company to resolve their issues, you may lose that customer. They may also take a few family, friends, and followers with them. Shaping Customer Experience Customers generally have three points of contact with a business. The first occurs when they purchase a product or service. The second occurs during the use of the product or service. The third is if or when something goes wrong with the product or service, or the customer has a query. Depending on the type of business, customers come in contact with agents for at least two of these three points. As a result, contact centers play an integral role in shaping the customer experience, irrespective of their encounter with the actual product or service. 96% of consumers agree that an essential determining factor of whether or not they remain loyal to a company is the customer service experience. However, phone calls are not enough. More than half of customers prefer to text rather than call when seeking customer support. Forbes also notes that live chat is preferred by 41% of customers. Omnichannel customer service is especially important when a company’s main offering is a service. When there are intangible components of a business, customers may rely on the contact center team even more for support issues, such as troubleshooting a website glitch or questions regarding successful completion of an online course. When a customer has the option of accessing that support through multiple channels, the likelihood of them viewing the company more favorably tends to be higher. Benefits of Providing Omnichannel Service Higher customer satisfaction is the benefit most frequently cited for the use of omnichannel customer solutions, but it is not the only one. See below for some additional advantages of applying this strategy: Reduced Costs: When it comes to implementing big changes, one of the first things companies look to is their bottom line. The good news is that while there is an initial investment, switching to an omnichannel approach reduces call center costs over time. One reason for this is that self-help omnichannel solutions reduce the need for agents to tackle every potential issue themselves. A customer may find the answer on their own through FAQ web pages, branded videos, or even chatbots. Additional Insights: Social media, live chat, forums, and other aspects of the omnichannel strategy provides the opportunity to gain additional insights. Through these channels, companies can learn what customers love best about their products and services, what they hate most, why they stay, or why they chose a competitor. Increased Employee Productivity: Customers aren’t the only ones with a preference for certain communication channels. Some employees may also be better suited to texting or creating DIY videos than just taking phone calls. By matching employees with the communication channels that best suit them, you may increase employee engagement, motivation, and productivity. Reduction in Turnover: Companies are often so focused on customer retention that employee retention often falls by the wayside. Contrary to what many employers believe, providing employees with the option of manning the different forts of an omnichannel may increase employee retention for the reasons highlighted in the point above. It also introduces the element of choice and reduces monotony. In short, an omnichannel customer engagement strategy allows companies to communicate with people on their own terms, wherever they feel most comfortable. Customers are currently demanding better service and more accessibility to their favorite brands all around the world and this is one way to deliver this experience seamlessly. Would you like to introduce omnichannel customer solutions at your contact center? Contact Etech today to get the process started.

How Big Data Analytics Is Gold for Call Centers?

Call centers generate data like no other department within a company. Information coming in from the outside, such as customer demographics, common questions, and favorite product features are gold mines for marketing, development, and customer engagement. Data gleaned from internal processes such as hold times, how long it takes to resolve an issue, and the number of calls managed per shift provides valuable information for departmental and company management. Best of all, the automated nature of a call center means that almost everything is recorded, cataloged, tracked, and measured with accuracy. As a bonus, it’s available indefinitely for future analysis and decision making. How Can Companies Use All This Data? • Unstructured data : Unstructured data can be defined as “information, in many different forms, that doesn’t hew to conventional data models.” An example is voice recordings from callers to a call center. The efficient call center software can analyze the tone of voice, content, and emotion. That knowledge can help a representative gauge the caller’s mood even before the conversation starts. This kind of processing is also called speech analysis or natural language processing (NLP). • Text data analytics : Call center is something of a misnomer as consumers now interact with companies via social media, email, messaging apps, and more. Text analytics programs can evaluate all those forms of communication, looking for themes and potential issues. The software can perform this kind of study on messages going out as well as those coming in. • Cross channel analytics : Customers use multiple avenues to interact with vendors, and it’s critical for businesses to understand those methods. For example, if a customer makes most purchases online, the company will want to make sure the client knows that he or she can get support the same way. Knowledge of how customers interact lets a company put more resources into the most used forms of engagement. • Quality control : Every call center has metrics related to customer service and the engagement experience. The data gathered through the call center makes this easier. Friction points become clear, and areas of difficulty for your agents are easier to spot. Also, all this data is prime material for training new agents, and better-trained agents mean improved customer metrics. The Process of Using Big Data Big Data analysis is a four-stage process: 1. Defining the data sources : This involves setting forth a description of all the pathways by which data is collected. You’ll want to include social media, email, and all other forms of communication. 2. Data gathering : This data involves the transformation of raw data into something manageable and organized. Depending on the nature of the data, this may or may not be a traditional database. Unstructured data requires more work to put into a manageable form. 3. Modeling : The data is used to create a hypothetical model for testing and evaluation. Big data gives you a laboratory to try out new ideas in a safe environment. 4. Deploying a model : At this stage, the company takes some action based on the information from the models. The management team has more confidence in decisions based on hard evidence. Get Started Now Businesses from healthcare to banking to manufacturing are finding uses for the big data collected through their call centers. Whether it’s artificial intelligence, machine learning, or predictive analytics, big data is becoming a priceless resource. If you’re ready to make the most of the information flowing through your call center, you have many options, and Etech Insights can help you with data insights for your organization. Contact Etech to find your way to improved customer experience and increased profitability through the use of data you’re probably already collecting. This blog was earlier published on LinkedIn.

How to Connect Data and Artificial Intelligence for Personalized Touch Points

Artificial intelligence is currently being propagated as the consumer experience champion and for a good reason. The ability and evolution of computer learning have led to improved efficiency, personalization and excellent analysis of big data, thereby transforming the e-commerce landscape and created a standard of expectation from customers. It is no longer feasible to appease the base with stagnant, unresponsive platforms. Patrons expect businesses to be not only accommodating but personable in both physical and digital locations. The expectation of such customization and personalization is only possible and cost-effective through the implementation of automated and analytical systems. However, many companies struggle with implementing such machine learning structures, which is why it is vital to understand how to connect data and AI with business objectives. Identify Problems and Seek Solutions   While big data offers tremendous insight into operations and corporate structure, it does nothing without the computational ability to analyze and produce actionable information succinctly. Incorporating AI into existing products and services is likely the best place for most businesses to start. Review your products, services, and operations to see where machine learning, natural language processing or image recognition could be used to streamline data and eliminate redundancies. Seek Value Not Reinvention   It is easy to get caught up in the technological advancements offered through AI platforms, but it is not wise to embrace it in its entirety. While these systems are excellent tools for data analytics and insights into the consumer experience, they should not be used at the detriment of your business and brand identity. If your model is built on approachability and personable communications with consumers, then implementing chatbots for all consumer interactions will only dilute that image. Do not reinvent the business for the sake of being technologically advanced. Do implement AI strategies that add value and help the company in finding improved efficiency and effectiveness. Know Your Capabilities   A large corporation with many big data sets is going to require more robust solutions than a small business with a limited consumer base and digital footprint. While every company can grow to the point of needing complex analytic tools that are housed in high-security facilities, not all businesses require such extensive technologies currently. Know your capabilities and where you want your business to grow. Don’t over-implement AI systems because it is what the larger corporations are doing. Your computer systems and processes should grow with the business and not necessarily surpass it. Integrate Integral Data   Though big data is the foundation for the success of automated systems, many corporations are plagued by redundancies in these data sets. Before implementing any advanced computer learning system, a business should weed through their data and eliminate any unnecessary or repetitive information. Once a new system is in use, it should only be fed integral data, allowing it to learn what information is valuable. Set Up Tests and Start Small   As mentioned, AI does require training which is why it is essential to manage the implementation of such systems. It is best to start small and tests the results, only moving further when the machine proves its capabilities on limited data sets. This structured implementation can be used in every aspect of your business from the front-end consumer experience to back-end operational usage. No matter the desired result, slow and structured is the path to a successful installation. Big data is only a piece of the implementation puzzle when it comes to artificial intelligence. While AI can help to transform a business into a consumer-focused and efficient machine, it can also inhibit a company’s progress if it is utilized too quickly and with little forethought. Therefore, if you are looking to incorporate advanced analytics and computer learning in your business model, then contact Etech to discuss and discover a customizable solution. This blog was first published on LinkedIn.

Eight Tips to Ensure Call Center PCI Compliance

Every good business leader knows there will always be times when risk-taking is beneficial to your organization. We have all heard the adage, “The Greater the Risk, The Greater the Reward”. However, when it comes to regulatory compliance in the contact center industry, taking risks should never be considered as an option. Adhering to the Payment Card Industry Data Security Standard (PCI DSS) is one of the most important ways to operate your business with integrity. Developed in 2006 by five major credit card companies to protect consumers from fraud, data breaches, and identity theft during business transactions, PCI DSS standards are enforced by the PCI Security Standards Council. There are several risks associated with non-compliance to PCI DSS standards; Monetary Fines, Damaged Reputation, System and Process Forensic Audits; Loss of Business; Legal Action; and the list goes on. The good news is there are several easy to follow guidelines to ensure your company achieves and maintains full PCI compliance. Maintain a secure network. Nearly 80 percent of companies that experience a data breach doesn’t have a reliable firewall in place. Avoid putting your customers at unnecessary risk by investing in robust security controls for your online network. If you’re unfamiliar with industry standards for establishing a safe network, hire a reputable IT firm to help you get started. Understand where all your access points are. Document your data flows and ensure there are measures to protect the data at rest and in transit. Ensure your web hosting is PCI compliant. Call center security begins with a web host that routes valuable consumer financial data through a private, dedicated server to protect sensitive information from unauthorized users. While this option can be more expensive than a shared hosting plan, the peace of mind it can give you and your customers is well worth the expense. Do not allow mobile devices in secure work areas where Protected data is present and/or displayed. While it’s important to hire and train contact center agents who are ethical and trustworthy, you also need to accept the reality that a data breach could begin with a someone importing sensitive customer data onto their mobile device. Reduce the risk by prohibiting personal mobile device use in secure areas. If mobile devices are part of your employee working toolset, ensure you have robust MDM (Mobile Device Management) and DLP (Data Loss Prevention) policies in place. Encrypt all sensitive data. We have all heard the saying, “There are two types of organizations, those that have been breached, and those that don’t know they’ve been breached”. If data becomes compromised, can the malicious actors do anything with it? A fundamental element of PCI compliance is shielding customer personal and financial information with strong cryptography. Cryptographic controls are important for data at rest as well as data that is in transit. You should be utilizing a minimum encryption key strength of 256 bits, and for an extra security safeguard, if you utilize a third party to store your customers’ data, they should not have access to the encryption key. Redact and protect recorded calls containing sensitive information. You would be surprised at the number of companies recording calls that never think about the protected data on those recordings. While call recording is an invaluable training tool, it can also put the security of your organization and your customers’ data at risk. Recorded calls are subject to the same PCI DSS standards as any other method of capturing private consumer information, so consider investing in a call monitoring system that will allow redaction of financial information on the recording. Also, ensure recordings themselves are protected through proper encryption methods and access controls. Establish role-based security. One of the basics of PCI DSS compliance is limiting who can access your customers’ financial information on a strictly need to know basis. That’s why it’s essential to implement role-based credentials in your contact center. Follow a Policy of Least Privilege. This will ensure that each team member has only the access needed to adequately perform their job duties without unduly exposing them to sensitive consumer data. Provide appropriate contact center employee training. Your contact center agents are part of your security/compliance team and each is an invaluable tool in maintaining PCI DSS compliance. Make sure they understand the fundamentals of PCI standards, why they are important, and how a data breach can negatively impact your business. By establishing your agents as the front line in preserving contact center security, you’re providing one of the strongest defense systems to your customers. Don’t underestimate the importance of system testing. Less than 30 percent of companies remain PCI compliant a year after becoming certified, usually because they fail to maintain and upgrade their network and data security after the initial installation. Security is not a one and done project. It is continually evolving to counteract cybercriminals attempting to remain one step ahead. Protect your investment by scheduling regular testing of all firewalls, encryption methods, redaction methods, credential audits, and call monitoring. Commit to enhancing your security systems as needed so they meet or exceed all current industry standards. When instituting PCI compliance within your organization, remember that you, and not the consumer base you serve, are the gatekeeper of sensitive data. At Etech, we have maintained full PCI DSS certification for several years, and we realize that we and not our clients are primarily responsible for meeting all security and compliance requirements for each program within our contact centers. We provide our clients with a dedicated team of regulatory compliance experts to give them peace of mind in all aspects of their program management. Contact us today to learn more about how we can help you create a PCI DSS compliant security system that will give your customers the protection they deserve.

Are You Adapting Omni-Channel Customer Support?

Customer support was originally handled through three information channels: telephone, letter or in person. As technology advanced, however, the available communication tools evolved, moving toward digital and cloud services. Now, businesses must handle customer service communications through a multifaceted approach known as omnichannel. As defined, this new approach streamlines and unifies consumer information across all corporate and client touchpoints to provide seamless, universal and informed service, and it can be further defined through the four Ps: Pain-free The first P refers to the seamlessness of the customer experience during the point of contact and finding a solution. Is your business’ currently facilitating this process in the best way possible? Proactive Is your current service reactive or proactive? The second P is about being ahead of the curve when it comes to solutions. Therefore, provide answers to problems that customers haven’t asked yet. Personalized How attentive is the business to client needs? The third P requires a personalized approach, meaning that the old ways of one-size-fits-all don’t work in today’s customer service environment. Productive Lastly, the fourth P is focused on productivity. Are your service agents empowered to make unilateral decisions, or does everything have to go through upper management? Streamlining the decision process is the focus of omnichannel customer service. If your business is not yet in tangent with the four P’s, it is not too late to start. There are several steps your company can take to improve the consumer experience and better align itself with the principles of multichannel service. Understand Customer Behavior   The basis of business and customer support is to understand customer behavior, and in the current economic climate, it is more important than ever before. To understand consumers is to understand their behavior, and to acknowledge their actions. It is difficult to establish successful communication channels if you do not know where your client-base spends their time online. Knowing that the majority of your clients use platforms like Twitter and Facebook will allow you to divert budgetary dollars from other social platforms. Capitalize on Mobile Platforms   Also, while omnichannel efforts where once limited to desktop and laptop computers, there are now multiple ways for customers to use business platforms and to contact support. You will be hard-pressed to find consumers without mobile phones or tablets. Therefore, it is essential that companies design for mobile platforms. Allow for Self-service   Additionally, it is not always necessary to flood your patron’s inbox with personalized messages or to provide information only through a real person. Some people prefer a more introverted customer experience, meaning that they prefer self-service. Companies can accommodate these types of shoppers by providing thorough and robust FAQ pages. Integrate SMS   Omnichannel support often depends on a personal approach to consumer relations through the utilization of technology and its platforms. Therefore, to push your support features to the next level, offer SMS capabilities. The availability of text messaging and its nearly universal appeal make it a reliable way to provide service and support. Incorporate Live Chat   When discussing personalized service, you can’t get any better than offering live chats. While chatbots have their place in the streamlining process, a real person can provide empathy and relatability. A machine is not able to provide accurate as well as emotional support and understanding. Don’t Forget Email   Granted, it is easy to forget the old methods of letters and email, but each still holds value in the customer experience. By incorporating both personalization and technology, businesses are capable of crafting targeted email campaigns that can lead to satisfaction and further purchases. While technically optional, omnichannel customer service is an appreciated customer service approach that yields real results. However, for true effectiveness businesses must be capitalizing on this approach across every touchpoint. If you are interested in incorporating this multichannel strategy into your business, then contact Etech for a customized solution.

How to Harness the Power of Millennials in Your Company?

Born between 1981 and 1996, the Millennial generation is a powerhouse in today’s workplace. It is estimated that by the year 2020, 50% of the workforce will be made up of millennials. This generation displays an intrinsic knowledge and trust of technology, a consistent work ethic and a commitment to excellence in standards and practices. To fully engage these employees, companies must not only honor what millennials bring to the table but also be honorable themselves. The key points below will assist in gaining insight on how to harness the power of millennials in your company. Build a Solid Professional Relationship Employers may fear that taking a relational approach to management is too time-consuming. However, accustomed to instant access to information, many millennials in the modern workplace prefer a coaching style that consists of frequent, brief check-ins rather than epic conversations. Value Their Strengths This is a generation of people who have been told their whole lives that they can be anything they want to be. Consequently, they have put a lot of effort into discovering and becoming who they want to be, and they expect you to learn who they are and what their strengths are. Generic praise and cookie-cutter tasks won’t cut it with these employees. Encouragement needs to be specific and sincere, and The good news for employers is that getting to know how millennials in your workplace like to be encouraged and the tasks at which they thrive won’t be hard to do. This generation tends to be pretty self-aware. They probably know off the top of their heads what their top five CliftonStrengths and they are likely to have some great ideas about how to best utilize those strengths in a call center workplace environment. You just need to take the time to ask them. Foster Open Communication Millennials, in particular, tend to see their jobs as a significant part of their identities. They don’t want to simply punch a time card and go home at the end of the day. Their personal lives may bleed into their work lives, and their work may be viewed as a second home. This holistic view can blur the lines of traditional hierarchies in ways that older generations are not accustomed to taking into account. Bridging this gap in perspectives can be tricky. For example, seasoned executives are not always comfortable with having decisions questioned by newer employees. If employers can look past the perceived affront to their expertise, however, these questions may prove useful. They not only offer an opportunity for professional development for the person asking them but also challenge decision-makers to analyze and, if necessary, adapt decisions to better serve the company and its clients. Exhibit Ethical Business Practices In 2018, Deloitte revealed that only 48% of Millennials view corporations as ethical. This number dropped from 65% in just one year. To improve this impression, the ideal call center workplace must show that it values people as much as or more than profit and have a certain level of transparency. Demonstrate Diversity and Flexibility The aforementioned Deloitte study concluded that millennials are more likely to be loyal to a company that actively champions diversity. Employees are more likely to feel a sense of belonging in a workplace where they can be mentored by people in leadership who look like them or identify in similar ways. Younger workers also tend to value team goals that stem from the collaboration of a wealth of differing perspectives. A flexible environment is vital to millennials’ successful work-life integration. With modern technology, most of the work that has been traditionally done at desks can easily go mobile, and there’s little discernible reason why it shouldn’t, particularly if it results in happier, healthier workers. Enabling employees to telecommute or choose their own location can increase their engagement and job satisfaction in their workplace. Practice Accountability Millennials tend to have a strong awareness of and commitment to ethical business practices. They want to make the world a better place, and, as both consumers and employees, they actively seek out companies that share their values. Communicating your commitment to ecological responsibility, social justice, and solid labor practices is a good first step. It takes consistent fulfillment of those promises to earn the trust and loyalty of millennials in your employ. Millennials will soon make up half the workforce, and that percentage is only going to get larger in the next 5-10 years. Seek out innovative service options and more efficient ways to reach company goals. In order to reap the multitude of benefits that this particular population brings to the workplace, employers must adapt the way they have always done things to accommodate their needs and preferences.

Servant Leadership Develops the Building Blocks for Successful Businesses

While leadership can take on many different meanings depending on who you ask, its definition is stated as the action of leading a group of people or an organization. While that definition may seem straightforward enough, it still leaves room for questions. How should you lead a team? Is there a right or a wrong way to lead? Is it good enough to simply lead, or do management’s choice of style and its effectiveness impact current and future business success? Most would agree that there are positive and negative forms of leadership, but does it have an impact on the business one way or the other if a company’s style of leading is found to be lacking? The simple answer is that it most certainly does. Whether high- and mid-level managers adhere to servant leadership styles or more autocratic, individualistic ones, their methods and principles seep throughout the company and impact the thoughts, ideas, and effectiveness of employees at all levels. It’s been acknowledged that businesses that focus on the importance of developing effective and ethical leadership often also enjoy increases in positive customer experiences. The Link Between Servant Leadership and Business Success   Managers who practice servant-style leading are often thinking of others and coming up with ideas for how they can serve and help their teams and communities grow, rather than focusing on themselves and accumulating their power and wealth. While this is an age-old way of looking at leadership, the concrete ideas and foundations for servant leadership were created in 1970 by Robert K. Greenleaf. There are several traits often displayed by managers who utilize servant leadership for business success, such as: A heightened sense of awareness, including self-awareness Ability to show empathy Strong commitment towards professional and personal growth of employees Not acting as if tasks, positions or other associates are below, or less critical, than them When these and other traits are combined, they often add up to a happier, more engaged and highly-efficient workforce. The Idea in Practice   Recent studies, such as this one conducted by The University of Illinois at Chicago Business School, show just what kind of impact managers who take a servant-style approach towards leadership have on their teams. This particular study focused on surveys completed by employees, managers and even customers at 71 restaurants within the national chain of Jason’s Deli. The results concluded that restaurants with managers practicing servant leadership benefited from: Improvement in job performance of 6% Customer service increases by 8% An astounding employee retention growth of 50% Lead Effectively to Reap the Benefits   If you’ve bought into the importance of good, effective leaders, here are some suggestions for incorporating servant leadership into your day-to-day practices. Show That You Care   The important thing here is making it clear that you care more about your employees than you do about the company’s bottom line. Get to know your associates and always be sure to reward and recognize a job well done. Don’t Be Afraid To Get Your Hands Dirty   Don’t let your employees see you steer clear of what you may consider being “grunt work” that’s beneath you. Jump in and help when help is needed, no matter the task. Associates will most likely respect you more and see you as someone relatable, on their level and more trustworthy. It also shows that you understand and value the importance of all jobs and tasks within the company. Know the Value of Investing in Your Team   Lift and encourage all of your employees. Help them grow their skills and don’t fear those who you believe could become a competition. A skilled and happy workforce is an effective and efficient one that is more likely to show loyalty to both their leadership and the company as a whole. With all the myriad ways that bad leadership can easily destroy a company over time, there’s a lot on the line, and it’s imperative for businesses to get this right. Managers that care, lift their employees, work alongside their teams and encourage the growth and development of everyone make the difference between companies that flourish and those that fizzle and burn out. When choosing a partner to assist in serving the needs of your company’s valued customers, look to a business ally with similar values and goals. Etech cultivates a culture of servant leadership that allows employees to grow and effectively do what they do best, which in turn leads to heightened customer satisfaction and improved customer experience. Contact Etech today to discover the solution that’s best suited to your business.

How Artificial Intelligence Humanizes Employee Communications and Customer Engagement

Images from the movies and popular culture might have you believing that machines are taking over the world. Cars carry on conversations with drivers or just drive themselves, robots are depicted as suitable dating partners, and that smartphone you keep on hand 24/7 probably recognizes your voice, face, and other biometrics. Contacting your utility company, buying groceries online, and ordering pizza delivery may not involve interacting with a human at all. In the world of business, Gartner estimates that by 2020, 85 percent of customer experience tasks will not involve a human. However, while it’s true that many functions in society can be automated, there’s still no substitute for the human touch. Many people are fairly adept at determining whether they’re dealing with a human or a machine and show a strong preference for the former. For that reason alone, fully automated customer experience tools are frustrating for many consumers, but that doesn’t mean they don’t have a place. When it comes to engaging your customers and crafting meaningful communications, you can draw on the best traits of human intelligence when combined with artificial intelligence to create a quality customer engagement experience. For example, you might use an AI tool to walk customers through very common tasks or questions. But when a complex problem emerges, and you have an exasperated client on your hands, you need a human to de-escalate the situation, share insights and find creative alternatives that preserve the relationship with the client. How does AI Helps in Customer Engagement? Data management: Customer service is more data-driven than ever. Demographics, buying preferences, touch points, and many other factors contribute to a massive set of data that no one person can cross reference and analyze alone. Artificial intelligence excels in that arena, but it’s still impossible to map out every possible scenario of behavior where humans are concerned. Buying decisions and concepts like customer loyalty are purely emotional concepts. Pairing a robust set of data points with a human mind that can interpret the emotions of a customer and pivot accordingly to is a winning formula. Faster response times: Even if the response to the customer is delivered by a human, using AI tools in the background to generate responses and possible courses of action make your representatives more agile and efficient. No more “brief holds to research this matter” unless it’s a lengthy and complex problem. Simple and common questions can be handled in their entirety by machines faster and more accurately than your human agents. You can even configure the AI tools to lead customers down a particular path and divert them to a human representative under certain conditions. Always available: Artificial intelligence tools can work round the clock every day of the year, so even when your human staff is off, automated responses can help clients find basic information. Customers who are ready to buy can do so on the spot. When your employees return to the office, they can focus on the more complicated tasks rather than wading through piles of routine requests that can consume the day. Why Does It Matter? A 2013 Zendesk report found that: Survey respondents indicated that customer service was the primary factor in whether or not they trusted a vendor. A good customer service experience led 42 percent of B2C customers to buy more from that provider. A bad experience led 52 percent to stop buying from that vendor. More than half of the companies surveyed by Gartner are using or will be using some form of artificial intelligence to improve customer experiences by 2020. If you’re ready to develop a plan for implementing artificial intelligence tools into your business processes, contact Etech today. This blog was earlier published on LinkedIn.

Improve Customer Experience With These Live Chat Etiquettes

The Importance of Chat Etiquettes The guiding principle for successfully providing customer service via live chat is to help the customer with the task or issue he or she contacted you about. It’s irrelevant whether you are handling the processing of an order, answering a billing question, or checking the status of a return; your job is the same. You can turn even a disgruntled client into a lifelong fan of your product or service by using appropriate live chat etiquette. Implement these 10 tips and watch your customer satisfaction scores soar. Know Your Stuff If you don’t know the product or service you’re supporting, it won’t matter how polite or friendly your sound. The fastest way to frustrate your customer is to display a lack of basic knowledge. Even if you don’t immediately know the answer to the problem at hand, you should at least know how to find it. Familiarize yourself with the visitor-facing portion of the company’s website so you can quickly direct your customer to the correct place if he or she is looking for product details or the FAQ section. Don’t Lose Focus While it’s important to be friendly and personable as a part of live chat etiquette, it’s also easy to drift off course into small talk in the name of polite customer service. Remember that your goal is to fix the issue the customer contacted you about. Be ready to gently steer the conversation back to the problem at hand if things seem to be getting off track. Listen Most products and services have features that generate questions from users regularly. You may feel that you answer the same queries every day and can make assumptions based on those experiences. However, listening to the customer’s words as they describe what they are struggling with is critical. Don’t assume their problem is the same as everyone else. Tell the Truth If you make a promise to a customer, keep it. That seems like a pretty simple principle of live chat etiquette, but operators get tripped up on it often. Don’t offer something that you don’t have the authority to follow through on, and if you do make a promise, stay with it until you know it’s done. Explain Yourself Rather than just replying to a question with a yes or a no, provide an explanation for why that is the answer. Even if the customer doesn’t like the answer, he or she is more likely to accept it if they understand the reasoning behind it. Know When You’re In Over Your Head If you find yourself faced with a customer support issue that you simply cannot solve, don’t be afraid to admit that to the client. Reassure him or her that repeating the whole story won’t be necessary, and then transfer everything you’ve done so far to the more senior agent to maintain the live chat etiquette. Speak Clearly Remember that the person you are communicating with may not be knowledgeable of all the abbreviations, technical terms, and other jargon associated with your product or service. At least initially, ask basic questions in simple terms. If you establish that the customer is more advanced, then you can elevate the terminology of the conversation. Keep It, Professional While it’s tempting to lapse into less formal language using slang or shortcut spelling, resist the urge. In a professional environment, stick to proper grammar and sentence structure to build your customer’s confidence in you. Don’t Leave Your Customer Hanging If you need to put the conversation on hold to research or get more information, be sure to communicate to the other party what you are doing. If you just disappear, the customer might think something happened to the connection. There’s no such thing as overcommunicating in the world of live chat etiquette. Try to Fix It With One Chat Customers feel most confident and happiest with your service when you answer their questions or fix an issue with one call. Having to contact your company again and again with the same problem damages brand loyalty and makes the customer less likely to recommend your products because of a bad customer service experience. Remember the Impact Obviously, most consumers wish they never had to reach out for support of a product or service. But if they do need to, the best way to turn around that negative experience is to provide a customer support experience that is so good and so helpful they want to tell their friends about it. In a 2017 study by Northridge Group, 81 percent of customers surveyed reported that the quality of the support experience would be a determining factor in whether they continued to use a product or service. If you need help in establishing a world-class live chat support team, contact Etech.

5 Effective Tips to Raise Your Customer Service Standards

What Are Your Company’s Customer Service Standards? According to the Institute of Customer Service, your company’s customer service standards should include clearly defined and communicated expectations for timeliness, applicability, and accuracy. Service-level agreements are ideal examples of defined standards. It’s not enough to say that you’ll answer all calls within a reasonable period of time. Instead, a defined service level agreement would state that between 8 a.m. and 5 p.m. Monday through Friday, calls will be answered within an average of 30 seconds at least 98 percent of the time. Applicability relates to inquiries from customers, clients, or potential clients. The expectation is that 100 percent of the time, the response to an inquiry will answer all the parts of the question correctly. Setting applicability standards makes it clear to internal and external stakeholders that giving out incorrect or incomplete information is unacceptable in your organization. Applicability is a strong proponent of an effortless customer experience. Accuracy as part of customer service standards, for every business, should be 100 percent. Nothing less is acceptable in-house because nothing less is acceptable to your customers. Accuracy and applicability go hand in hand – applicability applies to information, and accuracy to products, or service delivery. How Can You Raise Your Standards? Now that you’ve defined your standards and expectations, how can you improve their success rate? No matter how good you are, you can always aim higher. These five tips can help you move the needle Omni-Channel Experience: Omnichannel is a cross-channel content strategy that organizations use to improve their user experience. Rather than working in parallel, communication channels and their supporting resources are designed and orchestrated to cooperate. Whether your client interacts with your business via voice call, chat, email, social media, text messaging, website, or some other method, every interaction is recorded and related so that future touchpoints all share the same information. An example of a seamless omnichannel experience would be when a customer sends a message through your Facebook page with a question about a product and later calls the customer service phone number, the phone representative can see the information from the Facebook interaction and have a complete and up to date picture of the situation. Empowerment: Even in the age of so much technology, the human touch still reigns supreme when it comes to customer experience and satisfaction. Consumers expect a confident, knowledgeable voice on the other end of the line to take care of their questions or issue accurately and efficiently, preferably on the first interaction. However, your team members can only do that if they are knowledgeable, empowered to make decisions for the customer and the company, and have the technical toolbox required to deliver on each interaction. You must make sure they have the tools at hand and the authority built into your policies to take care of your customers without having to climb ladders for permission. Agent Experience directly translates into Customer Experience; any friction points the agent encounters will ultimately be felt by the customer. Developing a culture of servant leadership combined with purposeful training, coaching, and development provide agent the confidence they need to expertly handle each customer. Tie Your KPIs to Customer Service: Key performance indicators (KPIs) have traditionally been tied to quantity measurements, such as the number of calls processed per hour. Times-they-are-a-changing; more and more organizations now understand the value of tying customer satisfaction to the company’s overall performance measures. Team members who use everything within their power to create satisfied customers are now recognized as some of a company’s most valuable assets. They have the powerful ability to encourage loyalty and a deeper relationship with your customers. Prioritize culture, training, and employ enrichment and the numbers will follow; a robust and action-oriented ESAT program creates an environment of engaged employees and shared success. Consolidate Your Data: Gone are the days when each department within your company kept a separate file on each customer. With customer management software available in almost every industry, it’s easy to pull together a profile on each customer that the different areas can share. Your sales department can see how a client interacts with materials from marketing, for example. Your customer service team should have immediate access to client profiles so they can make the best decision possible. Data consolidation is the first step toward a cross-channel strategy. Integrate Artificial Intelligence: Artificial intelligence (AI) is not ready to replace your human customer service agents, but it has advanced enough to handle routine tasks or common inquiries. Many consumers consider it a good customer service experience when they can quickly and easily find what they need on your website or through your app. Automation adaption and bots can efficiently handle high-frequency, low-value interactions. This frees up your agents to handle more complex issues that require in-depth support. This balance of human and artificial intelligence can create a winning combination for satisfied clients. Why Does It Matter? Your company probably spends a significant part of its budget on marketing to draw in new customers. However, it’s equally important to hold onto the clients once you have them. Establishing high standards is only the beginning. Maintaining those standards requires constant vigilance, data gathering, communication, and analysis. With the advent of social media, the customer’s voice is amplified, and word of a bad customer service experience spreads like wildfire. That makes high customer service standards critically important to your company’s success. If you’re exploring service standards and experience management programs, Contact Etech today. We specialize in setting the bar high and consistently exceeding it! This blog was earlier published on LinkedIn.

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