Actionable Insights for Maximizing Customer and Agent Experience in Contact Centers
Attrition is still a very hot topic in the contact center industry. For contact centers their talented workforce is the key to delivering great customer experiences.
communication
Change Your Selling Game With Empathy And Authenticity
In today’s competitive business landscape, sales professionals are recognizing the importance of incorporating empathy and authenticity into their selling process. Gone are the days of aggressive sales tactics; customers now crave genuine connections and personalized experiences. Empathy plays a crucial role in understanding the needs, wants, and pain points of customers. When sales professionals take the time to put themselves in their customer’s shoes, they can tailor their approach to address specific concerns effectively. By actively listening and showing genuine care for customer challenges, they create a safe space for open communication. Authenticity goes hand in hand with empathy. Customers can sense when a sales professional is being sincere or simply following a script. Authenticity builds trust by showcasing transparency and integrity throughout the selling process. When sales professionals genuinely believe in the value of their product or service, it becomes easier to convey that enthusiasm to customers. Tune in this to podcast and get more insights into: How can sales professionals effectively incorporate empathy and authenticity into their selling process to establish stronger connections with customers? In a highly competitive sales environment, some professionals may worry that showing empathy and authenticity might make them appear vulnerable or weak. How can salespeople be encouraged to embrace these qualities? Hear about a success story where an organization transformed their selling game by embracing empathy and authenticity. Learn the key factors that contributed to their success, and what lessons others can learn from their experience. Speakers: Jason Cutter - Founder & Chief Transformation Officer, Cutter Consulting Group Melissa Wood – Dean of Global Leadership Development, Etech Global Services
How To Lead With Empathy: Nurturing Strong Relationships
In today’s fast-paced and competitive business landscape, it is essential for leaders to recognize the importance of leading with empathy. Are you ready to unlock the power of empathy and enhance your leadership skills? Explore the art of leading with empathy and how it can transform your professional and personal relationships while driving exceptional results. Discover how empathy can foster trust, collaboration, and loyalty within your teams, ultimately leading to improved employee engagement and organizational success. Gain valuable tips on how to effectively communicate with empathy, listen attentively, and understand the diverse perspectives and needs of those around you. Empathetic leaders recognize that each individual has unique strengths and challenges. By leveraging these strengths and providing support where needed, leaders can maximize productivity without compromising the well-being of their team. We believe that empathy is not just a soft skill; it is a powerful tool that drives innovation, fosters resilience, and nurtures strong connections with both your team members and stakeholders. Dive into the podcast as we discuss actionable insights and inspiring stories that will empower you to lead with empathy. This podcast will motivate you to create a positive impact in both your professional and personal lives. What we have covered for you: What are some common misconceptions about empathy in leadership? How can empathetic leaders navigate challenging situations or conflicts without sacrificing the quality of the results they aim to achieve and affecting the relationship with the team? What are some practical ways leaders can cultivate empathy within themselves and their teams? Subscribe to our podcast to get the latest episode right into your inbox! Speakers: Daniel Burks - VP of Product and Process, America’s CAR-MART, Inc Melissa Wood – Dean of Global Leadership Development, Etech Global Services Jim Iyoob – Chief Customer Officer, Etech Global Services
Does AI Play A Role In Improving An Agent’s Life?
In today’s rapidly evolving world, the integration of AI technology has become a game-changer in various industries. When it comes to improving an agent’s life, AI is shaping the future of agents, transforming them into more efficient, informed, and empowered professionals.
Mindful Communication: Fostering Connection and Trust
Communication is the most important part of any relationship; be it personal or professional. However, how often do we take the time to really listen to what another person has to say? We may think we are listening but in reality, we are usually just waiting for our turn to talk. If you really want to ace the art of communication, mindful communication is the key. Mindful communication is the practice of being present and fully engaged in the moment. It is about attentively and understanding the other person’s perspective without judgement. The greatest benefit of mindful communication is that it allows us to connect with people on a deeper level. When we stop pretending and start being true to ourselves, our conversations become more meaningful. By listening more, we can create a better understanding between ourselves and others. This will not only improve our relationships but also help build a stronger deeper connection. Practicing mindful communication will help you be more respectful when presenting conflicting views, as well as being open-minded when listening to others’ points of view. In this Leadership table discussion, we have shared practical tips to help you with mindful communication and how to master this art. Speakers: Jim Iyoob – Chief Customer Officer, Etech Global Services Melissa Wood – Dean of Global Leadership Development, Etech Global Services
The Future of Customer Service with AI-Enabled Contact Centers
There is a great deal of debate going on around Artificial Intelligence (AI) taking away jobs and replacing people, but when it comes to the CX industry and contact centers, the truth is AI has empowered contact centers to serve their customers better. The future of customer service lies in utilizing AI technology to create an effortless experience for customers and agents. AI has enabled contact centers to upgrade from analyzing just 2% – 5% of calls and driving conclusions from them, to evaluating 100% of the customer interactions and giving you a wealth of data about the customer experiences and agent performance. You can now have access to post conversational analytics in near real time! An AI enabled contact center can easily identify the trends and patterns of how top performing agents are delivering great CX and utilize that information to empower the entire workforce. Etech Insights is one such example that offers frictionless access to data sets. Our data provides insights at scale to help our customers see strengths, weaknesses and vulnerabilities that affect performance. We understand that anything that creates friction for the agent is felt by the customer, which is why Etech Insights approach to performance management focuses not only on reactive remediation and behavior mitigation but also proactive coaching during training for long term issues, all using data diagnostics to understand where we struggle over time. Get more insights in this podcast, where Director of Etech Insights, Manu Dwievedi and Etech’s Dean of Global Leadership Development, Melissa Wood unfold the secrets on AI-enabled contact centers and the future of customer service. You will be getting detailed insights into: How is AI technology transforming the customer service industry and what impact does it have on the role of contact centers? What are some of the challenges associated with implementing AI in contact centers and how can organizations overcome them? What are some of the key benefits of using AI in contact centers and how is Etech utilizing it to create improved customer experiences and agent empowerment? Speakers: Manu Dwievedi - Director, Etech Insights Melissa Wood – Dean of Global Leadership Development, Etech Global Services
12 Etech Character Commitments – An In-Depth Look at 1-6
Employee development is key to any company’s success. For Etech, this principle forms the cornerstone of its approach to employee relations, which centers on 12 character commitments essential to support effective implementation of servant leadership. Integrity Employees need to know they can rely on their leadership and on one another. Fostering a spirit of integrity is the first important step towards building a cohesive, motivated team. This character commitment means delineating your company’s principles and supporting your team in adhering to them. Whether interacting with customers, vendors, co-workers, subordinates or supervisors, integrity is an essential component of building trust. Valuing People Many companies approach employees as “human resources,” only taking an interest in whether they perform their current tasks. A more foresighted approach is to not only value current contributions but to take an interest in the whole person. Valuing people for the whole range of their talents and potential paves the road to participating in an employee’s development and assuring long-term success. Teamwork An effective team is vital to maintaining productivity and achieving goals. The principles of servant leadership demand attention to developing teamwork that goes far beyond each employee performing his or her assigned tasks. Real teamwork happens when each employee understands the role of his or her functions within the larger picture of the team and of the entire company. Rather than mechanically repeating a set of actions, employees who work as a true team cooperate intelligently to reach goals they are invested in. Accountability A core character commitment, accountability builds relationships and enhances teamwork. It completes the balance between working together as a united team and taking individual responsibility for one’s own role. Accountability at all levels boosts trust between employees and leaders. Unlike the popular conception, accountability does not just mean accepting blame for when things go wrong. Rather, it is an expression of a personal relationship to one’s work and an understanding of one’s responsibility to the team. Communication It is possible to exchange words without achieving communication. All too frequently, words are used to obscure, deflect or confuse. Communication as a cornerstone of servant leadership, on the other hand, means establishing honest, informative exchanges of ideas. On a logistical level, this can mean company managers may need to review processes to ensure there are protocols in place to enable employees to share information efficiently. On a more general plane, it is important to establish a setting of trust and cooperation that encourages needed communication. Vision All too often, company leaders get caught up in short-term goals. They make the mistake of focusing on meeting today’s goals at the expense of long-term vision. However, it is essential to keep in mind that the short-term tasks are important because they further long-term organizational objectives. Vision is essential to effective leadership, as it enables managers to make strategic decisions and build relationships with their teams. If the above sounds like a lofty challenge, using the right resources can help. AI solutions can aggregate and analyze data to identify areas that would benefit from improvement, as well as paths towards achieving it. Using AI performance analytics in conjunction with the Etech character commitment can help employees attain their full potential.
Communication is Key in Successful Vendor Management Programs
If you have a call center, then your success often relies on how well you can communicate and build solid relationships with your vendors. By no means do you want to have a strained relationship or lack of trust between you and those that are vital for your success. If you want to make long term relationships with your vendors, communication is the key. To make the best out of your business, follow these four tips. Communicate Expectations Make sure that your expectations are outlined and clear for your vendors to understand. Make sure that you set up meetings with all of the right people so that they know how they’re contributing to your goal & plan. The foundation needs to be clear and solid between you and vendors. Communicate Proactively Call center vendor management programs tend to do their worst when there isn’t consistent communication. If you aren’t in constant contact with your vendors, the relationship may begin to slip. Weekly meetings can help make sure that there is trust established between both parties. Communicate Plans One of the biggest mistakes that call center managers can make is to keep their goals and plans secret. It’s better to be open about them. Keep the line of communication open so that the vendor understands the kind of success your business is seeking. Additionally, if anything changes, you want to make sure that you relay it to your vendors. They should always be up to date with current information. Communicate with Key Vendors If some of your vendor managers offer a skill or service that is particularly critical to your success, you want to make sure to bring them to the table. Invite them to meetings where you’re going to be discussing key strategies. In many businesses, collaboration is really a building block of succeeding. Keep those lines of communication open and invite relevant vendors to your meetings. Communicate Rewards If your vendors are performing well, make sure that they know it. It’s imperative that you recognize those that are doing the best so that they might be able to motivate others. Monthly reviews can also help boost morale when it comes to those that are doing well. Recognition and rewards can attract vendors to you. At the end of the day, when you work in call center; vendor management is important. One of the vital components of your success, however, is your relationship with your vendors. The best way to be successful is to keep your communication strong.
How to Implement a Culture of Collaboration and Communication
Collaboration and communication are both essential to a good customer experience. It may sound obvious, but there are several areas in which a basic lack of either one often leads to a breakdown in customer service. Internal Communication Internal communication is the basis for all effective customer interaction. If your team members do not understand what the company stands for, what the relevant policies are, what products and services are offered or what their individual roles within the company are, they will not be able to provide a positive customer experience. Do not assume that new hires will retain everything presented in an initial training session. Plan for ongoing roundtable discussions and have an open-door policy so that two-way communication becomes the norm. Communicating Company Values Your company’s vision and mission should be printed up for everyone to see. You will also want to make sure that each team member understands these statements and clearly sees how he or she fits into the overall workings of the company. In addition to being displayed in print, your values should be reflected in your company culture and communicated to your customer base by means of your policies and daily operations. Communicating Policy Your company’s policies on various issues should be clearly written and accessible for your employees to review. However, more than simply publishing a policy list is required. To effectively communicate policy, you must help your team to understand the rules and how and when they are applied. Each team member should be able to clearly explain various policies to customers in an easy-to-understand manner. Informing Customer Expectations Clear communication on the part of your brand should result in customer experiences that align with expectations. This is where accurately communicating your values, policies and standard procedures to your team directly pays off. For example, if you sell physical products and have a strict return policy, that policy should be clearly stated in sales materials. Your sales team should also understand how the prospect of future returns affects the sales process and should inform the customer about the policy ahead of time. If a customer enters into a transaction with full knowledge of whether or not the sale is refundable, he or she will not be taken by surprise if a future return is not accepted. Setting clear customer expectations is a major factor in customer satisfaction and retention, even if problems do arise with a product or service. The Value of Collaboration Collaboration involves communication but takes it one step further. To maintain a collaborative environment, all parties must work together toward a common goal. Now that you have laid the groundwork by creating an atmosphere of open communication, you can foster collaboration by asking for team members’ input on important decisions. You can also collaborate with customers when appropriate, such as when planning a new product or service or participating in a community event. No organization can hope to optimize its customer experience without laying a foundation of open communication and collaboration. Doing so involves both internal and external relations and is an ongoing process, but all the hard work pays off in the long run.
