Coaching Numbers or What They Really Mean?

As Contact Center managers, you have a lot of power.  OK…some days it sure doesn’t seem that way, but you really do.  Your supervisors and quality team are listening to you and are observing what you are focused on.

When you talk about metrics, what are you saying to them? If you talk purely “number” goals all the time, your quality coaches will be talking just “numbers” too.  They’ll often repeat what you are saying word for word during their coaching sessions with agents.

When  metrics are discussed during individual agent coaching sessions, you need to make sure that your “coach” knows how to explain them in terms of Customer Experience.

One of the metrics numbers that seems to get a bad rap these days is the length of the call. Some coaches aren’t bringing it up at all in coaching sessions.  There were some managers who actually tracked and rewarded based on the length of call “metric” set. Some don’t reward but are seemingly obsessed with setting a number for call length average based on studying this metric if reported by any other call center in the universe.

I’m a proponent of monitoring and coaching all types of calls.  Long, short and in between.  I don’t advocate setting an exact length of call goal for every call and then holding agents’ feet to the fire.  I do advocate learning if the call was handled appropriately in a likewise appropriate amount of time.

Long Calls:  When I hear lengthy agent calls, I think about my Dad’s famous driving “shortcuts” whenever he took our family somewhere. When he mentioned that he knew quicker route, my Mom would roll her eyes and we knew what was coming.  We could always plan on adding 20 plus minutes to the original length of the trip.  Hopefully the shortcut would involve a stop for ice cream. My father seemed to find ice cream regardless of the route. His passenger “customers” at least were given a treat for their troubles and perhaps that was his true goal.

Some of our agents don’t see the service or sales target straight ahead, but instead, go in circles on their way to closure.  they are not taking the simplest and shortest route to reach the customer goal.

Unfortunately we don’t have virtual ice cream to offer our customers who are stuck in lengthy calls that seem to be going nowhere.

Short Calls: When calls are too short, I worry too because the agent may have missed an opportunity to be proactive, add some additional tips, or listen better for clues for upselling and cross-selling clues.  Worse still are the agents who blend speed with talking over customers. Sally may have taken twice as many calls as the other agents, but what is happening during those calls?  Are they brusque and disinterested sounding, even though she took care of “business”?

Metrics should always be a part of coaching as long as they mean something to the customer and our business needs.

I love to see quality monitoring forms for calls that incorporate metrics as well as the soft skills and other skills needed for best quality.

We just need to make sure that our coaches aren’t just reading metrics numbers to agents, but are instead preparing for their coaching sessions by reviewing those numbers and how they relate to skills demonstrated and the overall customer experience.

Quality Calibration: You say it’s 80, I say it’s 90…Let’s call the whole thing off!

I love visiting Contact Centers and working with Leadership and Quality teams.  After 30 plus years in the industry, I will say that I’m still happy with my career choice.  I certainly have had a lot of interesting experiences working with all those Centers, but nothing can compare to some of  those knock-down, drag-out Calibration sessions pitting Supervisor against Supervisor, Supervisor(s) against the Quality Analysts, Supervisors against Manager.  You get the picture.

As I’ve sat and observed the interactions, including the eye rolling, the almost name calling and the defense of what some participants described to a Supervisor as “your pet Agent”, I wondered where the Customer Experience was in all of this.

So many Calibration sessions become more about “I’m right and your wrong” finger-pointing when the scores don’t agree, than how this call affected the Customer. I’ve even seen some Managers avoid the whole infighting issue by just scheduling Calibration sessions once a quarter or even less frequently instead of taking steps to improve them.

In order to have productive (and yes professional) Calibration sessions, we need to set some ground rules, for instance:

1.  Opinions are just that…opinions.  Our monitoring should be based on facts, instead of rating the call high because “Mary means well” or “John’s worked here a long time”.

Consistency in how we rate Agent skills is important.

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2. Listen for “Moments of Truth” for that Customer:  Accuracy, timeliness, problem resolution, empathy, listening – Did we take care of the reason for the call and if not, was it the Agent’s issue or a policy/procedure that prevented resolution (which needs revision if possible)?

Why did the Customer contact us and did we resolve? Why Not?

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3. If you don’t agree on the scores, why not?:  discuss rationally, not emotionally.

Don’t take discussion personally

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4. Make sure everyone understands what your Customers expect and need to have a positive Experience:  Customer Feedback, Surveys, comments Customer makes during the call, CSAT (Customer Satisfaction Score, or perhaps related to the Calibration fighting, I found out this also stands for Combatshootingandtactics.com ).  Our monitoring may also include checks for sales skills and revenue generation but if the Customer is satisfied we know we have a greater opportunity to sell more.

 The Customer Experience

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5. Repeat number 4…the Customer rules and providing what they need and want decides whether this call was an 80 or 90 or whatever scoring applies.

This is just some food for thought and I know there are more great Calibration ideas.  I hope you’ll share some of your Calibration stories here or on Twitter (I’m @mkcallconsult) or LinkedIn

When Sales and Service Meet

Interior Grocery Design | Frozen Foods Design | Interior Decor Design | Freezer Section Design (Photo credit: I-5 Design & Manufacture)

Recently, I went to my favorite Publix to shop.  I love shopping there because of the positive, friendly attitudes of the staff and the great selection of food items.  I enjoy cooking when time permits but also like some quick frozen options when we are busy. I’m also a bargain shopper.  I enjoy looking for specials on some of our favorite brands.

As I approached the frozen food area, I saw one of the department managers busily stocking items next to where I was headed. He greeted me with a big smile and “Good Morning”.

I turned to the glass doors to see the selections and studied them for a few seconds when the manager walked over to me and asked, “Have you ever tried those?”  He pointed to stuffed chicken breasts which had a variety of stuffing choices:  bread stuffing, cheese, cordon bleu, etc.

I replied that I hadn’t tried them.  He said, “They are really good.”  He opened the door for better viewing and then pointed to each variety and briefly told me which his wife liked, which he liked, which his kids enjoyed.  He was enthusiastic about the quality, how easy they were to cook and the time needed to prepare was short. I commented that I liked the quick dinner idea. Then, the manager smiled and simply said, “They’re on sale…Buy 1, Get 1 Free so they’re a great bargain too. Would you like to try them?”

When I entered that aisle, I had no intention of buying the item and had not even given it a thought until he spoke.  No high pressure push, just an honest discussion of the taste and quality and a personal reference to what his family enjoyed.   I said, “Sure” and made my choice out of the varieties available.  He went a step further and pulled those 2 boxes out.  He handed them to me with a smile saying, “Let me know what you think about them after you try them”.  I thanked him and walked away looking forward to trying them soon.

What did the manager do right?

• Probed for interest and experience with the product
• Related the product experience to his own enjoyment of it and enjoyment of others
• He believed in the value of the product: his choice of words and enthusiasm were genuine
• Mentioned some key benefits: save money, easy to use, great quality
• Asked if I was ready to commit
• Ended the sale by personalizing: handing me the product with a smile and request for feedback after trying

With his soft, customer service focused sales approach, he not only increased revenue for his department, but confirmed to me the reason I continue to be a loyal customer of Publix.

Sometimes we over-complicate upselling and cross-selling when our Customer Service teams are asked to take on this role in addition to service. Is our training creating selling “robots” who read an Upsell phrase or question without any genuine interest in the product/service?  That robotic approach will fail because the customer can tell that the Agent/CSR doesn’t believe what they are selling is a really a good thing.

Hello….Goodbye: Ending The Call Positively

Image by skampy via Flickr

The Agent is doing a nice job on this call.  He has shown interest in the Caller.  He’s asking good questions to help solve her problem.  He is polite and knowledgeable. OK…here comes the ending….wait for it….It’s going to be good…

Customer: “Thank you Andy Agent for helping me fix my problem today”.

Agent: “You’re Welcome”  (silence…cricket….cricket…cricket)

I turn up the volume.  Maybe the phone has gone bad.  Nothing.  The Customer finally says, “OK, well…bye”.

Am I exaggerating?  Unfortunately not.  I’ve heard this kind of ending countless times.  Missed opportunities for the Agent to make that person feel as important at the end of the call as they did at the beginning.  People judge you during the first 30 seconds of a call and by the great service your provide during the conversation, but they also are affected by what you do at the end of the call.

Some Agents are in too much of a hurry at the end or doing an awful end-of-call scripted Thank You message.

“Thank you again for calling (company). We are happy to have assisted you” only the Agent says this 5 times faster than they have been speaking during the rest of the call, has a flat tone and often hangs up with a loud disconnect or click in the caller’s ear.

So what should we do at the end of calls to make it a positive ending?

• Confirm what is going to happen after the call ends:  What will I do, What will you do, etc
• Be proactive:  Is there something you need to tell them to prevent future problems or unnecessary calls?
• Ask if there are other questions.  Many customers think of something else just as the call ends but it’s lost when you rush them off the phone.
• Genuinely Thank them.  For their time, their business, for being a long time customer, for being understanding.  You don’t have to sound like a clone. Instead offer some appreciation based on the nature of the call.
• Use their name.  Build this into the ending.  Using their during your appreciation statement is a great way to personalize it.

If you are responsible for Monitoring and Coaching Skills, be sure that your skills tracking form has a place to note how positively the end of the call is handled.  If an Agent is not doing the end of calls well, role play with them.  As always, you’ll get the behaviors you coach and reward for.

Related Articles

• The Customer Experience and the Call Center (customerthink.com)

“Do We Still Have A Call Center?”…and more scenes from Phone Hell…

It’s amazing to me that a CEO or top management at a company can put their best company front line people in the dingiest places to work and provide little to no motivation and training.

I’ve seen Call Centers or small Customer Service teams in old trailers, Reps hanging lunches up to avoid mice sneaking bites of their meal while they go into the warehouse.  Then there are the windowless dungeons of phone hell….people given just enough room so as not to touch elbows and bad chairs that squeak or are bent like contortionists.

I’d like to say that the management in these places were not aware of what was going on, but unfortunately, all of them acknowledged it was bad and often added comments like, “Well, we are going to relocate in a year or two” or “Well, the Reps haven’t complained about it”.  If no one complained, I guess that was because that company also had huge Employee turnover problems in the Call Center.  No one stayed around long enough to complain.  They stayed just long enough to find another job or on occasion post out somewhere else within the company.

Then there was the business that had an Exec who, when asked about the Call Center team said, “Do we still have one of those?  Where are they?”  In this case, the small team of five Call Center Reps were in a building several minutes away from the nicely decorated headquarters.  There was a light out in the corridor outside the Center — dark and creepy— shades of a Friday night fright flick.  The inside was no better. Grey walls, torn carpet, no pictures or anything colorful or interesting.  And, there was row… after row… after row of old files stacked on open shelves filling one-half of the room.  Reps complained of breathing dust in. A Rep had asked for headphone replacement parts for months to no avail and was now sitting 8 hours a day with her neck bent to one side to hold the phone while she typed.  To add to the bad atmosphere, there was an off-site Manager who only visited every couple of weeks and no Supervisor on-site.

When I sat with Employees at this center, listened to calls and observed their interactions with each other, the word that best described the overall atmosphere was Apathy.  They weren’t rude to the Customers.  They took down information and answered questions. They just didn’t appear to care at all.  All of the Service Reps had good work backgrounds in the industry.  All should have been providing a high level of Customer Experience on calls but weren’t.

Fortunately, this “Do we still have a Call Center” story has  a happy ending.

Image by Martin Cathrae via Flickr

I wrote an Operational review report for this client and outlined some opportunities for improvements for the Employees as well as the Customer Experience overall.  In one section of the report, I discussed how having a poor work environment was very demotivating to the team and in turn affecting both turnover and the Customers.  Happily the CEO admitted that improvements were long overdue in the small Center.  Within two weeks of making some initial improvements in the Center, the attitudes were greatly improved and so were the Customer calls.  I had recommended,  and they had implemented, some relatively inexpensive improvements such as installing an air filter to help with file dust,  painting walls in colors the team chose, purchasing new Ergonomic chairs that were more supportive, replacing some defective headphones and cleaning old computer equipment out of the area (yes, the Call Center had also been deemed a garbage dump by IT).  I also asked the off-site Manager to commit to more hours per week in the center doing coaching and motivating the Reps which she agreed to.

I’m happy to say that the Reps’ skills have greatly improved.  The improved work environment, increased support and motivation demonstrated that Management cared about them.  With the Reps’ attitudes and skills improved,  Customer feedback is more positive and the Reps themselves are noticing that Customers are appreciative of their efforts and smiles.

Simple but effective solutions.  This has been a real Win-Win-Win for all parties involved.

I Was Hired to Be a Service Rep, Not a Sales Person

I’m sure you’ve met this person on the phone or face-to-face.

They are friendly but have no idea how to get you interested in the product or services they are trying to sell.  They were hired in a Customer Service focused role and now they have to sell.  So what is really going on?

1. They don’t really believe that the product or service is all that great.

They have no passion for what they are talking about. If face-to-face, you can see the lack of interest in their eyes and flat tone.  If on a call with a call center representative without visual, the disinterested tone is even worse.  If they have no passion for what they are selling, how can they get me excited?

2. They have been given a brochure with a list of features and that is their sales tool.

The Manager has read over the product information with them and asked if they had any questions.  They have no idea how to discuss the product in terms of how it will benefit a Customer personally, just the generic rundown of items listed.  My favorite experience happened at a financial institution I was working with on sales culture. I did a pre-consulting visit with a branch where they didn’t know me.  The Teller was very sweet and friendly but when I asked about the different checking accounts they had, she pulled out the brochure, turned it sideways so we could both view it and then pointed at each feature with her pen while reading to me out loud.  She had never been coached on how to find out what my needs and interests were before discussing features or benefits.  She simply read the list of 15 features for each while I watched in amazement that she could do so with barely a breath for air.  She asked no questions, just read and looked at me at the end to see if I showed any interest.  The Teller handed me the brochure and asked me to  let her know when I decided what I wanted.  She was a poster-child for Self-Service sales as I could have done as much online and opened an account via their website.

3. They hate sales.

Companies are moving high quality Customer Service Representatives into Sales roles that some Reps greatly dislike.  Many have told me this when I coached with them.  Some Reps change their mind about Sales once they improve skills and gain confidence.  Others will never make it in the dual service/sales role whether from fear, lack of ability or negative attitude.  Of course a company needs to decide if everyone will both sell and service and then hire for skills accordingly.  However, this doesn’t solve the initial problem of having a positive Customer focused employee now becoming resentful or disinterested in their job due to the sales requirement.  Some businesses build more dedicated sales and retention teams so the Service person becomes a “referer” rather than closing the sale.  But even in this scenario, the Service Rep still needs to “sell” the Prospect or Customer on talking with the sales rep.

So as a Manager or Business Owner, what can you do?

A combination of things. Revamp your hiring strategy including new job descriptions, skill expectations so you have the right people on board from the start. Try to save great Service Reps who can’t sell/dislike selling by looking at the structure and seeing if there are opportunities to have specialized service with little selling.  You’ve invested time and training in these employees so you want to do everything possible to retain them without losing sight of the revenue needed for the growth of my business and continued employment for other employees.  Reps who can create a great Customer Experience help make cross-selling, upselling and Loyalty building easier.

Make sure your Sales training  isn’t rote or impersonal but uses roleplay and on the job coaching after real life sales observations with your employees. Teach selling that is truly focused on Customers needs, wants and the continued customer experience. Ensure that dislike of Sales by the Rep isn’t because they don’t know how to sell or are lacking confidence in themselves or don’t believe in the products.  Find out what is really holding them back from selling.

There is no one perfect solution to the above issues, but in today’s competitive market, I think we can agree that every employee must be focused on best practice service, sales and helping your business be successful for the sake of everyone involved.

The Lost Art of Asking Great Questions

When I monitor calls at a Call Center, I frequently hear a lot of talking going on and not so much listening.  The talking is being done by the Customer Service, Inside Sales or Tech Support Agent who is so focused on delivering THEIR message that the only time the Customer or Prospect can interject something is when the Agent comes up for air.  There seems to be such a rush to talk “at” the caller instead of talking “with” the caller.

If we are doing all of the talking, how are we learning what the customer thinks, needs, wants?

This is where a lot of “assuming” comes in and I have had Agents defend their excessive talking by stating, “Well I knew where they were going and I needed to get on the next call”.  Wonder what metrics they are being measured and rewarded on?

When a Service or Tech Support agent is not listening, a lot of problems can happen but the most serious one is that the need is not met, the problem is not correctly solved, and the Customer or Prospect has to call back.  This adds to our call volume and creates an upset caller.  Now, we not only have to solve the problem the right way but in addition, we have to diffuse the caller.

When a new Sales Agent talks incessantly on a call, it is often because they are avoiding the often inevitable “No” or other objections.  If they are experienced, they have a bad skill that has become a habit or they feel they must overwhelm the caller with product details and features to make them see how wonderful the product itself is rather than discovering how it fits what the caller truly needs.

A lot of Monitoring and Coaching centers around two main areas:  soft skills (how they treat the caller) and product/technical knowledge.  The skill of asking great questions is often lost in the coaching process with the myriad of skills being scored.  Yet, when I monitor, I generally find that 7 out of 10 Agents are not asking great questions to truly assist the caller.

Simply stated, when we ask questions, we can listen. When we listen, we hear clues that may not be apparent if we hadn’t asked those great questions.  We also have a chance to hear the caller’s communication style (Bottom line?  Detailed?  Friendly?) and get in sync with that style.

Next time you monitor calls or observe in-person interactions, be sure to listen for how much time your Agents spend talking versus  how much time their Customers or Prospects speak.  If your Agent is doing all of the talking, it’s time to coach on how to ask the best questions.  And be sure your Metrics and Goals allow for your Agents to have this dialog so calls aren’t rushed.  Calls may be a bit longer but you’ll see the results in increased sales and improved Customer Experience.

7 PRACTICAL COACHING TIPS

Sometimes clients ask me about the latest training or coaching fads or say they are looking for something new since their Coaching isn’t working.  As I probe for what they are seeking, I often find that their current Coaching program does not need to be totally replaced, but those who are Coaching need to simply return to the fundamentals that work:

1. Scheduling Time: Too many supervisors and managers do frantic last-minute coaching the final week of the month to reach goals instead of planning and coaching daily with their team.  Managers need to help Supervisors find the time to focus 75% of their week on Coaching.
2. Planning: Before coaching, review previous coaching session information: What  have they improved on  since last time?  What are they still struggling with?  What is the best way to communicate the skill  work needed? What do they excel in?  Be sure the coaching includes calls, emails and metrics.
3. Documentation: Have documents or forms which describe skills/scoring etc. that the Coach and the agent sign off on at the end of the coaching session.  This sets the expectations for what you will do to help and what they agree to work on.
4. Don’t do all the talking: Keep the session  positive and interactive, not a lecture.  I’ve seen some Supervisors put the monitoring scored form on the agent’s desk and consider coaching done!
5. If calls are recorded: save the coached calls in a file for reference.  Check with IT to see how long calls are system stored. I often recommend that the specific coaching calls are downloaded to a file and save for a year.
6. Be consistent and Follow-up: Coaching has to be done regularly to be effective and the agent needs to know that you notice their improvement efforts.
7. Reward: reward agents for improvements  made, not just those who get 100%. Think of both monetary and non-monetary rewards such as time off.