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The
Download
The Snapshotz Online Update December 2011
A Snapshotz of December 2011
In spite of the trying economic conditions globally we had had a 250% growth in customers employing Snapshotz over 2011 and have forecast to double growth in 2012. Over two thirds of Snapshotz users have a subscription purchase.
Snapshotz today can still claim to be the only holistic web based (SaaS) tool available to contact centres for regular assessment and continuous improvement programs. Covering over 700 variables and continually being updated with approaches and technology in the customer service world.
In this festive issue, we tackle 2 important topics that perennially accost us and will serve us well as we dwell on the year ahead. Darlene Richard has us dwelling upon leadership: reflection and resolution and includes an amazing thought proving clip that is guaranteed to change your views on change. Colin Taylor tackles a subject that we cannot seem to keep the lid on over the last 20 years! staff and agent retention. Two must reads as you emerge into the New Year!
Get well soon Don, Don Hales the doyen of customer Service in the UK and a Snapshotz contributor took ill recently, we wish him speedy recovery and a restful season ahead.
A note to those of you who wish to have Snapshotz Download delivered to another email address other than the one you currently receive this monthly ‘download’ please click here to include another address
Several international publications on carry articles from the Snapshotz monthly download over 5 last month, see link to the Call Center Times article.
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Is It Time for your Call Center Check Up? Colin Taylor
Clients frequently ask me what is the single most important activity they should undertake to ensure that their center is operating and performing at an optimal level. Like all of us they are looking for the magical, simple solution to their issues and challenges; just one thing; the magic pill, silver bullet, panacea that makes their jobs as center managers easier and more productive. Unfortunately there is no ‘Silver Bullet’.
What I tell these call center operators is that to be effective they need to know their center…at this point I get a look of indignation…”of course I know my center., what are your suggesting?”. They are thinking and assuming that this consultant has finally lost touch with reality. But what I mean is that to be effective you must really, really know and understand your operation.
There is a Zen dialogue where a student asks the teacher what the secret to meditation is. The teacher tells the student the secret is Attention, “what is attention”, the student asks and the answer from the teacher is “Attention means Attention”, We must pay attention to each and every activity in the center, every day.
While this sounds simple or at least simplistic, this can be a huge challenge. Most managers manage from point to point in a sequential process, “OK, today I will focus on the new cross selling initiative and tomorrow on agent occupancy and then Thursday on the forecast revision that we need to do based upon the new marketing materials we are using next quarter. This sound perfectly reasonable and it is, but it reflects our linear and sequential management approach…first this, then that and later the next thing. This approach is great for knocking tasks off a “To Do’ list, but by its’ very nature it ignores all of the other aspects and activities that are not on the “To Do List”.
Fire Fighting or Fire Prevention?
We know that there are literally thousands of activities that take place in a call center. Each call may involve tens or hundreds of discrete activities, knowledge points, applications, processes, clicks and keystrokes. It is these activities that are the ‘meat and potatoes’ of a call center operation. It is also these activities that receive very little attention until something goes wrong.
Once there is a problem then the specific activity in question is a candidate for inclusion on the “To Do List”. For many organizations the “To Do List”, devolves into little more than ‘firefighting; dealing with crises rather than proactively improving the call centers’ operation, fire prevention. But given the vast scope of potential customer interaction activities in the call center what other options are there for staying on top of the ‘thousands of moving pieces’ that are occurring in real time every minute of every day?
How do we effectively manage these interconnected processes and systems; the ‘thousands of moving parts’ that make up every call center? Contact us to find out more
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Closing the revolving door Part 1 and 2 – Colin Taylor (Taylor Reach Group)
Staff and agent retention is an issue that has plagued centres for over 20 years and still does. Learn why this is still a current issue and how to start closing that revolving door! Read Colin’s article
Leadership: Reflection and Resolution – Darlene Richard
Find out what the key distinguishing qualities of a leader are and what inspirational leaders focus upon as a legacy.Read Darlene’s article.
Watch this 10 minute video that Darlene recommends in her article guaranteed to change your outlook!
Wish to provide feedback or comment? We welcome comments on Darlene’s article and all other information presented in the Download. Place feedback…
May this holiday season be blessed and restful.
Wishes for a family filled Christmas and to a great 2011.
All the best from the Team @
WWW.CustomerServicesAudit.com
Other news you may have missed…
Snapshotz approach delivers savings. read how using the simple but structured Snapshotz approach, this team was able to drive a seamless customer experience, reduce costs to serve, gain greater agent engagement and increased interdepartmental cooperation. Read how the team achieved savings…
2011 TRENDS to watch for in customer Service and IT Support
Times they are a changing – China comes calling. Read more in our news and events section.
New Partners join the Snapshotz Online brigade Feb 2011 Snapshotz Download Newsletter.
Developed in NZ but gaining ground around the world, Snapshotz is the cheapest tool to keep track of the entirety of the customer experience. Check out the website http://customerservicesaudit.com/ See sample reports generated as well as other links such as customers experiences Customer Experiences
Snapshotz Online has multiple applications – audit, planning, training, comparison of teams and performance, review and reporting.
If you wish to find out more contact us or our certified partners and we will be happy to discuss any questions you may have. Contact information: Email: Info@customerservicesaudit.com
Customer Services Audit Ltd, TeleConsultants House, 31 MacKelvie Street, Grey Lynn,
Auckland1144, New Zealand. Phone: 0064 9 376 2806 .
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The
Download 
A Snapshotz of November:
Pressure priorities and leadership: Darlene Richard, Distinguishing between listening for quality and its use as a performance management measure: Colin Taylor, Christmas, recession and customer service in the UK: Don Hales and some local news.
The last issue of the download had an awesome number of forwards. We could not believe it ourselves! Someone excitedly forwarded the Download to their operational head and COO. The operational head promptly requested to be unsubscribed and the COO said please ensure this gets to my team. Tricky situation to inform the Director of contact centres’ that a. we did not forward the download and b. he may need to start receiving and reading the download anyway!
Snapshotz opens a new channel in North America
Contact Center Pipeline the long standing and illustrious monthly journal for contact center executives began offering Snapshotz to its readers. Snapshotz is the only holistic contact center assessment tool available worldwide as a web based tool. This has prompted the CCP to include the Snapshotz offering in offering in a special tab on its website . An interview with the editor will follow in our next Download.
A note to those of you who wish to have Snapshotz Download delivered to another email address other than the one you currently receive this monthly ‘download’ please click here to include another address
What’s so familiar? Suggestions to overcome some of the stumbling blocks in 2012
As we drive dangerously close to the precipice of 2011 and pause to look back on a year that has been, are any of these situations familiar?
1. Plenty of projects on the go but not many seeing the light of the true benefits envisaged at the beginning of the project
2. Plenty of projects around with priority 1 assigned but inadequate resources to get accomplished
Why the Quality Listening program Should Not be a Performance Review
– Colin Taylor (Taylor Reach Group)
A quick and meaningful read that will get you thinking about the target of quality assurance and what we need to achieve when running a listening program.
Leadership Cycle: Pressure – Planning – Prevention – Darlene Richard
Once again, Darlene’s expertise comes to the fore as she takes customer service leaders through the leadership cycle.
Customer Service in the UK – Recession & Christmas: What a Time to be in Customer Service!
– Don Hales, Founder of Customer Service Training Network, National Customer Service Awards & Presenter and Author on Customer Service Issues
Wish to provide feedback or comment? We welcome comments on Don’s article and all other information presented in the Download. Place feedback…
All the best from the Team @
Snapshotz Online October 2011
A Snapshotz of October:
The Snapshotz Download has a slightly changed format for October where we have another eminent contributor instead of the ‘industry voices’. Packed again with valuable information that you can employ immediately, Octobers Download is a must read with contributions from Colin Taylor, Darlene Richard Don Hales and Deepak Selvaratnam
A note to those of you who wish to have Snapshotz Download delivered to another email address other than the one you currently receive this monthly ‘download’ please click here to include another address
There is plenty a brewing in the months to come … See the Emerging Trends workshop
Sales is Good Service whether you offer a Product or Service, or be a Private or Public Organization
Why service is the same as selling and all organizations should be “Selzig” or sales oriented! Read more…
Positive Health & Safety in Your Customer Support Centre – Minimizing the Ten Most Common Environmental Stressors, Part 2
In the sequel to last months article Darlene Richard the international author & philosopher on non face-to-face customer support and loyalty points us further in the direction of reducing environmental stressors to gain higher levels of productivity and a more ‘balanced workforce’ Read more…
Just in case you missed Darlene’s previous article here it is again. Minimising the ten most common environmental stressors Part 01.
Customer Service in the UK – the best in the world?
Read this tongue in cheek article from Don Hales, founder of the ‘Customer Service Network’ and the ‘National Customer Service Awards UK’ Read UK Customer Service is Best!
Wish to provide feedback or comment? We welcome comments on Don’s article and all other information presented in the Download. Place feedback…
EMERGING TRENDS WORKSHOP FOR CUSTOMER SERVICE
In the lead up to the first quarter of 2012, Darlene Richard will facilitate a breakfast series driven from Snapshotz assessments. Topics include the top 12 issues facing organizations with regard to customer service today. These, sometimes well-hidden business constraints and drivers are gleaned from a seven-year study conducted by Snapshotz with over 400 organizations around the world.
Darlene Richard, international subject matter expert and philosopher on non face-to-face customer support is an internationally acclaimed facilitator. She combines her 25 years working with over 50 organizations in a dozen countries to lead workshop.
The cost covers breakfast and your handout filled with valuable insights and action plans you can use to affect change in your organization within the week after the workshop. These insights can save you, not just headaches and time, but increase revenue / Service levels and help you moderate costs in innovative ways.
The program appeals to different levels of management whether you are a senior customer service manager / leader or a team leader. The workshop is also relevant to customer engagement and marketing and operational mangers as well.
With programs scheduled for New Zealand – Auckland, Wellington, Australia – Sydney, Melbourne and Brisbane, Canada and USA, contact us to find out dates and book remaining places as these workshops have been presold. Emerging Trends Workshops – Please send me information
All the best from the Team @