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Archive for January, 2007

What Questions Reveal About Call Centers — and People

Posted by Ted Hopton on January 28, 2007

I’ve been publishing ICMI’s QueueTips question and answer forum for many years now, and I have to tell you, it has given me a unique view into call centers all over the world. Not only that, it has led me to some insights about human beings and the Internet.

Many questions and answers are on exactly the kinds of topics that I would expect people in call centers to ask, reflecting both general management kinds of issues and problems that are unique to call centers. We have published hundreds and hundreds of valuable postings that represent a wealth of call center knowledge. But a fair number of questions simply astound me.

Questions That Reveal Profound Lack of Understanding
Is it just me, or would you expect people to be trained how to do their jobs? Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Call Center Management, Call Centers, Career, ICMI, ICMI's QueueTips | Tagged: , , , , | Leave a Comment »

Customer, Serve Us

Posted by Ted Hopton on January 27, 2007

Fast Company is a fun magazine to read, and always thought-provoking. Their blog entries are worth checking out, too, as you might expect. Here’s an entry that’s pertinent to all of us in the customer service space: Customer, Serve Us

Even though one of the links in the blog goes back to an article from 2001, in many ways the content is timeless, and I recommend you read it (that one is long, I warn you, but worth the time).

There is a huge challenge ahead of us to overcome the negative perceptions of call centers that are rampant in the popular press. Unfortunately, this is not just a public relations issue. There are real problems that need to be addressed, and until the pickings get slimmer, call centers will continue to be ripe for bad press coverage, year after year.

Posted in Call Center Management, Call Centers, Customer Sat, Customer Service, Media | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

CEOs Listening to Customer Calls

Posted by Ted Hopton on January 23, 2007

There was a nice series of postings about CEOs taking enough interest in customers to listen to calls in Gary Lemke’s CRMAdvocate column, “Our Take.” Lemke’s take on this is that it’s critical for the person at the very top to take the time to truly listen to the customer, and he invited readers to share their thoughts and what happens at their companies. The ensuing insights make good reading for any call center professional.

Posted in Blogs, Customer Service | Tagged: , , | Leave a Comment »

Press Praise for Call Center Excellence

Posted by Ted Hopton on January 3, 2007

It’s hard to find good news in the press about call centers. But I did read a glowing report in the New York Times about a call center providing terrific service. It’s Crutchfield, catalog and online sellers of audio and video gear, and the coverage was in David Pogue’s newsletter/blog on technology.

Pogue’s account lines up perfectly with what we all should know by now: when you provide great customer service, people spread the word and more business flows to you. No less than 25 people wrote in to Pogue to suggest Crutchfield as the place to turn for a car stereo. And when he took their suggestion, he was blown away by the customer service experience they provided, too. Since he happens to be a NYT columnist, Crutchfield just reaped a wonderful public relations windfall.

Except it’s not really a “windfall,” because they earned their just rewards by providing consistently outstanding customer service year after year. Read the rest of this entry »

Posted in Call Center Management, Call Centers, Customer Sat, Customer Service, ICMI, ICMI Membership, Media, Nostalgia | Tagged: , , , | Leave a Comment »

 
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