How Do We Deal With Change?

Change, like death and taxes, is a certainty in life in todays business world.  So how do we deal with all of this uncertainty?  Try using the acronym PAR.

Perception - What is your perception of the change and is that perception based on fact? (Refer to our previous blog on worry)

Attitude - What is your attitude to the change and is it a positive attitude or a negative one?

Reality - What is the reality?  Gather the facts and compare them with your original perception.

By doing this you will see that your attitude to change impacts on your perception which is always never anything like the reality.

Do Average Handling Times Work?

There is no doubt that we need average handling times to ensure consistency and to manage demand.  We also need to ensure that clients aren't waiting for too long.  Perhaps another reason is that our attention spans are reducing significantly hence the reason TV advertising has gone from 30 second bites down to 15 seconds.

When a client calls a customer service agent, they want their query sorted as soon as possible.  If we can't do so quickly enough then the risk of the client becoming a 'challenging' customer increases. No matter how good our communications skills are, we will have difficulty reducing their angst if we hold them on the phone for too long.

So, we accept that we need AHTs. When setting these, take care not to make it a target to achieve. It is better to set a range rather than a defined time. In a similar way that we should only use positive affirmations such as "I will..." instead of "I won't..." because our brains only process the main points, if we set a definitive time it becomes a goal for agents and you may find that those who previously had excellent AHTs will extend their contact time to 'meet' the new target;

Cultures - Are we Really That Different?

I recently presented at an international association of certified fraud examiners meeting and entered into a conversation about culture which got me thinking - "are we really that different?"  The answer at face value is 'yes'.  Although we are born with similar traits as humans, immediately we are defined by everything that is around us.

Culture is what makes us different and interesting.  It is how we walk, talk, behave, respond, and communicate.  There are however some things that culture does not influence with one of those being our human needs.

Maslow defined it best in his hierarchy of needs.  We all need the foundations of food, water, shelter, etc.  The part that I am most interested with is our social needs.  Social needs are based on our psychological and/or emotional requirements. The primary source of behavior in our development is the need for emotional connections such as friendships, family, social organisations, romantic attachments, or other situations involving interactions with others.

Importantly, we all want to be first, heard, immersed in a group, loved, and be number one.  When faced with a difficult conversation; take the lower ground, listen twice as much as you talk, acknowledge their emotions, and talk about their personal situation.  You will find that empathy and rapport will quickly follow enabling you to move forward much sooner.

Look Forward to What?

While it is always good to look back in history to see where we have come from, it is more important to look forward to see where you are going.  If we continue to look back we will never progress.

The same can be said for mental well-being.  When you have suffered a significant negative event in your life that has caused distress, it is alright to focus on it for a short period to establish why it happened and to see if you can prevent it from happening again where possible.  Then, move on.  

Focus on the positive aspects of the event, what did you learn from it, then look to the future.  Where do you want to be, what do you want to achieve, and how can you get there?  Work towards achieving something that excites you.  Focusing on the positive will help you to forget your negative event by replacing bad memories with good ones.  The addition of excitement about the future will create endorphins and other good chemicals to restore your well-being.

When the negative event pops into your head, acknowledge then discard it and again look to the future.    

Why Ask Why?

Perhaps the one word that can destroy rapport faster than any other during a conversation with a client is the word "why".  When you commence a sentence with 'why' when you want to know the reason for their actions, it places unnecessary blame on the client.  A better phrase to commence a sentence is "What was the reason for..."  It is asking the same question yet much softer and without a direct accusation.    

An example; "why was the door unlocked" as opposed to "what was the reason for the door being unlocked".  It is less accusatory and provides the client with an open opportunity to explain.  In this way you are more likely to get an honest answer because they won't feel threatened.

There is nothing wrong with asking why they think something occurred provided it is not directly related to their own actions.  Asking "why do you think that happened" provides an open invitation to provide their thoughts.