Call Center Blues: Does Credibility Matter?

February 25, 2014 by 123outsource
Categories: Call Center | Tagged , , , | 1 Comment

What is Credibility Anyway?

It comes down to trust. Basically, credibility means you are offering something worth listening to. Whether you work in a call center in India or a call center in the Philippines, the people you are calling need to believe you have information that can genuinely help them or improve their lives in some way. They need to feel you are calling to offer them something, not just to take something from them.

Here are three simple steps that actually create credibility:

The people you are calling need to hear that…

1) you have a name they can understand and will like.
Saying your name too quickly or in a way that sounds like you do not like your name will not create a reason for the person to want to find out why you are calling. Announce your name clearly and confidently at the beginning of the call. Imagine you are calling to tell them they have won a million dollars; the sound of your voice will make people want to listen!

Call centers in India often suggest a false name; however, using your real name (if you are allowed to) can be just as effective–if you are pleasant, upbeat, and knowledgeable. If you are required to use a false name, make sure it is one you choose and feel comfortable with. Saying your name with confidence and pride is the number one step in the entire process of creating credibility! People want to talk to someone who sounds like he/ she is worth talking to.

2) you know the name of the company you represent, and the name of the person you are calling. One experienced manager of a successful call center in India points out that a skillful, upbeat caller can create confidence and elicit a friendly response in less than one minute just by the way he announces his name, company name, and the name of the person he/ she is calling! On the other hand, if you mispronounce a name like you have never heard of it before, it shows you are not a friend or someone worth talking to. It does not create credibility.

3) you offer accurate and interesting information (name, address, account number, relevant product information–if it is a customer service or sales call). After you confirm their name, it will also help create credibility if you confirm any information you know about them (Do they own a particular product you are calling about? Do they live in Cleveland?). Even if you are from a call center in India that is nowhere near where they live, you can make them feel they know you by making them feel comfortable that you know something about them. Then, offer them new information in a way that is engaging and upbeat.

Two Known Facts:

Succeeding at these three steps in the first two minutes is proven to help people listen better, understand you better, and become engaged in the conversation.

A pleasant conversation creates warmth and builds credibility…and doubles your chances of success in making a sale or resolving an issue. People will feel you are right there in the room (or certainly in the same country)…instead of in a call center in India–or anywhere else.

Tweets:
(1) You gain credibility in a call center by having a pronounceable name & being able to interact
(2) A pleasant conversation creates warmth and builds credibility & makes the sale!

You might also like:

Credibility = having a great voice?
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2014/02/08/indian-call-centers-credibility-a-great-voice/

7 habits of successful salespeople
http://bpo.123outsource.net/2013/12/01/7-habits-of-successful-salespeople/

Where is Warren Buffet investing his money?

February 21, 2014 by 123outsource
Categories: Success | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Where is Warren Buffet investing his money?

Many people look to the stock market for a source of quick gains. You can lose as much as you can gain. Fancy brokers have analytics that can tell you which stocks are trending up, and which are trending down. But, in the long run that is not definite and tells you nothing about what will happen several years from now. Investing in stocks is like a marriage. If you pick someone with the right intrinsic attributes you might be better off — at least that is how elderly people in India think.

The rest of the world is excited about Facebook, Starbucks, Apple Computers, and Twitter Stock.
But, Warren has his money in proven winners. He likes investing in companies that have a dominance or almost a corner in the market that they are in. He likes companies with a long and proven stable and consistent track record, intrinsic value, etc. He likes companies that have a sustainable competitive advantage! He also likes companies that are undervalued, and whose long term price per earnings ratio are favorably low! future earnings potential is another huge factor! He likes Coca Kola, IBM, Wells Fargo, Exxon Mobile, and many other very old and stable companies to name a few!

Fun stocks that are popular with the public like Facebook might make you feel good when you are purchasing them. But, they often are overvalued. Smart investors look at the price per earnings ratio of stocks before a purchase. But, what a company made in the last twelve months means very little. What matters to me is how their earnings have been over the last ten years, and whether their earnings show steady growth, stagnation, instability, or decline! If your stock’s price is 100 times as high as its yearly earnings, not only is it unlikely your shares will have future earnings, but if the stock stops being popular, you could lose your equity fast.

On the other hand, stable companies like Coca Cola, Walmart, Proctor and Gamble, and other pillars of society are likely to be around in forty years. Their profits are steady. Those might not be exciting or glamorous stocks, but you will be more likely to retire with them than some of the newer and less stable companies.

Tweets:
(1)Many look to the stock market as a place for fast gains, but you can lose more than you gain!
(2)If you pick stocks with intrinsic value, you will be better off in the long run

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Twitter Stock — a good idea?

February 20, 2014 by 123outsource
Categories: Social Media | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

I love Twitter. I am a tweetaholic if there is such a thing. My new Twitter and social media manager’s name is Arielle. I joke that if your Facebook does well it goes viral, but if your Twitter account grows like crazy it goes Arielle! (Aerial). But, take a look at their stock. Twitter has been losing money, and yet their stock went from $41 to about $60 in the last few months since their stock went public. I’m not saying that you won’t make money with Twitter stock, but it is gambling when you purchase a stock that is losing money with the hopes that it will grow out of control and turn a profit.

I think it is likely that Twitter will continue to grow and perhaps make huge profits. But, social media is very unstable and new with very little track record. The social media landscape changes so quickly, it is hard to predict if the big guys will be able to adapt to market changes. The big question is whether or not Twitter can sell advertising to large companies. They are doing this now, but can they make it profitable in the long run? This is very unclear.

I think Twitter could make it big, but it could get into bad financial trouble too, and your stock has a high chance of becoming worthless as well. Buying stock in social media is a gamble in general. I think that oil companies are much more stable as an investment these days. Low p/e ratios, and very stable business models. Just close your eyes when you ponder what they are doing to the environment.

If I were a bird, I would like Twitter stock, but I’m a human who drives a gas powered cars. I’ll stick to oil stocks for now!

Tweets:
(1) I am a tweetaholic if there is such a thing, but should I buy Twitter stock?
(2) I think Twitter stock could make it big, but could get into financial trouble too.

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Where is Warren Buffet investing his money?
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Outsourcing your government bond purchases?

February 14, 2014 by 123outsource
Categories: Of Interest | Tagged | Leave a comment

If you are looking to invest, international bonds are an interesting investment. Stocks can crash, and stock markets are intrinsically unstable. Long term bonds on the other hand fluctuate with interest rates. Buying long term bonds is a type of financial gambling, but if those bonds are a mixture of international bonds with different maturity dates managed by a professional company, does that make them safer? In my opinion, there is still risk, but a whole lot less risk in that case.

One interesting thing I noticed is that the “safe” countries to invest in are not necessarily that safe. The United States has a relatively low rate of return on bonds, yet we came close to defaulting on bond payments during our government shut-down. Other wealthy countries have low long term bond rates of about 4% or less. In the long run, the debt ratio of these countries could get out of hand, long before your maturity date!

When my investor friend goes out with an older woman, he calls it a “Maturity date.”

Risky countries might not be as risky as people think as well. Look at Kenya, Brazil, South Africa, and Russia. They have long term bond rates from 7% to 12%. When was the last time they defaulted? How high are their debt ratios (not high at all). Do these countries have much civil unrest? Africa used to be a very unstable place twenty years ago, but recently, there are relatively few coups, riots, and rebel uprisings. Somalia seems to be lagging behind from this point of view. Egypt has some serious recent uprisings. Kenya had a small massacre. But, compared to twenty years ago, Africa is safe enough to merit more investment than it gets. Brazil and Russia have their share of trouble, but they are not countries that are going to go under either.

On a more confusing note, look at Iceland and Greece. They were going bankrupt a few years ago, and now you just don’t hear about them in the news. What happened? Their interest rates on long term bonds are around 6-8% which is a lot less than many other countries that never came close to default.

The moral of the story is that we live in a confusing world. If you buy bonds and interest rates go up, you will lose principal. But, if your bonds are overseas, their interest rates in the respective countries might not go up when America’s does which gives you more of a hedge against market instability. Good luck!

Tweets:
(1) International bonds might be stable when stocks crash. A great diversification!

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What does Warren Buffet look for when he hires people?

February 12, 2014 by 123outsource
Categories: Hiring & Firing, Popular Posts | Tagged , | Leave a comment

What does Warren Buffet look for when he hires people?
He looks for people who can manage entire projects with minimal or no intervention. Otherwise he could be micromanaging and wouldn’t be able to grow his businesses!

I tried to apply Warren’s philosophy of hiring to my own business. I read a handful of books by Warren Buffet more than a decade ago. Much of the wisdom that he shared in his books stuck in my head. But, knowledge from reading books is different from street knowledge or the ability to apply your book knowledge in real life.

In real life, you might go through hundreds or thousands of people just to find a single person who can handle part of an operation with little or no intervention. With the other 99.9% of people, no matter how hungry they are, the minute you stop cracking the whip, they stop functioning!

It is so hard to apply Buffet’s wisdom, I often ask myself if it is even worth trying! Maybe it would be worth it to find someone who can handle 70% of my operation with some intervention. That solves most of the problem. Even that task is going to be very difficult to find someone to manage.

To use Buffet’s philosophy, you need to be an expert at testing people out. My favorite technique is to hand them something and see if you hear from them again. If I give someone an assignment with no due date, will they get back to me in 24 hours, in a week, three weeks, or never? This is a very useful analytic. If your new hired hand has a finished result in 12 hours and is asking for more work, that is someone who is likely to work out in the long run. Whether they can manage others is unclear, but at least they get their work done.

If you spend all of your time cracking the whip and micromanaging what everyone else does, you will never have time to grow your business. On the other hand, if you hire people who NEED to be micromanaged, and you don’t, then your will be out of business in a week which is much worse than never being able to grow your business. At least you will have a business!

The bottom line is:
If you can afford to hire people who function on their own then great. Otherwise, be prepared to micromanage your workers regardless of what Buffet says. Remember — Buffet has better access to human resources than you do, so do the best with whatever you have!

Tweets
(1) According to Buffet, you need to hire people who function with little or no intervention
(2) I enjoyed reading Warren Buffet’s books, but applying his wisdom in real life is hard!

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Is bigger always better in business?

February 11, 2014 by 123outsource
Categories: Of Interest, Semi-Popular | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Indians always think that bigger is better. If you have a JOB at a MNC in their BPO division, then you can marry any girl you want and your life is set. You either have to be a manager at a small company, or work at a big company.

But, after calling large companies all last week, I discovered that the people working there were almost all incompetent. I called smaller companies and there was a sense of function. Not all the people were smart, but you could always reach an intelligent and caring person without too much trouble.

I think we need to get out of the habit of thinking that a particular size, location, or look is better. Let’s just look at what a company is, who is there, what they do, and how they do it. Kabbalah, the Jewish brand of spirituality talks a lot about consciousness. To me, the consciousness of a place, house, business, person, group, or state is the most important thing. You might meet someone who is wealthy, but who has a bad consciousness. Another person might be smart, but crooked or careless. Some people think a lot about words while others preoccupy on artistic matters. Many people are brain-dead and think about nothing all day long.

Take a deeper look at companies. Try to see how they tick. Don’t judge by size. But, there is more. Companies have a sort of personality. Putting aside whether a company is better or not, certain personalities will gel with you. If you are working for, working with, or hiring a company, it is so critical to be compatible with them. Spend some time getting to know people. Don’t be in a hurry to calculate how much you will make or spend. See if you are getting along naturally with them. Ask yourself if you would want to have dinner with any of these people. If the answer is yes, then they might be a potential match for you.

Remember: Bigger isn’t necessarily better. Better isn’t always better either. It is about a happy match of people with the right consciousness that counts in the end!

Tweets:
(1) Bigger isn’t always better. But, better isn’t always better either. It’s about compatibility!
(2) Big companies in India make it like pulling teeth to talk to a competent person!
(3) Don’t judge a company by its size but its personality. Kinda like dating.
(3) Bigger companies aren’t necessarily better. It’s whether you click. If not, hang up and let them hear ‘click’.
(4) Don’t judge a company by its size but its personality. Kinda like dating. But if blind date has “great personality,” beware their size! (retweeted already)

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Indian Call Centers: Credibility = a Great Voice

February 8, 2014 by 123outsource
Categories: Call Center | Tagged , , | Leave a comment

Call Center Credibility = a Great Voice (Start Practicing!)

Many callers we know at call centers in India work so many hours that they are exhausted…and feel they cannot give every call their best. Their voices become monotone..and that means they lose credibility. A 2003 Harvard University study confirms that tone of voice has a great influence on what the listener perceives as a positive or negative message. Create a great tone of voice and phone manner so that you always make a positive impression!

Allure provides a certain type of credibility

Some callers we have spoken to at call centers in India develop an air of aristocracy– people who have grace and poise, and a tone of voice that captures people’s attention. Wow! When you hear this person on the phone, you feel honored to get the call. There is something delightful and alluring about a throaty female voice that rings with confidence, or a male voice that sounds like its owner is from a family with inherited wealth. It’s sexy and cool–and people will listen to you! Then, that personality you use on the phone will become part of who you are…and you may actually attract wealth. You will become your best self.

Practice saying your name and the name of your company and client

If you rush through your name or mispronounce someone else’s name like you have never heard of it before and it is not important, it shows that you are not a friend. You are not someone worth talking to! It does not create credibility. If you work at a call center in India, it is particularly important to establish credibility right away. You have only your voice with which to do that.

Practice saying your name and the name of the company so that it sounds impressive! Ditto the name of the person you are calling. Practice your new persona, that on-the-phone personality that glows with wealth or beauty. Practice calling friends and relatives on the phone.

Then–do the whole call in that alluring tone of voice. Studies show that with the right tone of voice, your success rate will increase. Everyone at your call center will envy you. That air of aristocracy will make your call memorable and earn $$ for you and your call center in India!

Tweets:
(1) Many call center workers in India work after they are tired making them sound horrible!
(2) In India, call center workers are so tired, that their voices become a monotone!

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What would Bill Gates do?

February 6, 2014 by 123outsource
Categories: Management | Tagged , | Leave a comment

What would Bill Gates do?

Do you want to be really rich? Then learn how to think like the rich guys think! Look at one of the world’s richest men. Bill Gates. He must think about money all the time… wrong! He thinks about benefitting the world, and God rewards him with success.

Do you think about the world in your business?

How can you apply that to your outsourcing business? Do you think about the bigger picture? Do you think about benefitting your clients and the world? Maybe you should. In the long run, money comes from God. In my experience (I’ve known God for a while now) God rewards people who produce more and who give to charity. There are sometimes rewards for spiritual practice as well, although that is not consistent!

If you are efficient in your work and hire others to create a large organization which helps many, God rewards this type of operation. Bill Gates’ mind dwells on philanthropy much more heavily than almost anyone else I can think of. But, he has the intellectual and financial means to make his visions come true. Most people wish that self-benefitting things would happen, but don’t get very far. Gates has transformed the world of computers and cares tremendously about the world of philanthropy as well.

Basically, the secret is to come out of yourself and expand your perspective. You are not a separate individual. You are a part — perhaps a critical part — of the universe. Everything you do affects the entire universe in some subtle or not-so-subtle way! The minute you have the desire and competency to make a bigger difference, that is when the money will start rolling in.

So, forget about this week’s profits, and your other petty concerns. Turn your business into a lean, mean, world-helping machine!

Tweets:
(1) Wanna be rich? Then, learn to think like the rich guys think. Take Bill Gates for example.
(2) The secret to wealth is to come out of yourself and expand your perspective.

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I fantasized about having my own nation. But, without land?

January 29, 2014 by 123outsource
Categories: Of Interest | Tagged , | Leave a comment

I always dream about having my own dictatorship. I have neither the money, nor the skill to create or run such a place. Maybe I need to visit Arabia and befriend a bored Sheikh who wants to be my partner. But, then it would be THEIR dictatorship which would ruin all the fun. They would get to say, “Off with his head”, but I wouldn’t… damn-it… Not to mention Islamic law which prohibits Cabernet Sauvignon which is another deal breaker. Hmmm.

But, what about starting a country without GPS coordinates. That solves more problems than you think. Most countries have to own and occupy land. You have to either buy it, inherit it, or steal it. Land doesn’t come cheap these days. The only way to get cheap land is to have a boat and hope that Atlantis resurfaces after 12,000 years under water. Think positively — it could happen. The only realistic way to get land these days is to spend a few million or billion and buy it in the Caribbean, or South Pacific.

The next consideration is securing your land. If you have a country, you need a population, assets, and a way to protect that population and those assets. You need a military. You have to have military equipment, soldiers, training, and someone to lead the forces. Hmm, that is not exactly my forte. I would prefer to be a music critic.

Having a country that doesn’t exist solves all of these problems with one fell swoop. No land means no financial expenditure to purchase the land, and no military expenses either to secure the land. It is like a Seinfeldian dream — a country with no land! Of course with global warming and ocean levels rising, it might become a reality for Bangladesh and Louisiana.

I had this joke about the Mediterranean rising to the point where Israel was 90% under water. They had so many people that they had to build really tall buildings on the land, and the rest of the population had to live in boats on the water. So, they created a floating partition wall to separate the Jews from the Palestinians. The Jews yelled, “The water belongs to Israel!”, while the Palestinians yelled back, “No, the water belongs to Palestine!” The irony is that during the night, the partition and the boats all floated into Egyptian waters. After a long night of Debke dancing, a Palestinian boat drifted on the far side of the floating wall to the Israeli side of the wall and they got into a big argument which was settled by the Egyptian military who said, “No, you are both wrong — THIS water belongs to Egypt!”

But, getting back to the point here — a country without land would be inexpensive and fun. You could have imaginary currency, create your own passport for “Wahoogistan”, and even create your own flag! Have fun getting your passport stamped, and don’t give up your US citizenship either. The problem is getting your nation recognized. What other country wants to recognize a nobody of a country? What would you use for currency? And who would protect you if you were invaded. You need allies. For small time fries, starting your own country is not realistic, but if you ran a huge corporation, the corporation would have the funds to create a country. A corporation and a country are very similar in nature. They both have people, assets, and are a legal entity that has income and pays bills. Think about it…

Tweets:
(1) I want to have my own dictatorship, but without land for my country?
(2) I have neither the money, nor the skill to be a quality dictator. “Off with his head!”
(3) What about starting a country without GPS coordinates?
(4) If you started your own country, what would you use for currency?

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Do you invest in the customer experience?

January 27, 2014 by 123outsource
Categories: Marketing | Tagged , , , , | Leave a comment

There are certain companies out there that are “feel good” companies. Their employees happily work as a team. Their customers are enthusiastic about their product. Cliff Bar, Starbucks and Google seem to meet this description. Customers will want to come to you and refer their friends if you offer a good customer experience.

I have noticed that plumbers, electricians, and outsourcing companies tend to not invest much (understatement of the year) in the customer experience. What if you molded your BPO company so that your customer’s experience from the first email or phone call they made to you until their 143rd project with you was seamless and a wonderful, pleasant experience that they would fondly tell their grandchildren about. In my experience, I have never seen an outsourcing company do anything like this.

The reason that BPO companies don’t invest in customer experience is that they are not even aware that it matters and they don’t think about it. All actions start with thoughts. Remember the big bang 16.4 billion years ago. That started with a divine thought. An awakening of divine consciousness. You need to have your own big bang!

What are some things you can do to enhance the customer experience.
(1) Hire people who are nice and well trained to answer phone calls and emails. That way people will get pleasant and informative answers to their questions.
(2) Give prompt quotes when price queries are made
(3) Give regular feedback to clients whether they want it or not.
(4) Call them just to show your appreciation. Maybe a small gift if they are a valued client.
(5) Get your work done on time or early, every time. Nobody will complain about that.
(6) Give helpful suggestions with or without being asked that are in the best interest of your client, and not necessarily in the best interests of your sales quotas.

Good luck. If you can become the master of customer experience, you could conceivably become the biggest outsourcer in the world due to the fact that nobody else is even conscious of this very important concept!

Tweets:
(1) If you can master the art of customer experience, you’ll become the biggest outsourcer in the world
(2) Nobody else is even thinking of the customer experience, so if you do, you’ll clean up!

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What if there were no IRS and we paid taxes to our state instead?

January 26, 2014 by 123outsource
Categories: America | Tagged , | Leave a comment

Imagine the USA with no IRS. Do we really need them?
The states can collect taxes and could collect self-employment tax or social security tax too. The states could hand over money to the central government monthly based on the size of their population as well. Wouldn’t it be a lot simpler to only pay tax to one entity? Your accounting procedure would be a lot easier.

If your state charged too much tax, you could move to another state. You might not want to move, but at least you would have the right. If you have had trouble with the IRS, you have nowhere to run. Even if you leave the USA, if you have assets here or are planning to come back, you cannot hide.

I am a person who likes choices. I prefer having good choices, but bad choices are better than no choices. I like the idea of having states to choose from. Better yet, imagine that the USA was comprised of 400 states, each with a different philosophy. You could have a state for solar energy lovers. Another for organic food fanatics. You could have a vegan state, and a pot smoking state. This way you would have the right to live with people who think like you do. For those who are Republicans, they would probably have a lot of states, but there could be different breeds of Republican states. Even if you lived in a state that wasn’t exactly your cup of tea, you could sleep soundly knowing that you had the choice to move to a state that suited your fancy!

With all of this crazy behavior in congress, I am beginning to think that my idea of the states being the sole entity collecting taxes might come to fruition. Our Federal government could be dissolved any day now. I think that realistically, it won’t last more than another 10 years. Sad, but with this crushing debt, they will default. On the other hand, what if the idea of globalism comes into play? Then we would all be citizens of the world! Hmmm. That sounds really scary.

Tweets:
(1) What if we paid taxes only to our state, but not to the Federal Government?

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How often do you do monitoring and give feedback?

January 24, 2014 by 123outsource
Categories: Management | Tagged , | Leave a comment

How often do you do monitoring and give feedback?

Putting aside how saavy your methodology of training and watching your staff is, many companies simply don’t do it hardly at all. To have good workers, you need to constantly be molding them. If they are resistant to being “worked on,” maybe they are not a good fit for your company.

A samurai sword is not something that an amateur craftsman just throws in the fire and pounds haphazardly on. It is something that is worked on with intricate attention to detail and care by a very highly experienced and skilled master. And if the samurai is not pleased with your workmanship, I think they cut your head off which raises the average level of performance of the sword makers who are still alive.

Putting samurai jokes aside, step one in having a good work force is to monitor them regularly as a matter of course. Knowing what to look for and what to monitor is another question though. You really need to make a very long list of categorized points to work on. It might not be possible to work on all of those points all at once, but the awareness of the complexity of a seemingly simple job is critical for success!

The next thing that matters is who you pick to do your monitoring. You as the manager need to understand who is to be monitored and how. But, you need someone else to do the actual monitoring and then compare notes with you. If you pick someone careless, or someone who rubs people the wrong way, then you will be out of business soon. Learn to pick the right folks for the right job. They should be pleasant and have a passion for details!

Rewards should be given for top-notch workers, or even mediocre workers who improved a lot. If you are keeping a detailed score card for each member of your team, it will be easy to track improvement and reward it. Everyone likes to feel they matter, and rewards are a way to do it. You could have employee of the month, mention them on the company newsletter, or throw a small party in their honor. In my opinion, mixing it up is a good way, otherwise the rewards get boring. Creating an atmosphere of fun is important not only for the one being rewarded, but for the other ones who will have to wait until next month to get their just desserts!

(1) To have good workers, you need to constantly be molding them. Do you give regular feedback?
(2) Rewards should be given for top-notch workers, or even mediocre workers who improved a lot

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