Doing Whatever It Takes...

ecamulli — Tue, 01 Apr 2008 09:53:17 GMT

I'll be the first to admit that we're not perfect. We goof up from time to time. But we take it seriously and truly work hard to correct things as quickly as humanly possible. That includes process change in addition to the service impacting issue at hand. Being here for so many years, it's easy to see that working hard and caring is just a part of our culture. I still try to interview as many candidates as possible for all different positions. It's getting a little difficult these days, but I still ask to be involved whenever possible because I firmly believe that hiring is the most important job of any manager.

So one of my favorite interview questions is, "what is your definition of 'doing whatever it takes?'" But just before they blurt out some cliche of an answer, I like to look 'em right in the eyes and say, "...because if your definition and mine are not the same, then it would definitely be a problem." Yes, I want to put them on their heels a little. But it's because I want them to think hard before answering. I expect them to give me some examples and I expect that they tell their stories with a little conviction and passion. You see, I don't think you can teach "do whatever it takes." It's either in your blood or not. You either have a sense of urgency and hustle built into you or not. You either get it, or you don't get it. That sense of responsibility, ownership and accountability are the key things I look for.

We can teach telephony, call centers, Windows Server and our software to new hires, but teaching someone to care deeply about the customers who are responsible for our company's existence...I'm not sure that can be done. Or at least I haven't seen anyone get turned around who started out a little lazy...no matter how smart or skilled they are! So because of this, it takes a little time to get our new folks up to speed technically. But with a winning attitude, they'll persevere and they'll come to understand the great intrinsic reward that goes with helping others in need. You need these kinds of rewards when you come to work. Some of you may agree that once you get to a point of financial stability in your life, that working is not all about the paycheck anymore. But rather, it becauses a place where you have the opportunity to reveal your character and fulfill the personal potential you have deep down inside you.

This is another one of my mantras: We work a lot in life...so it better be something you like with people you like. Over the years I've seen our people have fun doing whatever it takes in order to help our customers. Your positive reinforcement and recognition is a huge motivator, so thank you for that.

Today is our company's 13th anniversary, April 1st. No fooling! So I felt it appropriate to talk about what got us here...our people's commitment to our customers. I hope that you always sense it in your interactions with us.

Customer Feedback Conference and NPS

ecamulli — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 11:53:41 GMT

This past week, I attended the 4th Customer Feedback Summit, an IQPC conference. I was hoping to learn a few things about gathering feedback from our customers and then using it in order to improve their satisfaction. Our company is growing quite fast these days, and it’s important that we not forget what got us here…our customers, their ideas and their belief in Virtual Hold Technology. I’ve gotten the sense that a lot of feedback has been falling through the cracks and this has been worrying me. That’s why attending the conference was important; I wanted to see how others ensured their customers remained loyal ones.

For the first time, I learned about NPS or Net Promoter Score and how companies use it in order to measure customer loyalty. If you are not familiar with NPS, then I will try to explain it simply. NPS turns away from the traditional measurement of customer satisfaction level. After all, satisfied customers are not necessarily helping you grow your business. Maybe they’re just satisfied that you haven’t screwed anything up in a while. Alternatively, the goal of NPS is to measure your customers’ willingness to recommend, which is quite different. You not only want customers to stay with you, but you want them to be delighted by your products and services to the point where they will tell others all about it. This is important for any business whose goal is organic growth. It’s even more critical to a smaller company, like Virtual Hold, that depends heavily on word-of-mouth advertising. Customers who recommend to others are called “promoters” and those who don’t are either “passives” or “detractors”. Your Net Promoter Score represents promoters, minus detractors. The second question on the survey is quite simple, “why?” From this data, you create processes that capture why people like you or don’t like you. The next step is to act upon this. Continue to do what people like, but most importantly, create a closed loop process that follows up with customers who are detractors before it is too late.

I am very interested in NPS for a few reasons. First, it’s an approach to customer feedback management (CFM) that can help Virtual Hold Technology ensure that as we grow we keep our eye on the ball and stay responsive to our customers. Second, I am wondering if there is anybody out there using NPS currently and I’m curious how it’s working for them. What lessons have you learned along the way? How is your contact center tied-in with your organization’s feedback management system? Who is responsible for measuring and taking actions in your company? Does ownership fall on the contact center? the marketing department? the CEO? everyone!? Your feedback is greatly appreciated :)

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Doing Whatever It Takes...

Customer Feedback Conference and NPS