May, 2009

Blue skies ahead for customer service professionals

By Barbara Burke. May 24th, 2009

Some people believe that customer service agents are a dying breed. Every day millions of customers use web-self service options to handle routine functions instead of calling an 800 number.  But who ya gonna call when you have a complex problem? A real, live person who knows what’s what — that’s who.

If you work in customer service, you will have plenty of job security in the years to come. According to the May 25 issue of Time Magazine, the US Department of Labor predicts the number of customer service jobs will grow by 545,000 by 2016. In fact, the magazine listed customer service representatives in the top 10 high growth jobs.

What impact will this increase in demand for customer service reps have on you? Here is what I predict:
1. Seasoned reps who are skilled in complex problem resolution will be in high demand.
2. As companies view their call centers as important strategic assets (not just a cost of doing business) they will invest more in training and developing their agents.
3. There is a good chance that the demand for good customer service reps will exceed the supply; that could translate into higher wages.
4. Instead of building more call centers, employers will have customer service reps work from home.
5. When great talent is hard to find, companies bend over backwards to keep their best people on board.

Go ahead. Spread your wings. It looks like there are plenty of blue skies ahead.

Miriam's advice for managers — get nosey!

By Barbara Burke. May 18th, 2009

Last week I had the pleasure of presenting a seminar at the Association of Government Call Centers (AGCCE) Conference. Hosted by the City of Minneapolis’ 311 Center, this event drew managers from the 311 centers across the U.S.  Miriam Vaughn-Lee the Director of Employment, Development and Diversity for the City of Minneapolis was the featured speaker at the general session. A veteran HR professional with 25+ years experience, Miriam had a lot to say about the special challenges leaders face during these turbulent times. Her suggestion that managers should make a habit of being “nosey” struck a chord with me.

To Miriam, being nosey doesn’t mean micro-managing your employees. Being nosey means being genuinely interested in, and curious about each employee as a person. She pointed out that each employee brings to their job a unique blend of life experiences, outside interests, skills, talents and biases. If managers don’t take the time to get to know thier employees, they won’t know what other talents and skills they have to offer.

She said that the best way learn what makes employees tick is to ask him or her a simple question, “What do you do outside of work?”  Miriam reminded the audience that employees are more likely to share information about themselves if the manager does the same.

This week have an informal conversation with a couple of employees you don’t know very well. No need to reveal anything too intimate. Simply chat about what you did over the weekend, your vacation plans or the movie you saw the other night.  You will find that when you are more open with them they will be more open with you. That’s the way it works.

When times are lean women get mean – bullying at work is a growing problem

By Barbara Burke. May 11th, 2009

“That’s when the floodgates opened. Out came a torrent of pent-up anger, resentment, and mean-spirited comments.”

From the book, The Napkin, the Melon & the Monkey.

When forced to do more with less at work everyone feels the pressure. According to recent studies, as stress levels rise workers become less cooperative and more competitive.  In yesterday’s New York Times’ article, Backlash: Women Bullying Women at Work, Mickey Meece discusses what women already know from experience — our sisters in the workplace can be bitchy. And downright mean at times.               

The article sights research by the Workplace Bullying Institute that found that 40% of bullies at work are women. Workplace bullying has an economic impact for employers. Bullying contributes to high turnover, increased absenteeism and costly stress-related health problems.

The solution to reducing toxic competition and backbiting at work is to help employees (whether male or female) understand how interdependent they really are. The parable of the Fighting Melons in my book illustrates this idea perfectly. The story is about a farmer dealing with a garden full of watermelons that were fighting and bickering.  The melons had grown so big and round that they had to compete for the space in the garden. The farmer devised a brilliant solution to stop the fighting. He asked the melons to feel what was on top of their head — the beginning of a vine. Then he instructed them to trace the vine all the way to its end. They found that at the other end of the vine was another melon. A melon very much like them.  Once they understood that they grew on the same vine, the melons resolved their differences and made room for each other.

This week follow your vine and see where it leads you.