Dissing Customers is Never OK

There is a new sign posted in major airports reminding travelers that if they see something out of the ordinary, they should bring it to the attention of airport security.
I’d like to suggest that supervisors post a variation of that sign in their office that reads: “If you hear something, do something.”

Take for example an agent who, after hanging up from a particularly difficult call in which the customer was irate or disagreeable, spins her chair around and launches into a tirade, using words like “moron, idiot, stupid, a-hole” to describe the customer. While blowing off steam after a call might make her feel better, the toxicity released pollutes the environment, forcing the agents  sitting within earshot to inhale the poisonous fumes. 

Let’s say that you are a supervisor who witnesses the agent’s emotional outburst. The employees seated in the area look to you for a response. You have two choices — both of which send an equally potent message.

1. Ignore the behavior.
   The unintended consequence of not doing anything about dissing a customer is that you have essentially lowered the standard of what is considered to be acceptable behavior. By taking no action you have proclaimed: “Badmouthing customers is just fine with me. Have at it.”
2. Do something.
   Your employees look at what you do when you see an agent who is obviously out of line as a moment of truth; a litmus test that shows them whether you really do walk the talk. It’s crucially important for you to take the appropriate action.

2011 © Barbara Burke. All rights reserved.

(Look for the next Monday Aha! on 10/31/11.)

With stress-related health problems and employee absences on the rise, it is no wonder that an increasing number of companies are looking for low-cost solutions for reducing the stress levels of their employees.

One such solution is to provide a “quiet room”; a place of refuge where frazzled employees can “unplug” for a few minutes and regain their mojo.

A couple of months ago I conducted a reader survey that asked respondents that had Quiet Rooms to share their experiences and lessons learned. Steve Bassett who works in Facilities Management for Wachovia Bank said that his company has a quiet room in each of their 13 call centers (6000 employees). He wrote, “Quiet Rooms are considered an important facility need to create a ‘Great Place to Work’ environment. You take care of the call center agents and they’ll take care of your customers. This is proven true for us since we have received #1 customer service award eight years in a row in our industry.”

6 Tips for Creating a Quiet Room for Your Employees

1. When it comes to rules, less is more.
The vast majority of respondents said they do not have many formal rules for using their quiet room. The employees who use Quiet Rooms understand the need to respect others and maintain silence.

2. Avoid allowing the room be used for other purposes.
Resist the temptation to use the room as a break room, meeting room, a place to make phone calls or access the Internet.

3. Involve staff in the creation of the room.
“Many individuals added items to the room from their own homes to make it comfy and fun,” wrote one contact center manager.

4. Locate the room adjacent to the call center and include a window to the outside, if possible.
One respondent said that when they moved their Quiet Room to a more visible location they noticed a significant increase in usage.  A surprising number of respondents said a quiet room was actually included in the design of their new facility.

5. When furnishing the room focus on comfort.
According to the survey, standard furnishings include: comfortable chairs, a small table, lights on dimmers, a small clock, soothing colors on the walls (green was popular) and an area rug. Fish tanks, lava lights and bean bag chairs were also mentioned.

6. Not all employees will use the room regularly, but those who do consider it vitally important.
Over 40% of the respondents said that their room was used by 20% to 40% of employees during same period. “The Specialists appreciate the fact that management supports them and understands what they experience every day; providing them with a quiet room communicates that management “gets it.”
If your company doesn’t have a designated quiet room where employees can go when they need to get away from it all, why not suggest it to upper management? If you are fortunate enough to have a room at your company, take advantage of the opportunity by using it yourself and encouraging others, as well.

Make it a great week.

Barbara Burke    
2011 © Barbara Burke. All rights reserved.

(Look for the next Monday Aha! on 10/24/11.)

Avoid Group Think: If you don’t have a naysayer on your team it’s time to go out and find one.

There’s always at least one member of your team who refuses to go along with the rest. While your natural inclination may be to stifle him or her or even eliminate them from the team, the fact is, every successful team needs at least one deviant.

In a Harvard Business Review interview titled “Why Teams Don’t Work,” Harvard Professor, J. Richard Hackman debunks many long-held beliefs about the wisdom of teams.

On the subject of the value of having naysayers on a team, he provides convincing evidence that to be successful, every team needs someone who is willing to ask the tough questions. “In our research, we’ve looked at teams that produced something original and those that were merely average, where nothing really sparkled. It turned out that the teams with deviants outperformed teams without them. In many cases, deviant thinking is the source of great innovation.”

Hackman also points out that the person who questions the status quo does so at their own peril.

I know that from personal experience. When I was a supervisor and would raise a question or voice a concern in a management meeting as to whether we were making the best decision, I noticed two distinct reactions: anger on the part of those who were invested in “This Is The Way to Go ” and gratitude from those who were thinking the same thing I was, but didn’t want to be the one to articulate it.

This week, hug the deviant in your group.

Make it a great week.

Barbara Burke

(Look for the next Monday Aha!on 10/10/11.)