why i want to work in a call center (and why i ultimately dont)

A tale about how I started working in

Customer

Service

A tale about how I started working in

Customer

Service

I once was told as a student

You should totally work in a call center Steven

There is no better place to understand customers

I once was told as a student

So I went for a job interview

I’m sorry, a job interview

3 Reasons why getting into

Mordor is easier ...

3 Reasons why getting into

Mordor is easier ...

…than getting into a

Call center

Mordor Call Center

1. Do you know who you are dealing with?

Mordor Call Center

✓ Evil Sauron ✗ No idea

If websites were honest …

If websites were honest …

Mordor Call Center

✓ Evil Sauron ✗ No idea

2. Which department is responsible?

Mordor Call Center

✓ Evil Sauron ✗ No idea

✓ Mount doom ✗ No idea

Ever felt like the

hot potato being

tossed around in the

company’s maze?

Or tried to find your way

through the countless

selection menus?

Mordor Call Center

✓ Evil Sauron ✗ No idea

✓ Mount doom ✗ No idea

3. What do you need for your quest?

Mordor Call Center

✓ Evil Sauron ✗ No idea

✓ Mount doom ✗ No idea

✓ The Ring ✗ Name, age, client ID,

birth date, product code,

purchase date, dog’s name,

favorite unicorn color ...

It’s clear we have a

problem

… or did it happen

already?

Meet Tony Hsieh,

CEO of online shoe

retailer Zappos

The business model

✓ Free shipping.

✓ Free returns.

✓ 365 days returns.

75% sales from

repeat customers.

The customer

service is

located on the

highest floor of

the building.

... and the CEO

sits right in the

middle of it.

Human resources

✓ Seeking cultural fit.

✓ 1 month training

focused on culture.

✓ $ 3000 as a bribe

to quit the job.

Employee motivation

✓ Assign responsibility.

✓Give them a budget.

✓ Give people a voice.

✓Allow people to be

as they are.

So why do we

care?

Loyalty Steven, satisfied customers, that’s the thing

What they tell you it is all about ...

Money, money, money!

What it is really all about ...

Because an accountant

won’t make the difference.

Profits from a happy

customer looks just the

same as profits from an

unhappy customer.

Departments are still all

too often accountable

for their results.

Not how they achieve it.

And we suck at measuring satisfaction.

Traditional surveys

are too long and

waste the time of

the customer.

They often get lost as

a report in an

archive, instead of

changing behavior.

Most surveys are

anonymous,

making it impossible to

close the loop.

In B2B the surveys are often completed by

administrative clerks who can’t give relevant

feedback instead of key decision makers.

The surveys are written

in the language of

the researcher and

confuse the customer.

The results are easily gamed and

manipulated to make the reality

look better than it actually is.

So is there a

solution?

Say hello to NPS

the new customer

satisfaction hero.

Net

Promoter

Score

On a zero-to-ten scale, how likely is it that you

would recommend us to a friend or colleague?

Just one question matters:

Which leads to 3 types of customers:

The promoters, who give a 9 or 10

Promoters

generate 80% of

the positive

word of mouth.

“Do what you do so well,

that people can’t resist

telling others about you.”

- Walt Disney

Promoters have a

higher annual spend

and are less

price sensitive.

The passives, who give a 7 or 8

An average score of 7 or 8? That’s awesome Steven!

I once heard:

NOPE

Passives got what

they came for.

No more no less.

Once done with

you, they will find

another company.

The detractors, who give a 0 to 6

Detractors cause 80% of the bad mouthing to friends

family, colleagues or anyone who will listen.

(social) media anyone?

Increasing

service costs by

reporting problem

after problem.

Detractors consume

more customer-

service resources

and demotivate.

But it’s not all

BAD

“Your most unhappy

clients are your greatest

source of learning”

- Bill Gates

So let’s dream …

And remember a time

when companies knew

our grandparents’ names

and preferences.

Whether we like it or not:

employees and

customers need each

other to be happy.

It’s a love story.

One yet to be told

by many companies.

But not an impossible one.

Check out these amazing books

at www.amazon.com

Thanks to the contributors of amazing

(and free) stock photos at:

picjumbo.com

nos.twnsnd.co

pexels.com

pixabay.com

freeimages.com

gratisography.com

morguefile.com

Credits for non-stock photos to:

zappos.com

amazon.com

wikipedia.com

eon.it

Cartoons by

(and inspiration taken from):

theoatmeal.com