Courtesy of Sandy Nicholson/Fuze Reps. Calling on Coaching at Rogers Communications A diversified communications and media In recognition of Rogers’ work toward building a robust coaching culture, the International Coach Federation (ICF) company, Rogers Communications is awarded the organization the 2015 ICF International Prism Canada’s largest provider of wireless Award. The Prism Award program honors organizations that communications services and one of the have achieved the highest standard of excellence in coaching programs that yield discernible and measurable positive country’s leading providers of cable television, impacts, fulfill rigorous professional standards, address key high-speed Internet and telephone services. strategic goals, and shape organizational culture. (Learn Through Rogers Media, they are engaged in more about the award at Coachfederation.org/prism.) radio and television broadcasting, televised A Distinct Difference The program’s cornerstone is the training and support it shopping, magazines and trade publications, offers to Rogers’ 400 front-line call-center managers, all sports entertainment, and digital media. of whom receive coach-specific training based on the ICF Core Competencies. In addition to learning coaching skills, Like most telecom companies, Rogers maintains a these managers are trained to understand the distinctions nationwide network of call centers as the primary point of between coaching, teaching, directing and performance contact for customers. Providing outstanding service in this management conversations. Their job descriptions setting is the highest priority. stipulate that they spend 30 minutes per week in coaching In 2013, Rogers set out to ensure high-quality customer conversations with each member of their team (for each service by integrating coaching directly into its call center manager, this equals approximately eight to nine hours per operations. “The best way to improve customer service was week). This coaching time is protected, not discretionary. to build a coaching culture within our call centers. We wanted “We wanted to define coaching for managers and give them to democratize coaching by using the best coaching skills to a strong base of training and practice,” says Josee Bourdages, engage and empower our employees,” says Fadel Chbihna, vice president customer care. “We know it’s been successful senior vice president, customer care. because we see the results.” Additionally, the call centers have across its call centers in several beamed with pride recently when she leveraged internal coach practitioners key leading indicators, including saw me get nervous and helped me across the broader Rogers enterprise. increased customer satisfaction and by reminding me of how I had [using Starting in 2012, Rogers partnered decreased customer escalations. Since coaching skills] with her.” Meanwhile, with Essential Impact to deliver ICF- implementing coaching, Rogers has call-center agents report that, as approved coach-specific training also seen a 72 percent improvement in a result of coaching conversations to 600 directors and 145 human retention among call center employees with their managers, they feel more resources professionals. over 24 months. accountable for their work and have a “We introduced coaching as an enabler Qualitative findings demonstrate better perception of their relationship of the cultural transformation that that the tone and style of call center with their managers. One agent said, would position Rogers to win. We knew representatives’ conversations with “During coaching conversations, my we could change culture, one team at a customers have changed, as well. manager doesn’t tell me what I need time, and that’s what we’ve seen in our “Coaching was the natural enabler to work on. He asks me what I want to call centers,” says Jim Reid, chief human of our customer-centric model work on.” resources officer. Essential Impact’s that focuses on quality and on the The coaching culture at Rogers has commitment to ICF standards helped emotional connection between also strengthened the organization’s lay the foundation for building an call center agents and customers,” approach to change management. internal coaching competency: Rogers says Andres Piderit, vice president “Coaching is now built into how now has 24 internal coach practitioners, consumer care. we introduce change,” Lulka says. including the organization’s Prism In addition to feeling greater “Anytime we communicate a change Award nominating coach and director empowerment and accountability, with a significant behavioral or skill of coaching, Silvia Lulka, ACC—a former agents are applying coaching skills component, we provide a toolkit that Rogers HR director who now works in modeled by their managers to their helps managers use coaching skills and the company’s call center operations interactions with customers. “Our questions to help manage the change.” team. To date, more than 50 call center customers have noticed a difference As Rogers’ coaching offerings evolve, managers have received coaching from because our employees have noticed the coaching program’s leaders and internal coach practitioners. a difference,” Lulka says. “We were in champions say that they’ll continue Results Worth a place three years ago where, if you’d to identify opportunities to enhance asked us to point to good feedback Broadcasting the organization’s emerging coaching from our customers, we would have culture. For them, ensuring that Rogers has isolated the business really had to look for it. We are in a call-center managers and agents impact of managers using coaching place now where we have call centers have the skills they need to cultivate skills. As coaching was deployed that decorate their walls with positive an atmosphere of openness, trust at each call center, the site would customer feedback.” and learning is a very personal goal outperform its historical performance indeed. “As an ICF coach, I get up every and the performance of other sites Changing the Game day, and all I think about is how to where coaching had not yet been In addition to yielding positive business integrate coaching into the fabric of the deployed. Overall call center revenue impacts, coaching has helped enhance organization,” Lulka says. had a double-digit increase across the lives of call-center leaders and comparable periods year over year, employees. In a program evaluation, and engagement across 4,000 call one leader who’d completed coach- center employees increased by seven specific training reported, “I’ve used percent over 24 months. Rogers coaching as a parent in helping also cites double-digit improvement my daughter overcome her fears. I

Formed in 1995, today the International Coach Federation (ICF) is the leading global organization, with more than 23,000* members, dedicated to advancing the coaching profession by setting high professional standards, providing independent certification, and building a network of credentialed coaches. We exist to support and advance the coaching profession through programs and standards supported by our members and to be an authoritative source on coaching information and research for the public. *Numbers as of October 2015. Numbers are subject to change month to month.

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