The Constellation A newsletter for Answering Service Employees, donated to the industry by TeamSNUG
A Shining Star to Guide the Way... Today’s Luminary is Brenda Connolly Auriga Medical Bureau of Harrisburg “The Charioteer” By Maria Delaney veryone needs a Brenda Connolly in their call center. Her official title is Operations Manager of the Medical E Bureau of Harrisburg, but she is also Mr. Fix-it, Ms. On- In Greek mythology, Auriga Call…Ms. Everything. Normally, you can find her in her office taking calls, running reports, and proactively working with our is sometimes identified with clients and their issues. Hephaestus, the god of blacksmiths and craftsmen, Her motto is “we are here for you”. Brenda goes out of her way who invented the chariot, and for clients. Procrastinating is not in her vocabulary. If a doctor’s pager is not working, she immediately puts them on texting. it is also often associated with When a new account wants to start yesterday, she has them up Myrtilus. Myrtilus, son of the and ready. She has changes done in the system before I am god Hermes, was the getting my morning coffee. She is the epitome of the term “multi- tasking”. It is not unusual to find her taking calls, putting information in the on call scheduler, and sending charioteer who served king IM’s, all at the same time. I often have to remind her that she can get off the system and let Oenomaus and sabotaged his the operators handle the calls. chariot so that his daughter's Brenda is happiest when she is busy. So when things slow down, she puts her “man” hat suitor might win the race for on and starts becoming Mr. Fix-it. She is either on a ladder replacing light bulbs, clearing her hand. the drains so water will run off the roof, or putting together chairs from Staples. And if it snows, she won’t wait for our snow removal person, she is out there shoveling and spreading salt. She does it all. The brightest star in the Auriga constellation is [715] Work ethic is very important to Brenda. She takes pride in what she does and gives 110%. Capella or alpha Aurigae. It Over the last 10 years, she has worked a double shift when needed and has come back at 7:00am the next day. Although this doesn’t happen too often, other operators would is the sixth brightest star in complain and moan how tired they are. Yes, she is tired, but she does what it takes to the sky and the third brightest work in this business. star in the northern hemisphere. The Greeks Brenda makes my job less stressful. She always says, “I have your back, boss!” And she truly does. I can leave at night knowing that the service is in capable hands and she is called it Aix and its Roman able to run the service when I am away. Oh, how I hate it when her vacation time comes name, Capella, means "she- around! goat." The star represents After her shift, Brenda is a single parent to 3 daughters and 5 grandchildren. In good Amalthaea, the goat who weather, she likes to walk home, which is only 2 miles! Then her second job begins-- nursed Zeus as an infant on making dinner, taking care of her home, and watching her 2 1/2 year old granddaughter. the island of Crete. I wish I had half of her energy. She is a giving parent who puts everyone else before herself. Her needs are few and her life is challenging at times, but she does what she has to do. The annual SNUG meetings are the highlight of her job. She enjoys visiting the —from TopAstronomer.com different cities and meeting new people. The cocktails and food are a bonus. The extra time we spend before or after the meetings are the down time she definitely deserves.
1st Quarter 2013 Sorry, you can’t have her. She is mine and she is my hero! How Good of an Actor are You?
here will be times when a caller is so demanding, so arrogant, so rude that you are going to wish you could slip right through that phone and slap them! T BUT, you can’t…. you can’t even answer in kind. That is when your acting abilities come into play. This is when you “kill them with kindness”. Go into acting mode and pretend that their attitude doesn’t affect you. Increase your sympathy!
This is a customer service business and part of our job is to treat everyone with respect (even if they don’t deserve your respect). We have to represent OUR CUSTOMERS in the very best light possible. Remember, a caller is not angry with YOU, they are angry with the situation they find themselves in. They can’t control what is happening – and some people can’t control themselves when faced with that kind of dilemma.
It is up to you to make the best of the moment. Imagine that this person has had a really, really bad day and not being able to reach the person they are calling is the straw that broke the proverbial camel’s back. Do everything you can to help make their day better.
When they yell, you speak softer. It is true that we often unconsciously match our voice tone and volume to that of the person we are speaking with. (Think about how easily you slip into a southern drawl when you are talking with someone from the south.) If you consciously slow your speech and quiet your voice the caller may well begin to modulate their own voice, and you can begin to get to the root of the problem.
If they are sarcastic, you become kinder. When you meet snide remarks with a calm and humble demeanor the bully will find it more difficult to keep their attitude. Most people will feel guilty when they know they are pushing a person who is being reasonable in return.
When they are out of control, YOU become the voice of reason. After several attempts at just being polite and hoping they will respond in it would be OK to say, “Please don’t kill the messenger, Ms. Dominant, I will do my best to help you, but I am only the messenger. Here is what I CAN do in this situation….”
At the end of the call you want to know that anyone can listen to what you said, and sympathize with what you put up with, and applaud the way you handled yourself. Just remember, that you can NEVER be abrupt or rude just because a caller is being rude. Our ability to maintain our dignity and our good humor is one of the things our clients pay us for, and we must deliver.
Healthy... Wealthy... Healthy Carbs? Join the Club
s those oin your office New Year Christmas Club. Having A diets kick J your employer save for in – are you you is still saving. When you feeling tired? It designate a specific amount may not just be to be taken out of your the holiday let paycheck every week and down – it may be placed in a Christmas club that you are account you will hardly miss missing those complex carbs that give you it. Even $10.00 per week will energy. Review what you eat; our bodies NEED give you about $500.00 at the carbohydrates! end of the year.
...and Wise Clutter Busters
lutter is usually made up of things that don’t really have a “home”. As you straighten your surroundings really look at every single item C and if it doesn’t have a “place” create one. Don’t just shuffle things from one place to another – you will feel more calm and in control when things are neat.
Stick Together
he article on the next page talks about what makes customers “stick”. The following clues allude to phrases with word “stick” in them. How many of the can you guess? Answers, back T page...
1. What a robber might say ______
2. Phrase describing Theodore Roosevelt’s foreign policy______
3. When something seems odd or out of place ______
4. How one might describe a hearty meal ______
5. Childhood retort to a taunt ______
6. Adhere to one’s principles without backing down ______
7. Reward and punishment ______
8. Standing firm in a tale ______
9. Party pooper ______
10. Get a raw deal ______What Makes Clients “Stick” e all have them...places where we LOVE to do business, and wouldn’t ever consider going anywhere else. As customer service agents, we can objectively W look at the reasons for our loyalty and ask ourselves: “If this was my answering service, why would I stay?”
We asked our employees about the places they like to patronize and why. Here is what they said, and how it relates to our industry:
Promptness “I often buy from an internet company; when I placed my first order, they said I would receive my items in 4 to 5 business days. I had them in two days! They ALWAYS under promise, and over deliver.
In this “gotta’ have it now” society, time is of the essence. We can cater to our clients’ need for promptness by monitoring call traffic, staffing accordingly, answering calls immediately, practicing polite call control, and correctly and efficiently following dispatch protocol.
Price “Our favorite store has great clothes at a reasonable price. I feel I’m getting a bargain “
Most of us don’t have anything to do with the rates at our company. However, we can help to make our clients feel as though they are getting a lot for their money by producing quality messages -verifying information, correcting grammar or spelling errors, and completing all of the prompts.
Personal Attention / Recognition “The owner of my favorite Chinese Restaurant greets me by name every time I go in. When I Puzzle place my order over the phone, he immediately asks if we’re placing ‘the usual’ order, and knows it by heart.” Answers:
Giving our clients personal attention can be as simple as calling them by name when they 1. Stick ‘em up! check in for messages, or as elaborate as sending them a card on a special day. 2. Speak softly and Remembering personal details is an easy way to establish a bond. Saying, “How are your carry a big stick kids?” or, “Did you have a nice vacation?” can mean a lot without running up their bill. 3. Sticks out like a sore thumb Above and Beyond 4. Stick to your ribs “At my favorite fast food restaurant, they’ve carried my tray of food to my table when I’ve had all 5. Sticks and stones my kids with me and have given them extra free stickers and lollipops. They are ALWAYS so may break my sweet!” bones but words will never hurt Following proper protocol and taking a decent message takes little effort, however, going me that extra mile absolutely differentiates between being mediocre and being memorable. By 6. Stick to your putting a little more oomph in our voices, or sounding like we are thrilled to be able to help guns them in any way we can, we can make a lasting impression. You’ll stand out to our clients, 7. Carrot and stick and make a positive impression on management as well. 8. That’s my story and I’m sticking As agents, we have little control over why a client initially chooses us as their answering to it. service; however, we have a HUGE amount of influence on why they STAY. If we always 9. Stick-in-the-mud remember to treat our clients and their callers in the manner we like to be treated we will be 10. Get the short end sure to set ourselves apart as an outstanding service. Our clients will know that we are of the stick helping them to grow their businesses as well as making their interaction with us enjoyable.