As the old saying goes, “One thing that is always constant is change.” We all know that our industry is rapidly changing. From the technology we use to the clients we service, the needs of those in the business world continue to morph.
Consumers continue to gain power in the communication process. One can now contact a company through multiple channels. No more is the single consumer experience muffled, one can broadcast how the experience went through a multitude of social media outlets to a worldwide audience.

Here are some 2012 statistics about our industry that you might find surprising and helpful when understanding the impact of customer service:

• 86% of consumers will pay more for a better customer service experience; in fact, they will spend about 21% more.
• A business loses an average annual value of $289 per customer relationship lost to a competitor or abandoned.
• 24% of consumers who experience poor customer service shared their story through social media networks in 2010, a 50% increase over 2009.
• US consumers prefer to resolve their customers service issues using the telephone (90%), face to face (75%), company website or email (67%), online chat (47%), text message (22%), social networking site (22%).
• 89% of consumers began doing business with a competitor after encountering a poor customer experience elsewhere.
• Customer power has grown. 73% of firms trust recommendations from friends and family, while only 19% trust direct mail pieces.
• Customers who engage with companies over social media spend 20% to 40% more money with those companies than other customers.
• The verticals with the lowest percentage of complaint calls are entertainment / leisure (1.7%) and manufacturing (2%).
• 80% of consumers prefer talking to an agent on the phone with email second (33%).
• Happy customers who get a need or issue resolved tell 4 to 6 people about it.
• It takes 12 positive service experiences to make up for one negative experience.
• 73% of consumers would expand their purchases based on the customer service they received.
• 71% of people believe in the next two years they will communicate with customer service more through online phone than any other media.

One thing we can learn about all of these stats is that it pays to offer the best products to your customer and to always do so in a way that has their best interest in mind.

Customers are willing to pay more for great service. Let’s never stop trying to provide that to them.

Our clients need a hug. That’s the feeling I got at the conference in Phoenix this week. The ABIA is the industry association for insurance carriers that market through banks. Over the last two years, marketing to bank customers has gone from sky high to ground zero with almost all marketing being suspended.

So, with this suspension in marketing, the conference networking was around two main subjects: a disdain for the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB) and where we go from here. A couple of weeks ago we wrote about the CFPB and their interest in reducing fraud and deceptive marketing to bank customers. We continue to get requests from our clients to verify sales and document our procedures. To date, we can celebrate our A+, top grade response from our clients and their clients.

Back to the conference. Our booth was well attended and we received many accolades from our existing clients who attended and/or exhibited. We checked off 14 clients from the registration program that came to see us. Jason Sterns arrived from Colorado just in time to help “man the booth” and network with clients and prospects. He did great, as expected.

Our clients are not feeling great right now, but they are great business people. Great business people always figure a way to solve difficult problems. We’re depending on our clients to improve their situation. But in the meantime, we’re working hard to improve our situation, too. Oh, yes, we gave our clients a hug.

You cannot do it all. In almost every client presentation we are asked to provide a service that is NOT our core competency. GCS provides outsourced teleservices for customer sales, service and support (CSSS). Oftentimes there are fringe services that bolt on to CSSS and it makes sense to subcontract those activities through us. In these cases, we take on the role of Trusted Advisor.

When GCS started in 2001, it got a kick start from Global eConnect (GeC). GeC is an international brokering and consulting company for outsourced teleservices and BPO. Since 1998, GeC has helped clients select and manage outsourcing relationships worldwide. In 2001, GeC convinced several clients to outsource programs to GCS, a then tiny start up operated by seasoned veterans and lots of insurance agents.

Over the years we’ve had clients with various degrees of management latitude. On one end, we have clients who only allow us to access their database by a private network, enter data and then close the network. We have no other responsibilities. That’s fine with us.

On the other end of the spectrum, we have clients who ask us to do everything. Obtain the database, cleanse the data, begin the marketing, handle multiple channels (chat, inbound sales, e-mail, text, postal), analyze results and report. In these cases, GCS may use other partners for functions we can’t or don’t want to do. In this case, our clients trust us to manage the extended services for compliance and performance.

We don’t want to be all things to all people. Clients and prospects of GCS know we specialize in CSSS. That comes in the form of voice and non-voice activities done at a workstation. That’s our core business, what we do better than anyone else and what we want to do a lot. You can’t do it all.

On Monday October 29^th, the news station was calling for heavy snow fall in the mountains.  Associates of GCS in Mt. Hope were making preparations. Since the power outage we faced this past summer still looms in our minds, we tend to panic just thinking about being without power. Some associates came in early or worked late Monday to prepare just in case they were unable to work on Tuesday, which they were not.

Bread shelves and milk coolers were sold out at most stores from people buying as much as they could  just in case the outage was as grim as initially predicted (up to 10 days).

The bread aisle at all local grocery stores were bare.

Around 7pm, snowfall began to add up fast and a lot of homes saw their power begin to flicker and we took care of last minute details to prepare for a dark night.

Although Mt. Hope didn’t lose power for a long period of time, a lot of associates did in Fayette, Nicholas and Raleigh Counties.  Some places locally saw as much as 23 inches of snow!

On Monday night, West Virginia was declared to be in a state of emergency and it was discouraged for anyone to be out on the roads unless it was an extreme emergency. By Tuesday morning, there was no chance of being safe on the roads. Trees were down  and Highway 19 was closed, making it impossible for anyone to get to their destinations.

The line men and crews have worked diligently trying to restore power; however, as of today, there are still 54,000 people in West Virginia still in the dark.

A huge number of associates lost power and are still without it today. Some have also lost access to water.  I, myself, am without power and am using the piled up snow on my deck as my refrigerator.

On the bright side, nights are relaxing and situations like this encourage families to spend more quality time together as they are piled up in front of the fire.

Each time I tend to the wood burning stove to keep my house warm, I ponder on times past when people had no other means to heat their homes.  My Grandmother always had a fire burning and the smell takes me back to times spent with her on winter nights.  Those are memories I will cherish.

What was once covered in fall foliage, is now blanketed with snow.

Although, I’m certain that my 3 kids will be thrilled when the power comes back on and will be gaming and texting to make up for lost time, I am also certain that we have made some great memories that they will never forget.  Families come together stronger than ever in times of need and I know I have greater respect for my husband through times like this.  He has worked 12 days straight getting ready for the snowfall/helping others after the storm’s effects. He will have worked 15 days before having a day off and still comes home and cuts wood for us and ensures that we are all as comfortable as possible.

And the support doesn’t just stop at home.

Here at GCS Mount Hope, we are offering snacks throughout the day and working with each associate on their scheduling.

We are an extended family and will support each other just as we do our own families.

Thanks to Billie Jean for submitting this amazing first-hand account of what Sandy’s snowstorm was like for our friends in West Virginia. We continue to keep our GCS associates and their families, along with those affected by Hurricane Sandy, in our thoughts as the recovery process begins.

We’re told by our clients that we communicate better and more than anyone else in the industry. That’s a nice compliment and hopefully it results in longer, more fruitful relationships. Our clients like the GCS Express and really like our documentation of process, results, action items and compliance. We try to stay current with our clients and offer value with every contact.

The same approach applies internally at GCS. We strive to communicate and be as transparent as possible. There are no secrets at GCS, but there is confidentiality, so we can’t communicate everything all the time.

Our communication process is about as good as it gets. We have daily meetings with our senior management team, daily meetings with every department, weekly sales, production and technology meetings and monthly financial updates.
We use written and audio messaging to communicate with our associates, too. I don’t know of any other company that provides daily news, weekly updates with this Express and monthly dialogues with every associate using the Straight Talk program.

We can’t tell everybody everything, but we certainly strive to let everyone know what’s happening at GCS. We have provided the GCS Express every week for over four years now. What a track record! Let’s keep it going!

Halloween is the second-most popular holiday in America behind Christmas. This time of the year is fun and frightful but you don’t want it to turn into a real-life nightmare.

That’s why you should always keep safety in mind on Halloween. Whether you’re celebrating this weekend or waiting until Wednesday, here are a few ways to keep you, your kids and your pets safe this Halloween!

• Be proactive with trick-or-treaters. If your kids are small, go trick-or-treating with them. Attach their phone number, home address and parents’ names to the inside of their costume in case they get separated. Encourage older kids to trick-or-treat in large groups. Stay close to home and have a pre-determined route that is well-lit with slow traffic. Don’t forget the flashlight!
• Set ground rules. If your kids or teenagers will be out with friends, set some rules. Give them a reasonable curfew and be sure they have a way to contact you in case something happens. Know who they’re celebrating with and know what they will be doing for the evening. Make sure they know to only approach well-lit houses and to never go inside a home or car of a stranger.
• Clear a path. If you’re staying home and passing out candy, be sure trick-or-treaters have easy access to your front door. Clear away any wet leaves, garden hoses, etc. Be sure your outside lights are on and working. If you have luminaries, make certain they are a safe distance from visitors as some costumes can be highly flammable.
• Keep Rover happy. Sometimes, pets can get spooked by doorbells or strange visitors. If your dog is well-behaved, be sure they can maintain a safe distance from the door. If your dog gets anxiety in these situations, put them somewhere where they can be happy and peaceful for the evening. A dog barking at the door will also scare a lot of small children, which could make for a rotten experience. Also, don’t give your pets any treats from the trick-or-treat stash.
• Costumes count. Be sure any costume you or your child wears fits well and isn’t too large, can provide ample heat if it’s cold out, is easy to move and walk in, and is bright enough to distinguish in the dark. Also, be careful with costumes that resemble animals as some people could mistake them for the real thing. (True story out of out Pennsylvania this week).
• Inspect the treats. Granted, there’s never really been a huge news story about razor blades ACTUALLY being in a child’s candy bag but it’s better to be safe than sorry. Take a look at your kid’s loot and throw away anything unwrapped or even partially opened. If it looks suspect, just throw it out. Also, anything that might pose a choking hazard should be tossed.

Happy Halloween!

Minimize damage to your call center operations in the face of disaster

With Hurricane Sandy on everyone’s mind we would like to take a moment to provide some helpful information on disaster preparation from a contact center standpoint.

Safety is everyone’s first concern, both for employees and customers, and an abundance of resources exist to reference in the face of a natural disaster.  See the CDC’s Hurricane Readiness Tips

But what can you do to minimize the impact of a natural disaster on your business?

Here are a couple of suggestions.

1. Have operational centers in a wide variety of geographical locations.  Clearly this is difficult to do in a short time frame or if you are a single location operation. Still, you may be able to quickly outsource some of your work and in the long-term, you can certainly contract for contingency capacity with other contact center service providers during a disaster.  For example, one of our northeastern clients has exercised a previous agreement with us to shift some of their in-house work to one of our western centers during the Hurricane window. Because plans were in place, this was done quickly and without disruption for their customers. This will ensure our clients can deliver quality customer service no matter what the storm’s outcome is in their region.Just having a small percentage of seats available can be a real benefit for the customers and the company. Natural disasters can disrupt power, phones, internet and other communication tools for a long time.You can work with outsource providers like us, or maybe even find geographically diverse friendly competitors to work out an agreement. GCS has the added benefit of off-shore locations in the event of a larger national disaster or emergency.
2. Additional Support and Overflow.  Even if you do not have to close an entire center it is often difficult to maintain a full staff during a natural disaster. Employees have families to care for, communication can be spotty and transportation dangerous. Some critical organizations will experience a much higher contact volume during disasters. Having an outsource provider handle overflow or non-critical issues can provide needed customer support and free your key staff to tackle the bigger challenges. Look for a provider to handle overflow calls so you don’t miss an opportunity to continue operation or satisfy a customer.
3. Use a recording, IVR or rerouted calls.  You may have to rely on a recording to communicate valuable information to customers and employees alike. This is a great way to make sure everyone is informed and up-to-date about the latest changes for the site and does not require someone to man the phones. Likewise an outsource provider can be contracted to retrieve and handle messages, refer customers and communicate with employees.
4. Mobilize Fast.  In any emergency, down time will impact your bottom line. A professional and unexpectedly solid response in a crisis can win and keep customers far after the event. This is one of the huge benefits to being prepared ahead of time with an emergency plan and working with a flexible company.  If you mobilize fast, you minimize the bottom-line impact.
5. Communicate via social media.  When the power goes out, people will be turning to their smart phones, tablets and laptop PCs to stay in touch more than ever.  Let employees and customers know what’s going on and how they can remain in touch during an emergency. Contact centers like GCS can turn the social channel into a positive response channel by monitoring email, chat and text, or providing critical moderation of on-line content.
6. Be sure everyone is aware of a disaster preparedness plan. Your organization should have plans and policies in place to approach a natural disaster: the steps before, during and after it occurs. All members of management should know what their role is if something were to happen in their local area and they should know how to respond according to your company’s policy and procedure. Be sure to keep this plan updated, review it with all employees and to always communicate its importance.

Unfortunately, it can be hard to respond during a natural disaster but the more prepared you are, the less damage you must undo once it’s over. If you have a solid plan in place to tackle what may come, you can get operations back in place faster, easier and safer.

And once it’s over, always reflect on what your company did right, the tasks that need improvement and the new plans/ideas you can implement the next time something strikes.

We would be glad to discuss ways GCS could help with your contingency planning. Give us a call 704.624.9621 ext 1

In his famous one-hit-wonder “Ice, Ice, Baby,” Vanilla Ice tells us to “Stop, collaborate and listen.” It’s catchy and there’s also some truth to what he’s saying.

Collaboration is an important workplace practice. Whether you’re giving a supervisor your input on a new program or you’re building out a proposal for a potential new client, collaboration is key.

Why?

When you collaborate you go from working with just one set of talents and capabilities to gaining access to many, and you can turn good effort into great effort.

According to Gwyn Teatro, author of the blog “You’re Not the Boss of Me” those who collaborate, and do it well, usually:

• Engage and enjoy conversation
• Find ways to draw out creativity in themselves and others
• Seek to learn
• Invite others to contribute and don’t judge what is offered
• Focus on others’ recognition before their own
• Can handle disagreement with professionalism

Collaboration is not easy. The main goal of any collaborative effort is to understand how the success of the project goes beyond the success of ourselves. Instead of finding satisfaction in the individual work, it means we have to find success in the overall effort of the group or team.

This might be easier for extroverts who tend to be more outgoing and forward with their ideas. Those individuals who tend to be shy are more likely to have trouble adjusting to group collaboration. But like public speaking, the more you do it the easier it becomes.

Here are some ways to insure collaboration can be successful on anything you do at GCS:

• Be sure to have both open and private space available to discuss projects. If a project is being performed by a large group, then an open space is more suitable for discussion and idea-generation. If it’s a smaller project where contributors must voice their opinions, a more private area might be appropriate and more comfortable for team members.
• Let collaboration develop naturally. It doesn’t always have to be in a formal meeting. It can be through an email chain, on a lunch break or general conversation.
• Be sure those involved have time to develop ideas. Individuals need time to develop their work. Ideas need time to grow.
• Don’t underestimate the quiet members of the group. Just because they might not speak up a lot doesn’t mean they don’t have valuable ideas. After all, the work starts with the individual.

The next time you’re faced with a project at work, school, church or for some other venture, say “Yo! I’ll solve it” and try collaborating with others to get it off the ground. The generating of ideas and creative approach to the problem-solving process will be mutually beneficial and the outcome will be a win for all.

Tips from Genevieve DeGuzman

Sales is the oldest profession in the world. I guess that makes marketing the oldest process.

Nothing starts ‘til you sell something and nothing gets sold unless it can be explained, branded and promoted.

Our sales and marketing people are working hard to reach the right prospects with the right message about GCS. Over the last several years we have invested resources, lots of resources, to create more depth and diversity of accounts for GCS. We have not reached that objective by any means, but will continue our efforts to do so.

During the month of September sales activity increases as companies prepare for the next year. We’ve had some clients reduce their outsourcing projections due to the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau’s pressure on financial institutions. To respond to this downturn, we have focused more attention on other industries.

We recently hired another salesperson, Jason Sterns, to join Doc Stephens as our dynamic duo of business development. They intend to hunt down key decision makers who need contact center resources in a consistent and scalable way.
Our value proposition now includes customer sales, support and care, business process outsourcing and content moderation.

Content moderation is essentially policing chats and personal website postings to make sure users are meeting social media guidelines and protecting a company’s reputation.

Over the next few months we hope to see more prospects visiting our sites and more start ups coming through our support staff. It all starts when somebody sells something and we’re selling our brand – the source for outsourcing.

I heard a college professor say the three things you need to have coming out of college are:

• Good writing skills
• Strong speaking skills
• An ability to work in groups

Those are the same three traits that apply to working at GCS.

There is both an art and a science to working in groups. You know working in groups is effective when everyone leaves the meeting with a benefit. Here are some principles to running a good meeting:

• Have an agenda with each subject having a time frame and a leader, otherwise the meeting tends to drift toward the most popular subject.
• Make sure the meeting starts with everyone saying something. Silence begets silence. You want everyone to feel comfortable contributing.
• Be nice. Ask open ended questions. Encourage brainstorming.
• Stay on message. Begin with the end in mind and stay on the subject at hand.
• Use collaboration language such as “have we considered this,” “who is an expert in that.”
• Use a whiteboard. Drawing up the ideas will help connect the meaningful parts toward a solution.

The best collaborative efforts include these time tested principles. For example, in July we had a brainstorming session about increasing production hours. We used all the principles of collaboration and created the Flex Shift program. Other GCS differentiators including Self-Coaching, Straight Talk and Blending are initiatives created and improved by collaboration in small groups.

GCS is really good at collaboration. We took the Meetings 101 class and made an “A!”