How to Tell Anyone Anything: Coaching Your Service Team to Success
Customer Service Experience, Webinars 21 Comments
Watch the recorded version here
Those who manage people know that it is often challenging to provide ‘constructive criticism’ or feedback without causing their employees to become defensive. All too often human nature and an instinctive need to defend ourselves takes over, resulting in resentment or resistance to suggestions for change.
This webinar features Rich Gallagher - Author of What to Say to a Porcupine & How to Tell Anyone Anything: Breakthrough Techniques for Handling Difficult Conversations a Work – exploring a fresh new approach to coaching customer service professionals. An approach based on recent developments in the psychology of how we communicate with each other focusing on strength-based coaching versus deficit-based coaching.
Rich told our audience:
- Avoid the mistake of focusing on what’s wrong and transform interactions that might become verbal tugs-of-war into collaborative problem-solving sessions
- How a painless, blame-free approach for coaching can create real performance and behavior change
If you missed the webinar, the recorded version is available here. Share your thoughts and continue the discussion here.
A copy of this presentation is available in our SlideShare profile.
** Take a look at the How to Tell Anyone Anything White Paper – No registration required.
21 Responses to “How to Tell Anyone Anything: Coaching Your Service Team to Success”
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I just heard this guy on the radio in Portland and ordered the book from the library it sounds like a very good read.
Q: I have a rep who is the lowest producer on the team. Most people, from training to myself have been met with only defensiveness and anger in any conversation about this production. I have started in a safe place with no results, is there a next step?
the webinar was very good today. I wanted to get a copy of the first two chapters of the book, I signed up for the first webinar but can’t find that email.
thanks.
Melanie,
We’re glad you enjoyed the webinar. You can get a copy of the first two chapters of Rich’s book here: http://www.howtotellanyoneanything.com/How_to_Tell_Anyone_Anything_sample.pdf
I wasn’t able to attend the seminar yesterday due to a customer engagement. Is there any way that I can download or view the seminar?
Rosemary,
We’re still waiting for the recorded version but we’ll notify everybody who registered as soon as we have the file. We’ll also post the link within this post and our website. Thanks for your interest in this webinar.
Hi Matthew – thank you for attending the webinar! Regarding your low producer, here are my recommendations:
-If you haven’t tried this already, make the safe opening an honest question about how they handle cases or do their job – preferably during a regularly scheduled performance review or coaching session, since this person is so sensitive to criticism. Take a learning rather than a coaching posture and ask good questions.
-If this person response with anger, defensiveness, excuses, etc., *validate it*. (“No one likes to feel criticized,” “Yes, cases like these are difficult,” etc.) If possible, do this each and every time this rep opens his/her mouth.
-When you get to discussing the rep’s performance, keep it factual (“A normal case throughput is X, yours is Y. What can we do to help you?”) and focus on benefitting the other person.
I respect that some people – particularly poor performers – decide that “the best defense is a good offense,” particularly when they do not feel hope for being a fit with the job. Just make sure that your safe statements are truly learning questions and benefit statements rather than “polite criticism” to have your best chance of performance change. Good luck!
I work for a company where I manage customer support in the US & Colombia. Colombia is very different from the US. How do you handle differences in cultural and emotional situations?
If I hide my true emotional reactions, how do I effectively convey the seriousness of the situation?
Steven – you raise a very good point, and your work spans two fascinating cultures. To me the basics are similar (keep discussions safe, acknowledge people, frame things in ways that benefit the other person), but the specific words and sentiments would be culture-specific. (For example, in the UK, I would be less likely to discuss feelings than in another culture.)
When I do live training I sometimes spend a whole afternoon discussing personality and culture differences. Just curious, what is your experience between the US and Colombia? I would love to learn from you.
Naga – excellent point – I do not believe in hiding your emotions, but I do believe in expressing them factually in ways that open dialogue. There is a big difference, for example, between “You are an idiot” and “When you yelled at this customer, it cost us a $40,000 order” – I am OK with saying the latter (when you get to the fourth step of the process), but never the former. Thanks!
Hi Rich!
Thanks for the insight. It is helpful in many ways.
When it comes to the US and Colombia, there is a sharp difference in work ethic. Colombia is the most hospitable place I have ever been and the entire country puts an emphasis on customer service like I have never seen. (for example: I went to a Dunkin Donuts in Bogota and they cooked the breakfast for me, not microwaved.) They are incredibly sweet. The work ethic I deal with is that many in Colombia do not believe in working your fingers to the bone. They believe in having many holidays, dancing, music, and making sure that they fit a job into this. Yet, while they work, they are amazing.
A tough thing I deal with as they do customer service for a US-customer base is that Colombians do not pick up on that US dual personality of the American customer i.e. The one who yells ‘I want to speak to a manager.’, when the US customer is not very angry at all, but more so doing what he/she feels they must to get what they want. They do not understand US sarcasm, either.
As a US citizen hired for my company Voice123.com, most of my training has been about explaining to very sweet people ‘just what the people from the US meant when they said something aggressive.’ That is another thing, Colombian folks are not aggressive, and their dollar takes them further than someone from the US, so they are not as concerned with money like US citizens. I read once that Colombia is the 3rd happiest country in the world, behind Switzerland and Denmark. Their integration of music, dance, and celebrating into the work place has much to do with this. Yet, even to this day, I am still training the same staff I kept for two years in customer service about ‘what we do’, and they teach me ‘what they do’. I still feel at times that it is an uphill battle that will never end.
Whenever I visit Bogota, then return home to NYC, I feel like I have to adapt back to the culture of working 12-14 hours a day ‘to get things done no matter what’.
I still have not figured out if I am more productive managing in person, or managing remotely.
I am very lucky to have a great team with great energy, yet still, I feel like in being my regular NYC-self, I may upset them when I am just trying to show them somethings to be more productive.
If you would like to see the people I am talking about, go to the about us section of Voice123. You will see me, and my staff. If you would like to know anything more, I am more than honored to tell you about what I experience here.
The one thing I still am proud of is that I have kept the same team for 2 years. By the way, is that a good thing?
I wanted to add one other point….As I am not from Colombia, I tried something new.
I lived with each member of the customer service team while staying in Colombia to see what they go through on a daily basis to get a better understanding of how they feel when they get to the office.
It has worked out very well, and built an understanding between us.
However, do you think it is possible to get too close to your team?
In reference to polling question #2: How do you handle the situation where your reps answer the “How” question by giving a ‘textbook’ response or responding with an ‘ideal’ resolution, rather than describing what they’re actually doing?
When an employee is late and doesn’t think you are aware of it. Since you don’t know what the issues are how can you rehearse a solution to discuss with them?
Steven – what a great job you do of breaking down Colombian culture! In general, people from South America (the only continent I haven’t visited yet, btw) are among the most warm and personable I have met. And the workstyle differences you break down make a great deal of sense.
I think it is fantastic that your team has remained intact for over 2 years, because turnover is to me a signature measure of your leadership success – I too was very proud of reducing external turnover in my own 24×7 call center team to near zero for two years. (One year we actually had a “turnover party” with ice cream and apple turnovers, to celebrate no one leaving a 25-person call center in a year!) And I like your idea of staying with team members when you visit – given how well your team is doing, it sounds like you are having no problem maintaining appropriate boundaries. Thanks again for your interesting comments!
Colin, the situation you describe lends itself very well to good validation, as a prelude to coaching better answers. When I coach agents, I often use the phrase, “I can see exactly why you are saying what you are saying. If I called most call centers, I would probably hear something like that. Now, here’s what the best of the best do …”
Kim, when employees are frequently late, I advocate taking a learning stance (“Are you having trouble getting to work on time lately?”) and – above all – acknowledging and validating their reasons. Even if they are bald-faced excuses! This makes it easier, not harder, to compare their performance with the group’s norms and negotiate a solution that the late person actually buys into.
As an aside, I have generally found that when people are chronically late, coaching works in the short term, but has to be repeated in the long term. The good news, however, is that when you maintain a good working relationship with someone, my experience is that they usually buy into repeat coaching.
Thank you so much for the compliment Rich; it means a great deal coming from you. I also LOVE the idea of the ‘Turnover Party’. I have to try that here. I know they would love it!
I think the most interesting thing I have come across as a manager is when my staff says, ‘You know…You are not like other US people we have met in the past.’
What they refer to is that some US businesses have come to South America, get overwhelmed by its beauty, and then take advantage of a Colombian belief that they are still 3rd world. Let me tell you…Colombia is not. In the next 20 years, I can see businesses basing operations here. Colombian folks do not like to feel they are being bought. Sadly, although Colombia is rich with resources from people with great technical skills, and great technology, they still think of themselves as a ‘3rd World’ country for some reason, and it is a touchy subject.
I have done my best here to let all of them know that I am no better or worse than they are, and that we are all in the same boat together. A common comparison I use is that in NYC, I have to take subways, where in Bogota they use Transmilenio. It is still public transportation, and it is crowded.
One important thing I do for them as well, I NEVER under any circumstance take their kindness for granted and each of them knows if they come to the US, I would offer them the same.
They are a country that is 95% Catholic, heavily religious, friendly, and they love their music!
Call me crazy…But I actually started doing team events remotely:
I would play Rockband in NYC via Xbox Live with the staff from Bogota. It is just hilarious, and it has built an equal respect between us for caring for people, hard work, music, religion, and simply being able to smile after work with co-workers. We have respect for each other, and many here will not quit because of the atmosphere we have created.
Hey…I have lots of stories on this topic. I loved your webinar, and love writing about my experiences here. If you would ever like to hear more just let me know.
Best to you,
Steven
Voice123.com
How do you deal with unions? Their goals are in conflict with corporate goals.
I have a team with a lack of trust. How do I turn that around?
Steven, it sounds like you are a truly incredible manager – by all means keep the war stories coming!
Rick – I am going to give you both a “micro” and a “macro” answer about unions. (Incidentally, I was a union member at Boeing many years ago, and once nearly went on strike!) First, the “micro” answer: it is frustrating when unions seem anti-productivity and anti-progress, but that makes it even more important to speak to the employees’ interest, and frame things in terms of their benefit. For example:
Bad: We want to implement a CRM tool to improve everyone’s productivity.
Good: What are the best things and worst things you see about support automation tools? If you were advising us, what would you recommend? Here are some areas where we are hoping new technology will benefit you …
For the “macro” answer, I would suggest reading the book “Nuts!” about Southwest Airlines. SWA is the most highly unionized carrier in the skies, with 94% of its employees in a union, yet also the most productive – and much of that springs from a near-fanatic devotion to their employees and teamwork. Remember that unions can be frustrating, but they also see themselves as the people who keep call center employees from becoming like caged chickens who can’t take bathroom breaks – and the more you can speak to their perspective, the greater the chances for cooperation.
Josee – look at the building of trust as a long-term process. You add “deposits” to your trust balance every time you compliment people or acknowledge their worldview, and I believe that with time and patience, many trust issues can turn around. I found, for example, my annual “best practices” workshop for my own support team – where we openly discussed the results of an annual culture survey, got everyone’s feedback, and turned some of it into policy change – was a great trust-building tool.
I run into similar issues nowadays as a therapist – some adolescents don’t trust any adult figure, and there is no one thing I can say to change that immediately – but by having a gentle touch and advocating for them over time, things do turn around eventually. I feel the same is often true for a team. Good luck!
Thank you very much for the compliment! I try extremely hard.
To give you one more war story for today…I am sitting in the office in Bogota, Colombia, as a protest goes on outside the window by college students against North American involvement in Latin America. My staff is somewhat poking fun at me about it because they know me very well, but still, as someone who may need to hire again, I wonder if the process of becoming integrated with locals will eventually start all over again one day, but also lets me know my team will stay around for a while.
It is days like this that let me know my work will always be cut out for me here, and I enjoy it, greatly.
The fact that I watch the protest with my team tells them that they know I understand what is happening locally, and that is very important to them.
Best,
Steven
Voice123