Contact Centre Focus: Recent Episodes
Jeremy Blake and Bob Morrell
Contact Centre Focus is an industry specific, regular podcast, which will offer advisors, agents, salespeople, team leaders, managers, and directors of contact centres, the very best advice. Our perspective is to develop individuals and management, so that the contact centre industry, including call centres, web chat teams, and virtual contact centres, is fit for purpose in the modern world. Your presenters, Bob Morrell & Jeremy Blake are leading sales trainers and executive coaches who run Reality Training – a leading sales and management training company who have trained thousands of people in contact centres, all over the World. This podcast will help you engage with customers with free advice and tips that will improve your results. We will also challenge behaviours, leadership strategies and management related subjects. Positive and Negative – we will give you so many ideas and perspectives you will be inspired and engaged – that is our aim. Original Music composed by Charlie Morrell.
Have you ever caught yourself jumping to conclusions about someone based on their age or financial status?
Our latest episode peels back the layers of ageism and bias within customer service, highlighting a conversation that will challenge your assumptions. Tune in as we dissect a fascinating call between a contact centre agent and a customer who, on the surface, appears to be a frugal pensioner struggling with the cost of a pool cleaning service. The dialogue takes an unexpected turn, revealing the complexities of our preconceived notions about wealth, age, and status.
With our expert analysis and narrative flair, we navigate the intricacies of this real-world interaction, shedding light on the broader societal issue of socioeconomic assumptions, especially among retirees in developed countries. Join us to examine how service providers can strike a balance between empathy and scepticism, and how easily professional judgment can be clouded by our own biases. This episode isn't just a conversation—it's a mirror reflecting our individual prejudices and urging us to question how they affect our decisions in similar scenarios.
Find more useful and essential contact centre development from realitytraining.com
Are you constantly the go-to problem solver in your contact centre? It's time to break free from the chains of reactive problem-solving, and our latest episode is your key to unlocking a more proactive team. We delve into the persistent cycle of team leaders being side-tracked by their team's issues, a pattern that not only disrupts their workflow but stunts the team's growth in problem-solving skills. Listen and learn how to spot these patterns and implement strategies for training and coaching that foster autonomy and efficiency.
Say goodbye to the days of unnecessary 'permission-seeking' that bog down your workflow. We uncover the power of setting clear guidelines and criteria that equip your team members to act independently, without the need for constant approval. This episode is your guide to transforming your call centre into a dynamic environment where confidence flourishes and time is optimized. Tune in and take the first step towards creating a self-reliant workforce that's empowered to make decisions and drive success on their own terms.
Find more useful and essential contact centre development from realitytraining.com
How often do you have to ask a manager for permission to use an offer? In your call centre how often does it happen?
Well, strap in because we're dissecting that dance of discounts and it's quite the cha-cha of consumer psychology and strategic pricing! In this podcast we role play how these sound to customers – and work out what the customer is thinking. This shows how absurd the whole charade is.
We want you to wave goodbye to the old-school practice of managerial power mongering, and embracing a culture of swift, accountable decisions right from the frontline. We'll chat about the delicate balance between agent autonomy and the company's treasure chest, minus the secrecy.
Listen to this episode if you fancy a fresh take on sales psychology and let's move past this outdated practice of deferring to managers!
Stay tuned for more sessions and please listen and share with your network!
Find more useful and essential contact centre development from realitytraining.com
Do you understand the frustration a customer feels when you say “I need to put you on hold and check with my manager"?
This episode promises to unravel why this all-too-common practice is holding back the potential of call centres everywhere. We confront the lack of agent empowerment head-on, striving to identify the bottlenecks that stall service and erode customer trust. Giving you actionable strategies, we set the course for a revolution in autonomy that can lead to swifter service, thrilled customers, and a healthier bottom line.
We dissect the 'talk to the manager' routine that's crippling the integrity of any sales teams. Unlock the power of employee decision-making as we champion autonomy to not only speed up the sales process but to significantly enhance the overall customer experience. Say farewell to unnecessary managerial check-ins and hello to a workforce imbued with trust and authority.
Tune in, empower yourself, and witness the transformation in service quality that follows!
Find more useful and essential contact centre development from realitytraining.com
If you have heard part one of this series you will know all about active listening, and utilising the best tone for your customers. Already you will be ahead of people who haven’t learnt these key skills – and here are 5 more!
This jam-packed episode of Contact Centre Focus is all about amplifying your vocal prowess in ways that resonate with customers and leave them hanging on your every word. We kick things off with a lesson in enunciation, and if you think speaking clearly is a game-changer, wait until you hear our tips on pacing. Too fast and you're a sprinter leaving customers in the dust; too slow and you're the tortoise after a heavy meal. We're here to help you find that perfect tempo that keeps your listeners engaged without feeling rushed.
Ever considered standing while taking your calls? Hear us out—it might sound controversial, but a standing desk could be your ticket to more dynamic conversations. We share our insights into how changing your physical stance can inject a whole new level of energy into your voice. And let's not forget pitch; it's not just about hitting those high notes in the shower, it's about using the rise and fall of your voice to convey excitement or sincerity in a way that truly connects with your customer. With our guidance, you'll learn to avoid the dreaded monotone and instead, use pitch to paint your words with emotion.
Tune in and transform your vocal delivery. These two podcasts give you everything you need to have the best voice!
Find more useful and essential contact centre development from realitytraining.com
Why are some advisors effective and some less so? Let's unlock that mystery!
In this episode Jeremy Blake and Bob Morrell show you how important and flexible the voice is – and how you should be using it. In the first part of our special double-feature, we're laying down five key tips that will make your voice the secret weapon of your call centre.
Explore the nuances of tone with us as we analyse how a simple change in inflection can turn a customer's frown upside down. Plus, we'll tackle the underrated skill of active listening—because sometimes, the best way to be heard is to listen.
Join our conversation and let's transform your vocal game into the heart and soul of your contact centre's success. Jeremy and Bob are here to guide you through, and we promise, by the end of this episode, you'll be wielding your voice with the finesse of a maestro.
Look out for Part 2 – coming soon!
Find more useful and essential contact centre development from realitytraining.com
Top Tips for 2024! What is going to make the biggest difference this year? Ready to take your customer service to a new level?
Call centres all over the world need key areas of focus to have a great year. We're talking about the art of selling—yes, even you, the customer service pro, are in sales, whether you're booking appointments or solving problems. You're selling an unforgettable experience that keeps customers coming back for more. And when it comes to your voice, it's not just what you say but how you say it. We'll show you how to turn your voice into a powerful instrument that captivates and connects with callers.
As our world becomes more digital by the second, your prowess with chat and email is essential. We've got insider tips to polish those skills to perfection. So, whether you're riding the wave of high-volume calls or crafting a response that works, we've got the top tips to help you thrive in the contact centre game. Tune in and transform the way you engage with customers—it's more than a conversation; it's an experience!
Find more useful and essential contact centre development from realitytraining.com
Team Leaders, is your contact centre team prepared for the challenges of peak seasons and ready to emerge stronger?
Join us for a discussion on resilience – a crucial trait for thriving in the demanding environment of a contact centre. We’ll tap into Dr. Kenneth Ginsberg’s insights on the Seven Cs of resilience, covering competence, connection, coping, and more.
Discover how to boost resilience in your team, with a focus on the pivotal role of team leaders in recognising and enhancing resilience, from honing skills to fostering creative problem-solving.
Next, we explore the power of connection within teams, highlighting open communication, clear roles, and the impact of storytelling. We’ll also address coping mechanisms and the significance of taking ownership of decisions, showcasing how resilience transforms contact centre dynamics.
By the end, you’ll grasp the importance of resilience and gain a roadmap for creating a supportive, growth-oriented workplace.
Tune in to empower your team not just to survive but thrive!
Find more useful and essential contact centre development from realitytraining.com
Interview Skills and Tips: Ready to be the stand-out candidate at your next call centre job interview?
Join us, Bob and Jeremy of Reality Training, where we promise to equip you with the exact insights and strategies you need to impress any interviewer, regardless of their role or seniority.
We share key tips on demonstrating your understanding of sales and service, maintaining a positive attitude in challenging times, and how to show that you've done your homework about the company.
We look at why you need to explain you understand selling and discuss how to convey your eagerness and curiosity to master the art of selling. We explore the importance of having a positive mindset, especially during tough times, and provide ways to illustrate your determination.
As a bonus, we act out an engaging scenario of interviewing at a company that sells car batteries to show how it's done.
Listen now and nail your next contact centre interview with confidence!
Find more useful and essential contact centre development from realitytraining.com
Picture this: You're at your Contact Centre Christmas party, the music is playing, the drinks are flowing, and you're just about to photocopy your body parts as a fun party trick. Stop right there!
We're here to guide you through the do's and don'ts of the Christmas party, especially in a Contact Centre environment. After years of enjoying (and surviving) these festive gatherings, we've gathered some invaluable insights that we're ready to share. From warning against pre-drinks to advising against mixing drinks, and what they may lead too, we've got you covered.
And the conversation gets deeper as we tackle serious issues such as dealing with alcoholism at these events, handling inappropriate behaviours, and the exploitation of power dynamics. All while keeping the festive spirit alive! We even delve into the humorous side of things, discussing why some things are a no-go and why a pay rise request might not be the best party conversation. We wrap things up by exploring the fun element of party themes. So, get ready for some candid chats and hearty laughs as you navigate the Christmas party in your call centre.
Find more useful and essential contact centre development from realitytraining.com
Are your customer service people salespeople? Brand Ambassadors? Efficient Administrators?
This episode takes a deep dive into the fascinating world of customer service at 'Bob's Insurance', a company whose customer-centric approach has revolutionised the way their agents handle sales. We dissect a fictional customer service call, demonstrating how to balance customer satisfaction while also promoting the company's additional add-on offers.
That's not all! We also explore how a shift in recruiting strategies and team structures can steer your contact centre towards a more sales-focused approach, and how this can significantly benefit a company's bottom line. Putting the spotlight on the often overlooked aspect of incentivising customer service personnel, we discuss how such a strategy, with training, can motivate them to make additional sales, leading to increased revenue.
So, let's change the way we view customer service calls, and start seeing them as golden opportunities for upselling and reselling the brand's value to the customer. This episode promises to be an eye-opener, blurring the lines between customer service and sales!
Find more useful and essential contact centre development from realitytraining.com
Do you work with special offers? Are your prices negotiable? Or do you sell a hybrid option? Some organisations are fixed price. This means the advisor has to sell what they’re selling purely on the value.
Do you expect your advisors to know how to negotiate? Or are they simply discounting or reliant on offers only?
This podcast explores the area of pricing and challenges you and your contact centre to try different price structures, to test your people’s ability to sell.
Please listen, reflect, and share.
Find more useful and essential contact centre development from realitytraining.com
What exactly is Self-worth, and when was the last time you truly assessed it?
Join us for the culmination of our DRIVES principles series in Episode 6, where we focus on increasing self-worth in your contact centre.
If you've been following our journey through Discretion, Roles, Integrity, Vision & Environment, you're already familiar with the core DRIVES principles. Discover how enhancing each of these aspects can directly boost self-worth, ultimately driving motivation, performance, staff retention, and overall morale within your contact centre.
Please listen, reflect, and share this impactful episode across your contact centre network!
What defines a thriving working environment within a contact centre? How do you transform spaces into hubs that motivate your teams, encourage collaboration, and drive exceptional customer experiences?
In Episode 5 of our DRIVES model, we explore ‘E’ – Environment.
COVID-19 reshaped the landscape of contact centre dynamics. Remote work emerged as a pivotal force, reshuffling the very notion of a workplace. But what does this transformation mean for your teams and clients?
In this short podcast, we look at how you can create physical and virtual environments that build a truly productive and satisfying work atmosphere.
Please listen, rate, and share – and keep an eye out for Self-Worth, the sixth instalment of our series, where we conclude the DRIVES model and explore the significant outcomes that await those who apply these principles within their contact centres. Coming soon!
What lies at the core of your business vision?
In Episode 4 of our DRIVES model, we unravel the mysteries of motivational visions.
Have you ever wondered if your leadership’s visions are crafted with imagination and wisdom, or just another run-of-the-mill idea?
In this short podcast, we challenge every contact centre to understand what their vision is and ask:
- What are the measures that tell you that you are moving towards that vision?
- What if your advisors don’t see eye to eye with the vision?
- What role does a manager play in not just articulating the vision, but rallying the team to strive for it?
- Should each contact centre have its own distinct vision?
- Can consensus emerge from different perspectives?
- What was your vision three years ago, and how did you fare?
Please listen, rate, and share – and look out for Environment, the fifth part of our series, coming soon!
How does integrity work in your contact centre? How does it help us to collaborate?
If it is at the heart of what you do, then consistency is easy. If it isn’t, then collaboration becomes almost impossible. A lack of integrity totally undermines any reputation you are trying to build. It could be individuals, teams, or managers who work against integrity. In contact centres how does language remove integrity?
In this short podcast Bob and Jeremy define the importance of integrity, and how, if you agree on that consistency then collaboratively, this will help your organisation to thrive.
Please listen, comment and share – this follows the first two episodes of this series, Discretion and Roles. Look out for Vision – coming soon!
In the second of our 6-part DRIVES series, Bob & Jeremy explain the vital function of ‘Roles’ and its impact on team dynamics within contact centres.
- Are you using your power and authority as a manager in the right way to foster collaboration within your team?
- Do you ensure your team understand their roles and play to their strengths, making decisions within their defined responsibilities?
This episode shows you how breaking down hierarchical barriers and encouraging open communication can engage and maximise the potential of your contact centre team members.
Download to listen now, and please rate, review and share this episode with your colleagues!
In the first of a 6-part series, Bob and Jeremy explain the key drivers that increase staff engagement and collaboration, and improves your contact centre.
How empowered are your people?
How can they decide on what’s best for customers?
This first episode amusingly shows you how a lack of discretion can really affect results and motivation.
Please listen, rate and review, and share with your colleagues!
The frustrations customers face when interacting with automated systems can leave them with an incredibly negative customer journey experience. The challenges you, the advisor, then encounter to provide a seamless transition and make it so much better, is a tough ask after these dreadful responses.
The handover from bot to human often feels likes starting from scratch and companies struggle to make it work efficiently. We’ve not found a company where it does work yet! For something that is supposed to makes things easier, it really doesn’t. It's time to break this cycle and deliver a streamlined experience.
Advisors need to be trained to seamlessly continue conversations where the bot left off; bridging the gap between automation and human interaction and ensuring customers feel heard and valued at every stage. Don't settle for the illusion of assistance - learn how a genuine, integrated approach can transform your customer service, positively impacting your NPS and overall experience.
Hybrid working may be here to stay, but working from home permanently is increasing. As the pandemic hit there were organisations that issued homeworkers with all the right kit and others that bought cheap and bought twice.
We explore how home-based working changes management and makes the home worker far more self-dependent in areas traditionally beyond many people’s expertise.
What does this also mean for measures? It’s often been said if you can’t measure it, you can’t manage it, and with remote working, there’s a lot you can’t manage.
Do get in touch at jeremy@realitytraining.com with your comments on this topic to be shared in future episodes.
Do you huddle every morning? What is the purpose? Are they motivational? Do you prepare for them? Do you pledge?
In this podcast Bob and Jeremy give you a series of Do’s and Don'ts about running worthwhile and effective huddles with your teams. If you’re a team leader or an agent you will learn how to have better huddles which will make you more successful.
Please listen, and share.
How can you improve your outbound calls? Most outbound calls are unexpected, so are they cold calls, or something else? What are the best openings to use?
In this podcast, we give you key tips for opening B2C or B2B calls and explain how to maximise the outbound channel.
Please listen, review and share!
Many CCF listeners will work in Retention or ‘Save’ departments where the task is to keep customers and stop them from cancelling.
Another word for retention is ‘reselling’ - essentially you are reminding the customer of the value they bought originally and reselling it again. The calls have a different dynamic to new business calls, or complaints, because there is an implicit agreement at the beginning - one knows that the majority want to remain customers and yet the game of renegotiation must be played.
This podcasts positions retention as an essential business function and highlights certain mistakes that are endemic in these departments.
Please listen and share!
Re-contracting. The vital underused approach for leaders to learn to change team or individual performance.
When a new set of behaviours or approaches is required, re-contracting is an effective way to make change happen. This can also be used to deal with individuals who are stuck or being difficult and disruptive. In the same way a contract expires and it needs renewing, so can teams require this form of re-negotiation.
In this episode we take time to explain the concept and look at situations where this method can work. Hear about how two people we worked with, one who rocketed her web chat team’s performance and another who turned a difficult working relationship into a far more productive one through successful re-contracting.
When it comes to change, people often confuse different with difficult and this is why taking the time to draw up a new way of working is essential.
Most contact centres will monitor AHT (Average Handling Time) per call. This gives managers a snapshot idea of general productivity. It also helps form objectives because there is:
a) a limit of how long a customer will want to talk for
and
b) a limit to the number of products or services that can be sold.
The problem is that AHT monitoring can skew results and call behaviours, so this episode questions whether this metric really works and offers several ideas that would improve or change the value of measuring AHT.
Enjoy!
What is the gap in your customer experience? What can you do to improve it?
This short podcast gives you 3 clear ways to close that gap and improve results as well. How consistent is your contact centre? Is there enough autonomy? Do you monitor numbers? Or behaviours? Does targeting broaden the gap?
Please listen and share.
Top Tips for Contact Centres for 2023
In this episode, Bob Morrell and Operations Manager of Reality Training, Ann Harris, present their top tips for 2023. If you work in contact centres, you are an advisor, a team leader or a manager, this episode is a short, sharp set of strategies to monitor and work on. 2023 will be a challenge – this podcast will help you.
Part 2 of Leadership Styles, if you’re a manager, or you’re managed identifying these styles will help everyone.
In this episode we look at pace-setters, transactional leaders, and coaching leaders, which one are you, or are you managed by? A valuable 10 minutes for anyone in a contact centre.
What are the different types of leaders? We look at 3 main types.
In this short podcast we assess democratic leaders and consider if it really works.
We look at autocrats, who direct things their way. And charismatic leadership. What type of leader do you currently have? Or what sort of leader are you? Listen and learn about leaders!
How do you become a coach after this podcast episode?
The answer is you begin to become one and then you’ll be inspired to practise, reflect, practise.
Whether you are new to coaching in a contact centre, or experienced, you’ll come away with a simple 3 step formula to coach skills and behaviours.
You’ll get two brief demonstrations, one in coaching skills and the other in behaviour. You learn the difference and see why you need to know what you are coaching and why.
Learn from two trained and experienced coaches who try to make coaching simple and not something that needs to take a long time or be complex.
If you need a quick and simple boost of your skills, or a reboot, this episode is made for you.
How do you sell your products or services? Which features do you use to explain the value to the customer? This short podcast explains what a VAP (Value Added Proposition) is, and how to use them effectively. This is the secret to getting across the value, and you need to understand how to use them and practice creating them. This podcast follows perfectly our CCF on Questioning Skills.
Working in a Contact Centre, we want our customers to say yes and buy. Sometimes we need to use some techniques to help them arrive at that decision. In this podcast we discuss a number of the most common ways to ‘close the sale’ and present a couple of alternatives you may not have considered. Most of us use the same type of close (which there is nothing wrong with) but there are other options. In a few minutes you can enhance your closing skills and also your results! This podcast links to our previous one on Objection Handling – good subjects for a coaching or training session!
This is the subject we get asked about the most. How do you deal with a price related objection? We give you 2 techniques that are proven to work. These give you more confidence in your prices and the value you are selling.
The World of Compliance and Language: Working in a contact centre the compliance department will be constantly wondering about what you are saying to customers and judging if it is compliant or not. In this short podcast we talk about the nuances of language and challenge compliance thinking. Have a listen and consider if what they’re telling you is right or wrong in terms of language, is actually okay?
Most of us don’t ask enough questions. Many of us ask the same questions. Sometimes we ask very dull questions, and often these questions add little of nothing to the conversation. If we can develop the right questioning skills, and continue to create great questions and deeper, more illuminating discussions with customers then we’ll sell way more. That engagement requires an understanding of question types and habits. This short podcasts is a must for advisors, agents and managers – what questions will yield you the best engagement?
As a Sales leader, or Team Leader, you will be running several types of meetings – and this short episode focuses on Sales Meetings – the best type of meeting you can have, and how you can make them dynamic and effective. Crammed with tips and perspectives, you will soon be delivering inspirational, motivational sales meetings on a regular basis!
‘9’s and 10’s are what we’re looking for…’
NPS is a measure of service quality which is assessed by customers. The grading is 1 to 10, and 9’s and 10’s is what everyone is chasing.
NPS is also a measure that can alter the way we treat our customers, and can be a misleading metric which it is essential we understand. Chasing a high score can hugely change the way you look at your service delivery. This can be both positive and negative. This podcast explains how the whole thing works,
‘It’s not me, it’s the system.’ ‘They’ve put the price up…’ ‘I used to be able to do this…’ ‘I don’t set the prices…’ ‘let me see what I can do…’
In your contact centre, you will have colleagues and managers who will be using Disloyal Bonding tactics to win customers, and this may be having a great effect on your results, whilst damaging your business.
This is a problem that is behavioural and can be led by managers and team leaders, and often is unconscious. It’s one of the biggest issues we’ve seen in 20 years of training and that’s why you need to be aware of it.
In this podcast we define the problem, take you through some clear examples, and give you some key ideas on how to manage this problem.
After Black Friday, we really unpick the pricing psychology that is supposed to appeal to customers.
Do people always want the cheapest? What assumptions do we often make that can be entirely wrong? What is a good discount? In what circumstances can a smaller discount be attractive?
This podcast helps you understand the importance of selling on value and of not taking decisions away from customers.
After some years as an agent or advisor in a contact centre you may well aspire to management.
What will that promotion give you? Who will you be reliant on for some of your salary and bonus? How will you balance the tasks and team management, with the driving of performance?
This podcast will help you decide if being a team leader or manager is really for you and also suggests possible other routes.
What are the words we can’t stop ourselves saying? What phrases do we pepper our conversations with? Do we understand the effect on our customers and our results?
This podcast nails the most common phrases and words that literally ‘irritate’ our customers, and should be avoided!
With over 6,000 contact centres in the UK and a high turnover of staff recruiting is a constant and tricky job.
What kind of people should you recruit?
To recruit advisors with the right skills to do the job they should be sales minded.
If there is any kind of incentive it is a sales role not a service role.
If the role is to win or retain customers and to sell more products and services for a brand, again it is clearly a sales role.
Integrity, tenacity and other non-brand damaging skills are what a modern contact centre requires. Calling it a service role may widen the net but it often simply isn’t a true reflection of what the job entails.
A sales minded advisor will want to learn how to sell and serve whereas a purely service minded person will find things tougher when the brand wants them to sell and grow the customer base profitably.
Good sales skills will last a lifetime and a contact centre is a great spring board for a high earning potential career.
How do you prepare for dealing with difficult customers?
This podcast offers some simple to remember techniques for coping with these types of call. Listen to 3 role plays, think about the language and the tone – how can you adapt these for your difficult calls?
Also watch out for disloyal bonding – saying the wrong things to get the result you want – it’s a dangerous habit.
Please listen, rate, review – and tell us about your difficult customers!
Contact Centre Focus is an industry specific, regular podcast, which will offer advisors, agents, salespeople, team leaders, managers, and directors of contact centres, the very best advice.
Our perspective is to develop individuals and management, so that the contact centre industry, including call centres, web chat teams, and virtual contact centres, is fit for purpose in the modern world.
Your presenters, Bob Morrell & Jeremy Blake are leading sales trainers and executive coaches who run Reality Training – a leading sales and management training company who have trained thousands of people in contact centres, all over the World.
This podcast will help you engage with customers with free advice and tips that will improve your results. We will also challenge behaviours, leadership strategies and management related subjects.
Positive and Negative – we will give you so many ideas and perspectives you will be inspired and engaged – that is our aim. Original Music composed by Charlie Morrell.
Episode 1. CCF Introduction
Your first episode sets up what this new podcast series will be covering, all sorts of contact centre related content, find out who your hosts are – and how you can get involved and influence the conversation.
This intro gives you so many reasons to listen, and please let your friends know so that for 10-15 minutes every fortnight, you can enjoy some free, impartial and valuable advice.