ATCEN Sdn Bhd

Preferably Referred

2009-03-02T09:00:00.000+08:00

Ah, referrals. I can't think of a more powerful selling tool.

It's a fact: People would rather do business with people they know--or know of--than with strangers. When you're introduced to a prospect through a personal recommendation, that prospect has a vastly higher comfort level than, say, a buyer you find through cold calling. After all, few things are more reassuring than a positive endorsement from someone you know and trust.

So why is it that, while we all covet referrals, we don't pursue them as much as we should? I think it's largely a matter of developing good habits.

Imagine your business as an infinite web of relationships. Every one of your business contacts has the potential to connect you to dozens of other contacts. The relationships are out there, but they'll likely remain out of reach unless you actively pursue them. It may never occur to your current contacts to broker an introduction. It's up to you to put the idea in their heads.

Don't feel sheepish about asking for referrals; there's nothing pushy or smarmy about it. People won't give you referrals unless you deserve them. In fact, getting a referral is the highest compliment you can receive. Let your customers know you prize referrals, which you'll earn by providing excellent quality products and services.

Mistakes Managers Make

2009-02-23T09:00:00.000+08:00

Managing can be a little daunting at first since close to 50% of managers received NO training before starting the job – and that’s a scary thought. Having worked with many of them, I’ve decided to compile and share with you the 10 most common mistakes new managers make and tips on how to avoid them.

1. Think you know everything.
Listen to the people around you. Ask for their input when appropriate. Keep an open mind.

2. Show everyone who's in charge.
You don't have to make a big show about being "the boss" but demonstrate that, as the boss, you are making a positive difference.

3. Change everything.
Don't re-invent the wheel. Learn the difference between "different" and "wrong".

4. Be afraid to do anything.
Upper management wouldn't have put you into the job if they didn't have confidence that you could handle it.

5. Don't take time to get to know your people.
Learn what makes them excited, how to motivate them, what they fear or worry about. Your people are what will make or break you in your quest to be a good manager. Give them your attention and time.

6. Don't waste time with your boss.
Since he/she just promoted you, surely he/she understands how busy you are and won't need any of your time, right? Wrong. Your job, just like it was before you became a manager, is to help your boss.

7. Don't worry about problems or problem employees.
You can no longer avoid problems or hope they will work themselves out. When something comes up, it is your job to figure out the best solution and get it done. That doesn't mean you can't ask for other's input or assistance, but it does mean you are the person who has to see it gets taken care of.

8. Don't let yourself be human.
Just because you are the boss doesn't mean you can't be human, that you can't laugh, or show emotion, or make an occasional mistake.

9. Don't protect your people.
The people in your group will be under pressure from every direction. It's your job to stand up for your people and make sure they are treated as fairly as possible. They will return the loyalty.

10. Avoid responsibility for anything.
You have to build the communications so there are no surprises, but also be prepared to shoulder the responsibility. It goes hand-in-hand with the authority.

Selling Yourself

2009-02-16T09:00:00.001+08:00

It’s time to forget how to get rich quick. You know that to get ahead in life, you need to be in the business of selling. If this statement makes you cringe, it is probably because the word “sales” evokes images of annoying telemarketers and pushy car dealers. Relax, though, as this article is about a product so wonderful and special you should have no qualms in selling it. The product? You.

Despite the necessity of being able to sell yourself to others, for many people like myself it does not come naturally. Introversion, shyness, and lack of self-worth are just a few of the obstacles that can potentially get in the way. To overcome such obstacles, I suggest focusing on the following:

Be Sold on Yourself

This is the first, and perhaps most important, aspect to successfully selling yourself to others.

Unless it comes naturally, this is probably also the hardest. Being sold on yourself comes down to this: you must be aware of your own self-worth. This means you believe in yourself, have faith in yourself, and have confidence in yourself. If you struggle with your sense of self-worth, here are just three ideas that may help:

Live in such a way that you would want to be friends with yourself
Find some time to reflect on what you like about yourself. If this seems hard, start with the smallest of attributes.
Don’t do anything that will give you cause to feel ashamed later.
Have a Saleable Package
Are you looking after your appearance to the best of your ability? Are your clothes appropriate for the image you wish to project?
Be Positive and Enthusiastic
Positivity and enthusiasm can both be developed, but once again it takes work. Here are a few tips to help you:

Look for the best in people
Associate with positive people

Care deeply about something

See life as an adventure

Smile
Be Real and Authentic

Rather than being about who you appear to be, selling yourself is about letting others know who you are as a person. Always tell the truth, it will earn you both trust and respect which, in turn, will help you build a great reputation. Not only that, it will make you feel good about yourself.

Perseverance in Sales

2009-02-02T09:00:00.000+08:00

THIS IS A QUESTION I GET ALL THE time: Are good salespeople born, or are they made? It's true; some people may have more natural talent than others. But no matter how much talent you were born with, the key to success is making the most of the abilities you have. I believe that anyone can be a successful salesperson, especially if he or she embodies these attributes:

Effort: In the real world there is only one secret to success. There is only one road--one long road--to follow to accomplish our goals. There are no shortcuts. Success comes from hard work. It comes from the extra effort we put in, from the work ethic we foster, and from the values to which we are committed. Only effort, sustained over time, will build the foundation to support success.

Patience and perseverance: In our quest for instant gratification, we often forget about patience and perseverance, two of the most useful sales tools ever. You can't plant a seed and expect a ripened crop the next day; you must give the plant a chance to take root and grow - it takes care and nurturing. Sales are the same way. You must plant seeds every single day, be patient when things do not proceed as quickly as you'd like them to, and be persistent in your efforts to keep that sale alive and flourishing.

Cultivated solutions: Effort, patience and perseverance will not survive unless you believe 100 percent that your product or service has value and benefit for your customers. So talk to potential consumers, and find out what they like or don't like about your product or service. Ask them what they want it to do for them Talk to manufacturers and distributors of similar product lines. Use your research to get new ideas and build on what you already have to often Test out your ideas. Find out what works and what doesn't.

Using your natural-born talents puts you way ahead of the game. But when you also have the attributes mentioned above--effort, patience and perseverance, and cultivated solutions--you have what it takes to make yourself a success as an entrepreneur, a salesperson and a human being.

Finding the Energy in Sales

2009-01-26T09:00:00.000+08:00

If you look at the common traits of successful salespeople, the most vital one is energy--the ability to go the extra mile and still have energy in reserve. Sure, some people succeed without tremendous amounts of energy, but countless others achieve sales success because of it. Energy is what gives you the stamina to not give up on a goal you've come so close to reaching.
Being at your best all the time requires constant energy. The following four factors will help you increase your energy level for peak performance and sales success.

1. Mental focus: Focusing on the moment with a clear mind is crucial. Right before you take action, visualize your activities--meetings, presentations and any event where you need to perform at your best. Too often, we think about all the things we have to do instead of focusing on the moment. Another way to focus is to take a deep breath in through your nose and hold for two or three seconds, then breathe out slowly through your mouth. This is the single most powerful way to calm your mind, not to mention increase the oxygen in your blood and boost your energy level.

2. No limits: Think back to a time when you were exhausted but needed to continue. You probably got a second wind and finished the job. But here's what happens most of the time: Energy begets energy, just like success breeds success. It adds fuel to the fire for the next time you need to sprint that extra mile. When you stretch and struggle, you grow. When you push yourself, you build a greater capacity for doing more work the next time.

3. Your attitude toward change: When changes occur, you have a choice about how to react. The true strength of entrepreneurs and great salespeople is the ability to adapt to a changing environment--whether it's a tough economy, the changing needs of buyers or plain old adversity. Life is like a grindstone: It either wears you down or polishes you up. It's all in how you look at a changing situation.

So ask yourself these questions about what's impacting your sales energy: How am I moving, thinking, challenging myself and dealing with change? Mastering these four factors will give you extra energy for stronger efforts and higher income.
Power to the (Sales) People

Hiring Right

2009-01-19T09:00:00.000+08:00

Here's a vital fact: Using behavioral interviewing can increase by nearly 60% your chances of hiring the right employee. In fact, extensive research supports behavioral interviewing (i.e. using past performance as a reliable indicator of future performance) as the most effective interviewing technique available to evaluate suitable applicants. In a nutshell:
Behavior-based interviewing is an approach that looks at past behavior as the best predictor of future performance. And it makes common sense!

"Tell me a time when....."

For example, rather than asking, "What would you do if ..." one should ask, 'Tell me about a time when you.....You want to find out how people ACTUALLY behave rather than their promise of how they will behave.

Remember: Just because people can give good answers and sound impressive -- it doesn't mean they can DO what they SAY. Let's take a very simple example. You're interviewing Mary for the position of company receptionist. The interview starts as normal ...and you are using the same old, traditional questions.

What is your experience, Mary?

Why do you want to work here?

What do you know about our company?

Mary, what do you like to do in your spare time?

Good Questions....and bad Questions

These questions aren't bad in themselves. They will definitely help you to find out more about Mary. But they are severely limited, as they can lead to very standard and well-rehearsed responses from your interviewee. So even if Mary answers well - what does it really mean? Is she really good?

Or.... is she just good at answering the same old questions that EVERY interviewer asks? You see, at the end of all these questions, you still have very little REAL information about how Mary would behave in real-life situations. But there is another approach....

Behavioral interviewing

It is behavioral-based interviewing. Instead of the same old traditional questions, well-crafted behavioral-based questions can give you a much more accurate 'printout' of a candidate's true character and ability.

Remember again, behavioral-based interviewing is highly effective because it examines the past behavior of a job candidate, which is considered the most accurate indicator of future behavior.
Here's how it works: Let's say that you want to find out more about, say Mary's skills of diplomacy. How would she deal with people? In the past, you might have asked, 'Would you say you are very diplomatic with people?

“Yes, I am”. Full stop.

Look, you have asked her a close-ended question leading to a similar response. However, a behavioral-based question might be:

“Mary, have you ever felt irritated or frustrated while dealing with a customer? How did you respond when customers became demanding beyond an acceptable level?”

Do you see the difference?

The 'Behavior-based question' questions how she behaved in the past in very specific situations relating to diplomacy.

It allows the candidate to give you a fuller answer - and it gives you a more accurate and truer picture of the candidate. You see how the candidate reacted in the past and that is always the best predictor of future performance.

You should always define the behavioral competencies you are looking for in the right employee to fill your position. This way you will be more focused when recruiting. Once you know the behavioral competencies you want, you can then structure your interview questions to learn more about the interviewee.......and watch how your success rate in picking the right person will improve....and improve.

Do you smell it?” – Identifying Opportunities in any Sale Interaction

2009-01-12T09:00:00.000+08:00

You spoke until the veins on your neck stood out. You were a killer and felt certain of securing the sale.

But then nothing.

You ask yourself: “What happened? I didn’t do anything differently from the last customer, but she seemed turned off from the beginning. Why wasn’t she interested?”

Sound familiar? This is a common complaint among sales people. In the midst of all the “can’t miss” sales systems, something is missing. In spite of doing everything “right,” the connection isn’t made, and the sale is lost. Why?

The answer is often tied to the incredible differences that exist between potential clients in their individual Interaction Styles, or the way in which each person interacts with others. An ability to pick up on and address these subtle clues in clients can mean the difference between a connection and a turnoff.

But what if you could begin to identify the style preference of a client? What if you could then (temporarily) tune into that preference and thus begin to solidify the connection with your client? What would it do to your sales if you could understand and match up your own style with that of your client?

You can—beginning now by:

Recognizing clue words during a conversation with a prospect.

Ask the right questions to find out a prospect's specific business needs.

Easily identify sales opportunities by listening for clue words, business needs, etc

Asking open-ended questions is a great way to learn information from prospects.

One of the best questions to ask is, "What do you need to do?"

Get practicing and in time you’ll get to closing a lot more as well.

The Give and Take of Feedback

2009-01-05T09:00:00.000+08:00

Providing feedback to staff is always tough, but if it's "constructive," you not only get the message across, but also build a more cohesive and capable team as a result. Sometimes we feel uncomfortable when we have to pull employees up - but this need not be the case if we do it in the right manner.

Constructive feedback is the only way to learn and develop -both personally and professionally – but what is constructive feedback?
First, I'll tell you what it's not. Constructive feedback is not criticism, it is a not personal but a targeted response to an individual's action or behavior and it is not "closed" but rather invites the individual receiving the feedback to shed light, share their perspective, or provide their response.

Constructive feedback does not blame, but presents a collaborative approach to problem-solving. Why constructive feedback works...
Principles of feedback

1. Choose correct timing for feedback
Praise is most effective when given as soon as possible after the behavior has occurred. Immediate feedback will help to reinforce a correct behavior and make it more likely to happen again.

2. Ask for self assessment
Beginning by asking the person for self-assessment involves them in the feedback process.It helps to promote an open atmosphere and dialogue between the person doing the coaching and the person being coached.

3. Focus on specifics
When you focus on a specific correct or incorrect behavior, you remove the feedback from the sphere of personality differences and the other person will be more willing and able to change.

4. Limit feedback to a few important points
Good coaches and communicators identify one or two critical areas and help the person address them one at a time. It is too hard to examine and try to change many aspects of behavior at one time.

5. Provide more praise than corrective feedback
Positive reinforcement is one of the strongest factors in bringing about change. Unfortunately a lot of people always focus on the negative. When you give corrective feedback, remember to point out corrective behaviors first and always end the conversation on a positive.

6. Give praise for expected performance
People deserve to be praised for doing their job to the expected level. Too many people take the expected level for granted however. Praise is a strong motivator, and enough praise may be what it takes to turn an average employee into an exceptional one.

7. Develop Action Plans
Work together to identify the desired performance or result and how it can be achieved. Decide when the steps will be accomplished.

Sales Professionalism – The Forgotten Element

2008-12-22T09:00:00.001+08:00

The irony is this: the challenge with too many salespeople is that they decide at first to 'try' selling for awhile. They don't commit 100% to it as a career because they are afraid of being wholly responsible for the level of income they achieve.

I must tell you, though, that the highest paid professional salespeople I know have burned their bridges to other sources of income and made that total commitment to selling as a career. They must succeed! They are not willing to look back! They look only to the future and the exciting opportunities each day in sales brings them.

Selling is one of the few careers available to people today in which every contact made can teach us something new. Do you know how many jobs there are out there in which things are done exactly the same each and every day? How boring! Sure, there's the security of a certain income you get from those jobs, but that income is limited -- set by someone other than yourself.

Selling is one of the few careers that allows you to determine exactly how much you will earn And one of the major benefits is that through proper training, you can learn exactly what you must do to earn that level. It's not a guessing game! There's a system, which, when properly applied, will bring you exactly the results you desire.

It's unfortunate, but most of today's consumers have a poor image of a salesperson. I have spent the better part of my life trying to dispel the stereotype of a salesperson. Once your prospects meet you and realize the high level of professionalism you are dedicated to giving, they will forget that you are a "salesperson" and begin to see you as a trusted friend -- someone who is there to provide a worthwhile service when they need it most.

Never forget this: To earn a higher income, find a way to give greater service. Learn how to make each and every client feel they are the most important person in the world to you. That can be accomplished by making a commitment today to begin taking advantage of the training available through your company, the various seminars, audio programs, video training tapes, magazines and newsletters at your disposal.

It's only through a constant commitment to education that we can get on top and stay on top in the field of selling. After all, the true professional salesperson is the one who continues to learn after they "know it all".

How to Ask for Referrals

2008-12-15T09:00:00.000+08:00

For all you sales pros out there - this might not even be worth a separate mention. But all too often, I find that people do not ask for referrals. I believe there are several ways one can ask for a referral and several opportunities when one can ask for referrals.

Ask for referrals often. I push the envelope on this, because I feel one can ask for referrals even before you have consummated a sale. I believe there are two things needed before you can ask for referrals, and as soon as you have them, you should ask for one. They are simply:

A rapport with your prospect or customer.
A reputation of Trust and Value.

It's what Matters:
If you lack either of the above mentioned requirements, they will be hesitant to make the referral - simply because you don't matter. Either you do not matter enough to them, to want to help you. OR you offer, service or solutions is not valuable enough to matter or make a difference to their friends.

It's about Power:
There is one more perspective to hold; and that is how you ask for the referral. Always ask it in a way that does not seem like you are asking for a favor or for help.

Ask for the referral powerfully e.g.

Ask them if they think what you have to offer might be of value to some of their friends.
Or if what you have might be of benefit to their colleagues in other companies.

In Conclusion:
Get comfortable asking seemingly tough questions, learn to always stay in control of your conversations, always build rapport fast and always be selling something of value. If you do all this; you will be able to ask for referrals quickly, often and effectively - this gets you back into the numbers game and helps create more opportunities for you to go sell something.

How valuable is Your Client Database?

2008-12-08T09:00:00.000+08:00

Your business' database is one of your most valuable assets. Are you treating it like something of value, or are you allowing it to deteriorate and depreciate in value?

There are two ways a good, up to date database of contacts (certainly customers and prospects but also vendors, employees, and other key people) adds value to your business:

1. It helps you do business more efficiently in the here and now.
2. It makes your business more desirable, sellable and valuable when it comes time to cash out.

It helps you do business more efficiently in the here and now.

How? It allows you and your team to find information on contacts, like phone numbers, email addresses and web site addresses. It allows you to record conversations, quotes and transactions. And, it allows you to review all these after the fact.

It makes your business more desirable, sellable and valuable when it comes time to cash out.

This one is a no-brainer. If you are buying a business, do you want it to come with a Rolodex or even worse - a pile of musty, crumbled, jumbled and un-filed business cards? Or, would you rather have it come with a current, accurate and thorough (and regularly backed up) electronic database of key contacts?

Every time you get a new contact, ask:

• Could this be a potential customer?
• Could this be a potential source of referrals?
• Could this be a potential supplier?
• Could this be a potential key contact of any kind?

If the answer to any of these questions is "yes", by all means capture the contact into your database - including an email address.

Put someone in charge of maintaining and backing up your database, and make sure everyone knows how to access it and use it properly.

Treat your database like the valuable asset it is. You'll be glad you did.

Coach Me

2008-12-01T09:00:00.000+08:00

Anybody who has ever worked in an inbound contact center knows the environment is high pressured and performance orientated. The performance targets are high, the calls never stop and rest breaks are far and few during each shift.

To operate at levels of such high expectations, many contact centers have turned to coaching as a tool; usually with the team leader being a coach to their agents.

Coaching unlike counseling is targeted at a specific area of performance with predefined objectives and target. It’s also very much about providing feedback. As the coach, team leaders need to appreciate that feedback good or bad must be honest. It should come from the heart and be of value to the agent involved. After all, coaching is about being people orientated, not task focused.

Furthermore, constructive feedback is an extremely powerful process and must be communicated delicately .It is important that the agent acknowledges and accepts the feedback before the coaching session proceeds further. As a coach, we must also be willing to receive feedback ourselves, if any is given.

The ultimate objective of any coaching session is for the purpose of development. Team leaders need to ensure continuity and that the coaching session is solution focused. At the end of each session, the agent must leave with the knowledge of their performance and what needs to be done to enhance their performance

Lastly, coaching sessions should never be perceived as negative. Always ensure that it is held periodically and not just when negative performance needs to be highlighted. Coaching is an integrated part of contact center operations. It cannot be seen in a bad light and the team leaders handling these sessions need to devote time and effort to the development of their people.

Maximize Sales & Reach Everyone

2008-11-24T09:00:00.000+08:00

It’s dizzying at times. With many products and services, there are often several people within an organization who either influence or actually make buying decisions. A good salesperson needs to talk with everyone who is involved in a purchase, but coordinating these efforts among a maze of departments and divisions can be a challenge.

The key to successfully managing sales under these conditions begins by starting off immediately on the right foot. When approaching a new account, use a “top down” selling approach. Start with the highest decision-maker in the company and work your way vertically and horizontally through the organization. The vice president isn’t going to say he doesn’t have time to see you if the president has suggested the meeting.

Having said this, you ,must respect the customer’s processes and be prepared to coordinate your sales efforts with several different departments.

Remember your basic sales techniques: Ask questions and listen carefully to the answers. Show how your product or service can meet the customer’s needs and solve problems for them. See clients regularly and entertain them appropriately. Be sensitive to their requirements, even though you may find them frustrating, and respond promptly when there’s a problem.

Always remember the impact of decision-influencers—the people who don’t make the actual purchase but who might make a difference in your results. Receptionists and assistants are often very influential in terms of expressing their opinions about vendors. They can also be a tremendous source of information and support for you, so nurture those relationships in a sincere and non-patronizing way. If the decision-maker won’t be the ultimate user of your product, ask if you can meet with the staffers who will directly use what you’re selling to do a needs analysis and show how your product works. If you get those people on your side, a great deal of your work is done.

Once you close a sale, continue to penetrate the account. Ask the satisfied customer who else in the organization might have need of your products or services. In most cases, they’ll be happy to refer you to someone else you should be calling on—and you might even get a referral to a brand new client.

Beware of Your Body Gestures When Talking to Customers

2008-11-17T09:00:00.000+08:00

Body language (those gestures, body movements, facial expressions and other forms of nonverbal behavior) serves as a mirror to our inner thoughts. As children and young adults, we learned how to control our words. We quickly learned what we could say that would be acceptable to those around us. We even learned how to say it. We consciously worked and re-worked our words to make sure we said what we meant to say.

But do we spend time rehearsing our body language. Are we standing up straight and tall when speaking to your client? Are we smiling? These are some suggestion about using body language in customer service:

Notice and Offer Assistance
Always notice a customer’s body language as they approach. What is the first thought in your mind?

What about yourself, are you aware of your own body language. What are you projecting?

Always start your conversation with the customer by offering assistance. After all, the reason the customer is talking to you in the first place is that he or she needs some help. After offering assistance, wait for the customer to respond. Listen carefully to the customer's words as it's now the customer's time to deliver her carefully prepared and rehearsed purpose for the visit. You need to focus your attention on the customer's words. How clearly is the customer describing what is the challenge facing her and what she expects to be done?

Take a look at the body language
Examine the customer's body position, gestures and overall demeanor. Do they support the customer's message? Is the customer asking you about your company's return policy in a gentle tone of voice with a smile on her face? Or is the customer asking about special delivery in a growling, demanding voice, while banging her fist on the counter?

Decide whether or not the body language supports the verbal message
If the body language is consistent with the nature of the verbal message, it is likely that the customer is saying exactly what he or she means to say. The body language appears to confirm the message. If the body language is inconsistent with the verbal message. In either case, you must respond carefully.

Determine the customer's most likely message
You only have an assumption of the customer's message, You have to find out whether or our assumption is correct. Decide in your own mind what the customer is trying to say. If in doubt, follow the message from the body language. As we said earlier, body language is likely to be a better gauge of reality. So, before acting on our assumption of the customer's body language, test for reality by asking the customer a question. For example, "I sense that you are not pleased with the service we've provided so far. How can we be of more help to you?" or "It seems that you like our store's return policy. Is this what you were looking for?"
All this while be aware of the message your body is projecting and how they are responding.

The Requirement of the Sales Mindset in ANYONE

2008-11-10T09:00:00.000+08:00

What makes a good salesperson? A good sales person is very much like a therapist - listening, empathy and patience are all virtues found in them (sales persons I mean – and some therapists as well). Somone somewhere has said that selling is not about pushing your foot in the door but about opening the door and making it easier for your prospect to pass through.

“A piece of cake with your coffee, sir?” is a good question to ask of the customer who looks a little hungry. Perhaps he missed his lunch? You can't really ask, but you do know that the cake was made by Polly who has a learning difficulty. Polly will not understand if no one buys the cake she helped make. You have a choice. Sell it or explain away your failure to her.

If you are ready to shift your sales mindset, here are some guidelines to help you get started:

1. Look for what the other person is thinking and whether there is actually a real possibility of a fit. Do not assume they should buy what you have. Aim to connect, not force or persuade.

2. Help your prospect solve their problem, instead of referring to your features and benefits – this centers the conversation on the other person.

3. Be sensitive to the early interaction with your prospect – keep your mindset stay in the present moment and avoid pushing forward (where you want to go – which you can only guess at best).

4. Avoid chasing prospects – behave with dignity. Create a pressure-free atmosphere – set a tone of equality and mutual respect.

5. Connect with your prospects rather than work through a list. Focus on how to make a true connection with each prospect – this naturally helps build trust – think about and discuss their issues, not yours.

6. Creating trust with your prospect is your primary goal – not making the sale. Creating genuine trust is the essence of building real relationships—real relationships turn into more sales.

7. By thinning the tension and pressure in the sales process between you and your prospects, you bring both of you closer to an honest and truthful conversation.

8. Change By using phrases like ‘would you be open to’ instead of ‘would you be interested in’, you immediately set yourself apart as someone who is patient, open minded and willing to listen.

9. By having a deep understanding of the problems that your prospects experience everyday, the easier it will be for you to really feel that you know and care about their situation.

10. Be honest always, sincere and have a genuine concern about helping your customers. The beginning is always more important than the end.

Saying “No” to Customers

2008-11-03T09:00:00.000+08:00

The one word every single customer “hates” to hear is “NO”. But sometimes, the only appropriate response from the company is "NO." Perhaps, it’s good to realize that at the risk of compromising your work ethics, losing money or breaking the law than losing a customer is a necessary evil in order to keep the balance.

Here are some good things that can come out of saying "no":

1. You have more opportunities to say "yes" to the right customer.

2. You have more time to do the things you want to do rather than serve inconsiderate people.

3. Saying “NO” expresses how you really feel. You are taking responsibility for your own feelings and letting others take responsibility for theirs.

4. Someone else who really wants this customer's business, has a chance to get it

Learn how to say "NO" gracefully:

1. Use non-verbal cues to underscore the "NO"-shake your head; use a firm and direct voice, use eye-contact.

2. "Sir/Madam/ Name, I am unable to do that." Don't beat around the bush.

3. Add an explanation if you want, but don't apologize: "The reason is because it would be against company ethics if that were to be done."

4. Be empathetic if the situation calls for it: "I know how hard it is to have that happened."

5. Recommend an alternative if one is available: "Let me refer you to..."
Saying “No” to the customer is not something bad. It is a necessity for business survival.

The Challenges of a Novice Contact Center Agent

2008-10-27T09:00:00.000+08:00

Citing challenges such as low compensation, high stress and repetitive job tasks, today’s contact center agents remain in their jobs for only about three-and-a half years.

Traditionally, the contact center industry has been plagued by high absenteeism and high staff attrition. Contact centers should develop strong policies with regard to staff retention, absenteeism and career development as the severity of these problems begins to dawn on the industry, we should expect to see determination to tackle these issues head-on.

These are some thoughts on cultivating and retaining key talent:

• Flexible schedules –By offering well-managed part-time options, contact centers can attract a wider variety of potential staff members.

• Diversified career options – By offering training programs in how to respond using multiple channels, contact centers can help agents hone their skill sets, while offering them a wider variety of tasks and increased opportunities for career advancement.

• Incentive programs –. By tying monetary incentives to skill diversification, contact centers can achieve greater levels of staff satisfaction.

• Close communication –Keeping agents informed of executive decisions is an important mechanism for boosting employee morale.

It is essential that everyone involved in a contact center’s day-to-day operations be well-versed in what value it delivers and how it does so – and in what detracts from that value. Contact centers should strive to keep agents abreast of key developments and to make their career paths more exciting. Having top-notch, productive agents who are better equipped to deal with and anticipate customer needs translates into having more satisfied customers.

Ethics at Work

2008-10-20T09:00:00.000+08:00

Since there are quite a number of unethical people around, I thought it would be quite fitting to share my two cents worth on what it’s all about. Work ethics include not only how one feels about their job, career or vocation, but also how one does his/her job or responsibilities.

This involves attitude, behavior, respect, communication, and interaction; how one gets along with others. Work ethics demonstrate many things about whom and how a person is. Work ethics involve such characteristics as honesty and accountability. Essentially, work ethics break down to what one does or would do in a particular situation.

The begging question in a situation involves what is right and acceptable, and above board, versus what is wrong, underhanded, and under the table. Throughout the last few years, there have been companies whose work ethic -- honesty, integrity and accountability -- have been rather shady and have a rather negative impact on other people.

This has involved people looking the other way when people have done something questionable, or thinking it would not matter. Work ethics, such as honesty (not lying, cheating, and stealing), doing a job well, valuing what one does, having a sense of purpose and feeling/being a part of a greater vision or plan is vital. Philosophically, if one does not have proper work ethics, a person’s conscience may be bothered. People for the most part have good work ethic(s); we should not only want to do, but desire to do the proper thing in a given situation.

Shut Up & Listen: A successful entrepreneur knows when it's best to let others do the talking.

2008-10-13T21:39:00.000+08:00

I learnt an important lesson when I decided to start my own business. I discovered through observation that the most effective way to grow your business is to let others do the talking. Over the years, I’ve been in countless business dealings and I realized that entrepreneurs who practiced exaggerated self-promotion rarely captured the attention of others. Prospective associates assumed boastful people didn't need the strategies they had to offer.

By involving other people, you’ll see how essential this is in creating business success. There are some very smart people around, believe it or not who have much information to share, and you’ll only be able to tap into it through active listening. It is only when you decide to understand where another person is coming from that you will discover all types of useful methods for achieving success.

Listening well isn't a skill we're born with unfortunately. But that’s what separates the doers from the followers. In order to lead a business successfully, you must develop it and learn to master it. Accomplishing this requires you to be dynamically present for every encounter--a difficult feat with all that goes on each day. Active listening begins with the willingness to recognize the value in every conversation you engage in.

So the next time before you open your mouth and get ready to say something, check yourself. Give the other person a chance to finish what they’re saying and consider what’s been said. You may learn something you don’t know but thought you did.

Undemocratic Any Business Organization Should Be, However...

2008-09-29T09:00:00.000+08:00

I read a good management book over the weekend that says any business organization is a highly undemocratic organization and that is the way it must be. I totally agree with that statement. It is the responsibility of the leader in the organization to make the unpopular but right decision.

However in the course of my work as a consultant with companies, there are too many leaders that practice the above and at the same time DO NOT listen to a single word that is uttered by their subordinates. They do not want to receive any feedback from them. They want things done their way and any other way is against them.

I have had my fair share of experience dealing with the mistrust between the leader and the management team. Many a times, these issues would not have erupted if the leader were just to actively listen and gave his honest feedback to this subordinates.On the other hand, if this were done, there may not be a need for consultants.

Malaysia scores a 5.1 in Transparency International CPI.

2008-09-24T12:00:00.001+08:00

Malaysia scores a 5.1 and fall in terms of world ranking to 47 from 43 for Transparency International CPI.

Despite all that has been done on corruption over the pass few years, it seems as if we are not going improving in terms of our corruption index in Malaysia. We are still at a 5.1 and have been hovering between a 4.90-5.10 for the last 6 years.

The CPI survey by Transparency International al measures the perceived levels of public-sector corruption in a given country and is a composite index, drawing on different expert and business surveys.

The 2008 CPI scores 180 countries (the same number as the 2007 CPI) on a scale from zero (highly corrupt) to ten (highly clean).”I have only one thing to say, we need to clean up the act. Malaysians needs to start moving up the ranking or else as a nation will be deem corrupt and easily corrupt by others. Furthermore in such situations, the poor in this nation will always be exploited.

A Malaysian Voice for Contribution

2008-09-15T09:00:00.000+08:00

I am a person who is apolitical in many ways which is ironic considering my father named me after a very famous and colourful politician in the UK who unfortunately got into some trouble in the late 1970s, ala Anwar.

However despite using the word apolitical, I have since the coming of age to vote, I have never failed to exercise my voting rights as a citizen of this nation called Malaysia for what I believe is good for this nation.

With my upbring and my education background, I could have chosen to reside in several different countries in the world, however ultimately I choose to be a Malaysian and call Malaysia home.

Malaysia is home to me not because this is the land I was born in, which I am not. Neither is it home to me just because my family is here, as I have learnt at a young age that people adapt. Malaysia is home to me because it is the land I want to contribute to.

Unfortunately over the last few weeks, there has been lots of chatter about what it means to be Malaysian. According to some individuals a person must be of a certain race, a certain religion, live here for a certain time, forefathers are from here etc.

I am extremely irritated and sad when people say things above, as a Malaysian I want my fellow Malaysians to be contributors to this nation. As long as they are contributing to this nation by making it a better nation, reaping the rewards yet placing it back into the system to benefit more people, the person deserve to be here.

It is those individuals that suck this nation from its resources, the corrupt, the thieves, the leeches, the cheats; those are the ones that are not Malaysians.

As Malaysians it is time we look beyond whether a Malaysian is brown, yellow, green, black or purple. We need to look at his/her contribution to this nation.

We need a vote for that.

Manners

2008-09-09T09:00:00.000+08:00

What happened to the simple “Thank You”?
Malaysians don’t say that anymore.
You hold the door for them, they walk pass as if you are the doorman.
You hold the lift for them, they give you a scowl.
You stop to let their car pass on a narrow street, they drive pass as if it is their grandfathers road.

What happened to the simple “Sorry”?
Malaysians don’t say that anymore
You get stepped on the foot and the person just looks at you blank.
You get accidentally shove aside and the person walks away.
You car gets block because another car has double parked and you get stared at because you have inconvenience them.

What happened to our manners?
All it needs is to start with a simple Thank You and Sorry.

Diversity Scares Me, NOT

2008-08-27T09:00:00.000+08:00

Malaysia is one of the best places to live in because of our diversity. How can we be scared of diversity when it is all around us - especially since we have been seeing, eating and breathing it all our lives. Here are some examples:
Seeing- Walk down any Malaysian street.

See the different skin tones, see the clothes we wear.

Breathing- Smell the different flavours wafting from any food stall.

Eating- How many of you eat Nasi Lemak for breakfast, Noodles for lunch and have Nasi Kandar for dinner?

In the land that we call Malaysia, diversity is a plenty. This makes up Malaysia. I really cannot imagine eating the same type of food every day.

Unfortunately what saddens me as a Malaysian is all the talk about race politics in the news today. Why all this talk?

In my younger days, I’ve spent a lot of my years out of Malaysia. At one time, my best friends were a white English boy and a black New Guinean. We were the odd trio. We totally trusted each other and defended each other even against others of our own race. It was the comrade and friendship that matters. Not the colour of our skins.

As children we understood that colour does not matter. Somehow, as we aged, instead of being wiser and more accommodating, we get caught up and become narrower minded. At the playground near my house, I see so many kids of different races playing together. They just want to have fun and laugh. Yet if you look at the parents there, it will be great if they even smile or look at one another especially those of a different race. What happened?

People are people, be afraid of the person’s belief system not his/her colour. There are Chinese who are two-faced, Indians who are lazy and Malays who are money oriented. It is the person not the race that matters.

As the world becomes smaller, race diversity will become more prominent in any country. I have met Singaporeans who are of European descendent that are more Singaporeans then the locals born there. I have met many Englishmen from the Indian continent – many who are really Africans in heart and in soul. What makes them is their ability to adapt, their willingness to learn and their willingness to accept.

To me, a Malaysian is someone who loves to eat (this is who we are, we eat), contributes to the Malaysian society (I know many in Malaysia who do not contribute in any way even though they live here), loves this country, has adapted to the diversity here (surprising they are still many Malaysians who prefer not to have it) and is willing to defend and speak up for this way of life. That is the true Malaysian to me.

4.5 Years Down the Road

2008-08-22T22:28:00.002+08:00

It is a Friday 22th August 2008, 7.00pm. I am in ATCEN Learning Centre attending an English Writing Class. Yes, an English Writing Class conducted by Aneesa. Do I need it …YES, because she writes for a living and I am learning. Learning how to get important written message across effectively. So Aneesa thank you.

Sitting at the back of the room, with my laptop, I am looking and listening to Aneesa conducting the session. Next thing I know I am compelled by a sense of accomplishment. All this learning about writing for effectiveness and seeing that every single ATCENian is still in the office learning; made me remember something.

To recollect my thoughts, I logged onto ATCEN website (www.atcen.com) and clicked onto “OUR STORY”. The page on The Journey popped up and I read it. Next I clicked onto the Chapter 1 button and what I was recollecting popped right up at the top of the page

“ATCEN was not built solely for the motive of profits. Why? We believe there's more to life than money. ATCEN aspires to revolutionize the Malaysian business approach; to be a model company, an innovative company. A company where the principles and values of the organization are not mere talismans on display but in every breath we exhale. We care for the development of our people, to build characters and the entrepreneurs of the future.”

I wrote the above paragraph, part of the ATCEN Story, on 29^th March 2004 when ATCEN was barely 4 months. It was written from the heart as ATCEN was still young and it was then a fantastic opportunity to start something new, something great, something to be proud of. And the founders at that time want it to happen.

Coming back to ATCEN Learning Center, I am just struck by what I wrote 4 ½ years ago and what we have achieved today.

In the room with me are 24 individuals consisting of 8 Malays, 10 Chinese, 3 Indians, 1 Iban and 2 of mixed parentage. We had ladies in tudung, mini skirt, jeans, office wear, fresh graduates, also the not so young, English educated, Malay educated and Chinese educated. They had only two things in common, we were all Malaysians and also ATCENians. Tell me of another company that is so rojak and diverse.

This is a company that is not relationship based, race based, chain based or any other based, even sexuality preference based. We are only PERFORMANCE BASED.

We are definitely revolutionizing the Malaysian Business Approach just by our background and the way we do things.

We are extremely Principled and Value driven, it does not matter who it involves. A wrong is a wrong and will be feedback upon. A Right is a Right and will also be feedback upon. Good behaviours are praised, the bad raised and learnt from. We do this regardless whether the individual is the CEO, the manager or the penyapu lantai, which is the CEO occasionally, rank is of little relevance here. All are equal. The CEO cleans the toilet so does everyone else. This in itself is another revolution in Malaysia if not the world.

Ask anyone in ATCEN and they will say we live here. That is just the practice in this organization. We are here not just to make a difference for our clients or ATCEN, the organization but for ourselves. We want to develop, build our character and be entrepreneurs. This is who we, ATCENians, moving towards our Aspiration and proud of it.

To the team it is now 8.15pm and the English Class has just ended and we are all happy with what we have learnt.

As for me I am just proud that words for a certain vision written 4 ½ years ago is now a reality. To ATCENians, you made this possible.

Tidak Apa Attitude Companies Deserve To Fail

2008-08-18T09:00:00.001+08:00

Till today, there are still too many companies who just do not care about anything and I mean anything. We call this the “tidak apa attitude” in Malaysia. To be more precise it is not the company, as a company is as good as the people in there, so therefore it is the people in these organizations that just do not care about anything.

These people are the clerical, the officers, the management, the Board of Directors, the CEO and even the Chairman. There all form the company, they are the company. Yet they do not care. They are there to just ... turn up to work, do the minimal and get a salary they do not deserve.

These companies are literally “sucking” the life away from the Malaysian economy. Things do not happen there. They have slogans and branding campaigns that don’t work and are extremely poor in both planning and execution. They survive by getting highly paid external consultants to do the work and outsourcing everything else. The funny thing is that they get mega projects because of connections. When things fail, everyone is out for a meeting or a holiday.

Enough is enough, I want these companies to fail so that as a nation as a people, we can start excelling. We need to leave those irresponsible and uncooperative legacies behind. If these organizations need to be shaken to the core so be it. As in Nature, only the most adaptable survive and those “tidak apa attitude” companies deserve to fail.

On a separate note, I was in KWSP in PJ recently and I must give a big thank you to the team of people there. They were fast and efficient in processing my documents. I waited for less than 5 minutes to be served both times. Additionally the LHDN in Kelana Jaya was extremely efficient as well. Kudos to these two government agencies.

For those private companies with the “tidak apa attitude”, you deserve to fail.

The Unique Call Center

2008-08-11T09:00:00.000+08:00

The call center agent world is full of horror stories and as often as I hear the bad experiences, I occasionally get into more optimistic and uplifting conversations where we get started on the uniqueness of our work place.

We came up with some things that makes working in a call center unique. Here they are:

1. Everyone is either very intelligent with high flying degrees or they are graduates with no glimmer of grey matter. Quite interesting that both types get along fantastically well especially when discussing that ONE horrible customer.

2. Everyone is a gamer, is married, seeing a gamer, or has recently broken up with a gamer for another gamer. 8 times out of 10, married employees have met their spouse on the internet, World of Warcraft online, or at work.

3. For some reason call center toilets are always… well, filthy. I don’t know if it is the way everyone eats, or if it’s just that they are filthy creatures. The toilets are horrible. I see little wads of toilet paper or towels stuffed in the corners of the stalls, and even in this age, they squat and pee on the seats. I hear this happens in the ladies’ toilet too… hmm.

4. There is often the smell of freshly smoked tobacco filling the air when my colleagues get back from their breaks and lunches. This becomes especially unbearable when they come back with the stinging smell of clove cigarettes. One wonders, do they blow smoke on themselves on purpose?

5. There seems to be a lot of individuals with a preference for alternate lifestyles. What do I mean? Well if you’ve ever come across someone wearing a skirt and standing at the urinal, you’ll know exactly what I’m talking about. Often you can’t tell which sex they are currently. Mebbe this explains the dirty toilet seats huh?

6. People spit everywhere. Especially right where other people are walking or standing. An amazing phenomena that mostly happens in the smoking section. Told you about the clove cigarettes didn’t I?

7. Farting is commonplace. And never excused nor apologized.

I’d like to hear some of yours. Go ahead and add into the comments.

Generation Y: The Frontline Contact Center Agent

2008-08-04T09:00:00.000+08:00

If you are under 29 years of age, feel that you can excel at almost any job thrown at you, don’t automatically give respect to older people or with big sounding titles, and can command world domination in a day (on the PC); you are Gen-Y.

What makes you unique in the contact center is that you are so computer literate, the IT team has to constantly play catch up on how you managed to bypass the firewall so you can get on Yahoo Messenger or update your photos in Friendster. You also feel the contact center job is not challenging and you could probably pack your stuff in 10 minutes and get another contact center job the next day. Isn’t it a wonderful life? But what is it that makes you tick and gets you excited?

From my experience working and interacting with 1,000’s of contact center agents, I have come to the conclusion this is what keeps you going:

1. Rewards must be plentiful. Money is good but the occasional recognition with dinner and drinks would be good. Oh, and don’t forget movie tickets to the latest blockbuster movie (with a soda and popcorn of course).

2. “I want to know how fast I can make big money.” Don’t bother gaining my loyalty, there’s no such thing. Show me the career path that leads to the pot of gold so I can get the car I’m eyeing.

3. “Give me facts man, not some theory and theoretical talk.” Cynical!? Who? Me!? You bet! I grew up being bombarded with information and it is in abundance, I don’t even bother go looking information or knowledge anymore. It comes to me. Library? Who goes to those anymore…

4. Give me a reason and I will challenge you. Hey! That’s what I’m here for, to challenge and question. Most times, I know the answer already. Other times, I just wanna see how you handle the pressure and handle the challenge.

5. Cut to the chase. Look, I don’t really have much time because my contact center buddies have already ordered my Café Latte and are waiting for me so don’t bother wasting my time with long coaching and briefing sessions. Just tell me what I need to know and I’ll have it down pat in no time.

So, to all of you who don’t have a Friendster or Facebook page (read above the age of 30), understand the above and you will be rewarded with excellent performance, done willingly and excitedly. The Gen-Y’s would like to thank you in advance for understanding us…

To Graduates and Their Parents

2008-07-28T09:00:00.003+08:00

Two fresh graduates left us recently after working in ATCEN for three days. They said the reason for this was that their parents complained about the long working hours here. The parents said they should look for a jobs that work normal working hours like 9.00am -5.00pm.

This is my message to the parents and more so the graduates:

Times have changed, we no longer work the so called “normal” hours from 9.00am-5.00pm. We are now working in a globalised economy and the world does not stop just because we do. This 9am-5pm working hour thing is total nonsense. If every Malaysian works 9.00am-5.00pm, then let’s forget all the 24 hour conveniences we enjoy. Forget using the 7-Eleven, the Mamak, the petrol station, the shopping Mall and the Cinema. As a matter a fact let’s just stop everything after 6pm, go home and watch ... oh I forgot there is no TV. Why? Who is working in the TV station; nobody. Welcome to the world of 9am-5pm.

To the fresh graduates, welcome to the real world. Schools and Universities are illusions of the real world. Why? Work stops after 5.00pm for them.

In the office, it never stops. The larger the organization, the longer the organization works. Many organizations today work 24 hours a day, 7 days a week and 365 days a year and it will continue to do so.

Are there individuals who work fixed hours these days, of course there are. They are usually the production line worker or the clerical staffs. So degree graduates, if that is what you want in your life, go for those jobs and the easy life and please don’t complain about the salary, you made the choice.

Oh I forgot, there is also a plus point if you take up such jobs. Overtime (OT) is usually one of the perks that you get. However if you want to be an Executive, forget the concept of OT immediately. The fact that I hear many degree graduates demanding for this is disgraceful. Ask your Managers if they get OT.

Additionally graduates, before you start citing from the Employment Act 1965, kindly read it from page to page. Why? You need to understand the realities of working life and that is a fantastic place to start.

Welcome to 24, 7 and 365.

A Language Change

2008-07-21T09:06:00.000+08:00

After conducting countless interviews and trainings with Malaysian fresh graduates, I have come to a grave conclusion. There is something really wrong with the English of our graduates today. The majority of them cannot speak or express themselves in English. If they can’t do any of this, how are they to get a job in this globalized environment?

The three major languages spoken in the world are Mandarin, Spanish and English, in that order. However English is the lingua-franca of Business, Science and Technology industry.

As a proud Malaysian we can scream and shout as much as we want on the importance of Bahasa Malaysia for the purpose of cultural and nationalistic identity but look at the statistics, we are only a population of 25 million. The world has a population of 6.6B people, so that is a world population ratio of less than 0.004% speaking Bahasa Malaysia. Insignificant.

According to the World Economic Forum Global Competitiveness Report 2007-2008, we are the 21st most competitive nation in the world. Based on the quality of English that I am hearing and seeing, I sincerely hope that we can maintain our level of competitiveness in the years to come.

As a Malaysian, I truly understand the uniqueness of Malaysia. I love this country but I also realize the need to be practical. We need to ensure more Malaysians pick up good English fast, we are building the next generation, the old is gone. Malaysia can no longer be a big fish in a small pond. We need to be a small fish in a BIG POND. Only by being in the big pond can we grow to become a bigger fish. Change WE MUST.

REJOICE! Musings of Life in a Contact Center

2008-07-14T09:02:00.000+08:00

“…Rejoice for those around you who transform into the Force. Mourn them do not. Miss them do not. Attachment leads to jealously. The shadow of greed, that is.” Yoda – Star Wars Episode V: The Empire Strikes Back

Today marks the 2 year anniversary of when I first donned the headset and resigned myself to a life as a contact center agent. It’s been an eventful 2 years, I’ve seen countless agents, close friends, move on; some to other contact centers, others just unable to take the charade of “pretending” to be polite to even the most demeaning of customers anymore. Me, it’s my 730th day of the same arduous routine; day in, day out.

Don’t get me wrong, there have been days where this can be the most rewarding job. The times where you are actually able to help and callers are sincerely thankful can give you the most exhilarating emotional experience. Times like these, you smile for real while on the phone and the headset feels like a lopsided halo making you feel like someone’s guardian angel. But those times are rare…

The reality of it is, this is a thankless job.

Sure, I’m paid well and I don’t really do much except sound “great” to countless strangers whom I imagine are my best of friends in order to meet my quality monitoring scores. Truth of it is I’m bored out of my brain! My TL and OM are great people and I wouldn’t dream of leaving them but the other contact center is offering more money and less calls. So, why am I still here?

They say the contact center agent’s lifespan in a contact center is 2 years and I am beginning to believe that statistic but I find myself hard pressed to make the decision to leave. Why do I stay? Here are 20 reasons (although some hard to believe):

1. I’m paid well – for what I do anyway

2. Although inbound call volume is high, it’s not that difficult to handle all of them besides, the Jusco vouchers I get every month pays for my groceries.

3. I love the people – you don’t just leave people who’ve been through tears and laughter with you for so long.

4. I love my cubicle

5. I don’t have to take work home – when I log out, there’s really no thinking about cases or calls.

6. I get to dress casual when I go to work.

7. I get plenty of time with my TL who does a great job with the coaching sessions where I’m the focus of his attention.

8. I have great fixed working hours – as much as I am tracked for all the time I spend after I log in, I also get to leave on the dot. Everything is measured in seconds you see and I’m conditioned to watch the time constantly.

9. It actually feels very good to give good service and customers’ are happy.

10. I’ve gained a lot of knowledge.

11. I love the contests that are held monthly.

12. I’m dating someone here.

13. The break room is great with all the biscuits and drinks I can consume.

14. I love watching the TLs and OMs stress out when calls are queued.

15. I love the people – I think I’ve said this but Hey! I do!

16. There’s no feeling better than when I walk out of the contact center after my shift.

17. I’m not pressured to climb the organizational ladder – it’s comfortable where I am.

18. I get to surf the net all day when there are no calls

19. I have so much power - I determine how much a customer gets helped… OR
NOTT!

20. Best of all, JOB SECURITY - I can go to any contact center out there when I
leave this one!

So, there is a bright side of things for those of you who feel you are left in the rut by your friends who have left to join the ‘Dark Side.’

What’s Wrong with our Fresh Graduates

2008-07-07T09:09:00.001+08:00

Malaysian unemployment rate has gone up to 3.6% from 3% the previous quarter. This is despite job vacancies going higher. However I don’t think many fresh graduates know this.

Graduates are still asking for the world when they graduate just because they have a degree. A degree does not mean anything today. It just tells the world that the person has an education.

I dare honestly say that a majority (near 95%) do not even have 50% of the knowledge and skills to do their work. I remembered once during an interview asking a simple accounting double entry question to a graduate that any SPM level student would be able to answer. She said “Wow, I have not done double entry in a long time, let me think.” 2 minutes later after struggling a few times the answer was still wrong. This came from a local fresh graduate with a B.A in Accounting with a 3.2 GPA.

Let’s not even talk about the attitude of most of these individuals. Many of them are bad to say the least. Turning up late for interviews, promising but not meaning what they say, badly dressed and coming to an interview as if we owe them a job.

Fresh graduates, I am not your father or your mother or your grandparents. As an individual that you will be working for, I am the BOSS. I am not here to hear your stories in University and in School and to listen to how good you are in a project. That happen in school and university. Show me some real result then we will talk pay, no result, no performance what money.

My advice is stop being choosy, fussy and do stop crying to the world that it is unfair. It is unfair and get used to it. It has never been fair and never will. Focus now on getting knowledge and experience. Serve your time, get your experience and reap the rewards later.

Most important find out what you should know but do not. However some of you unfortunately, do not even care or worse still know what I am talking about.

INSTITUTIONALIZED - Musings of Life in a Contact Center

2008-07-01T23:06:00.000+08:00

“...these walls are funny. First you hate 'em, then you get used to 'em. Enough time passes, it gets so you depend on 'em. That's ‘institutionalized’.”
– Ellis Boyd ‘Red’ Redding (Morgan Freeman) – The Shawshank Redemption

The quote above made me think about contact centers and how agents can sometimes feel. At some point in their ‘in or outbound call’ career, contact center agents lament that they feel like an inmate in a prison; able to move only as far as the ‘chain’ (read headset cord) allows them. Serving a sentence that seems like its never-ending.

So, here you have a life that feels like you are going nowhere and performing tasks that seem inconsequential to the greater purpose of existence as we know it. Allow me to present what I feel are the …………. (make drum roll sound):

TOP 10 REASONS CONTACT CENTER AGENTS FEEL LIKE THEY ARE IN PRISON!
1. You come and go as you are told
2. You need permission to go relieve yourself
3. You are under constant guard by the TL’s
4. Your activities are under COMPLETE observation by the ACD
5. You share ‘horror stories’ of customers during meal times
6. You are sent to ‘solitary confinement’ waiting for your call quality monitoring session
7. Your contract is like your prison sentence
8. Your prison warden (read Contact Center Manager/ director) has an open door policy that no one can use
9. All inmates have to return to the phones when the siren sounds (read calls queued)
10. Receiving parole or release is when you are recruited to another prison with better perks.

All thoughts are welcome and if you have any, put a comment in and we will add to the list.

Too Much Emphasis on Knowledge, Not Enough on Skills and Behaviour Changes

2008-07-01T11:04:00.000+08:00

Too much emphasis on knowledge, not enough on skills and behavior changes By Jeremy Lee I understand the need from many clients that they want value for money from their training programs. However is the value that they want, really adding benefits to the organization?

Many organizations today when requesting from a training outline, still emphasize on many topics to be covered in a short duration of time. More topics covered equals more value to them. However with more topics needed to be covered in a single training, there is usually insufficient time to practice the skills learnt and even less time for a behavioral change to take place. When too much time needs to be spent on the acquisition of knowledge without the application of knowledge (skill) and appreciating the importance of doing something in a brand new way (behavior change), adult learners usually leave the training with a sense of awareness and little else.

Therefore does it really add benefit to the organization when all that has been achieve is the gain of knowledge. My take on this is that the critical knowledge must be covered in the training and spent as much time as possible on practicing the knowledge learnt and make that behavioral change happen. In this way, the value from the training will be more beneficial and effective for all.

The Art of Interviewing People Today

2008-06-28T10:58:00.000+08:00

The best thing business needs to know when hiring a person is that employers need to go beyond their expectations, their fears, their prejudices and gain a new perspective of a potential employee. Train your HR recruiters and your staff well because awareness is key to the success of both the company and the individuals involved - train leaders to look for potential rather than focusing on limitations.

Yes, prospective employers and job seekers need to better understand each other. But fostering that understanding is, in part, up to us as job seekers, too. That means, when we are seeking a job, we research companies – and network – so we know where we best fit in terms of our skills, temperament, values and goals.

Knowledge of ourselves and of the companies we target in our job search determines how we hone our resumes, our cover letters and our offering statements. In today’s job market, job seekers need to show up-front proof of their abilities and potential – it always goes back to this: practice what you preach; reflect what you want and you’ll get what you’re looking for.

Bridging the Gap for Fresh Graduates

2008-06-25T10:37:00.000+08:00

Thousands of Malaysian graduates have degrees in science, arts, commerce and the opportunities for graduates from these streams have increased manifold over the past couple of years. Yet many graduates remain without jobs.

As graduates complain about a lack of jobs, companies across Malaysia see a lack of skilled applicants. The contradiction is explained by the lack of top quality undergraduate education. Malaysia’s universities swallow in thousands of new students every year, only to churn out many degree holders who are still not "job material".

Here’s an idea of what the industry wants:

Today, the bare essential job skills at the entry-level have evolved from simply pushing papers to answering phones, working effectively in teams, delivering presentations, and handling irate customers/clients tactfully and with finesse.

The ability to communicate effectively in English, professional selling skills, body language, time management, computer-savviness, and the know-how to gather information and use search engines like Google are some of the marketable skills that are required. However, these skills are rarely taught in the graduate curriculum.

Young graduates don't get the chance to learn to communicate effectively, work in groups, or hold discussions. Add to this the fact that many graduates are not taught in English, effectively barring them from the high-end job market. And, where English is taught, it is sometimes not necessarily the kind employers require.

Those of us who are directly involved in preparing these young people for the working world, do remember that their objectives as a student should be to try to proactively bridge the skills gap between what the industry needs and what they possess. Basic oral and written communication skills, basic computer skills (MS Office, Internet, etc), and a good workplace attitude (commitment and teamwork) are prerequisites to landing the best available jobs. Help them understand which sector you are suited for, and then accordingly work on their skills – soft skills being one component.

Employability is automatically increased if you have good professional grooming. It is about how they express themselves, interact with and react to others, form relationships, work in teams, and impress clients. In a nutshell, it is about developing their overall personality.

When Outsourcing Is Necessary

2008-06-21T11:02:00.000+08:00

You can’t deny that the market for outsourced goods and services is enormous these days and it seems like every one is doing it. But what is it all about and how can you generate profit from it? That is the key point. Any business will benefit from outsourcing as long as it is done correctly and in the right areas. The reason that most businesses opt for outsourcing these days is due to the effects of globalization, which has resulted in easy access to expertise from any region of the world. Earlier, businesses were geographically limited in their ability to use resources. Gradually, larger businesses began to take advantage of the opening global markets to tap resources from where they were most abundant and affordable.

While the concept of outsourcing started with the larger companies, technology soon allowed smaller businesses to gain access to the world markets. Currently, resources in terms of goods and services travel all over the world to reach businesses that require them. Fifty years ago, it was inconceivable to use services from even across the country, leave alone across continents and today, we don’t even notice how many services are outsourced around us from far flung places.

Another valuable result of outsourcing is that it allows the business to buy resources at the most competitive price. The world is already heading to this balance point and this should make businesses a lot less expensive to run.

Creative Problem Solving

2008-06-16T09:52:00.000+08:00

In the business world, solving problems is not only important, it’s essential to keeping things moving along smoothly. When things go wrong with the computers at work, you know you appreciate it when a good I.T. person can solve you computer problems in a timely manner. However, there are some problems in life and work which require more of an abstract and creative approach to problem solving.

Enhancing your creative problem solving skills is a task similar to exercising. Each person must apply various means into their thinking mechanism to accomplish their intended purpose. Following are some four general ideas for improving one’s creative problem solving skills. By taking these principles and applying them into one’s life, the individual will be accessing his or her own abstract mental processes of problem solving.

All problems have solutions.
Allow yourself space to think
How would a genius solve this problem
Weighing in on the options.

In a demanding and unforgiving world, creative problem solving skills are a tremendous asset. Some people, because of lack of time and creative skill, choose the first solution that comes up, though it may not be the best. There are creative alternatives, and this is where the creative individual comes in. Using the five ideas above, the creative problem solver will emerge on top, with his or her imagination and ingenuity as guides. The creative solution selected will satisfy not only the problem at hand, but other potential problems that might occur in the future.

Ensuring a Passing Grade for Training and Development

2008-06-16T09:48:00.000+08:00

With what most people see as a looming recession ahead, too many managers view training as a luxury, not a competitive and strategic necessity. "What if we train our employees and they leave," they ask. Well, what if you don't train them and they stay?

Are you one of those managers who look at training as a nice-to-have instead of a must-have? Do you talk the talk, but when push comes to shove, training gets pushed aside? To assess your commitment to training, see how many of the following statements hit too close to home:

Training interrupts in getting a job done.
Training is fine as long as it doesn't take me or my staff away from "important" tasks that must get done.
I don’t recall the last time any member of my staff or I attended a training or self-improvement course.
I can't show you an upcoming schedule for my personal and staff training. In fact, my answer is generally, "What schedule?"
I look forward to training so I can catch up on my to-do list.
My company has no clearly articulated philosophy on the value of training. Even if they did, I wouldn't be able to produce a copy.
If we are forced to go to a training session, we almost never discuss the content in our staff meetings. Out of sight, out of mind — that's our philosophy.
There is no way to link our success to our investment in employee development.
When, and if, we get around to conducting performance reviews, we don't consider the completion of training important.

You've got a training problem if you’ve said yes to at least three statements. In today's business landscape, training is not just a matter of survival; it's what separates high performance organizations from those being fitted for a burial suit.

Sustaining Clients

2008-06-16T09:47:00.000+08:00

Any business owner and sales person will tell you that getting new clients is hard work. You’ve got to woo them, deliver above and beyond expectations and constantly look for ways to keep them in your corner. So along with finding new business, it’s also important to manage and keep our old clients happy with our work. These are some of the ways that will help:

1)Provide Outstanding Service:
Hard work never fails – be consistent in ensuring excellent service because if you do, clients won’t go anywhere else as they believe your service is the best and no one else can give better work, except you.

2) Maintain Your Database:
There are some companies that overlook the importance of maintaining a database containing contact details of clients. This is crucial because a well managed database, serves to measure sales value. As there may be some clients, who do not check their e-mails regularly, so it’s not worth to inform them through e-mail. In this case, contact through postal or telephonic way is essential. So, along with client e-mail id, their postal address and telephones must be present in the database. This will help you in easy and fast retrieval of contact details and in any case, it is important in networking while festivals and important events.

3) Direct Mail
This will help in future sales - always be on the lookout for direct communication opportunities with previous clients, particularly when your service has long sequence of sales.

4) Special Offers:
This includes package offers i.e. “buy one get one free” or something like that and:
Time sensitive deals
Offering new services
Bulk discounts

5) Special events

6) Write A Note for Special Occasions

7) Make Meaningful Conversation

9) Send Reminders

Meritocracy at Work

2008-06-05T15:00:00.000+08:00

How does one measure merit? How has educational testing and the idea of meritocracy shaped society in the twentieth century?

If you take a look at the ideology of the American Dream, America is the land of limitless opportunity in which individuals can go as far as their own merit takes them. According to this ideology, you get out of the system what you put into it. Getting ahead is ostensibly based on individual merit, which is generally viewed as a combination of factors including innate abilities, working hard, having the right attitude, and having high moral character and integrity. How much of this is present in the Malaysian work place? Is it present in yours? In a meritocracy, each individual reaps the level of benefits s/he deserves based on her work or her talent, i.e. based on merit. Some have grown accustomed to letting their companies tell them what their individual merits are. Perhaps it’s time to take a look at yourself and decide what is meritorious to you and you can use these and add value to what you do.

To Manage or Mentor – That is The Question

2008-06-05T09:32:00.000+08:00

Management styles are revolting …and this revolution is fundamentally altering the culture of management within business. Up to recent times traditional management has been viewed as directive, controlling and authoritative - an “us and them” mentality maintaining the strict boundaries between management and personnel.

This style of management is perfect for those of us who are task orientated rather than people-orientated. Of course we can communicate with staff…we tell them what to DO don’t we…?

In recent times, most companies are faced with the challenge of retaining good staff and creating environments in which they can grow and succeed, there has come a radical revision of how management engages with its human capital - hence the rapid emergence of the modern coach or mentor rather than the traditional manager.

Now leaders must be both managers AND mentors. They must learn not just to communicate but to INVOLVE and ENGAGE with their people, but often there is confusion about the difference in the roles. There’s often confusion for managers about what mentoring is all about, what they are expected to do and how to do it.

Mentoring requires engaging with team members in a different way than traditional management and an enhanced ability to influence and persuade is just one such critical skill. Mentoring is more focused on the transfer of skills or corporate culture to a delegate – or training a person’s thinking about a role or organization.

A mentor also tends to work only with those with whom they have a relationship of seniority, or in contrast with whom they have a higher skill set or more experience in the firm or role.

The function of a mentor, while similar to a coach in terms of developing their professional or performance skills, is limited by the fact that it is primarily about the transfer of those skills unique to a role.

Those skills sets include knowledge of the job, it’s personalities, it’s ethics and all the other absorbed knowledge we take on board when we have worked somewhere for a time. The mentor however, focusing on the ROLE, tends to see the same trees as their mentee but are experienced enough with the territory to find their way out of the wood.

It’s not hard to see how the coaching/mentoring approach gets more motivation and buy-in today than the traditional management approach.

In understanding this difference, a manager, by being trained to manage both his or her communications style and expectations of staff, can move effortlessly between both roles and accomplish even more than was thought possible in the past.

Continuous Learning And Its Pluses

2008-06-03T09:31:00.000+08:00

It is said that learning is a lifelong journey; and this is more so evident in business and management because they are “moving targets” where new working methods, technology and operational practices are developed. There is need for guidance about how to maintain one’s knowledge and understanding of business and management aspects.

Discharge of new solutions should always include bringing the workforce up to date with the consequent change of work methods. Taking into consideration the continuous evolvement of the technology and business processes, a culture of employee’s self driven quest for knowledge should be encouraged by organizations. On-going research needs to be conducted in relation to change management, not least on sociological aspects, to ensure the most appropriate approach to any given step of progress and situation.

Conveying the message of evolving new knowledge, skills and working methods to the community can be done primarily through educational, “lifelong-training”, schemes and consultancy, matching the needs of both organizations and individuals. Formal education is bound in a rather rigid structure and is not changing fast but on the other hand we could expect most of the changes coming from the informal educational sector that is more flexible but financially much weaker. Research should to a large degree be focused on recognizing the change agents, on being individuals or organizations as drivers and in providing best practice.

Continuous learning is not about constantly taking courses, it is about developing skills in reflection and inquiry. Continuous learning examines the requirement for workers in an occupational group to participate in an ongoing process of acquiring skills and knowledge. It’s a lifelong process comprised of the sum of training, development, and learning. Once individuals work in an environment where these three activities are present, and actively participate in each, lifelong learning becomes a reality.

Managing Contact Center Crises - by Ken Ng

2008-03-30T16:04:00.000+08:00

Communication conflicts are common occurrences in an active contact center environment. A contact center personnel cannot escape the daily dealings of customers who possess diverse backgrounds, diverse opinions and ultimately, diverse communication styles. The potential differences between the personnel and his/her customer may lead to unwanted hostility in their communication, which may then lead to the customer interpreting the conflict as a negative service experience.

No contact center manager or personnel would ever want to come across such uninspiring feedback. Often times when such situations arise, the contact center manager is left with no further options but to foot the blame and responsibility; especially when his/her personnel is to be faulted. The manager is without doubt, responsible for the performance and competency of his/her subordinates.

Our Certified Contact Center Manager Program responds to this common alibi in contact center environments. We are providing Managers across the industries with a comprehensive eye-opener into the international best practices of contact center management and the most effective tactics to deal with volatile customer situations.

Our details are as below:

Program Title: Certified Contact Center Manager

Date: 8th - 10th April 2008

Venue: JW Marriott Kuala Lumpur

Contact: Mindie Sai (03-77282623, mindie@atcen.com).

Further program information can be retrieved from http://www.atcen.com/

Death of the Malaysian Service Culture – by Ernie Chen

2008-02-21T20:21:00.000+08:00

As a true blue Malaysian without a pinch of biasness, I can safely vouch that the local service quality is average at best. It is very rare these days to receive what we surmise as “excellent” service. Most of the time, the level barely exceeds the “mediocre” line.

One too many times before, I have seen myself being re-directed from one clerk to another just to end up back at Square One. My usual shopping routines are constantly disrupted by sour faces and monotonous voices that have brought me to conclude that there is simply NO HOPE for improving the service culture here in Malaysia.

The primary reason for a customer service officer or a telemarketer to attend patiently to their customers’ requests is because great service generates great returns. How do you expect to achieve your determined targets without even trying to appeal to potential customers? You are the bearer of the first impression; and if that first impression fails to appeal, it is time to step back and make a crucial review.

So how do we pinpoint the element that is lacking in the Malaysian service culture? Only an oblivious tourist may not be able to. Staring us point blank in the face is the unmoving fact that the local service sector does not care for owning the proper work attitude. It is about time for them to undergo some much needed training.