Are You on This List?

March 5th, 2010

by Frances Starr

Just for kicks, go to Google and type in “how to reach a live person.” One of the top listing shows “Phone numbers, shortcuts and customer service tips” — on a site called GetHuman.com. It made me smile.

At Alert Communications, live receptionists are as “human” as you can get. And we’re human in Spanish as well as English. For a moment, I was carried away by the thought that all those companies listed on the GetHuman site became Alert customers… They haven’t, but they should.

We know what so many companies are finding out — people want to talk to people, not machines. And it helps if they speak the same language. When your customers call, they want a live person to answer the phone and talk with them. At Alert, we understand the value of human interaction and a personal touch. It’s what we provide for all our clients. It doesn’t matter whether we’re handling emergency calls or covering your office while you’re out to lunch. Our live receptionists care about your customers as much as you do, and we’re dedicated to providing them with professional, courteous service when you’re not there.

A machine never goes out of its way to calm someone down or get the right information. We do. A machine can’t determine just how urgent a call is. We can. A machine may very well make an upset customer irate or overwhelmed. We won’t.

If you want to get your company’s name off the GetHuman.com list — or ensure your business never makes the list — give us a call. You can “get human” in no time.

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Melody in Green for 2010

March 2nd, 2010

by Lynda McDonald

At Alert Communications, we’re revising the recycling tune we’ve been playing here for years.  The old version simply redeemed beverage containers for cash to purchase break room magazines.  This year the original melody is developing several new variations as we further “green” our business with expanded recycling efforts.

In January we orchestrated a new process for destroying sensitive documents and routing waste paper from our Dumpster.  This material is now deposited in locked, sixty gallon containers provided by a mobile shredding service.  Once per month its truck will service these containers.   The contents will be shredded onsite and carried to a recycling facility.

Last month we also learned the score on the Dumpster service we retain with our local rubbish company.  We discovered our Dumpster is part of a “unicycling” program that permits both recyclables and “messy” trash in it.  The “messy” trash must be bagged and tied shut.  Recyclables, such as hard plastics, containers numbered 1 through 7, and cardboard may be put loose inside the Dumpster.

The dynamics of recycling at Alert are improving.  Most of us now have desk caddies for collecting paper during our shifts that is easily transferred to the sixty gallon containers at the end of the day.  Break rooms now have four bins for sorting various types of trash: aluminum cans, plastic beverage bottles, all “other” recyclables, and one for “messy” trash.  We’ll continue to redeem aluminum and plastic beverage containers for cash while depositing the other types of trash in our “unicycling” Dumpster.  Our answering services representatives and others in the company are eagerly participating in the recycling efforts.

Over the next few months we’ll be rehearsing this new version to an old song when sorting our trash plus developing a process for recycling hazardous items that cannot safely be put in our Dumpster such as electronic equipment, batteries, and computer hardware.    It may take time to perfect our performance, but the melody we’re playing now will take us to the top of the chart as we pursue our “green” goals at Alert Communications.

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How to Diffuse Disaster

February 26th, 2010

Whenever I’m tempted to hang up on someone (and there are times, personally AND professionally) I think about our Alert Communications virtual receptionists, answering service agents and call-center staff. They don’t even have the luxury of letting customers think they might be gritting their teeth. Fortunately, Alert’s training helps our agents create win-win situations out of the most emotional calls.

The first step is to be able to split yourself into two. (Just kidding, but it can help.) One “you” needs to step back and look at the call from outside all the emotions. The other “you” has to decide how to diffuse the situation. At this point, our agent is probably visualizing Robert Plutchik’s flower-petal model of emotions to determine exactly what the customer is feeling. Once he knows that, he knows how to manage the call by asking the right questions and letting the customer know he understands his distress and will help resolve the problem.

Through it all, our agents remind themselves to hold onto their composure. If they lose that, they lose — period. Plus, we have to remember we ARE our client as far as that caller is concerned. Every caller is important to one of our clients, so we have to make sure we treat each one courteously and professionally, no matter the emotions involved. Our agents also know how and when to document a caller’s emotional state so our client can quickly and efficiently handle the situation.

While our agents are busy splitting themselves into two, they need to remain flexible throughout it all. Every situation is different, and what worked well with one caller may not help the least with another. It’s important to hit just the right tone with callers. Not aggressive, but assertive enough to take control of the call. And definitely not passive. We want to engage the caller, identify and acknowledge their feelings and assure them we can help, while gathering the important information for our clients.

The next time you’re tempted to slam the receiver down or hit “End” on your cell phone, take a deep breath and figure out how to turn the call around. I promise to try and do that the next time I’m “discussing” my prescription coverage with my insurance provider… If you want to learn more about possible ways a Virtual Receptionist can help your business, take a look at our website!

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Multi-tasking, Multi-tasking, Multi-tasking — Does it Work?

February 18th, 2010

I saw a mother yesterday pushing a stroller, talking on her cell phone and walking two dogs simultaneously. I immediately admired her. But when I looked more closely (I was at a traffic signal, so I had a few minutes), I saw the baby was crying, the phone was slipping and the dogs’ leashes were wrapped around each other and her arm.

How well does multi-tasking work? My Google search was split almost 50-50 between articles and studies supporting it and those stating that it leads to productivity loss. So how do you know if it does or doesn’t work? Check it out at work.

The most obvious cases are the people who are doing other things while on a muted conference call. Chances are they do fine until someone asks them a question. Then it’s a scramble to try to figure out what, exactly, they were asked and to find the button to take the call off mute. (Hopefully, your customer service folks aren’t into multi-tasking…)

But what about the guy or gal who’s perpetually tuned in to their “mobile device”? I’m not talking about using your cell phone while you’re driving; enough states have already passed laws forbidding that kind of multi-tasking. I mean the person who’s having a conversation with you but never looks at you, because they’re texting, checking their e-mail or surfing the ‘net. Did they hear anything you said? (Aren’t you tempted to interject “…so you’ll have that report ready in an hour, right?” to see if they’re paying attention?)

So I’m curious. Do you think multi-tasking is effective in your personal or professional life? Do you have an embarrassing multi-tasking-effort-gone-bad story you can share? C’mon, stop talking on the phone while you’re reading this, and tell me what you think.

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Pinching Pennies — and Bigger Coins

February 10th, 2010

In today’s economy, we’re all looking for ways to save a few dollars, even on the things we know are absolutely necessary. So if you’re looking for ways to reduce your monthly virtual receptionist/live answering service charges, you might want to try to reduce the number of minutes you’re using. Whether you’re already an Alert Communications customer or are currently with another company, think about doing some of the following:

  • Instead of having your calls go to the answering service throughout the work day, forward your calls only after hours and on the weekends. This reduces the number of overall minutes used.
  • In the same vein, forward calls for portions of the day instead of all 24 hours. If you or someone else in the office can answer the phone for a few hours in the morning or afternoon, take advantage of that time to save on minutes usage.
  • Use a voice-mail screen to help prevent non-emergency calls going through to your virtual receptionist.
  • See if your service can notify you about calls using text messaging/e-mail instead of a more expensive phone call.
  • Call your customers back instead of having calls patched through. The less time spent using out-dialed resources, the fewer minutes accrued.
  • Refine your call-protocol guidelines so you have just a one-number or one-person contact. More isn’t necessarily better when you have to pay in minutes for each one.

If you’d love to save a little money each month, try implementing some of these cost-saving ideas with your virtual receptionist/live answering service provider. You could end up with a few extra coins in your pocket.

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A LinkedIn Save

February 3rd, 2010

Do you ever wonder if social media is all it’s cracked up to be? Is tweeting, texting, keeping your Facebook page updated, and being LinkedIn to people really a help in today’s business world? Maybe. Consider this. 

I recently invited one of my clients to connect with me on Linked In. He accepted my invitation and then sent me an e-mail about some concerns he had. His office situation had changed, and he wasn’t sure how my attorney answering service could possibly accommodate his needs. (I knew he didn’t have to worry, but he didn’t know that yet.) 

He had moved to a shared executive-suite arrangement and was concerned about his clients getting directions to the new location and finding him in the new building. I called him and explained that if he added our call-protocol option to his account, our receptionists would be able to help his callers with these questions.   

During our conversation, I found out that my client had a much bigger problem.  As a bankruptcy attorney, he receives many calls from client creditors. These calls take up a big chunk of his time. (He didn’t have to worry about this, either. I had the perfect solution.) I told him that our legal receptionist answering service could easily manage the creditor calls and completely eliminate this task from his to-do list.  Needless to say, he quickly gave us what we needed, and our live legal receptionist immediately began handling the creditor calls.

I thank LinkedIn for bringing me the new business. He was already a client, but by connecting with him directly, I became more accessible. As the owner of a business, I might seem inaccessible or too busy; but as a professional connection on LinkedIn, I am accessible and available. I encourage everyone to reach out to your business contacts and connect with them on LinkedIn—you never know what will happen!

Connect with me on  

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Who wins the Customer Service prize?

January 29th, 2010

I think I’m a good judge of quality customer service. I pride myself on the level of customer care that Alert Communications provides our clients, and it always surprises me that some companies still aren’t taking the customer experience seriously. I have to share a shopping experience I had recently.

I was out shopping for a dinner party that I was hosting, and I went into a well-known department store looking for a particular serving plate. I spent quite a bit of time trying to find it and never heard from the sales clerk who didn’t look busy at all. Just before I reached that total frustration point, I asked the clerk for help.  She briefly made eye contact with me—which I almost missed—and pointed in a general direction for me to look. I followed her ‘point’, didn’t find the plate, and I left. One lost sale.

Then I went into Williams-Sonoma® looking for a particular combination of dish soap, hand lotion and hand soap. Walking through the store, I noticed some pre-wrapped sets, but not in the scent I wanted. When I reached the back of the store, a sales clerk asked if she could help me, so I explained what I needed.

They didn’t have exactly what I wanted on display, but that didn’t stop this sales clerk from making it happen. (Here’s where great customer service comes into play.) She said she’d be happy to put together what I needed and would find me as I continued to shop. A few minutes later, back at the front of the store, the sales clerk tapped me on the shoulder and handed me exactly what I was looking for: a wrapped set of soap and lotion in the scent that I wanted.

Two very different stories. The first one didn’t have to end negatively. The major department store didn’t have what I wanted, but if the clerk had paid a little more attention to me, I might have left without the grudge that I feel now. The customer service prize goes to the Williams-Sonoma clerk who went well out of her way to help me. It will be very easy to go to Williams-Sonoma again, but I don’t think I’ll be returning to the other place.

Are the faces and voices of your company providing the right customer experience? Do your employees meet your expectations of customer service? Do they have the tools and training to get the job done? If your goal is to create loyal customers and clients, then make sure they are receiving best customer experience available. Feel free to share a good or bad customer experience that you’ve had!

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The book, “Unleashing Excellence: The Complete Guide to Ultimate Customer Service” Author Dennis Snow and Teri Yanovitch

January 14th, 2010

Unleashing ExcellenceI first heard of Dennis Snow and his amazing new book a few months ago. A colleague within my industry was hosting an audio interview with Mr. Snow.  I previewed his book, “Unleashing Excellence: The Complete Guide to Ultimate Customer Service” and read his bio, both of which caught my interest.  Dennis Snow spent twenty years developing his customer service principles at the Walt Disney Company in a variety of leadership roles.  I decided that I should attend two reasons, one delivering excellent customer service is the key component in our company’s culture and two I’ve simply never been disappointed in my experience at either Disneyland or Disneyworld.

I’m glad that I did.  Shortly after the interview, I purchased and began reading his book.  I was so impressed that I purchased another 20 copies and distributed them to our management staff.  We’ve been reading and discussing the principles and everyone is very excited.  Last year we spent months designing our ‘Company Culture’ and this book offers a guide that is in complete alignment. We’re excited to see where this process will take us.

In these times the key to long term profitably and success is our ability to connect with our clients and deliver our services.  If you want to make 2010 the year that you stand out from your competition then I highly recommend this book.

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