April 2024 - Page 8 of 8

Culture Building Demands Little Energy

Imagine energy is an ax. You get 100 energy swings every day. If you make two chops on 50 trees you ruin the forest. If you make 20 chops on five trees, one tree might fall. If you make 50 swings on two trees two medium size trees will fall.

Culture Building Demands Little Energy:

Culture building doesn’t take much energy. You build culture while you work, not in place of work. (The exemption to this is the training people might need to thrive within your culture.)

Suppose you aspire to a culture of service. When one lumberjane goes to get a drink she asks, “Would anyone like me to bring some water when I come back?”

A culture of ownership:

Suppose you aspire to a culture where every leader adopts a whole forest point of view. Tree harvesters think “our” success even while they work on their own team’s success.

When a tree starts to fall a lumberjack yells, “Timber,” to alert everyone else. All the leaders feel responsible for the success of all the teams. It’s “we” not “me”.

Lumberpeople ask “whole forest” questions. “I wonder how my work impacts your work?” Or “How can I help you swing your ax more effectively?” Or “Did you know we’re chopping down trees right behind your team?”

Application:

Ask the leadership team to determine five behaviors that express one aspect of the culture you aspire to build. Commit to live those behaviors every day for a month. After you live your culture for a month roll it out to middle-managers. In the third month roll it out to front line supervisors. After three months, choose another aspect of your culture and repeat the process.

Questions:

I suggest that culture building is done primarily while we work. What do you think?

What behaviors build the culture you aspire to create?

Still curious:

Yesterday’s post: Culture Building in the Real World

5 Essentials of Culture Building

The 8 Elements of Great Company Culture | Great Place To Work®

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Study: The 3 Best Weight Loss Supplements Are Surprising

There are only a handful of weight loss supplements that work.

Low-fat dairy, fibre and green tea are the best supplements for weight loss, research finds.

Soluble fibres, like those in beans, vegetables and fruits, improve weight loss and reduce belly fat by reducing appetite.

The caffeine and flavonoids contained in green tea help to speed up the metabolism and process fat more quickly.

Vitamin D and calcium are present in relatively high levels in dairy products.

Low levels of calcium are frequently linked to obesity and vitamin D helps in the absorption of calcium.

The conclusions come from research that examined multiple studies carried out on supplements for weight loss.

Professor Melinda Manore, the study’s author, said that while supplements can help, making dietary changes is critical:

“For most people, unless you alter your diet and get daily exercise, no supplement is going to have a big impact.

I don’t know how you eliminate exercise from the equation.

The data is very strong that exercise is crucial to not only losing weight and preserving muscle mass, but keeping the weight off.”

Increasing protein intake may also be effective, along with these three changes, Professor Manore said:

“Adding fiber, calcium, protein and drinking green tea can help.

But none of these will have much effect unless you exercise and eat fruits and vegetables.”

The research looked at a variety of weight loss supplements including appetite suppressants and caffeine, but few were effective, the study concluded.

Professor Manore said:

“What people want is to lose weight and maintain or increase lean tissue mass.

There is no evidence that any one supplement does this.

And some have side effects ranging from the unpleasant, such as bloating and gas, to very serious issues such as strokes and heart problems.”

The study was published in the International Journal of Sport Nutrition and Exercise Metabolism (Manore et al., 2012).

Author: Jeremy Dean

Psychologist, Jeremy Dean, PhD is the founder and author of PsyBlog. He holds a doctorate in psychology from University College London and two other advanced degrees in psychology. He has been writing about scientific research on PsyBlog since 2004. He is also the author of the book “Making Habits, Breaking Habits” (Da Capo, 2013) and several ebooks. View all posts by Jeremy Dean

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Intelligent IVR: What it Can (and Can’t) Do…Yet

Electronic voices have been destined to answer phone calls ever since Bell Labs invented the Voder machine at the tail-end of the 1930s. These days, everybody and their mother has been greeted by an IVR (interactive voice response) phone system to walk them through a customer service calling menu in one way or another.

In fact, once the 2020s came rolling around, call center IVR setups started getting smarter than ever before—ultimately reshaping how call centers operate.

In particular, Intelligent IVR systems were introduced as the smarter cousins of traditional IVRs. They use advanced technologies like Artificial Intelligence (AI), Machine Learning (ML), Natural Language Processing (NLP), and Automatic Speech Recognition (ASR) to understand human speech, react to real-time requests, and even predict customer needs.

One of the biggest impacts of Intelligent IVR is that its call-routing capabilities have been upgraded not only to include personalized customer interaction capabilities but also to handle complex queries that were once only possible with the help of human intervention. This has led to a dramatic increase in call center efficiency and self-service options for customers, ultimately freeing up call center agents to tackle far more engaging issues.

Still, every new technology claims to be the best thing since sliced bread, so the question remains if Intelligent IVR is worth the investment. The short answer is yes—it absolutely is. Intelligent IVR can easily do everything from increasing a call center’s efficiency and reducing company costs to improving both customer and employee satisfaction.

Now, before we get too excited, it’s worth noting that Intelligent IVR still isn’t perfect. The technology sometimes struggles with understanding accents, nuanced speech, and background noise. So although it’s getting smarter and learning how to reduce the burden on human call center agents every day, it can’t quite replace human…

Culture Building in the Real World

Culture is mortar, not bricks. Culture building is laying a bed of mortar on bricks. Culture binds people together. Culture is expressed by the way people treat each other while they do the work.

Culture building is about people. Rules and regulations express culture, but culture is built with the tools of influence, not coercion.

Four channels of personal influence:

Attitudes.
Words.
Actions.
Responses.

Attitude is your habitual disposition. For example, are you primarily disposed to complain or celebrate?

Words influence behaviors. If this isn’t true, why are you talking so much? You invite people to take initiative when you ask, “What are you learning,” after responsible failure.

Consistent actions shape culture. You can tell people to take initiative but when leaders avoid making decisions, initiative goes out the door.

Responses express values and shape culture. Leaders who quickly spout answers without asking questions, put an end to collaboration, for example.

Culture building questions:

Suppose you desire a culture where people love coming to work. Here are some questions to ask top leaders.

How much do you love coming to work on a scale of 1 to 10?
How would strangers know you love work if they heard you talking?
What are you doing that gives you energy? What makes that energizing for you?
What is the most meaningful thing you can do today? Or you did yesterday?
Brag to me. Tell me something you got done that makes you proud.
What’s your latest happy customer story?
How much enjoyment do you see on faces around you?

I plan to explore a simple plan to scale culture building any organization can adopt.

I define culture as the way we treat each other. It’s mortar. How do you define culture?

I believe culture building is a top-down and middle-out activity. What are your thoughts?

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A Surprising Sign Of High Intelligence (M)

The link to intelligence is especially strong in women.

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Author: Jeremy Dean

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Steal These Free Call Center Job Description Templates

Recruiting and hiring call center employees can be a pain, but it doesn’t have to be so bad. For example, depending on the roles you’re looking to hire, you may not even have to write a job description—because you can just use ours instead.

Below, we’ve put together four of the most common job descriptions for call center agent roles. More specifically, they’re for hiring an agent at each of the following call center types: Inbound, Outbound, Blended, and Offshore.

Feel free to copy these and rework them however you see fit. We won’t be mad, and you don’t even need to give us credit.

Inbound Call Center Job Description Template

High-Level Overview

We are on the lookout for an Inbound Call Center Agent to join our fast-paced, action-packed team.

If you are a true “people person” with great problem-solving skills and a knack for making friends, this role is for you.

As an Inbound Agent, you will be responsible for handling incoming calls from both existing and potential customers, answering their questions, and helping our stellar customer support team maintain its high level of customer satisfaction.

Your Responsibilities

Expect your day-to-day tasks and activities to include:

Answering incoming customer calls and providing helpful information regarding our company, products, and services.
Resolving customer issues promptly and efficiently by following our established protocols and procedures.
Using your active listening skills to understand the problems and concerns of our customers
Synthesizing complex or diverse information to provide quick, accurate, and complete solutions for customers
Communicating in a patient and timely manner, both with customers and other team members through email, chat, phone, and video calls
Providing technical support for customers by helping them address issues related to technical equipment, software, and other complex issues
Handling bookings and appointments for our customers…

Have an Aliveness Mindset by Reframing Your Negative Thoughts

It’s another great book giveaway.

20 copies available!!

Leave a comment on this guest post by Jack Craven to become eligible for one of 20 complimentary copies of his new book, Aliveness Mindset: Lead and Live with More Passion, Purpose, and Joy.

Deadline for eligibility is 04/07/2024. International winners will receive electronic version.

What we tell ourselves becomes our reality.

When I’m coaching a client, I pay close attention to the words they use. How are they describing a situation? Here are some recent examples:

“Work’s a grind.”
“I’ve never done this before.”
“I have to do this.”
“That would be egotistical.”

How we relate to the experience is the experience.

Work IS a grind.
They approach work with fear and caution.
They act from obligation.
They are timid.

When we are feeling fear or reactivity, we are likely in a fixed mindset and feeling disempowered. We are not at our best.

4 steps to an aliveness mindset:

Awareness is the first step.
Notice when you are in a fixed mindset. Pay attention to the words you are using. Remind yourself to approach it with a growth mindset.
Take responsibility for your experience.
Your reaction is a choice. Ask, how do you want to feel and approach the situation? What do you need to do differently?
Reframe what you are telling yourself.
If a thought isn’t helpful, replace it with a more helpful thought.

I like using this quote by James Clear to help clients and teams reframe. “Without altering the facts of the situation you are facing and without ignoring the reality of what must be done, what is the most useful and empowering story you can tell yourself about what is happening and what you need to do next?”

These are real examples from my clients:

Work is challenging, and I love challenges.
I’ve thrived taking on new roles and responsibilities.
I choose to do this.
I embrace owning the value that I bring at work.

Appreciate yourself.
When you change your pattern from reactivity to an empowering thought, appreciate yourself for about 15-30 seconds. It helps rewire your brain and create new neural pathways for healthier, more productive thoughts.

How can you shape your mindset today?

How might leaders influence the mindset of others?

Jack Craven has always shaped his professional journey around his passions. He’s been a trial lawyer with the Chicago State’s Attorney’s office, a CEO for nearly two decades, and an executive coach the past decade. He helps leaders feel more empowered to discover deeper purpose, joy, and happiness in their lives. His debut book,…

Discover The Ultimate Depression-Busting Exercises – Backed By 200+ Studies (M)

Over 200 studies confirm it: exercise is a powerful tool against major depressive disorder. But which are best, and for whom?

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Author: Jeremy Dean

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The Best Way to Get Call Transcriptions (+5 Alternatives)

If you’re looking for a robust tool that transcribes your calls in real-time, integrates with the most popular meeting platforms, and can even attend meetings in your place, Otter.ai is for you. In this post, we’ll share exactly how to use Otter, plus we’ll give you some alternative options for different use cases.

The Best Way to Transcribe Calls: Otter.ai

Otter has perfected the art of automatic transcription, offering an extremely easy-to-use tool for businesses of all sizes. Coupled with its free and affordable monthly plans, we don’t think you’ll need to look elsewhere to transcribe your calls.

First, let’s get right to the most important factor when choosing a call transcription service: quality of the transcription itself.

Otter’s transcriptions are top-notch, and it’s only been getting better as it continually improves its services. The company has been around since 2016, so it’s had time to get things right. If you search for reviews, you’ll find consistently high scores across various review sites.

The beauty of Otter is that it works with several different VoIP platforms, or you can upload your own recorded calls in audio or video format.

Here’s a quick look at its pricing plans:

Basic: This is Otter’s free plan, and with it, you get 300 monthly transcription minutes and up to 30 minutes per conversation. The tool will join web conferencing platforms like Zoom, MS Teams, and Google Meet to write and share notes, and the AI meeting assistant will record and transcribe meetings in real time. You also get access to Otter AI Chat, allowing you to chat with Otter and get quick answers to meeting questions.
Pro: The pro plan starts at $9.17 per user per…

What Will Your Future Self Thank You For

Sometimes I ask clients to imagine their future self saying thank you to their present self.

Gratitude from your future self provides clarity to your present self.

There’s research that validates the power of temporal distancing. Two simple activities clarify your perspective on the present.

Send a letter to your future self.
Write a letter from your future self to your present self.

Tap your future self:

Reflecting on the future expands life.

When you’re crushed by responsibilities or problems, image looking back at yourself a year from now. You’re thriving in the future. Your future self is composing a thank you card to your present self.

What will your future self thank you for?
What will you future self advise you to keep doing?
What will your future self advise you to stop doing?
What will your future self suggest you start doing?
What words of encouragement might your future self say?

Clarity and courage:

My experience indicates people find clarity about the present by reflecting on the future. They often know what they should or shouldn’t do. They also find courage to take small steps toward their preferred future.

Problems don’t dissolve when you practice temporal distancing. Perspective changes. Bringing your preferred future into reality requires more than imagination. It calls for intention, planning, and some sweat.

Other ways to explore:

What will your future self be glad you did today?
How much will this matter tomorrow? A month from now? Next year?
Imagine your future self giving advice to your present self about next steps.

How might leaders use future-back thinking to find clarity?

How does future-back thinking impact the way you think about dealing with people?

You might enjoy:

Future-Back: How Leaders Create the Future Today

6 Ways to Honor Your Future Now

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