Top 6 Supervisor CX Success Stories
SUPERVISOR AWARD WINNING CX STORY
Focusing on the Desired Outcome“She constantly reinforced that I possessed good judgement.“
I tend to be rigid in my approach to resolving customer problems and rarely stray from set procedures even when the situation warrants more creativity. While I have strong audits and SQM results, I felt I could better assist customers if I could only feel more confident thinking ‘outside the box’. Wanting to increase my percentage of World Class Calls, which in turn would positively impact customer satisfaction with our company, I went to my supervisor, Amy, for help.
Through our discussions and coaching sessions, Amy helped me feel more confident about my skills. She constantly reinforced that I possessed good judgment and always had the customer’s best interest at heart. Her support helped me think ‘outside the box’ and feel more comfortable making decisions that didn’t necessarily follow our exact procedures, but were still supported by VSP.
Amy and I listened to calls together. She had me focus more on the desired outcome instead of the method to get there. She also let me sit with other CSRs with strong skills so I could learn different techniques and see that our company supported creativity in the pursuit of resolution.
Last year I had my calls rated World Class. This year my World Class percentage increased. I’m certain I could not have improved my score without Amy’s guidance and continued support. Amy makes me feel good about the job I’m doing as a CSR. I think she is a quality supervisor deserving of recognition as Supervisor of the Year.
Amy Kelly – VSP Vision Care
Dealing with Upset Customer
“She assured me I did the best I could with the situation.“
I had a very difficult call from a customer today who became extremely upset and I had to transfer the call to Patricia to handle. I ended up having to file an incident report due to some of the comments that he had made throughout the call, but Patricia managed to calm him down and help him the best she could. She always has a different way of explaining things and is always more than willing to help me if I have a difficult situation. Afterwards, she explained to me how she handled the call and how he probably just wanted someone with the authority of a supervisor to handle his concern. She assured me that I did the best I could with the situation.
Patricia is always helping me develop my call center skills as I am really new to handling customers over the phone and she is a great person to talk to when I need help professionally and personally. She’s always more than willing to discuss career options and paths I can take within the company. Patricia is the best!
Patricia Burnett – Insurance Corporation of BC (DTVI)
Looking Outside the Box
“It’s his commitment that pulls the team forward during trying times.“
I nominate my manager, Jason Taylor. He is an excellent manager who taps into talents and resources in order to support and bring out the best in each of us. An outstanding manager who makes us think and helps us look outside the box. He is always committed to the success of the project and of all team members. He holds the vision for the collective team and moves the team closer to the end result. It’s his commitment that pulls the team forward during trying times. When Jason shares my CSAT results, he provides me with tips to get every applicable call rated as a World class call. He always emphasizes, before I finish the call, to always review at least one week of previous notes. This is to ensure that all the concerns have been addressed and resolved in a professional and timely manner. Also, this lets the customer know that there is no pending request and the account is up to date. It helps the customer feel special and have confidence that they are in professional and safe hands instead of feeling rushed. Since I have implemented this strategy, my CSAT results have consistently increased.
Jason Taylor – Rogers Business Customer Care
An Inspiring Role Model
“She consistently reviews the feedback with me from the customer surveys.“
I would like to nominate Vivianne for the Supervisor of the Year. She is an inspiring role model and regularly provides feedback and coaching, helping me to achieve my monthly and quarterly targets for SQM. She consistently reviews the feedback with me from the customer surveys, coaching me to recognize areas of opportunity to improve my Csat results. Typically, I would receive 15-20 surveys from our Rogers Business-Corporate customers. She reviews their feedback and helps me to focus on areas of opportunity providing honest feedback on improvement opportunities.
I would like to take this opportunity to provide my feedback as a small token of appreciation. Vivianne empowers my teammates and I to reach our full potential in personal and career goals. During my time on Viv’s team, I have come to rely on her leadership skills and guidance to reach my full potential with regards to my personal and career goals. Viv is very committed to helping her team achieve success in both personal and career objectives. I feel that I can speak on behalf of my team when I say that she has provided us with the support and tools needed to empower everyone to reach their full potential and be successful. An example that comes to mind is when she worked with me to coordinate the ‘Rogers Walk-A-Mile’ program. From the start, this was a bit of a challenge as the IT department here at Rogers is very big and finding out exactly who to contact was a problem. She went above and beyond to actively contact multiple managers to get me in contact with the right group. With her help and support, I was able to book a day at the Rogers Brampton campus and experience what it was like to sit side-by-side with several IT representatives which I found very informative. Thanks Viv for helping our team to transcend boundaries, allowing us to think creatively and strive for success.
Vivianne Karaoghlanian – Rogers Business Customer Care
Helping Reach a Lofty Goal
“Lisa and I spent a lot of time listening to calls together.“
I went to Lisa because I wanted to obtain a 100% world class call rating on every customer survey. It’s very important to me that every member is very satisfied with their resolution because I know this reflects positively on their view and loyalty to VSP. In turn, this helps VSP win more business. I also enjoy a personal challenge. Plus, only one CSR achieved this recognition for VSP last year. I thought accomplishing this goal would boost my confidence and inspire my peers to stretch their goals.
Lisa let me know she believed I could accomplish any goal I set for myself and she regularly told me that she had the utmost confidence in my call handling skills. This gave me the conviction to tackle such a difficult task. Lisa and I spent a lot of time listening to calls together. We analyzed them by components to identify specifically what I could do to positively impact resolution and satisfaction on every call. For example, one key area we identified was to carefully listen to what the customer needed. By focusing on this element and giving the customer what they truly wanted, I was able to increase my performance.
We often went to the SQM website to review qualifications and read what other CSRs had done to dazzle their customers. We used these ideas to modify my approach. I have increased the number of World Class surveys I have in 2010 compared to 2009. I couldn’t have done it without Lisa’s encouragement and coaching. This is why I am nominating her for Supervisor of the Year.
Lisa Elliott – VSP Vision Care
Getting a Second Chance
“Michelle immediately made me feel welcome just with the warmth of her personality.“
I began my career at Sun Life Financial on a temporary 8 month contract. During that period, I was learning the skills necessary to be a Customer Care Representative, but my lack of confidence on the phones was holding me back from truly succeeding. Coming out of training, my test scores were fantastic. However, without any previous call center experience I was having trouble believing in myself. My nerves truly got the best of me and it affected all of my metrics including the most important one, Voice of the Customer. I struggled to come close to even the minimum requirement for World Class certification. Unfortunately, at the time, there was no room in the budget for me to earn a permanent position with the GRS Call Center and I was let go at the end of my contract. To my surprise, later that year, I received a call from Sun Life Financial asking me to return to my original position on a permanent basis. I was very excited for the opportunity and glad I was able to obtain a second chance.
As my new supervisor, Michelle immediately made me feel welcome just with the warmth of her personality. She made a point of letting me know how confident she was in my abilities as a Customer Care Representative, despite my struggle in the past. Michelle recognized this and went out of her way through coaching and positive reinforcement to help me believe in my abilities. Michelle’s belief in me really inspired me as a CCR. I most certainly did not want to let her down.
While continuing to help build my confidence, Michelle has also helped me develop superb customer service skills. She took the time to guide me on some of the finer skills of customer service. Michelle would pull my calls that were not World Class and took the time to listen to them with me. She could have just sent me the calls to figure it out on my own, but she didn’t. My customer service skills and efficiency were improving and I could actually see my results improve!
Through coaching sessions, Michelle expressed the significance of first call resolution by helping me understand and see situations through my customer’s eyes. She provided me with helpful tips, such as how to phrase explanations to sound more positive. She always stressed that I am the expert. I control the call. It is my responsibility to do everything in my power to resolve that call, no matter how complicated or stressful the situation. Whenever I feel a call or situation is on the verge of falling out of my control those words of wisdom are remembered and help me through the call.
Today is my one year anniversary with Sun Life Financial. Thanks to Michelle’s great leadership and coaching I am confident I can resolve any call or any situation that comes my way.
Michelle Geisel – Sun Life Financial