Posts Tagged ‘Representative’

Why do our employees love working here?

Good question, glad I thought of it :) . It all starts with the hiring and screening process. The HR department does an extremely thorough job of making sure the candidates for hire, fit in with the culture that WOW! has established. This doesn’t mean that the potential employee needs to be overly qualified for the position but it means that the attitude they bring will also fit in.

After the decision is made for hiring the individual, the next step would be on to the training department. The energy this team brings is contagious. Every class they are involved in, are always very upbeat and keep you focused on the subject for that particular day. While passing the training room in the hall, I can always feel the energy that is coming from that room. Once in a while ( ok, quite a bit) I will come by to just sit and listen to the class and absorb the energy. I can tell you this: If you are ever tired and run down, go by the training room and your whole attitude will change for the better.

When the training is complete, the individuals are assigned to the suitable supervisor in their appropriate departments. The supervisor’s job is to take these newly developed people and mold them into a lean, mean helping machine. The individuals are continuously coached on policies and procedure as well as new products and services available. The job of the supervisor is not only to be the developer but also to ensure their individuals are taken care of physically (i.e. the ergonomics of the desk they are in, height of the chairs, etc…) and remain enthusiastic about the job.

The turn-over rate for a call center is typically very high, while the WOW! centers are very low. I have seen people leave from here, to find that greener pasture and return almost immediately. Stating they didn’t know how well they had it until they left. No matter what department the newly hired are assigned to, the result s are the same: Create an experience that lives up to our name, WOW! and have a great time doing it.

Creating A WOW! Employee

There is quite a bit more that goes into the order process than just calling to order service. To most, it would seem that when a consumer calls in for WOW! Service, they are just talking to any person to place their order. It could be any person, off the street and put in a seat and told to answer the phone. That is not true at WOW!. So, how did the person get there to take your call?

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Initially, the WOW! Call Center Recruiter will spend countless hours looking through, and reviewing, hundreds of application, resumes and assessment scores to find the best candidate that will live up to the WOW! Core values: Respect, Integrity, Accountability and Servanthood. They will go through numerous interviews to get a personal feel of the selected candidates and to find the best fit for the company and the individual. WOW! believes that the success of the candidate is not only the company’s responsibility but the individuals, as well. WOW! will supply all the necessary tools needed to help our potential employees succeed. It is up to them to use those tools to thrive.

100_4147When the candidates are selected for hire, they are put through an intense five week training course. The training consists of classroom learning as well as live call handling in a controlled environment. During this time, they will learn the company core values, the systems and applications, our philosophy and overall mission of creating a best possible customer experience. In order to complete the training the individuals are certified in all aspect of their job, whether it is sales, customers’ service or technical support. After the training is complete, and the individuals are assigned to their teams, the employee will be continuously quality checked, coached and given additional training as needed.

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So, as you can see, there is a lot more that goes into the task of taking a sales order. The individual on the other end of the phone is an educated, well trained and respectable person whose mission is to treat the customer with the utmost respect and deliver the customer experience that WOW! is known for.

I Love Feedback

I Love Feedback.  That’s the name of a management development training course we recently participated in here at WOW!  It was a course designed to teach Supervisors and Managers the best way to deliver critical feedback to employees.  The idea is to employ good communication skills and sensitivity to help ensure the feedback is well received, at least as well received as critical feedback can be. 

Feedback about our performance comes to us from our customers during face-to-face encounters with techs, from surveys, via email, and over the phone.  Much of the feedback we get is positive and what’s not to love about positive feedback?  Everyone loves to get a “pat on the back. ” Sometimes, though, we get critical feedback and even though it’s painful (ouch) to hear, we love critical feedback too.

When we receive feedback, whether it’s positive or negative, it usually does find its way back to the employee involved by going first to their Supervisor. Rest assured, our Supervisors, having gone through “I Love Feedback” training,  deliver any critical feedback  in a “I Love Feedback” kind of way, that is, in a constructive and respectful way. Your feedback does not fall  into a “black hole” somewhere.

Critical feedback is important to us because it helps us to improve our performance and we really strive to do better, all the time.  You tell us how we can do better and at the same time, you stick with us despite our occasional  mistakes.  We appreciate your candidness and your loyalty.  Please keep the feedback coming; we encourage it, invite it, and most of all, remember, we love it!