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The #1 Mistake Companies Make When Preparing for Growth

We all know growth can be a challenge. You need to create new systems, hire new people, invest in new technology. But there is one area that many CEOs neglect when preparing for growth: the customer service team. With growth, comes more customers, and with more customers, comes the need for more customer service. But when preparing for growth, companies often neglect to ensure they have enough agents to meet increased demand. They don’t want to spend the money, or figure they’ll add more capacity when they need it. This is a huge mistake. And it’s particularly inexcusable if you’re making a marketing investment that could bring in a substantial number of customers. Many companies are reluctant to spend a bunch of money staffing up, only to leave agents idle if the demand doesn’t materialize. But having a few idle agents is much better than the alternative — providing such bad service that your customers have to post publicly on Facebook to get your attention. As CEO of a customer service outsourcing company, I have seen this many times, when companies call us in desperate need of help to manage a massive backlog of customer service tickets. But I recently experienced […]

Scale Your Holiday Customer Service Team In 5 Steps

The holidays are coming, and for many companies, that means a surge in sales. That means you need to grow your customer service team before the holidays hit in full force … but by how much? You don’t want your holiday customer service team to be under-staffed, but you also don’t want to over-spend on customer service agents you don’t need. This is particularly challenging if your company is growing significantly year-over-year. How can you predict what your holiday sales will be? And what impact will that have on your volume of customer support tickets over the holiday season? We recently went through this process with one of our clients, an e-commerce company, and wanted to share our five-step approach. 1. Start planning your holiday customer service staffing early. Starting early is critical for two reasons. First, training: You need to build in time to make sure your new agents are fully trained by the time business gets busy. Second, you need to build in time to change your plan. If holiday customer service ticket volume seems to be growing by more or less than expected, you want to make sure you can adjust your plan accordingly. At this client, […]

Just Getting Started with Business Process Outsourcing? Follow the Four Ts

Let’s say you need more customer support reps. A business process outsourcing firm (BPO) can provide them. But signing a contract is only the first step—you need a strong process for onboarding a BPO to set yourself up for long term success. If you don’t get your outsourced team onboarded quickly, and fully trained on your processes, product, and voice, you risk delivering sub-par service to your customers. On the other hand, if you lay the groundwork properly during the first few months of the engagement, you can build a partnership that will help you deliver great customer service for years to come. Business process outsourcing firms come in a variety of flavors and colors. Some focus on customer service, while others take on tasks such as data entry or sales. Some require minimum team sizes or 25 or more, while others are willing to take on clients who need just 1 or 2 agents to start. Regardless of which outsourcer you choose, the first few weeks are crucial. Here are The Four Ts – our top four tips for onboarding a BPO. 1. Team: When onboarding a BPO, treat its agents as part of your team Whether you are […]

Peak Support Agent Q&A: Mark Pabriaga

Mark, or Marky as he’s most commonly referred to by his friends and coworkers, is a fun-loving and very supportive team lead. Mark has been with Peak Support for almost three years now. Marky lives in the beautiful Queen City of South in the Philippines, Cebu. If he’s not hanging out with his friends during the weekend, you’ll usually find him relaxing at the beach. Marky is also into traveling and watching concerts. Learn more about Marky in this latest installment of the Peak Support Agent Q&A. See also our previous Agent Q&As with Iar Indus and Mimi Abelarde. What’s your pet peeve? When people misuse the words they’re, their, and there in sentences. What are your fondest memories from one of your travels? Being alone on the beach and watching the sun set. Where do you see yourself five years from now? I would still be living in Cebu. Cebu is home and like the popular saying goes: “Home is where the heart is.” What’s the best thing about living in the Philippines? Definitely the beaches. What do you miss the most about your childhood? I miss waking up early on weekends and to watch cartoons with my brothers. […]

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How To Manage High-Stress Situations – In Business or in Fishing

Remaining calm under pressure is a critical skill in business and, I recently learned, in striped bass fishing. In fact, the ability to manage high-stress situations is one of the primary characteristics that distinguishes top performers from others. And it’s particularly important – and challenging – for leaders. I like to think I’m pretty good at managing stress. But recently, I experienced a textbook example of choking. How does choking work? Pressure increases your anxiety about performing correctly. As a result, you pay so much attention to the minute details of what you’re doing that you actually perform worse. So what happened to me? I know the best technique for catching a striped bass in Boston Harbor. I really do. I’ve caught dozens, well, at least a dozen. But fishing alone — or with a normal person — is no match for the stress of fishing with Pete. Pete is a good friend and one of the most intensely competitive people I know. Even more importantly, he’s guided me on several major outdoor experiences, including a three-week hike in the backwoods of Canada. So when I had an opportunity to take him fishing in Boston Harbor, I really wanted him to catch a […]

Five Survival Tips for Working From Home

Today, more and more people are seeing the benefits of working from home. In 2017, remote work was the fourth most popular job search term used by people looking for jobs. This is no surprise: Working from home reduces stress, increases family time, saves money on gas and other costs, and eliminates hours of commuting time each week. But there are also challenges – from loneliness, to distractions, to the difficulty with signing off at the end of the day. A recent New Yorker article summarized it well: 911 OPERATOR: 911—what’s your emergency? ROBERT: Hi, I . . . uh . . . I work from home. We have an entirely remote model, with more than 100 team members working from home. Since many of us still struggle with the challenges on an ongoing basis, we decided to survey our team members to identify their biggest challenges – and their top tips for overcoming them. Here’s are the top tips we found: Get a home office – or at least an “office” Don’t work from your kitchen table. Even if you don’t have a home office, Rony, one of our team leads, suggests you should “have your own ‘office space’ […]