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How I Improved My Communication Skills By Following One Simple Rule

All entrepreneurs are professional communicators. It’s how we spend almost all of our time. Communication According to a recent study, CEOs spend 61 percent of their time in face-to-face meetings, and 24 percent on electronic communications. The remaining 15 percent is spent reading or responding to written correspondence. Yes, that’s right: When you’re not reading, you’re communicating, either verbally or in writing. I’ve always thought of myself as a skilled communicator. I went to journalism school. I’ve even written for a few high-profile business publications. When my wife came home one day from business school and shared what she’d learned in her communication class, I initially scoffed. Her professor said there was one secret to good communication: “Say what you’re going to say. Say it. Then say what you’ve said.” How rudimentary, I thought. Sure, that seems like a decent rule for all the mediocre communicators out there. Maybe it’s a good way to teach fifth graders to write essays. But me? I’m a sophisticated communicator. I understand all the nuances of good communication, and I know how to structure each communication according to the content and the audience. Then I tried it, and realized I was wrong. It’s an incredibly valuable insight. Studies pioneered by […]

GIVE: A New Leadership Framework

The most important lesson I’ve learned about leadership didn’t come from a boss or CEO. It didn’t come from a leadership guru. It came from a someone I was interviewing for a job. Our now Senior Team Lead, Don Bagnol, was applying for an assistant team lead role. Our company was less than a year old. We were building a new team for a big client. I don’t remember what I asked in the interview. Maybe I asked him to explain his approach to leadership. Maybe I just asked why he wanted the job. But I clearly remember his answer: “A team doesn’t work for a manager. The manager works for the team.” It’s a very simple idea. I’m sure that Bagnol wasn’t the first person to say this or something similar. But it resonated with me in a way that no book or article on leadership ever has. The manager works for the team. That means my team doesn’t report to me. I report to them. My job is to make sure my team members have the direction, tools, training and resources they need to succeed. My job is to maintain the stability and growth of our company so […]

1 Powerful Team-Building Exercise You Can Do This Week

I have been working with most members of my leadership team for more than five years — since before I started my current company, Peak Support. But we recently did an exercise that helped us get to know each other better than ever — and helped us all become more effective leaders. We call it a Feedback Circle. We didn’t invent it (one member of our leadership team learned about it in business school). But I’d never heard of it before, which was surprising, given how simple — and powerful — it was for our team. Here’s how it worked. We set aside two two-hour sessions for the activity. Each person prepared feedback — both positive and constructive — for every other member of the group. During the session, we took turns receiving feedback. Each participant received all of their feedback, from everyone in the group, at the same time. The feedback receiver was asked not to respond, argue, or explain anything, but just to listen and absorb. The feedback was incredibly valuable. I learned that I have a tendency to interrupt members of team, which I never knew. But more importantly, the activity broke down barriers and enabled us […]

Peak Support Q&A: Mimi Abelarde

Leri Mae Abelarde, also known as Mimi, is a loving wife and a devoted mother to two wonderful boys. She was one of Peak Support’s first agents, starting her career here in July of 2015. At Peak Support, she has held a wide variety of roles, including photo curation, copywriting, and research. Let’s get to know more about Mimi in our first Peak Support Agent Q&A! See also our previous Agent Q&As with Iar Indus and Mark Pabriaga. Please introduce yourself! My name is Mimi. I am only one, but I am one. I have two superpowers: I have the ability to super clean the house when someone calls and says that they’ll be dropping over in five minutes. I can drive here and there and everywhere and back to here and there and everywhere again. And again. And again. Three words I live by – Goal, Grit and Grace. Four favorite F words: Family, Faith, Friday, and Food. What’s the best thing about motherhood? Being called “mom!!!!” a hundred times a day, watching cartoons over and over again, getting free foot massages from stepping on lego blocks, 5-minute showers, eating leftovers, being a referee in a wrestling match, and learning […]

Peak Support

L.L. Bean Changed Its Famous Return Policy. Should You Change Yours?

L.L. Bean has long had a legendary return policy: Return any product, any time, for any reason, no questions asked. The policy gave the company an almost mythical reputation for quality. When L.L. Bean comes up in conversation, people swap stories. Just a few weeks ago, I heard about a guy who wore his 30-year-old L.L. Bean boots into the store. The boots, well-worn but still functional, had been passed down from his father. The sales clerk offered to give him new boots for free — but he said no. Alas, such stories are now consigned to history. While the policy drove fanatic customer loyalty, it was also abused. Some people even bought old Bean boots at yard sales and returned them for refunds. Last week, L.L. Bean Executive Chairman Shawn Gorman announced that the company will now accept returns within one year, with proof of purchase. After one year, if a product is defective, it will work with the customer “to reach a fair solution.” This change won’t just impact L.L. Bean’s brand. It’s also a massive operational challenge. “No questions asked” is an easy policy for every employee to follow. Now, the company is empowering its store staff and customer service agents to […]

Help Scout Review: Why Help Scout is a Great Fit for Small Companies

If you have ever wondered about Help Scout and its functionality, you’ve come to the right place! Help Scout is a popular helpdesk software solution, similar to Zendesk or Freshdesk. In this article, we will provide an overview of the pros and cons of Help Scout, describe the features that come with each price tier, and provide an in-depth assessment of Help Scout’s data analytics tools. Overall, Helpscout offers an easy set-up, clean user interface, low price, and excellent customer service, making it a great option for startups or small companies just getting started with customer service. But its limited analytics functionality is a drawback for companies with larger customer support teams. This is the second in our series of helpdesk software reviews. You can also read our Zendesk review. Pros of Help Scout: Easy to Use, Excellent Customer Service According to many reviews, Help Scout’s interface is well-designed, easy to learn, rarely encounters performance issues, and facilitates efficient, streamlined work so agents can help customers as quickly as possible. Help Scout’s customer service is also a big plus. One of our clients on Help Scout had its query escalated all the way to the senior executive level. Help Scout […]