From the monthly archives:

January 2011

rweiand

How Are You Today?

How are you today?

It’s such a simple question that is heard all the time, but all too often is asked just for the sake of asking.  We hear it when we check out at the grocery store, walk past a coworker in the hall or speak with a Customer Service Rep on the phone.  What we overlook is the importance of that question in truly letting the other person tell us how they are doing.

Part of being a Conversational Marketing Expert (CME) is to not only get blood donors to donate blood, convey to customers why they shouldn’t cancel their service, or complete a customer satisfaction survey, but also leave the people with whom we speak a positive experience from our phone call.

That can easily be started with asking that simple question: How are you today? Then make sure to respond appropriately to whatever is said in response.  If the contact is having a rough day, offer an apology and tell them you hope their day gets better.  If they say they are doing great, respond by saying that is great to hear!  Whatever your response may be, just make sure to respond!

So the next time you ask, “How are you today?” make sure to take the time to let the other person respond, and always show compassion in your response back to them!

Let's talk... results

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Stephanie

Let’s Talk…Results: A Look at the Incept Interviewing Process

We’ve been talking a lot about interviews lately, from tips to help you ace your own interview to how to interview a potential blood donor to find the best time and place of a blood drive or blood center in their area. There’s more to it than just that, though.

There’s also the interview between companies and their potential clients. Here at Incept, our Conversational Marketing Experts (CMEs) work with several different blood centers, reaching out to their donors to schedule appointments for them to come in and donate blood. But how did we get to where we are?

It all started with an interview.

At the beginning of the interview for potential clients, we like to ask about their current successes and struggles, as well as what they would like to see improved. The old saying goes “if it isn’t broke, don’t fix it,” so we also ask about the things they’re already doing well and that they’re excited for. Getting to know the blood center on a personal level helps up better understand their strengths and goals.

Next, we talk about actual numbers:

  • How many units of blood do they need to help the hospitals in their area?
  • Do they only collect whole blood or do they also need plasma, platelets and double reds?
  • Do they ask their donors who have only donated whole blood before to try another type of blood donation?

We also like to ask about the donors themselves. Knowing how many regular donors a blood center has, as well as how often these donors come in to donate in a year, helps us get a good idea what we have to work with.
How the blood center has been contacting their donors is also some important information:

  • Does the blood center only offer calls and letters?
  • Do they also use emails, texts and social media to reach out to the community?
  • How often do they call or send letters?

Something a lot of blood center do is offer donor incentive programs. Some offer points to use in their online stores, while others have t-shirts and other small thank-you gifts on hand at the drive itself. We ask if the blood center has an incentive program in place and how they like to use it.
Now that we’re more familiar with how the blood center works with their donors, we like to take a look at how they’ve been regulating their calls. Most often, we ask if they use scripts and what their rules and guidelines are. It also helps to know if they have an employee recognition program and a quality assurance process.

Finally, we look at all of the answers and decide what would be the best way for us to help the blood center meet their goals. We explain what our strategy would be and what kind of results we would expect to achieve. We review how our goals and work strategy will line up with the blood center’s needs, and then we can begin helping them get the results they need.

We’re Conversational Marketing Experts (CMEs), and we’re always listening. How can we help you meet your goals today?

Picture Credits:

http://volz.esmartweb.com/molli.html

http://climateprogress.org/2007/09/29/climate-greenhouse-gas-carbon-goals-targets/

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Brian

So You Have An Interview…

It’s not a secret that the economy is, well, let’s just say unreliable at the moment.

In fact, that would most likely be an understatement about the current unpredictability of Wall Street. As a direct result, many Americans are in need of employment. Who knows? You might even be one of them. For some folks on the hunt for an occupation, all that is needed is a small chance to prove their experience and value to a prospective employer. An interview is exactly the type of opportunity that most job seekers are relentlessly searching for.

An interview is nothing to fear.

Let’s role play for a second… So you’ve been looking for a job for months, scouring the internet, newspaper and other resources for a possible shot at getting a foot in the door. You’ve applied everywhere. You’ve called and checked up on every single application, sometimes twice. Finding yourself at wit’s end, just when all hope seems lost, the phone lets out a ring, breaking the silence. With the excitement of a child on Christmas, you make a rabid, almost psychotically happy blitz to the receiver. After a brief conversation with the person on the other end, you seemed to have reached the light at the end of the tunnel. You finally have an interview with a possible employer. Quickly, however, you realize this will be the first interview you’ve had in quite some time and anxiety sets in. What if you don’t look the part of the job you’re applying for? Do you have a resume ready? What questions will be asked?

While it can be intimidating, an interview is really almost no different than an ordinary, everyday conversation. An interview’s entire meaning is to obtain more information from the questions asked. And while you may not know what is going to be asked of you, that certainly doesn’t mean you cannot be prepared!

Here are some things to remember when you are going to have an interview:

  • Have an appropriate appearance

Before you even have a chance to open your mouth, you will already have been judged based upon how you look. However unfair or impersonal that might sound, it is the truth. I can remember an interview with a previous employer before my time at Incept. Dressing for success is never a bad thought, and I knew it. Even though it was a simple job, I made sure that my appearance showed that I was interested in the position. At the end of my interview, the human resource manager actually commented on how professional I looked compared to other applicants and genuinely appreciated the notion. Having appropriate attire at an interview can set you apart from other applicants.

  • Be confident through speech, eye contact and body language

It’s easy to the look the part, but do you have the intelligence to back up the look? If an employer bases their first judgments of you off of your appearance, then their next assessment will be based upon their personal interaction with you. If you have a strong vocabulary, use it to your advantage. Avoid using slang words, and watch your “um”s. Maintain eye contact when speaking or being spoken to. Don’t slouch or fidget with your hands. Having proper posture and calm, collected movements will not only add to your confidence but also to your professional demeanor.

  • Be honest

Honesty is always the best policy. It is easy to show enthusiasm in a company if you are in desperate need of employment, but if the job is a job where you do not see yourself happy or productive, then why lie? Explain things when you have the chance to in a professional manner – not with just a simple yes and no. Do so honestly.

Here is a great link to more dos and don’ts of a job interview.

What are some tips you would suggest for someone that is nervous about an interview?

Photo Credit: http://careersearchtoday.com

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meredith

Balancing Conversational Marketing with Interviewing

Recently in the social media department, we were talking about how the phone calls we make as Conversational Marketing Experts (CMEs) at Incept are similar to interviews.

Wikipedia defines an interview as “a conversation between two people where questions are asked by the interviewer to obtain information from the interviewee.” Whatever setting the interview is in, whether it’s in front of a camera for a news show, recruiting blood donors over the phone or a job interview for a business, many of the rules of conversational marketing should, ideally, remain the same:

  • Listen
  • Include the “human element,” as described in Jim Beuoy’s post The Human Element of Conversational Marketing
  • Educate and appreciate, mentioned in Billie Johnson’s post What is Conversational Marketing
  • Ask “How are you?”
  • Acknowledge questions
  • Be sincere, from Rebecca Weiand’s post This is NOT Conversational Marketing

After some thought, I realized that there is one big difference between an interview and conversational marketing: the type of questions. Job interviews, for example, always have open-ended questions:

  • What is your greatest strength/weakness?
  • What interests you about this company?
  • What challenges are you looking for in a position?

In conversational marketing, we ask close-ended questions – typically “yes or no” and “one or the other” questions. Instead of asking general questions, we ask very specific ones that only require a one-word answer:

  • Are you available on weekdays or weekends?
  • Would a morning or an afternoon appointment work better for you?
  • Do you meet these requirements?

See the difference? Neither approach is necessarily better or worse than the other, it just depends on the context. For Incept’s purposes, when we interview a blood donor to recruit them for another appointment, we have to balance friendly customer service and fact finding. My advice for everyone in conversational marketing is to treat each phone call as if you’re speaking with a friend, not just someone you want to get something from. But also remember that you have to gather information so that you can analyze what their needs are.

Find that balance between conversation and interview.

In your interactions with blood donors and other customers, how do you balance obtaining information with conversation?

Photo Credit: Retrowow http://www.retrowow.co.uk/retro_technology/telephone/telephone.html

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Stephanie

Dos and Don’ts of Interviews

We’ve all been there, nervously sitting in the hallway, waiting to go in for an interview while our hearts pound in double time. No matter what position you’re applying for, an interview can be a very nerve-rattling process. Here are some common good and bad things - dos and don’ts, if you will – to help ensure your interview is a success.

Do:

  • Show up early. Showing up early shows that you’re eager for the position and punctual, which is always a good thing. Usually, coming in about 10-15 minutes early is recommended. Plus, it gives you enough time to figure out where to go if it’s a big place. Early is always better than late, right?
  • Dress smartly. Dressing professionally and conservatively shows that you take not just the interview but the position seriously. No one wants an employee that’s sloppy or dresses in a revealing manner.
  • Give positive body language. Making eye contact and offering a firm handshake shows confidence, and that in return can be viewed as competence. Also, be friendly and polite. You want your interviewer to see you as someone who it’d be pleasant to work with.
  • Ask questions. You want to make sure that the position for which you’re applying for is a good fit for you. Be sure to ask intelligent questions during the interview to make sure that it’s what you expected. Asking questions also shows interest and forethought, always good qualities to have in an employee.
  • Send a thank-you note. It might not be something you thought of – I know I didn’t, at first – but showing appreciation for the time taken to interview by sending a thank-you note you is a great way to make yourself stand out from the other people applying for the same position. It shows that you are courteous and thoughtful, which are always great qualities to have.

Don’t:

  • Assume you have the job. No matter how qualified you are for the position or how strong your resume/application is, you still need to take the interview seriously. It’s a chance for you to sell your good qualities and leave a lasting impression. A resume may blend in with all of the others on the interviewer’s desk, but a good impression stands out.
  • Answer your cell phone. It sounds like common sense, but you’d be surprised how often this tip is forgotten or ignored. Be doubly sure to turn your cell off before the interview or, if you forget, quickly apologize and turn it off. NEVER answer it or read a text during the interview!
  • Belittle or talk down a former job/boss. No one likes a complainer or a negative attitude. Talking down a former boss or position you held may make you seem like both. Not only that, but if you talk that way about your last company, why wouldn’t you do the same when discussing this one, if you ever left? Sometimes jobs just don’t work out. Be honest but respectful.
  • Chew gum or smoke during the interview. Even if the interviewer does themselves or offers you to, refrain or politely decline. Chewing gum or smoking during the interview is unprofessional and makes it seem like you’re not taking the job very seriously.
  • Be nervous. I know, it’s much easier said than done. However, you should try to enter with confidence and grace. Looking and acting confident despite your pounding heart and sweaty palms shows that you can handle yourself well under pressure. Obviously, things are looking good so far, otherwise you wouldn’t have been called in for the interview in the first place. Even if you do feel a bit jittery, never let them see you sweat it. Just be yourself, be professional and friendly, and you should do just fine!

These are only a few tips to help you make a good impression. It maybe a stressful process, but remember, it’ll be over before you know it. Next thing you know, you’ll be getting that call asking when you can come in for your first day!

Photo Credits:

http://blog.ewanscorner.com/tag/interview/

http://www.asianjobportal.com/2010/09/job-interview-how-to-conduct-properly/

http://www.cartoonstock.com/directory/o/old_wives_tale.asp

http://www.court.com/article/view/at-work-with-employment-laws

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Brian

How Does a Leader Cope with Stress?

How do you deal with stress?

Stress is one of life’s many intangible yet very apparent realities that we as human beings will be faced with at many times.

Stress is a master of disguise and can masquerade uniquely under many different circumstances. Stress is how the body reacts when it has physically, mentally or emotionally had enough. Whether that built-up angst is derived from fears of not being able to perform a job adequately, personal bills feverishly filling up the pigeon hole or even matters of the romantic sort, it is something that can be felt on a very real level and affects millions of Americans daily.

I’m a realist, and while there may be stressful challenges and personal obstacles on the pathway to success, isn’t that what makes finally achieving anything really worth it? The feeling of overcoming adversity, to me, personally, is a thrill. I find that I am the type of person that thrives on chaos and produces the best results when the going gets tough. Albert Einstein once said, “In the middle of difficulty lies opportunity.” Such a mantra rings true in many circumstances and is advice that more folks should heed.

At Incept we’ve been talking about leadership and the qualities that make up a leader. Undoubtedly, a leader will always plan and strive for accomplishment and favorable outcomes, but most times there will be obstacles they must overcome in order to succeed. Let’s take a look at how a true leader copes in the face of stress.

  • Remain calm about the situation at hand

Life is ten percent what happens and ninety percent how you deal with it. A calm leader in the face of adversity or problematic issues remains just that, calm. Not only does a calm, collected attitude enable you to think more clearly and listen, but it also aids in allowing you to make proactive decisions.

  • Solve smaller problems

Sometimes stress can arise from extremely small situations and have a tendency to snowball into an even more stressful one. A true leader understands that solving smaller problems along the way is an excellent first line of defense in creating a sense of control while still being productive.

  • Set realistic goals

Sometimes goals that are too lofty to obtain and can actually be the source of stress itself. We cannot begin to achieve if we set ourselves up to fail. By setting realistic goals, a leader has a better sense of control and management to what is really needed from himself or herself.

  • Get negative energy out in a positive manner

If you let stress, anger and general bitterness build up, it can be unhealthy for you physically, mentally and emotionally. Personally, I have found by taking the negative energy that has built up and applying it in a constructive manner, you can not only decrease your stress level, but it can be rewarding! Exercising is a great way to brush off negativity. I also like to play my bass guitar and draw when I need to express how I feel. Another great (and simple) thing to do is talk. Everyone needs someone to whom they can vent; leaders are no different. Talking to someone you trust about something that is bothering you is a great way to get the feeling of dread off your chest and begin to look for solutions to the problem.

We will all be faced with some type of adversity in due time, that is a given. A good friend posted a great piece of advice in saying, “It’s not about the adversity that you face, but rather how you overcome the problems you encounter.”

How do you deal with your stress(es)?

[Photo Credit: http://blog.timetrade.com]

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Stephen Smith

Reflections: Changing, Leadership, Values and Incept

In my almost three years at Incept, I’ve seen changes made to improve the quality of experience that comes from working at Incept. Such changes focused on everyone from our newest agent on the phones to the very top of our leadership team.

As I stood there filming our Let’s Talk…Results Launch Event on Saturday, January 15th, 2011, I realized that those changes weren’t individual milestones meant to fix one small problem at a time; they were a well-orchestrated evolution meant to improve the quality of everything involved in the Incept experience.

Looking Back

Only a few short months after I joined the Incept team, I was asked to become a part of what we then called the Employee Retention Committee. It was a group spearheaded by our Vice President, Dave Walter, with the sole purpose of seeking out weak points and strengthening them in order to make Incept a better place to work.

I was excited by the opportunity to work with veteran members of the team and jumped at the offer. The months that followed were filled with questions that were difficult to answer, but the result, for me, was a chance to improve my workplace and get an inside look into how our company was run.

After a while, Incept continued to grow, and it became eventually clear that the committee had fulfilled its role. Hence, we closed the book on that chapter of my Incept experience. I walked away with a deeper insight of the decisions that made Incept what it was, as well as a strong feeling of ownership for the role I played in making Incept something special.

In The Middle

Time kept turning, and Incept kept growing. By the time November 2009 had arrived, our company had almost doubled from when I first applied. There was still a feeling among the Teleservice Representatives (TSRs, as we were then called) that we worked for a company that had something special about it. The problem was not many of us knew what that special something was.

November 13th, 2009 changed that feeling completely. Incept hosted a huge launch event where a new logo, new mission and new values were introduced to every member of our company. Incept had become a Contact Center, specializing in Conversational Marketing and employing Conversational Marketing Experts (CMEs). Our leadership team explained their new titles and what role each played within the company to every employee face-to-face. Everyone walked away from that event knowing what everyone else did to contribute to the team effort.

More importantly, that day marked a change in Incept’s values. We were all introduced to our company values: Integrity, Never Satisfied, Compassion, Everyone’s A Customer, Present and Tenacious. Each value reinforced the others, and I think that was the moment when everyone knew exactly what made Incept special. It valued its employees just as much as it valued its customers. From that moment on, everyone was accountable for everyone else. Incept had become something completely different from the rest of its competitors… and it felt good.

At that moment, Incept stepped into the lead and set the pace for the new standard of customer service both internally and externally.

Everyone got a t-shirt with all of our new Service Standards on the back.

The Present

Saturday, January 15th, 2011, marked another step for our company culture and values. At the Let’s Talk…Results Launch Event there was food and fun, but most importantly there was education. Our leaders stood up and spoke in turn about our new Service Standards, which were based solely on feedback provided by our Conversational Marketing Experts (CMEs).

I think everyone walked into that event expecting to hear what changes our Live The Brand committee had made to our policies. Instead, we were all told that the changes were 100% up to us to make. Incept had just been handed to the employees to steer the company where we want to take it. Let me tell you, that felt good!

That some fabulous prizes were given out was a plus, but in order to put into perspective how exciting the event truly was you have to understand the schedule of events at the Launch Event. Dinner was served while the members of our Live The Brand committee spoke in front of the company. As dinner moved along, a few small prizes were given away here and there. After all the speakers had finished up, we were told that we would have a one-hour break, and that five committees of employees would be formed to take ownership of every one of our Service Standards. Each of those committees was represented at a table in the lobby, and interested parties were to go and apply, if interested. (But we needed to be back in one hour, because the four BIG prizes were going to be given away then.)

A few employees spend time at the event applying to join the Service Standards committees.

That hour went by quickly, and it came time for the big prizes (and I do mean BIG) to be given away. However, it seemed that everyone was still in the lobby applying for and talking about committees. Apparently, the excitement over getting to become an active part of rebuilding Incept from the ground up was more overwhelming than the excitement over winning an iPad or a 42″ plasma screen TV. Who knew?

The reality of what had just happened dawned on me at some point while the big prizes were being given away – Incept was now in the hands of the employees. Management had turned the company over to us. But now us even had new meaning. It was no longer the Management team and the Conversational Marketing Experts; now we all had equal control over where Incept was heading. The playing field had just been leveled in a big way!

The only way I can think to describe what Incept has become is this: “Something beyond special. Something innovative. Something incredible.”

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Stephanie

Incept: Leading the Way

Every group of people needs a leader, someone who will step up, take charge, and set an example for the others who follow them.

A leader doesn’t have to be an individual, though. A leader can be a company – or even a small group within a company – that sets the tone and paves the way for success. A good leader leads by example.

I’ve only been a Conversational Marketing Expert (CME) here at Incept for a little less than a year, but I can honestly say that it’s one of the better companies for which I’ve worked. This is not only because of the work we do here, but also because of the steps Incept takes to lead the community to be better as a whole. In the time I’ve been here, I’ve seen great kindness and compassion come from this company. Heck, “compassion” itself is one of the core values of the company, and the one I think we hold most dear.

Check out our CEO, Jeff White, and some of the local children in Haiti.

The first example of compassion I noticed when I started working at Incept was the fundraisers for Haiti. For over a year, Incept has been working with Cross International to help the restevak children of Haiti, something that was especially important after the earthquake last year. By helping these children to get a better education, Incept was helping improve not just the lives of these children, but the lives of their families as well.

Supporting the children of Haiti isn’t the only example of compassion Incept has shown. September 11th, 2001 was and still is one of the most painful and tragic experiences in our country’s history. So many people lost loved ones, and the families most impacted were those of the firefighters and police officers who were first on the scene. Those men and women were true heroes on a day when heroes were needed the most. In 2007, Incept helped sponsor a golf outing to honor the firefighters of the Tenhouse in lower Manhattan, who lost six of their members on 9/11. The benefits from the outing went to help the firefighters and their families.

Our Vice President, Dave Walter, donating at one of the blood drives.

Last but certainly not least are the small acts of compassion that happen here at work every day. Whether it’s something as simple as one of the supervisors asking how your day is going or offering a compliment on a call, or a coworker buying lunch for another who has none, the sheer good will that this company strives for is evident just about everywhere you look. The company and the management team show compassion and lead the way. And the room follows.

So whether it’s a large fundraiser or something small and quiet, like a blood drive in the parking lot or bake sale to help the Red Cross, Incept has been there, leading the way and walking the walk. I haven’t been a part of the team for very long, but I’m looking forward to what we do next!

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Jim

The Human Element of Conversational Marketing

I am often asked by contact center groups why blood centers hire us. While there are usually several motivating factors for outsourcing, a common requirement that all clients make quite clear is that is that they want us to add the human element to their donor interactions.

If our clients didn’t think there was value in us adding that human element they’d just send a dog with a note, right? All kidding aside, they could use web chat, IVRs (those computerized systems that you key in or speak information to), direct mail and/or other communication mediums. They expect and even demand that we put our individual personalities into conversations, because being ourselves provides a better customer experience and enhances the relationship.

“Conversational” means sounding natural, not canned, not monotonous and not rehearsed. It also means sounding empathetic where empathy is needed and sounding appreciative for the donor support. We’ve all experienced those kinds of calls at home from ill-prepared telemarketers. They probably annoy us more than they inspire us. I don’t think that anyone would argue that a conversation, by definition, also means two-way dialog. That means not just telling prospects or customers what we want to say, but actually listening and responding to their wants, needs and concerns.

It’s probably just as important, though, to recognize what conversational marketing isn’t as it is to recognize what it is. Being conversational doesn’t mean that we can just say or not say anything that we want. Take, for example, legal disclosures. Are legally required disclosures and conversational marketing mutually exclusive? Of course not! Even if the conversation goes in a direction that makes it challenging to give all the required information, would our customers want us to put them at risk by not providing said disclosures simply because it was easier for us to ignore them? Absolutely not.

The same can be said about gathering emails. If our client really wants to collect email addresses for additional touch points with their donors, should we say, “No. We won’t ask for those because it hinders us from being conversational marketers?” That would be a silly position to take. If I were the client, I’d go to a partner who could gather email addresses AND hold a professional, two-way conversation.

When our call quality folks note that we have failed to spell back information or cover something that our client wanted us to, that doesn’t mean that we have to abandon conversational marketing to fulfill those client requirements. We can certainly be conversational without resorting to just saying anything we’d like. Being yourself, listening well, responding professionally, sounding appropriately appreciative or empathetic, and still covering what needs to be covered is part of the fun of this business and are the signs of a true professional in this channel.

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sfalletta

HOW TO Be A Great Professional Services Partner

If you are an information technology (IT) firm, marketing agency, consultant, lawyer, accountant or social media strategist, your success comes down to your knowledge and the value you create with it for your clients.

Since Incept is both a provider and procurer of professional services, I have the benefit of seeing the process unfold from two different angles. We are trying to provide the best services for our clients while concurrently ensuring that we are hiring the best people to provide exceptional solutions.

Based on this experience, I believe the best professional services firms focus on creating concise answers to the following questions for their clients:

  1. What should I (the client) be most focused on?
  2. What should I (the client) be doing about it?

When people hire you, they are looking for your specific expertise and guidance. They are looking for you to put yourself in their shoes, understand their pain, combine it with your expertise in the specific area and help them understand what they should be focusing on.

Once you have agreement on the area of focus, provide proactive and direct suggestions on how they can leverage this focus to improve their business.

It is very easy for all of us to fall into a trap of just reacting to the specific requests of our clients. However, that is not why most of us were hired. Our client is looking for thought leadership and expertise more than just the execution of their own ideas.

Before your next client visit, take a look at the questions above and rate yourself on how you have them answered. Let us know what you think. Are these the two questions that you are answering for your customers?

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