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Posts tagged as:
In today’s post, Jake Fegan shares some of his insights on coaching Conversational Marketing™ Experts (CMEs) and using the LAMA technique.
Now we want to hear from you.
What is your coaching style? How does it help your CMEs grow and build stronger relationships with your customers and your customers’ customers?
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At Incept, the most important part of the day for our Contact Center is coaching our Conversational Marketing™ Experts (CMEs). Steve Kieffer, Program Results Manager, shares some insights on how we coach our CMEs at Incept.
Now we want to hear from you. What is your coaching style? How does it help your CMEs grow and build stronger relationships with your customers and your customers’ customers?
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It is going to happen. We all run into it…an upset donor!
There will be times when making blood donor recruitment calls where we contact a donor that had a previously poor experience donating, or we unintentionally interrupt a donor right in the middle of their favorite show. Whatever the situation, it is our job as Conversational Marketing™ Experts (CMEs) to handle the call properly and do what we can to change the situation for the donor.
Here are some tips on how to accomplish that:
Using these tips the next time you reach an upset donor will help the call flow a lot better and make the donor feel like their concerns were heard and not ignored.
What additional tips do you have for handling a call with an upset donor?
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Debbie with the Lifesaver Award!
As you all know, we recognize our Conversational Marketing Experts (CMEs) for their Lifesaver Level achievement every month. This is a great way to showcase the hard work that they do to save lives each and every day. Lifesaver Levels are achieved by accumulating points based on the type of donation that is scheduled. At this time, I would like to recognize Incept’s current Lifesaver Leader.
Saving lives is not the only thing Debbie does for Incept. Debbie is the Night Shift Room Representative, and she is the first one to help out when anyone is in need. She acts as the spokesperson for all Night Shift Blood Bank Conversational Marketing Experts (CMEs). If there are any questions or concerns in the Contact Center, Debbie quickly gets the correct information and makes sure it is relayed back. Debbie also volunteers by providing home-cooked food for the bake sales, and she often brings in food just in case anyone needs a good meal. All of this being said, it is no surprise that Debbie is our Lifesaver Leader.
Please join me in congratulating Debbie, our Lifesaver Leader!
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The Holiday Season has appeared again!
We are all busy making cookies, putting up decorations, shopping for our loved ones and taking part in all the other normal holiday traditions. It feels like the holidays are the busiest time of the year, but they can also be one of the happiest!
One thing that you can’t forget to cross off your list is donating blood. There is always a need for your lifesaving gift, but with everyone’s busy schedule during the holidays, your gift is needed now more than ever. So you may be getting a phone call soon from a blood donor recruiter. Do everyone a favor: answer the call and schedule an appointment! Or just stop by your local Blood Donor Center and make a donation today!
This is truly the greatest gift you can give someone, as it is a lifesaving gift. Your donation can make someone’s holiday even brighter!
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Our very own Mike Jackson.
If there is one Conversational Marketing Expert (CME) at Incept that puts his performance where his mouth is – and quite literally, as he is part of a rap group – Michael Jackson (MJ) is the guy that comes to mind. When you meet Mike you can already tell by his mannerisms that he is as animated as a Looney Tunes’ charater and full of positivity. A great asset amongst our employees, Mike is the type of employee that really brings our company culture full circle. He is someone you can talk to about anything, and you instantly feel this type of friendliness in each conversation.
I remember recently I was having a pretty rough start to my morning. My heat wasn’t turned on yet in my apartment, so I woke up to find myself in an extremely cold daze. To make matters worse, I had overslept my alarm, and my brain had kicked itself into that “fight or flight” mode in an effort to make it to work on time. To top it off, my Z28 was thirsty for some 93 octane, but I just couldn’t afford to waste time stopping for gas. After slamming gears down I-77, crossing my fingers and coasting on fumes, I pulled into Incept’s parking lot and flew up the flight of stairs to the time clock to punch in. I found a slight glimmer of victory as I had managed to make it on time and could feel a relieved smirk grow across my face.
I found a seat right near the big screen so that I could watch the Cleveland Browns get destroyed that Sunday, and, sure enough, across the rows I caught a glimpse of my man, Mike Jackson. The thing is, he didn’t seem like himself. He seemed quieter than usual, but without a doubt was still on top of his call performance. I had to ask, “Mike, whats going on, man?” He then proceeded to tell me about how the night before he learned that one of his close cousins who he had grown up with had tragically died in an automobile accident. And I thought my day was going bad!
That put things into perspective for me really quickly. At Incept we have a bereavement policy that states you are allowed to take up to thirty days off work to grieve the death of a loved one, yet Mike was still sitting in the office making calls. I even tried to tell him he could go home, but he gently smiled and told me, “that would be the easy way out.”
Mike told me he’d rather try to come in and work than grieve for his cousin (who went by the name Sully) initially, because it was a more constructive way to deal with the situation rather than sit around. He knew he could have called off, as he had a very legitimate excuse to do so, but just the way he explained things to me really struck me hard. I was dealing with just another run-of-the-mill bad day while Mike was going through a life-changing ordeal in losing Sully. On top of it all, his call quality was excellent (as usual), and he was seemingly well above goal.
It isn’t until you put yourself in someone’s shoes that you get a real idea of how dismal and minuscule your problems are when compared to something like that. Mike received Incept’s R.A.V.E. award (Recognizing and Acknowledging Values in Employees) for being tenacious in the way he dealt with such a negative event and used it to fuel his drive. That is something I wanted to recognize and still can’t get over.
It really makes me question if Mike, a really happy-go-lucky kind of guy, can have life throw him a curve ball like that and still hit a home run, then what makes your bad day so bad that you can’t give it your all at work?
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Today’s post is from Conversational Marketing Expert Jeff Wein.
Hi name is Jeff Wein, I am just a Conversational Marketing Expert here at Incept. In the last year that I have been with the company, I have luckily (and proudly) been able to hold the title of Top Lifesaver for four months. I was able to share one blog post back in January, and I just wanted to share a few more tips of the trade.
We all know when it comes down to phone calls, they can get monotonous. We have to strive to break up the monotony. There are several ways that one can do this. I try to make things less 
repetitious by ensuring each and every phone call is a personalized experience for the donor with whom I’m talking. I do this by actively listening, accompanied with good use of the tools. Really listen to what your donors are telling you; by doing so, it equips you with the ability to custom tailor your responses to the specific situation, which will also reassure your contact that you are listening to them and care about what they have to say.
When I’m touching on a good use of tools, I mean use the donor profiles to their maximum potential. You can really learn a lot about your contact and their habits – like how often, what time they like, and where they like to go. Even with some of the campaigns that offer the point system programs, you can see if they’ve ever gotten anything from the online web store, which can be a conversational piece in itself. For example: “Oh, I see you picked up the gift card to __________. That’s great! Your current point balance is __________. You’re already on your way to your next reward and/or eligible for another!” This is typically going to make the donor ecstatic. If they haven’t heard about it, they probably are going to have a couple of questions for you, so arm yourself with familiarity with the program (i.e., check your F10 screens for promos, program info).
Familiarity will pay off. Oftentimes you may have donors thanking you as you’re getting off the phone. Admit it, that’s a great feeling. If you run into a question you’re not familiar with or not sure of, don’t be afraid to refer them to a main number. They’ll be able to answer any questions they may have.
Another important factor is Tenacity. Without it, well, we’re not really doing our job like we should be, but almost everyone is indecisive. You almost always have to reason with a donor. I don’t think many people just like to say “yes” the first time, so it’s essential to second-attempt your contact because, I mean, just asking that second time may be enough to get them just to throw a time and date out that may be able to work in their schedule. I always try to throw something out there when my contact seems to be “on the fence,” so to speak. In this situation, I’ll just throw out a “It can really help out the center a great deal if we could get you down for a time and day you think will work. Then we’ll have a good handle on what kind of staffing needs we’ll have day for day. And, of course, we can always give you a call back the night before just to ensure that the time and day will work out for you.” I think you may just be surprised even how persuasive that little line can be. I mean, think about it. Your donors are people who already like to help people out or they wouldn’t be donors.
There are different tips and tricks, and all of us could probably go on about for days, but I just wanted a chance to share a few of them with the masses. If you have any questions on how you could/should approach something in a call, and think I could help, just ask or talk to your supervisor or coach! They’re always chock-full of great ideas.
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I wanted to take a couple minutes to talk about my start and growth here at Incept.
I started on the phones mainly making calls to current and potential blood donors for various blood centers across the nation. I was inspired by the work I did, and I took it very seriously. I am competitive by nature, so I was always looking for ways I could do better and produce at the rate that many of the veterans were at that time. Everyone from fellow Conversational Marketing Experts (CMEs) up to the CEO was very helpful in encouraging my development.
Within two months of my first day of employment, I was asked to become a Coach and assist on the floor with developing and improving other CMEs. This brought on more of a challenge, as I now had to continue making calls myself in addition to coaching people on how to make their phone calls better. This was an interesting transition – mainly because I was low on the totem pole – being that I was to work with CMEs who had been doing this job for much longer than me. Again, I was shown how great of a place Incept is to work for as these veterans accepted and welcomed my help graciously.
Shorty after this, I was given smaller blood center campaigns to run operationally. After learning the complexities of operations and reaching and exceeding goals for our blood centers, I was eventually moved to the position I am in today: Program Results Manager. Through the hard work of everyone on my team, and my constant dedication, I am managing our largest client at Incept. I set up operational strategies for reaching our units goal along with our Client Results Team and our Technology Results Team. These strategies include but are not limited to scripting, time-of-day calling, specific CMEs used for specific campaigns, testing new ideas, managing Supervisors and Coaches that work directly with CMEs, and developing new strategies with the actual client through meetings and various other forms of contact. Every day brings a new challenge, but the success of my responsibilities is worth all the hard work.
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Recruiting blood donors can be a very challenging job, but the rewards save hundreds of lives every day.
I often think of what I could be doing with my education, experience and skills as a manager, if I was not working at Incept. I imagine that I could be working for a company that produces some sort of consumable product or provides a specific service. The main driver behind these types of companies would most likely be based on making money. I imagine that I would feel successful through creating more revenue for that company. Essentially, making more widgets than yesterday would impact the company’s worth.
However, my work at Incept has been completely different. Success is defined by reaching blood unit goals with community blood centers across the nation. Without the work we do at Incept, community blood centers that we work with would fall short in their efforts to supply blood to their area hospitals. Yes, it is true that many blood donors go in to donate on their own, but we encourage many more to schedule appointments and commit to saving the lives of patients in their local area.
When I leave work every day, I know I made a difference.
Everyone at Incept needs to think about that when leaving work for the day and when you come in for your next shift. Having an ultimate purpose is one of the most rewarding qualities you can gain in life.
Photo Credit: TopNews
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As a blood donor recruiter here at Incept, I get to spend a lot of time talking with donors from all over the country. One of the questions I get the 
most, especially from newer members, is a simple one: How often someone can donate?
Donating blood or blood components is a great way to support your community and help save lives. The best part is that, more often than not, your blood is used in your local hospitals! Blood donors have been given even more reason to help out in recent years.
Many community blood centers have put together some amazing donor rewards programs as a way to say thank you to their donors. Two examples of these donor reward programs are the Commit for Life program by the Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center and the Brighten Life Program by the Central Blood Bank and LifeSource.
The Gulf Coast Regional Blood Center covers the greater Houston area and has been committed to helping supply much-needed blood to local hospitals since 1975. With the Commit for Life program, donors receive bonus points for each blood donation they give, as well as for every appointment they schedule and keep. You’d be amazed how quickly those points add up!
For donors who love collecting t-shirts (which happens to be my favorite thing), you can exchange 600 points for a variety of colors and styles. Looking for something a little unique? You can save up your points for a travel coffee mug or beach towel for the summer. You can even donate your points back to the Golf Coast Regional Blood Center to help support a new donor coach or local high school program.
Individuals living in Chicago have been able to count on LifeSource since 1987, while the Central Blood Bank has been serving the Pittsburgh area since 1951. Both of these phenomenal blood centers support the Brighten Life program.
Like with the Commit for Life program, Brighten Life rewards donors for their commitment to saving lives. Donors can donate their points back to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society or save them to earn great gifts such as gift cards, stadium blankets or even an iPod Nano! Don’t worry, they have t-shirts too!
Just for signing up for the Brighten Life program, you earn 200. If you happen to have scheduled an appointment ahead of time, you’ll be awarded another 100 points. Are you more comfortable donating double reds or platelets? Either way, you’re in luck! Donors receive 250 points for each platelet or double red cell donation they give.
By donating blood, you help ensure that your hospitals have enough blood for the members of your community. By giving up an hour of your time, you can help save up to three lives and earn a great gift. Who could ask for more?
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