In the world of retail, an industry term known as “shrinkage” is frequently used as a reference to lost inventory that is never sold (i.e. theft).
There are an increasing number of industry experts who use the term “shrinkage” when referring to contact center operations. Instead of inventory, what is being lost to shrinkage in the contact center is the employee’s time. Simply put, contact center shrinkage is time when a Conversational Marketing Expert (CME) is getting paid but not taking calls. At Incept, we refer to the two most common influences on shrinkage: variance and schedule adherence. Poor variance and schedule adherence have negative impacts on the CME, the company, and its clients.
For Incept the concept of shrinkage is more cut and dry. Notwithstanding planned meetings, such as Employee of the Month, paid breaks, and coaching sessions, we want the CME to be on phone calls or available to take phone calls for the entire time they’re clocked in. When an employee is supposed to be taking calls, but is not, we call it variance at Incept. At the CME level, variance represents the potential for lost appointments, fewer Lifesaver points, and a smaller bonus.
Since I am a numbers guy at heart, I would like to take a brief mathematical look at two hypothetical groups of CMEs to showcase the organizational impact of variance.
- Group 1: Scheduled 26 hours, 5% variance
- Group 2: Scheduled 26 hours, 10% variance
Let’s assume that, in a given week, Incept requires approximately 2,800 hours of phone time to complete the required work on the Saves/Outbound side of the business.
- Group #1: 26 hours, less 5% variance = 24.7 hours of phone time.
- 2800 hours of required phone time – 24.7 hours per Group #1 CME = 113.3 CMEs needed
- Group #2: 26 hours, less 10% variance = 23.4 hours of phone time.
- 2800 hours of required phone time – 23.4 hours per Group #2 CME = 119.7 CMEs needed
From an organizational perspective, the difference between 5% variance and 10% variance is an increase in labor requirement of 5.6%. This percentage may seem small, but extrapolated over the course of an entire year, it adds up. In addition, the extra infrastructural costs such as additional computers and dialer licenses have to be taken into account as well.
It should be clear that some variance, even in addition to what is minimal (i.e. your break) is understandable. We don’t expect employees to delay going to the bathroom until their meal or break periods. However, there are certain things that all of us as a team-minded organization can do together to accomplish these variance and schedule adherence goals.
Step #1 – Be personally accountable for variance.
Maintaining variance within permissible levels is a measure of your job performance, just like your % to goal or your CQ scores are. Typically, once an employee accepts accountability, their variance improves.
Step #2 – Consult with Contact Center Results Management to monitor your variance.
Personally, I love it when CMEs take an active role in understanding and working to improve upon the statistics that measure their performance. If you think you had a very good variance day, ask a member of management to look at the percentage to confirm it for you. Seeing your efforts to reduce your variance bear immediate results is an end in itself.
Step #3 – Honestly examine behavior that is driving up your variance.
Only you can make an honest examination of the things that drive up your variance. Imagine a CME who has a variance of 8%. Variance of 8% is equivalent to almost 40 minutes of time off of the phone in a shift of 6.25 hours. How much of that time is truly necessary? How much of that time is essentially an extra unauthorized, paid break?
Following these three steps can result in great improvements in variance. This will have a positive financial impact for both the CME and company while generating superior customer service and results for our valued clients.
What else need to be said?
Image Credit: http://www.startyourbusinesshelp.com/
Last week, an air ambulance became the first to carry blood units on a flight.
This service, which was first developed by the U.S. and British military, allows for on-site blood transfusions instead of having to wait for a patient to arrive at the hospital. Transit is achieved through a refrigeration unit called a “golden hour “ box, which can keep four units of O-negative at a steady 4-degrees Celsius for up to 72 hours. O-negative blood is used since it is universal and can be used for any patient. Also, any unused units can be safely returned to the hospital and are still usable, meaning no units go to waste.
U.S. and British military rescue helicopters carry blood units, while civilian services in Australia carry onboard blood units, signifying just how few air ambulances are doing this. Will more continue to follow?
Let’s take a look at a few stats:
- According to the London’s Air Ambulance unit, about 90 patients are bleeding to death when they arrive to the hospital.
- There are about 160 patients who don’t make it to the hospital.
- That is, on average, 250 patients that could have had a better chance due to having blood available on scene!
Imagine the total lives that could be saved!
Image Credit: http://www.stockphotopro.com/photo_of/blood/B095DB/Gloved_hand_holding_blood
People are usually surprised when I ask them to tell me about their favorite scar.
It’s the first thing I ask when starting a new training class, right after I introduce myself. I simply ask the training class introduce 
themselves by inquiring, “Why don’t you tell us your name, what city you live in and…your favorite scar.”
I don’t like to make people feel uncomfortable, because I want to create a safe environment for learning, so I try to give them a way out, in case they do not feel comfortable disclosing. To accomplish this, I tell everyone to feel free to make up a scar story if they’d like. This, of course, only increases the looks of confusion, and inevitably someone will try to clarify, “We can make it up?” they ask. Of course! The point of asking is not to gain information on current or past health issues, but to break the ice, to get the class talking and hopefully laughing and help them to forget that they are in a room full of strangers in a strange place to be trained on something they have never done before.
Participation is the goal of every teacher no matter what the subject may be. Scar stories provide a catalyst to begin the bonding of the group or class. As the trainer it is always a joy to see a group of strangers who laugh out loud at a funny story, or show surprise because a similar thing happened to them.
The group begins to form and the barriers to learning begin to fall. All this is possible from a simple question asked at the right time. When people are expecting one of the standard, getting-to-know-you questions, like a favorite food or band, asking someone about their favorite scar piques the interest. It’s unexpected, and like a good movie that surprises you at the beginning, it both intrigues and increases participation. I have heard about childhood scars, scars from carrying a child, scars from horrible accidents, and scars from birth marks, but every once in a while a trainee will share a very unique scar story. Some are graphic, some are lovely, some are horrific, some are silly, some are emotional, and some are shocking.
I have also found other ways to break the ice in my training classes. One way is to have the class write three interesting things about themselves, one of which is false. The class then has to guess which “fact” is indeed false based on first impressions. Another ice-breaker I may begin using is a conversation exercise, because conversation is big at Incept! Each person is given a sheet of paper with a series of instructions to follow. This is a good mixing game and conversation starter, as each person must speak to everyone else. For example: count the number of brown-eyed folks, find the person with the most unusual hobby, find the person with the most pets, what’s the weirdest thing someone has eaten, etc.
As an Incept Training Supervisor, I really enjoy every training class that I teach, and I find it fun to kick off with ice breakers!
At Incept we consider a conversation to be productive when the end result is a stronger relationship. There are many ways to strengthen a relationship with your donor. Below are just a few examples of things you can do in your calls to ensure that your conversation is productive.
One of the easiest ways to do this is by genuinely asking how the donor is doing. This lets the donor know that you care about them as a person, and listening to their tone lets you know how the rest of your call is going to go. The donor may respond with “good” but sound rushed with children screaming in the background. You can strengthen the relationship by asking if now is a good time to talk or if it would be better if we called back at another time. If the donor really is surrounded by chaos, they will appreciate your consideration and respond positively to the next call, during which they will be able to schedule an appointment without distractions. This has also saved you time because you were able to move on to the next call instead of continuing on with the call with many interruptions.
Another way to strengthen the relationship with the donor is by thanking them for their support even when they are not eligible to donate. There are numerous reasons that a donor can be deferred from donating blood, so we want to make sure to acknowledge all of their past support and make them feel good about the lives they were able to save in the past. This will create a positive impression that will stay with them until they are able to donate again. You can even use their donation history as a reference to how many times they donated in the past, and convert that number into the number of lives they have helped save.
Lastly, you can strengthen the relationship with the donor by asking, ” Is there anything else I can help you with today?” after you schedule the donor’s appointment. The donor may need you to give them directions to the center or simply repeat a phone number for them. This is a very simple question to ask, and it lets the donor know that you are here to help them, not just schedule the appointment and get them off the phone as fast as you can.
Now that you have the knowledge you need to strengthen the relationship with your donors, ask yourself at the end of each call, “Was that a productive conversation?”
Image Credit: http://www.inkonit.com/blog/3-ways-to-strengthen-your-relationship-with-customers/
I play video games because, I like to be in control of something.
Whether that be as Mario in yet another castle-crashing plight to save Princess Peach, as Tommy Vercetti running rampant through a Miami-esque beachfront, or behind the wheel of a four hundred-thousand dollar Ferrari rocketing down the track in the latest Forza, it certainly does feel good when you perceive to be in control of something.
If you work in a blood donor recruitment field, being in control of conversations within your job isn’t just something to yearn for; it’s an extremely necessary proficiency to have. Do you occasionally encounter someone who might be upset that you called them? Yes. It happens. Do you get hung up on or rushed off of the phone line at times? Of course. This happens too. Should you be nervous about how to handle these situations? Not at all. With a little bit of quick thinking, empathy and determination you can always end your conversations on a good note.
As a Conversational Marketing™ Expert (CME) for Incept, I can tell you from experience that being in control of your calls with donors does not have to come off as pushy or rude to achieve the overall goal of strengthening the relationship. Let’s take a look at a few situations you might encounter and how to deal with them effectively.
Exercising Conversational Control
- Empathize with what your donor is actually saying.
Empathy is a crucial tool within a CME’s arsenal. Conveying empathy to someone shows you understand where they are coming from. Naturally, people are going to tell you what is going on in their lives, and ultimately they are looking for understanding when speaking with you.
- Dealing with a “runaway” conversation.
Something that is almost humorous – and something that I take pride in – is the fact that when I started at Incept I had only a few conversations with folks that might not have been so inclined to talk to me when they picked up the phone. After a few minutes, however, we were talking like old friends. Good conversations are always awesome to have, but keep handle time in mind. Politely look for the best way to interject in a friendly manner that conveys you are naturally closing the call. An easy example that works is, “And on that note, I thank you for your time. It has been great talking with you…”
- Angry or upset customer? Use LAMA to stay in control.
The LAMA technique is something we’ve talked about before and is an invaluable tool that any CME can use. Remember to listen to what your donor is saying; acknowledge what has been said so your donor understands that you heard their concerns or circumstances clearly; make a statement involving features and benefits that connects to your solution; and ask a question to either find out more information you need to know or to provide the opportunity for your donor to make a choice based upon your statement. This is easily one of the best ways to stay in control of your conversations.
When it comes to being in control, people like to feel like they have the power of choice and control over the outcome of a situation. It just so happens to be that your donors aren’t the only ones that can feel that way. So can you!
What other helpful tips do you have for staying in control of a conversation?
Photo Credit: http://www.viget.com
I don’t want to sound like a broken record, but knowledge is power!
I had a very weird, lucid dream the other night. A lucid dream is a dream in which you realize you are actually in a dream and not real life. Once you realize this, you can literally do anything you want. Having one is an extremely awe-inspiring and mind-blowing experience, let me tell you. In my dream I found myself on top of an 
enormous skyscraper perched at the very edge of the roof. As I surveyed the people on the ground scurrying around and many cars bustling around the streets below, I don’t know how it happened, but I had a revelation that I was, in fact, in a dream. I couldn’t tell you why, but I proceeded to jump off of the enormous superstructure and plunged to the streets below. Just when I hit the pavement of the underlying street, the ground became a trampoline, and I found myself bouncing up into the air roaring with laughter as I jumped around my fictitious cityscape. If I found myself knowing I was in a dream every time I was actually dreaming, maybe I would have more of these pleasant experiences based upon that knowledge.
The reason I bring any of this up to you is the fact that usually people conform to what they know, especially when it comes to the topic of donating blood. Usually, I find that when I am talking with a first-time blood donor, they can be very apprehensive to donating since many folks out there are taking medications for one reason or another. In other cases, many diabetic people do not know that they can actually donate in most cases, depending on their situation and treatment, of course.
At Incept the job of a Conversational Marketing™ Expert (CME) is not just about scheduling appointments. We instead aim to provide the absolute best possible customer service to our donors in the form of friendly education!
I didn’t know I could still donate!
Sometimes people just need to be informed and presented with the facts. Here are three common reasons why people think they can’t donate and why they actually still can:
- I have diabetes. Unless otherwise informed by a doctor, if you are a diabetic, you still can donate in most scenarios! As long as you have it under control through non-bovine-derived insulin shots, oral medication or even diet, chances are you still can donate a whole blood donation.
- I am currently taking prescribed medication. Most medications that aren’t an antibiotic will not defer you for a whole blood donation. In fact, when it comes to medications, it usually is the reason why those medications were prescribed in the first place that would be the real determining factor if you could donate or not. Mood stabilizers (Prozac, Zoloft, etc.) will also not defer you in most known cases either.
- I had a low iron level count when I tried to donate last time. Sometimes when a blood donor’s vital statistics are being analyzed, they can read a little off due to any number of variables – such as outside temperature, physical activity levels of the donor that day, or even something as simple as diet! That is why, if you are a blood donor that does not have a history of being chronically anemic, then a diet high in iron is a choice remedy.
Most of the time when talking with people facing these issues you can always hear the proverbial “light turn on” when they understand they might still be able to donate. Frequently the donor is even willing to give it another shot all because we educated them in a friendly manner.
When it comes to donating blood, everyone is different. If you or someone you know is unsure if you can donate or not, most blood banks do have medical personnel that can tell you definitively. If you are still in doubt, the best thing to do is contact your doctor or heath practitioner.
What are some other examples where having knowledge and education can change someone’s mind about doing something?
Image Credit: http://2.bp.blogspot.com
Today, I’m having a rough day – physically, anyways.
How are you doing? Happy? Sad?
In an extremely mundane and lifeless motion, I begin the trudge down the many stairs transcending my apartment’s stoop. Loaded to the eyeballs with Sudafed, vitamin C and a few slurps of Tylenol PM, I begin my zombie-like trek to the offices of Incept. When you are an Internet Conversational Marketing™ Expert (iCME) content isn’t gonna make itself.
About an hour into my shift, a fellow Incept employee asked me, “Brian, you ok? How are you doing?” I wanted to say, “I’m doing horrible, and I feel horrible today,” but then I thought about the real intentions of being asked that question. Someone genuinely asked me “How are you doing?” Even though it has been a physically formidable day in terms of comfort, I really appreciated that someone cared enough to ask.
Think about it. How are you? Such a simple phrase can build rapport so easily amongst many people. When I’m recruiting blood donors as a Conversational Marketing™ Expert (CME) on behalf of our clients, “How are you?” is always the first thing I ask a donor. If you work in any sort of field relating to customer service then you can understand the importance and impact that those three words can have on someone.
Asking “How are you?” is not just a way to start off a phone call either. It is an innocent question that can have many benefits in terms of providing customer service. Let’s take a brief look at those benefits:
- Your customers will appreciate that before you ask about anything business-related that you genuinely asked how they are doing, creating positive relations right off the bat. Most people will even reciprocate and ask how you are doing too!
- Asking “How are you?” can determine if it is a bad time to be talking with your customer or point of contact so that you can offer to call back at a much more convenient time.
- In addition to the above point, you can also determine the tone of your customer. When you know the tone of who you are talking to you can then customize your conversation with them much more efficiently creating dialog that strengthens the relationship.
The biggest point to take away from this is that small and mannerly practices that are consistently performed are what separate your average telemarketing agency from a world-class conversational marketing firm. Asking, “How are you?” not only is a professionally mindful thing to do, but it gives your reps the real advantage of being able to quantify the fact that each customer is their own person, and each call is a new opportunity.
What are some other ways in which asking “How are you?” can be beneficial in dealing with your customers?
Image Credit: http://www.trigonit.com
It doesn’t matter who you are or what you do for a living, everyone likes to feel appreciated for either who they are or something they have done.
“The smallest act of kindness is worth more than the grandest intention.” ~ Oscar Wilde
Let’s take a second to investigate and think about the above quote. How often do you have good intentions in mind for someone yet fail to follow through with those intentions? Probably more often than not for myself and many other folks. But have you ever noticed how something so small and simple as a “thank you” can make a positive difference in the way you interact with people?
Not only is saying thank you a decent and mannerly practice to take part in regularly, but in terms of business it can be an extremely cost-effective measure to strengthen the relationship between your employees, your clients, and customer base. It is easy to express your thanks in many different ways, so why wouldn’t you want to? What do you have to lose?
Three Benefits of “Thank You”
Do you ever notice how often you actually say “thank you” on a daily basis? Whether it be to the checkout girl at the store for bagging your groceries, someone 
on Twitter for retweeting your tweet, or even your spouse for making dinner, do you actually mean it when you express thanks or gratitude? Here are three huge benefits that Incept experiences by simply saying “thank you” in different ways to our employees and clients.
- Appreciation can easily increase employee loyalty and work place camaraderie.
I will never forget when I had a phone call with a gentleman in Chicago about donating blood at his local donor center. I must have suggested at least five to six different blood drives that would fit his scheduling needs, yet he was still on the fence about committing to a drive to donate. This was the type of phone call that tested my abilities as a Conversational Marketing Expert™ (CME). Long story short: I ended up getting the gentleman to commit to a date and donate, but after the phone call my boss, Steve Kieffer, came up to me after listening in on it to thank me for doing such an excellent job with the situation. I’ll never forget because he pointed out the positives and was professionally personable. He even rewarded me with an extra break. That was a little gesture that reinforced the fact that I work for a great company and have great bosses who care about my work. That was almost a year and a half ago.
- Saying “thank you” (and meaning it) can increase customer or donor loyalty.
When people feel appreciated for something they have done, they are more likely to do that same action again. When it comes to Incept and recruiting blood donors, we make sure the donor knows they and their actions are deeply valued and appreciated. We do this in the form of a thank-you call in which we thank the donor for their recent donation and ask them to complete a simple, one-question survey regarding their experience. When I’ve made thank-you calls to donors, there have been times where you can hear in their voices the gratitude they’re feeling that you called and recognized them. This increases the probability that they will donate again.
- “Thank you” is an easy way to strengthen the relationship overall with your customers or donors.
Saying “thank you” doesn’t cost a thing, yet the benefits in actually strengthening the relationship between yourself and whomever you are talking to are vast. I say this even knowing that while I pride myself on being a fairly decent performer when surfing the phone lines, I don’t get an appointment on every call. Sometimes people can’t donate due to physical reasons, extremely unorthodox schedules and many other contributing factors. I don’t let the fact that I won’t close out the call with an appointment stop me from providing good customer service and relations, though. I still make it a point to thank them for donating in the past and taking my call. Why, though? Because no matter if you get the close for an appointment or not, we do everything we can to strengthen the relationship with the donor on our client’s behalf. Saying “thank you” is an easy way to leave a favorable impression on them for when we call back.
Do you have someone in your life you should say thank you to? It really is amazing to see (or in my case, hear) people’s reactions when you say those two, simple words and genuinely mean it. What are some other ways you can say “thank you”?
In this life, you really only do get one shot at a good first impression with someone.
I can’t tell you how many times I’ve blown that notion. Whether it be out meeting new women, meeting the owner of a club my band played at for the first time, or even past interview processes before I came to Incept. My extrovert type of personality really does mean no harm, albeit having had my share of garrulous follies, lackluster conversation starters and awkward moments during initial meet-and-greets.
It was Morris Kline, a very prestigious mathematics professor, who once said, “The most fertile source of insight is hindsight.” When I read that quote the vast gates holding back my life’s recollections opened up. Maybe I would’ve said or done things a little differently if I knew more about who I was talking to.
As a Conversational Marketing™ Expert (CME) at Incept, a little investigatory skill can go a very long way when it comes to mentally tailoring a personal conversation with a blood donor. Quite frankly, one of the biggest things I enjoy about my job as a Conversational Marketing™ Expert (CME), and speaking with blood donors, is the fact that each conversation really is different. Of course, we have our scripts and promotions that we diligently adhere to during our on-the-phone orations, but I’ve always thought about how I could reinforce those points with the people I talk to in a way that can make it more personal. That’s where we cue the online scheduler as a conversational tool.
When we schedule blood donors across America to come into their community blood centers and donate, we almost always have a Donor Profile that includes invaluable information, such as blood type, how many times a donor has donated, what their preferred donor center is, and even the specific type of blood donation that donor has performed in the past. Presto! The Donor Profile really acts as “instant” hindsight available to a Conversational Marketing™ Expert (CME). More so, it’s interpretations during a call can make a world-class difference in the professional and personal attributes that result in a quality recruiting phone call.
Let’s take a closer look at the different benefits of using a blood donor’s history and profile in our online scheduling system:
- You can gear your conversational approach based upon a donor’s age.
We speak with many different kinds of people on a daily basis. Some are teenage donors who tend to donate at their high school, while other donors might be elderly and donate at their local community hall. Regardless, on the donor’s profile we can see a date of birth. This might seem insubstantial, but on the contrary, it can give a Conversational Marketing™ Expert (CME) a good idea of what kind of tone and inflection to use, depending on the person we are trying to talk to.
- You can see what type of blood donation a donor does.
When it comes to blood donations, there isn’t just whole blood. Some donors will consistently come back to do an automated red cell donation or platelet donation. When we can already see that Mr. Jones has donated red cells four times in a row since he’s been donating, we can make the call seem more personable and friendly by asking if he’d like to contribute another donation of the same type. Or in the opposite case, if a blood center needs red cells or platelets of a certain blood type and we see that a donor does not have previous experience donating an automated style (apheresis) donation, we can take the time and opportunity to educate and inform them about the process and how it works.
- You can see the location where the donor usually donates.
People are always much more inclined to go to a place they have been to before. With a blood donor and their profile, we can see each time they have donated and where exactly that donation took place. If someone has donated five times at their local center over the course of two years or so, generally speaking, they are going to be more willing and inclined to donate again at that location if they are asked! Having this knowledge handy means you can have the center hours up already with times available for the donor to choose, making this a very effective technique. This can also work with local businesses, churches and other mobile sites that host blood drives frequently.
- You can see how many times a donor has donated.
Above all, even if we don’t get the appointment, we always aim to leave each donor with a favorable impression following every call. Usually before even talking about scheduling, I always try to thank the donor for how many times they’ve donated. I’ve seen everything from just one donation to over one hundred donations! This number gives you a good idea of how committed a donor is to donating blood, giving you a good idea of how knowledgeable they are about it and what you need to tailor your approach with them.
Those are just a few examples of how realistically helpful viewing a donor’s profile and history can be. It’s astounding how the online scheduler isn’t just a tool used literally – to make appointments; it is also a tool that we can use to treat each donor like an individual, not just another phone call. What are some other situations in which having prior history beforehand is generally helpful to you?
Image Credit: http://www.infobarrel.com
Having the right tool for the job can mean a lot of different things to different people.
How does Incept use LAMA?
A fireman cannot extinguish a blazing inferno without a fire truck; Batman cannot fight the Joker without his utility belt; the Cleveland Browns can’t begin to think about winning without a decent quarterback. However, when it comes to the Conversational Marketing™ Expert (CME) at Incept, the tools are there from the start. Before a Conversational Marketing Expert (CME) even makes their first call, they are armed with the knowledge they need about donating blood, how the call scripter and scheduler works, and experience with a wide variety of different situations they will encounter (thanks to role playing with a trainer).
As further testimony to the fact that Incept supports consistent education of and professional investment into each of its employees, I actually wanted to talk with you and guide you through the LAMA technique. When it comes to blood donor recruitment as a Conversational Marketing Expert (CME), we face every kind of excuse you could think of when it comes to reasons for not donating blood, so we must be delicate in our approach but armed with the knowledge to control the conversation. The LAMA technique was developed by Judy Mckee of Mckee Consulting LLC, and what a brilliant technique it is. LAMA is, quite honestly, one of the most effective conversational tools I have ever used in recruiting blood donors at Incept. The good thing about it is that it can work for virtually any situation and in any conversation you might be having!
Let’s take a look at the four different parts of LAMA and why each of them work together so well.
The LAMA Technique – Why it works and how you can use it
Naturally, I believe in donating blood. I’ve said this countless times and will continue to do so. It’s a genuinely good thing for a human being to do for another human being. That being said, since I believe in what I do for Incept, I take my job very seriously. If you work on the phone either as a telerecruiter, customer service agent, or another type of phone rep, there is usually a standard process as to how one should handle each call. Essentially, with each call, you know you want the donor to sign up, and you know you want to make the close with that customer; it can be compared to guiding a mouse to the cheese at the end of the maze. LAMA is the conversational tool to help you get to the end of that maze.
- Listen. The first step of LAMA is to listen, and we can’t begin to understand a problem or even start to formulate a response to a customer or donor if we do not listen to what they are saying. Do they need a few weeks out to schedule? Do they have transportation to get there? Do they need a weekend or weekday? Based upon when you listen to what is said, you can then begin to truly customize your response to fit that person’s needs.
- Acknowledge. It is always nice when someone lets you know they have heard what you have said, especially when dealing with a complaint or upset customer/donor. Whenever anyone brings a problem up with me while I’m on the phone, I always reiterate what they said and apologize for the inconvenience. Why is this step important, though? When you acknowledge a predicament or issue someone has, you are openly empathizing with them and, in turn, it makes them feel like you are on their side. This works to make them more likely to agree with you and hear you out.
- Make a Statement. So you’ve listened to your customer, and you’ve acknowledged their problem. Here is your chance to make a statement. This step is a great opportunity to throw in any kinds of features and benefits you might have. When you make a statement you are not asking them sign up, schedule or commit to any kind of choice. View it as laying the ground work and education for your customer to make an informed choice on the topic at hand.
- Ask a Question. So this is what it all comes down to. In terms of conversational marketing techniques, this is what really makes LAMA the Trojan horse of techniques! Almost all people being LAMA’ed do not know it! It’s because when you ask a question, you do it in such a fashion that gives your donor/customer options. A common way we do this as Conversational Marketing Experts (CMEs) is by asking our donors not to donate, but when. “Would you need a weekend or weekday to donate?” will usually draw more responses than simply asking a yes-or-no type of question.
The LAMA technique really is a valuable tool for anyone involved in the contact center industry, so if you have any questions about it, please post them below! For more information about LAMA check out www.thepositivecoachapproach.com!
Image Credit: http://3.bp.blogspot.com
It should be clear that some variance, even in addition to what is minimal (i.e. your break) is understandable. We don’t expect employees to delay going to the bathroom until their meal or break periods. However, there are certain things that all of us as a team-minded organization can do together to accomplish these variance and schedule adherence goals.
