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We continue the sometimes joyful and sometimes painful path to try to be better human beings - this is only possible because we can rise above logic, that we find the wonder and hope, the language and words to inspire us and keep us going. Thanks for visiting.

Thursday, October 15, 2009

Customer Service : A Customer Speaks Out and a CSR responds

Hank Green posted this yesterday. And today a CSR responded today.

I'd like to be the first to break it on to the CRM Customer Service networks

The people who work in our industry, ME absolutely included are working to do something about this (Apprenticeships, see http://ccat.wik.is) , it will take all of us the industry pundits, the CSR's, Team Leads, VP Customer Service, CFOs and CEO's AND our customers to take this vivid moment of crisis to shift customer service into a self-serving global good:

Service by us, with us, and for us


So far 946 comments on the video by Hank posted yesterday. I love this one by JennaBunnkkins which sums it up beautifully.

"I agree. I work in retail and every time a customer is rude we give them what they want, but if they are polite and cordial we generally decline their requests."

Yes, there is something deeply wrong bout this picture.



Warning - some bleep language in Hank's post. Which Hank regrets having to get to that stage, but, was pushed to it much to his regret, which he expresses at the beginning of the video. And sadness and sorrow by the CSR who wishes it could go better than this - what its like to be on the receiving end and not be able to respond.

In Hank's video, he has the idea that CSR's are not paying full attention - in fact the amount of monitoring on CSR's to make sure that they are paying full attention in many contact centers is almost higher than any profession - no use of cell phones, no use of any personal electronics whatsoever, fully monitored Internet browsing, voice analytics applied on every call...

We can and should do better than this in enabling meaningful and valuable conversation between customers and businesses.


Watch it on Youtube - Real People, Real Customer Service in our world today.
Is this weird or not?

What the Customer thinks is happening

http://www.youtube.com/user/vlogbrothers?blend=3&ob=4

What the CSR sees

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=0weLJmS_G3Q&feature=related




MIT OpenCourseWare: I'm invested

Friday, October 02, 2009

Abraham Lincoln the ULTIMATE networked Leader?

I have been developing with Carol Blanchar a curriculum for the "Networked Leader" and as we thought about how to convey the qualities and skills for networked leaders, we realized that Abraham Lincoln offers the clearest and most compelling example of what a networked leader is able to do.

In 2009, the 200th anniversary of his birth, Lincoln's seemingly contradictory sides - the slow path wherein he reached the unbreachable convictions that good would prevail:

"Let us have faith that right makes might, and in that faith, let us, to the end, dare to do our duty as we understand it." Lincoln's Cooper Institute Address, February 27, 1860.

...made it possible for him to provide the solid anchor that ultimately resulted in the notion of government of the people by the people for the people.


Networks are the next extension that the Internet has made possible:

Networks of the people, by the people for the people.


This is the compass for Networked leadership.

I would love to hear YOUR nominations of role models for network leaders.








MIT OpenCourseWare: I'm invested