Supervisor Snacks

 Babe Ruth is considered by to be one of the greatest athletes of all time and is famous for setting the home run record. He also holds the record for strikeouts! On any given day he was either very good or very bad making his team a little nervous when he went up to the plate. Which Babe was playing that day?  Clients are happier when their service is consistent. They would rather have “fairly good” service all the time than great service sometimes, and poor service other times. Ups and downs in quality make people nervous. In our business it is not uncommon to take a fabulous message one day that brings a compliment from the caller, but the very next day fail to page a message that could be worth big bucks for our client. Those two instances don’t REALLY balance each other out. The client is going to remember the lost revenue much more than the compliment.  There are two possibilities at work in the above scenario. The message that earned the compliment could have been ...

This article is about “call control”; a subject we hear a lot about it in our industry. We are taught how to guide a call – especially right at the beginning. We need to be able to take down information in a specific order; therefore, nearly everyone understands how to ask questions right up front to complete the message prompts. Asking those questions and moving right along to the next question becomes almost a routine and ensures that the caller’s most important information has been captured. The actual message follows. The caller usually launches into a description of their needs and with only a small amount of guidance on your part is necessary to help you tell their story in the proper order. You may need to stop the caller from giving too much information, but basically the “control” needed on your part is limited. Clearly, we have a beginning and a middle to the data we need to accumulate for our clients; we are directed through the call by the prompts on the message form and al...

 T here is an old, old proverb that says, “He is a fool who cannot be angry; but he is a wise man who will not.” Anger is the most useless, destructive emotion of all. It consumes our energy, controls our mind and destroys our relationships. We have trouble concentrating on anything else when we are angry. It steals our happiness, it threatens our health, it blurs our judgment - anger can consume us. When you allow someone’s words or actions to make you angry you have given them control of your mind. Being angry at someone else means they are pulling your strings, you are simply reacting to their tugs, they have become the puppet master and you have become the puppet. Resolve not to give in to feelings of anger, make it your goal to remain positive, to remain in control. You cannot control the actions of others but you can control your reaction. In truth other people can’t “make” you angry; only you can do that by allowing others to have that power over you. Don’t let anyone have t...

Have you ever walked into a room where you didn’t know anyone, but were immediately drawn to someone who was in a conversation with others?  He or she may have been gesturing with their hands, or smiling broadly, their eyes were twinkling and clearly they were engaged in the conversation.  Suddenly you wanted to be a part of that group, listening to that fascinating person.  Why?  Because their passion for life was infectious. People who live with passion are interesting.  They often see the humorous side of things, they believe in what they are doing, and they make others believe.  Passionate people have charisma and we just naturally gravitate to them.  People can be quiet and retiring, and yet still be passionate about their beliefs.  These are the folks that you need to get to know a little better before you discover what great people they are.  Again, you’ll be drawn by their enthusiasm for life, and for their strongly held views.  ...

  It takes so little to make someone’s day!   Just a little acknowledgment or recognition, a simple compliment, or even an unexpected smile can mean more than you’d ever expect.   While I am especially talking about making someone’s day in the workplace, it’s a great thing to do anywhere! I was walking through the grocery store after having an especially rough day, trying to find some enthusiasm for dinner when a lady stopped me and said, “That is a beautiful shirt you have on; it’s perfect with your coloring.”  I can’t explain what a lift that gave me.  It was even more wonderful because she made it a personal remark, mentioning not that it was simply a pretty top, but that it looked good on ME. I returned the favor a day later when a teenager in a department store was complaining about being “too tall and gawky”. I turned and said, “Honey, you aren’t gawky, you are graceful and willowy. Us short people never wear clothes as well as taller people do; be gra...

  You want to act quickly before it can build.   Conflict will negatively affect your relationships with your staff and even your family and can quickly slide into a serious situation.   So, when you see someone roll their eyes in a meeting, fail to follow through on an assignment, or actively avoid you, take notice!   It is time to take steps to address the situation.   When you sense that something isn’t right, find out what’s wrong, immediately.  Don’t let it linger.  Try to talk to this person within 24 hours, so it doesn’t build.  It will never get any easier.  Here are the steps to take to make it as non-confrontational as possible. Step 1 – “When I heard/ saw/ read … whatever. Step 2 – I was upset, worried, concerned (even angry) … Step 3 – … because I thought … whatever. Step 4 – What I’d like in the future is … For example, a conversation could go like this:  “When I saw you roll your eyes at the meeting, I felt upse...

  This expression has been around for a long, long time, and it has been valued for a reason. It is GREAT advice! Throughout life, we find ourselves in places and situations that we never intended and that are not necessarily a part of our life plan. Later on down the road we will look back and see that a detour turned out to be a very important piece of background that helped us move forward in another time and place. The college course you took when the class you wanted wasn’t available and you needed a credit, the volunteer position you agreed to take because a friend twisted your arm, the part-time job you took at an answering service until something better came along, all of these situations and many, many more are opportunities. You didn’t expect to be planted there, even for a short while, but you were planted there so put down some roots and grow. Every class you take, every chance you have to learn something new, should be optimized. You wanted “Photography 101,” you g...