Do you “Roundtable”?

Have you even heard this noun used as a verb? In 2015, roundtable could join a long list of nouns that we now commonly use as verbs, for example: email, text, Google, friend, access, etc. “Trend,” now used as a verb meaning “change or develop in a general direction,” as in “unemployment has been trending upwards,” is another example of this phenomenon.

Perhaps you’re more familiar with the term “roundtable discussion.” This link defines roundtables as “small, informal group discussions that give attendees the opportunity to exchange information, discuss best practices, and network with others around common themes and issues.” Ideally, a facilitator guides the discussion.

Regular Roundtable Discussions are a Critical Component of Excellent Customer Service

In 2015, companies that want to be known for excellent customer service are “trending” in the direction of regular roundtable discussions with their agents. The people most tuned in to the voice of your customers are your people. The reps in your center are on the front lines, watching, listening, learning and guiding, talking and instructing your customers through their experience with your company.

Are you talking and listening to your people?

Are you asking them what your customers want, what they like or dislike? They have all of the information right at their fingertips to guide your customers on the most spectacular customer experience ever. But do your people have the tools they think they need to do this? Do you know that for certain? Have you ask them often and really listen?

The voices of your people are a direct, daily connection to the voices of your customers.

If you’re not doing it already, you need to become part of the trend to “roundtable” on a regular basis. When you do, you’re highly likely to find that you have:

  • Enhanced retention of both agents and customers
  • Increased sales and/or one-call resolution of problems
  • Simplified and enhanced the customer’s journey through your phone system
  • Improved teamwork and communication
  • Facilitated agent empowerment and ownership
  • Increased satisfaction and trust with management
  • Improved the overall culture of your business

People Knowledge Is Power

The information your agents have about your customers is priceless. Your company wouldn’t exist without the human factor, without your people. They are possibly your most untapped source of information about your customers. You’ve probably heard it said that “Perception Is Reality!” Employee and customer perceptions (beliefs, opinions, experience, needs and information) drive their behavior, decision and actions.

  • Do you know the perceptions of your people?
  • Do you know the perceptions of your customers?
  • Is your contact center function-focused or human-focused?
  • Are you using the Information your people have to empower them to better serve your customers?

Conducting Productive Roundtable Discussions Is an Art

Roundtable Sessions should be dedicated to sharing ideas, perceptions, suggestions, opinions, successes, pain points, communication needs, environmental information and other job function experiences. If carried out in a mentored environment, they can prove an ideal structure for maximizing the time spent with your people. Remember:

  • Your center and your agents are unique. No other group of people or department in your company is measured as much as your agents—your people.
  • Having a third party who specializes in contact centers and who can interact with your people in a roundtable session just for them is an approach worth careful consideration.
  • A solution-oriented summation or process “map,” in which direct suggestions for actions based on recommendations are detailed for your management team, should be the deliverable. It will be a written guide, directly from the voice of your people, to assist you in providing the highest level of satisfaction to your customers and your people who serve them.

There is a wealth of information on the Internet to guide you through the process of holding regular, productive roundtable discussions. This article, “How to Run a Roundtable Discussion,” is just one link of many under the same search terms.

Internal surveys provide another channel for information flow and allow organizations to involve employees in ways that positively impact motivation, cost savings, and revenue production.