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01ST JULY 2013
COLL is YOU!
N. 1 | MONTHLY
On dealing with difficult customers. By S. Alves
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ello, this is the first number of our very own Coll Newsletter! It is a space to share experiences, knowledge and reflect on matters of our jobs. Do use it to express your opinion! Everyone is welcome! On this first issue there’s space for an interview, with ‘La bella Joana’ (get to know her better!), some matters regarding Quality, activities held during the previous month in the Collections Department, and some topics on staying healthy in the work place and how to deal with nervous customers! Hope you all enjoy! “Write to be understood, speak to be heard, read to grow” L. C. Powell Editorial by S. ALVES
his is a big issue during • Muscle tension; our daily work, and • Hand clenching/ here are some tips that tightening; may help us to better handle a • Jiggling/restless feet; difficult situation and get a better • Irritability/anger; result out of every contact! • Anxiety/nervousness; During the interaction with • Rushing; the customer’s complaint, it is • Snap/quick decisions; always important to monitor your It’s because you’re impatient. own tone of voice and volume. When you feel impatient, it’s Never raise your voice, as that important to get out of this frame can easily escalate into a shouting of mind as quickly as possible. match. Having a consistent calm Try these strategies: tone of voice will subconsciously Take deep, slow breaths, and encourage others to do the same. count to 10. Doing this helps Keep a complaint slow your heart log. If you see the The key to everything rate, relaxes your same thing popping body, and distances is patience. You up over and over, you emotionally get the chicken by from the situation. you can recommend a change in policy. hatching the egg, not If you’re feeling Don’t forget to by smashing it open. really impatient, thank the customer you might need to Arnold Glasgow for taking the time do a longer count, to speak with you and work to a or do this several times. resolution. Impatience can cause you to The customer has done you tense your muscles involuntarily. a favor. They have identified a So, consciously focus on relaxing problem in your business and your body. Again, take slow, deep they have given you the chance breaths. Relax your muscles, to keep their business by fixing it. from your toes up to the top of After the complaint is your head. handled, follow up and be sure Learn to manage your the resolution is completed. emotions. Remember, you have a If during the call you feel this choice in how you react in every symptoms: situation. You can choose to be • Shallow breathing (short patient, or choose not to be: it’s breaths); all up to you. 1 | 01ST JULY 2013
Force yourself to slow down. Make yourself speak and move more slowly. It will appear to others as if you’re calm – and, by “acting” patient, you can often “feel” more patient. Remember that, although many people are naturally patient, the rest of us need to practice patience for it to become a habit. Becoming more patient won’t happen overnight, but do persist – it’s so important!
And of course, don’t forget to thick these items: • Actively listen; • Allow the client to express their opinions; • Maintain your personal integrity at all times; • Be sympathetic; • Be empathetic; • Ask questions; • Move into solutionmode - know when to ask open-ended questions, and when to stick with “yes” or “no” question; • Apologize when appropriate; • Offer to try to fix the problem; • Gain agreement on your resolution; • Write a clear, concise log of the incident.
Health Tips To Stay Fit And Healthy… even at the work place! By S. Isidoro
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o keep yourself in a good shape during work hours, here are some tips! Keep yourself hydrated: Drinking a healthy amount of water is vital to your health. Water is used by the body to help flush out toxins and waste products from the body. Did you know that our brain is mostly made up water? Thus drinking water helps you think better, be more alert and be more productive at work. In order to relax and keep your throat and larynx in perfect conditions, drink lots of fluids, preferably water during your entire shift. Get enough sleep: Call centre agents belong to the group of people who are chronically sleep deprived. Studies have consistently shown that sleep plays a vital role in promoting physical health, longevity and emotional well-being. Without adequate sleep, your judgment, mood and your ability to learn and stay focus are weakened.
Eat the right food: Oily, overcooked and greasy food will make you sleepy and also much inactive; you need a proper balanced diet to keep yourself awake, healthy and aware. Skipping meals and overeating is dangerous when your mind is on high alert. If you don’t eat well cooked food, you will feel inactive, your listening and speaking capabilities will suffer. You will not sound loud and cheerful to customers. Exercise: Exercise has a lot of benefits, people who exercise are stronger and have greater endurance than people who are sedentary. Being fit and healthy are very crucial to your work, thus having a regular exercise routine will improve your capacity for endurance, you will feel more energized the rest of the day and will also help you from eating all day long. Edit Text by S. Alves
Edit Text by S. Alves 2 | 01ST JULY 2013
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La bella Joana By S. Alves
oana Silva started in the Collections Department last October and this month os acting as Training Champion for Portugal Collections. Besides loving red and her cat Bóbi, Joana is on a pushing countdown for her holidays, which will take her on a trip to Croatia. Joana takes note on the team spirit, that is vital to enjoying her work! Joana enphatizes the team spirit, which allows to overcome a though daily routine and have a good workplace environment: ‘It’s impossible not to like working with these people. They make me laugh all the time. I am extremely fortunate to work with exceptional people who are great professionals and engaged with their jobs. Working with such a team makes it all so easier!’
Besides a great work environment, Joana points out the development opportunities that she found within the company, acting as Training Champion for Portugal Collections. ‘This is a very important opportunity for me, for which I am very grateful. I am loving working
with Fernando Sousa and Irene Maglia. I believe that I can learn a lot with them. I have a background as a teacher and I love this area, so, I am commited to show all my abilities and knowledge and evolve in the company. This position gave me a new challenge to look forward to. I hope I can be helpfull and have a good input within the Training Team’. Joana’s secrets: She has no secrets, as she points out. But she has secret desires, such as ‘having more tools available to help our customers who are facing effective hardship in their economic situation’ Joana’s heart beats faster whenever we pronounce the word holidays! ‘I have a regressive countdown map made by my colleague Rodrigo. I am going to Croatia for a week. It’s my first real vacation period since I came to Ireland. I accept suggestions, because I don’t have anything defined yet. I am counting on great relaxation periods, catching some sun and turn the Off button on the real world’. I once had a lot of hobbies, and no free time to spare. I played basketball, did dance, worked as director in the Mondeguinas (musical students group at university of coimbra), where I played ukelele and teached the younger members. I used to work as a volunteer with elderly people, talking to them
and teaching them to read and write. It was very rewarding. For now, I have a challenge in hands: learning to swim. But I would like to leave a suggestion: how about creating a HP choir? A book I recommed: ‘I would like to recommend a book, very small but with a huge content. It’s by Richard Bach – ‘There’s No Such Place As Far Away’. It’s very easy to read and has a great message: we are always where we’re supposed to be!’ Edit Text by S. Alves
Set your sights high, the higher the better. Expect the most wonderful things to happen, not in the future but right now. Realize that nothing is too good. Allow absolutely nothing to hamper you or hold you up in any way. Eileen Caddy
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arla Sousa started with HP in 2011 and since then, she always looked for an opportunity to work with the Quality Department. Now, she coaches and monitors agents performances and she gives us some precious advices. How did you start at HP? I started as a Collections Agent, but I didn’t identify myself with that role, because it was monotonous. The first days were quite shocking and it didn’t seem to fit my personality. After 7 months on the job I found a way to coop by assuming that I was here to help our clients. At every call I felt good about the job and I knew I was doing my job right.
Why Quality? At the beginning I realized I was more cuted off to work in Quality, and it was the only position I apllied to. Is Quality designed to help agents? Absolutely! Each call reflects the agents personality, but we have a model that the Bank wants in place. For instance, selling DD is a Bank strategy and it is
mandatory. Even when giving a feedback I try to be positive, to face the agents doubts and to help him find his voice and style in his job. The Quality Model is a tick box, a guideline to a successful call. Agents can contribute with their own suggestions but always try to bring a reasonable aspect to the discussion. Are you evaluated? Yes, obviously. In coaching calls, by Team Leaders and the Bank. What does the client Barclays request? Barclays requires, besides all the Quality Model, 5 calls every month to be evaluated and discussed during a call conference where managers, team leaders discuss the call quality, the voice ton, posture and availability to help and educate the customer. Those are generally a good call (100%), an average call (80%) and a off track call (60%). Is there any message you would like to share? Collections is an exhaustive work, but there’s always something you can change to have a better performance in Quality. I want to give an alert to agents to be aware fo Procedures and to keep an eye on all communications sent to them. In the end, a suggestion: why not to interact with other departaments or other colleagues and share best practice examples or just discuss your role to enhance your own performance?
Crito, I o Asclep we a cock to iu remem b s; will you er to pay th d ebt? e By So crates
Contributors • • • • • • •
Susana Alves; Liliana Gomes Silva; Miriam Faria; Alexandre Coelho; Samuel Isidoro; Joana Silva; Carla Sousa.
We wish to express our gratitude to everybody who contributed and all new ideas and contributions are welcome!
Vai pedir o dinheiro ao Passos da Silva
The Quality Specialist By M. Faria
Edit Text by S. Alves 4 | 01ST JULY 2013